Phooey Kerflooey vs The Wonderful Wallow

Phooey Kerflooey is an imaginary pup inspired by our three wonderful Newfoundland dogs. The strong and brave Shamu (163lbs), the picky and scaredy but loving therapy dog Princess Leia Freyja (114lbs), and the bumbling and pesky Nessie Grace Karu (126lbs).

While it is unlikely that Phooey would have encountered all of the forest animals she did in a single day, it is possible as they all live in the forests near our mountain home. A few of her encounters were even based on real adventures we’ve had with wildlife.

The Bear-Dear! One spring, a lovely doe decided to hide her twin fawns in the bushes surrounding the Bible camp where we live and work. It was quiet and the local cougar steers clear of us as encounters with humans make big cats nervous. Well, it was only quiet until the teen volunteers arrived for Staff Training! With the forest full of teenagers, the mother deer had a decision to make. Move her babies to another location or chase away the new invaders. She decided to stand her ground and chase off the horde of teens who had descended upon her chosen refuge. Thus, we had numerous complaints about a “Bear-Dear” or “Beer” making hard eye contact, charging, and chasing our staff. She even faced off with a local kitty cat. Since it only gets louder as the summer progresses, Momma Deer eventually moved her babies, although she did bring them to our lawn to graze at night when things were quiet. This is a different doe and fawns with a different cat (Whisper Persnickety) . . . but you get the idea.

The Weasel! We do have weasels and they are capable of killing prey ten times their size. In the winter, weasels turn white and are then called ermine. However, the nose chomp that Phooey experiences was actually based on a dog we know who got bit on the nose by an angry squirrel!

GPS Misdirection! Yep, using an app for directions is fraught with peril up here in the Cascade Mountains. Our family has discovered semi-truck drivers headed down old dirt roads with no place to turn around and we’ve rescued folks stuck in the mud on ancient roads that lead deep into the forest because they followed directions from their phone.

Hiking in a Wheelchair! Yes, I have witnessed a young man go on a tough, off-trail hike in his wheelchair. How is this possible? With a lot of help! The camper’s cabin mates, brother, and camp counselor all took turns pushing his chair through the bushes, lifting it over logs, and heaving it up steep hills. Since Conner only has Marcus and Nia to help, I made their hike a bit easier than the one we witnessed here at our camp, but the spirit of the adventure was the same!

Bluff Charge! My grandma Autumn really did have a bear bluff charge her one day when she was out for a walk. A bluff charge is where a bear charges toward you and then stops, pounding the ground with their feet and maybe giving a stern huff to encourage you to go away. This happened when my grandmother saw a dead elk and walked over to it to investigate. That bear thought she was going to steal his dinner and warned her away. Autumn and my great aunt Lily also had the experience of having their dogs chase a bear, calling the dogs back, and then getting both the dogs and the bear running back to them! Don’t worry. Once that bear got those dogs zipping in the proper direction, he lumbered back into the forest.

The Deadly Pool! Our big male Newfoundland Shamu once fell through the ice in our pond and became stuck in the dangerously cold water. Thankfully, my stepbrother was there to rescue him and my sister-in-law got him dried off and warm. While Newfoundlands are made for swimming in cold water, if they get soaked through in the winter, they need to warm up like any dog.

Momma Elk! My family actually does have a story about a dog that ran out to chase the elk and got into trouble. A big cow elk saw this dog zipping toward the elk herd and would have none of it! She picked that dog up by the scruff of his neck and shook him like a terrier shakes a rat. Then she tossed the dog aside. It wasn’t a small dog either! The elk below is a bull instead of a cow elk. But his picture still shows what big animals they are and how silly it would be for Phooey to run out to greet one.

The Wonderful Wallow! The wonderful wallow itself is based on an elk wallow that was in the mountain meadow where we live. It was a muddy patch surrounded by meadow grass that was made mucky by several natural springs that sent water seeping out of the ground. The elk loved to roll in the mud and scratch their itches. My grandfather, Delbert, eventually dug the area out and built our pond, which the elk (and our dogs) love! The pond was the one location that our dogs would go by themselves. They always waited for us to take them on a walk, unless they got super-hot. If that happened, both Shamu and Nessie were brave enough to lumber across the meadow to the pond for a dip in the cool and muddy water. This love for the pond inspired Phooey Kerflooey vs The Wonderful Wallow!

I took each of these photos near the remote Bible camp where we live and work. Sure, this is a daddy elk rather than a momma elk, the weasel is an ermine (which is what they are called when they have their white winter coat, and these are both small black bears rather than a big momma bear, but seeing the different animals that we have encountered will give you an idea about the kinds of critters that Phooey ran into during her most recent adventure!