Rain In The Desert

In the high desert of Washington State lives an enthusiastic group of people who are the heart of the Columbia Basin Dog Training Club. I received a call months ago to come to the Pasco, WA area to teach a basic and urban tracking workshop.

For a place that only receives 7 or 8 inches of rain a year, the weekend was a bonus to area farmers and orchards. Over the three day period, the area was soaked with a steady and cold rain, making tracking uncomfortable yet offering a unique opportunity for many to track in an weather pattern rarely seen in this part of the state.

Friday was spent offering guidance and assistance to individual club members and their dogs. On Saturday we met at a local park and started beginner dogs, worked novice and advanced dogs through short and challenging tracks through the desert fauna. Many of us looked like drowned rats when the day was done, but quickly adjourning for dry cloths, a cold brew or two and a steak dinner we quickly forgot about our earlier discomfort.

Sunday we spent along the banks of the Columbia River working dogs in an urban setting along and through parking lots, picnic areas and boat launches. A get together ended the day with hot pizza and cold drinks ... and a few tracking stories.

So if someone tells ya it does not rain out there, don't believe em. We've seen the rain and watched the locals track through it!