Yesterday turned out such a perfect day, with a blazing sun in the wide, blue sky, shelter from the wind within the forest confines and a remarkable 4C degrees that neighbourhood dogs convinced their reluctant human companions to get out and enjoy it all. Jackie and Jillie had so many lively encounters with canine acquaintances it made for an extraordinarily satisfying ravine outing for them, and for us as well.

We came across Milly, a vibrantly lovely Golden Retriever first, and she exercises such good judgement in choosing to ignore the impudence with which Jillie greets her, by leaping toward her muzzle in a display of bad manners, one can only imagine how nice it would be if Jillie exercised some of Milly's  polite mannerisms.

That was followed by another meeting, this time with exuberant, ecstatic little Max, a miniature-size poodle mix, the bane of Jackie's existence because though they greet one another enthusiastically enough, Max, younger than Jackie, is inexhaustible in his determination to boss other dogs around, continually challenging Jackie to bouts of wrestling, the kind of acrobatics that Jackie is accustomed to engaging in with Jillie, but disinterested in doing so with a whippersnapper like Max.

The ice-slicked trails of tamped-down snow had responded to the elevated temperature so there was no more chance of slipping and sliding, making it infinitely more congenial forging along on the trails. That milder temperature also enables odours evidently delightful to dogs, to waft temptingly through the atmosphere, leading our little companions to explore, snout down in the heavy layers of accumulated, but dissolving snowpack.

Chase, white and brown, behind Jackie

And it wasn't long before we came across another of our acquaintances, Gord, who makes his living training and dog-walking. He had with him a small, really nicely conformed (possibly not pure-bred, making that feasible) bulldog and he promptly informed us that Chase was a rescue. He'd taken the muscular little dog into his care three months ago when its owner was preparing to 'put it down' because of its dangerously hostile behaviour.

Molly is the Yellow Lab in back

Then Gord showed us the still-remaining scars all over the little dog's body, top and underside; all symptoms of a horribly abused creature. Chase had been a handful for the first month, wary, mistrustful and prone to abrupt physical reaction. Since then he's come a long way. By the time we saw him yesterday, he was a changed animal, friendly, peaceful and quiet, anxious to please Gord, obviously now hugely dependent on him. Gord's long-time companion Molly, an amiable yellow Lab, quickly began to mentor Chase, and with her help healed the poor little creature's soul.

As we stood talking with Gord, others came along with their companions and before we knew it there was a concatenation of dogs, communicating with one another and no doubt in their own way giving assurances to each other, conveying their pleasure in the atmosphere of this perfect February day.