A Wonderful Discovery On The Trail In Nova Scotia

Joy (left)and Flora (right)wait patiently next to me on the shore of Eagle Lake in the Acadia National Park in Maine. It turns out that Flora was a bit of a celebrity in Nova Scotia.

With retirement approaching, husband Bruce and I decided to scout a strange new land. We'd love to visit New Zealand, but Nova Scotia is closer, so we went there.

We loaded up our dogs, Flora and Joy, and embarked on our adventure. Because the dogs were traveling with us, I also brought my bicycle to exercise them. A tired dog is obedient, and there's no way I could walk fast or far enough to tire out my two young dogs. The bike is the perfect solution.

With their leashes in one hand, both dogs will run alongside me as I pedal my sky-blue bike. Dog owners have said that's crazy. "What if they see a squirrel or run after a bird?" My answer is that my dogs are trained NOT to. They will walk or run on a leash without being distracted, running off, or pulling against it.

Our first exercise opportunity was in the Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor. Bikers from all over the country descend on Acadia to bike the wide, well-cared-for Carriage Trails with crushed-rock surfaces, perfect for bikes, hikers, and horses. No cars are allowed. I did not have a stitch of spandex on, didn't wear a helmet, and rode a "girl's street bike." I could almost read their thoughts as spandex-clad bikers on expensive mountain bikes with wide tires and a thousand gears flew past me. "This woman is crazy; her dogs will pull her over. What is she thinking?"

I was thinking this was crazy fun as I pedaled along, both dogs running beside me, tongues hanging out with ecstatic looks on their faces. How dogs love to run! Twice, Joy, not paying attention to me, started to cross in front, but I called her name, gently touched her leash, and she moved back into position on my right.

The next leg of our trip was a three-hour ferry ride from Bar Harbor, Maine, to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. The U.S. Customs lady looked at their rabies vaccination certificates and asked, "Are you planning on bringing both dogs back to the U.S.?"

"Well, yes," I said.

"In that case, you need CDC (Centers for Disease Control) permission."

Oh, no. If permission were denied, we'd have to cancel the entire trip. So we sat in the Customs office, filled out the online forms, and quickly received official emails stating that the dogs were entitled to return with us. Phew.

After getting off the ferry in Yarmouth, I trusted both dogs to run off-leash beside my bike. All was fine until they spotted a doe and her two fawns. Flora knew better, but Joy dashed off, chasing the trio through a nearby field. As I trudged through the tall, wet grass, I thought our trip would be cut short. We'd spend days looking for Joy. If we didn't find her, we might have to leave her in Yarmouth. Soaked and disheartened, I slogged along, calling her name. When I glanced back toward the road, Joy was walking behind me. What!? How long had she been following me? What a sneak. She did come back; she'd probably always come back. She's no fool; she knows who feeds her. But to be safe, we kept her on a leash for most of the trip.

Throughout Nova Scotia, Flora was recognized as a Little River duck tolling retriever. Ducks Unlimited states, "The art of bringing waterfowl into gun range is known as tolling. It's an old word that means 'to lure by arousing curiosity.' The Nova Scotia duck tolling retriever was bred specifically for this purpose. These tolling dogs were trained to attract waterfowl by frolicking along the shoreline."

Little River is a town in Yarmouth County, where Flora's ancestors were bred to create medium-sized hunting dogs. A dog belonging to this breed is called a "toller." One admirer told me it's often a two-year wait and costs thousands of dollars to get a toller.

Flora, a rescue dog from St. Croix in the Virgin Islands, may not care about her Nova Scotia ancestors, but her roots sure explain why she loves chasing geese in the pond at the Loudon Country Club!

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Carole Soule is co-owner of Miles Smith Farm, where she raises and sells beef, pork, eggs, and other local products. She can be reached at carole@soulecoaching.com. Carole is also now a certified Life Coach who helps humans and K-9s achieve the impossible a little at a time.