For the Love of Dogs

Written by Peter Walker, Vice President of the Glade Run Lake Conservancy

July 15, 2022

Patch, full name Patricia-Margery, joined my family six months ago when an older woman she lived with passed away from COVID-19. During the time Patch has been with us, she's made Glade Run Lake her second home. We think she's a little over a year old and likely half Chihuahua and half Beagle, thus a Cheagle.

Patch enjoying the comforts of home.

Morning walks in the woods are mostly about sniffing out chipmunks and squirrels, always in hope, never catching them, but in the chase she helps me see the flowers hiding in the thickets. Today the first blooms of the day are the Downy Skullcap (purple blooms) and the wonderfully delicate St. John's-wort (yellow bloom).

Patch's real love, though, is the lake itself. We got her a little life jacket, in case she fell in. The handle on the back is exactly what we needed to haul her back into our kayaks, if needed.

The first time we took Patch out on our kayaks at Glade Run Lake, she accidentally fell in. The second time it happened, she deliberately fell in, and now she just loves it! She swims along beside our kayaks, making noises like a little steam engine.

Most times, she heads for the island, has a good sniff around, swims out to the patch of Pickerelweed, and then it's back to the dock to shake herself dry over whoever is fishing there. Don't you just love summer...

Pickerelweed (Pontederia cordata)