Growing up in the spectacular East Kootenay area on the west edge of the Rocky Mountains, we always had dogs to protect our property. They usually stayed outside and quickly let us know if anything unusual was happening by barking loudly. Or sometimes even howling like wolves from which all dogs descend.

One of my favourite dogs was named Mitzi who we inherited from an uncle. She was a Chesapeake Bay retriever with webbed feet for strong, duck hunting and swimming.

She had a stiff tail that could give you a good whack.

Mitzi loved going to our favourite swimming hole at little Baynes Lake but she was not always welcome. If we let her roam freely she thought she was our lifeguard and would jump in to rescue us at every splash.

It was no fun being scratched by her sharp claws when we wer

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