Reina, our Australian Shepherd, turned nine last month. As to which exact day last month was up for discussion around the homestead. For some time, I’ve always thought she was born June 28th. But Monica, in a nice little piece of detective work, took a closer look at a photo she has of Reina nursing a shortly after she was born and the metadata showed the photo was take June 12th.

So the old girl is even older than first thought. But that hasn’t kept her from heading out to the Redgate trails with Rafa and I. Reina continues to indulge her habit of chasing rabbits up and down the arroyos out there as well (even though she’s never caught one). She can still rip off a thirty-yard sprint down a trail too, but those infamous mile-long deer chases which had her disappearing for 10-20 minutes at a stretch are now, thankfully, a thing of the past (those maddening pursuits always took place well beyond my sight but I’d bet she never came closer than 20 yards to a deer).

But there are those occasions when Reina forgets she’s not a kid, and following Rafa’s cue, will sprint up a hillside or down an embankment after a fleeing rabbit with the abandon of a dog less than half her age. That’s when Newton’s Third Law kicks in, the law that says when one body exerts a force on a second body, the second body simultaneously exerts a force equal in magnitude and opposite in direction on the first body. In other words, when Reina gets after it out at the Redgate, the Redgate exacts a toll on Reina.

A post-hike buffered aspirin is now part of Reina’s routine. Cosequin, twice daily, hopefully helps her sore hips and knees. And whereas Rafa’s wanting to play catch after a hour-long hike, Reina’s more than happy to lay in the cool shade of the carport or under my desk and take a nap and rest up for the next outing.