Stage Six: Cut Bank ~ The Puppies

The very idea of a driving vacation was born as the result of a desire to visit Christine's parents. We have not been to their hometown in approximately four years and though it was time to rectify that. But once the plan was hatched an ulterior motive quickly emerged.

Less than a year ago Christine's Mom and Dad (Donna and Dave by name) became the proud owners of two puppies ~ Welsh Cockerpoos (i.e. Corgi/Cocker Spaniel/Poodle mixes) by breed, and Penny and Pepper by name. All of us had heard stories about how cute they were and seen hundreds of photographs of Penny and Pepper and were anxious to see them for ourselves.

Like the Grand Canyon and Little Bighorn this is one of those times when the reality was even more impressive than what we had been led to believe:

Dave (the one with the glasses) with Pepper

The kids (the ones with arms as well as legs) with Penny

Like many young animals they are sweet and precocious; but whether it is because of the long winter (there was snow on the ground in Cut Bank until May) or some other reason they have developed an affinity for a number of unusual games that are played with at least one human partner:

• Mop-mop: Using a long-handled dust mop someone chases the puppies around the kitchen, living room, and dining room. Tails wag and barking ensues (mostly from the puppies) as the puppies growl and make playful lunges at the mop, then run away.


• Run-run: This was a special game which the kids initiated, one that closely approximates "tag" with, generally speaking, the dogs spending the majority of the time being "it."


• Trash-trash: Sure, we are a little predictable on the game names but it works. This one is similar to mop-mop, with the difference being that the dogs bark, growl, and lunge at a bag of trash (usually with a healthy number of aluminum cans in it) being removed from the kitchen.

As we end our two weeks in Cut Bank it is clear that the puppies and the kids are forged quite a bond:

No, Joseph is not choking Penny

Friday we move on to Spokane ~ wish us good luck!