So here we are walking, and I stop for a moment to contemplate, to turn right at the orange rock, or should we walk further along and then turn left when we get up to where the steep downhill is before you get to the meadow.

These are the big decisions of a really good day.

And then here comes Gustavo and he’s trotting, which is odd as he’s a sprinter not a trotter. A sprinter who runs with the grace borrowed from the rodent division of animal kingdom. He has the look of he has a treasure clamped in his mouth, and before I can say anything, because the thing I usually say is to start screaming and pounce on him and get him to drop the thing which is probably a carcass and probably meat based, before I can say anything he trots to me and drops this thing, exactly at my feet.

Another thing he is not, is the dog who drops things at your feet.

I’m all, Wow, thanks Good boy. I say this slow, and I say this sort of suprisey.

Because I can see the thing is weird and has hair. And on closer inspection it is a snout of a fox. Fox snout.

It has the cutest little nose, and razor sharp curved fangs. Long stiff whiskers and lovely brown fur, which is feeling sort of matted today. I believe it to be the snout of fox, although I only suspect this fact at the time, because I look up animals skulls in the internet when I get home. But out there it’s only my belief.

I am thinking, who takes off just the snout? I look both ways up the trail, and listen close.

Gustavo is hovering very near. Like he’s not a trotter, he’s also not a hoverer. I take a snout snap shot, decide if this is really something that I need, and pick to hurl it to the brush. Rest in peace, fox snout. You belong here where you came from, not rotting in my bone pile. We take the left at the orange rock.

Gustavo gets behind me and trots with Ruby for quite a while. He’s not a trotter, not usually. Now we call the orange rock path Fox Snout, and for today he doesn’t lead us.