A Special Mother's Day Field Trip For Five Momma Dogs!

Our dogs don’t often get a break from shelter life. We’d love for them to get out more, but with so many dogs in our care, our team has their hands full just caring for daily needs. So when an opportunity came along to give five lucky momma dogs a special Mother’s Day adventure, we jumped at it. Our generous host and wonderful crew created an unforgettable day out in nature for these wonderful mothers. We can’t wait to plan the next adventure!

A “Momma’s Day” field trip

When he teamed up with Rescue Ranch to write songs for our dogs, Kevin Sweet invited us to bring a dog out to his Horse Creek property for a photo shoot. The pastoral setting, complete with creek, salmon pond, forest, and meadow offers a beautiful backdrop and respite from kennel stress. The Sweet property is about 45 minutes from Yreka, so it made most sense to bring a group of dogs and make a day of it. With Mother’s Day on the horizon, Sanctuary manager Laura Finley suggested a field trip for our wonderful momma dogs. Kevin agreed to write the song, and I’d take videos to make into a reel to share on social media.

The hardest part was choosing which momma dogs to bring–we have so many still waiting for homes. Ultimately, we settled on five:

Hasiko ~ a senior German shepherd who arrived pregnant back in 2020. She was adopted and recently returned through no fault of her own;
Khloe ~ a coonhound who arrived with nine pups in 2023;
Fables ~ a timid mutt who’s still rebuilding her trust after being abandoned with two pups on a county road last fall;
Ruffles ~ a gorgeous shepherd mix found begging in the Vistas to feed her pups;
Narnia ~ a gentle shepherd mix who was abandoned before giving birth last winter.

On a bright afternoon in early May, I met the Rescue Ranch team at the Adoption Center to load up for our adventure. The five mommas leaped happily into their crates–even shy Fables. Her growing confidence shows how much love her caregivers have poured into her over the last several months. When she first arrived she was too shut down even to walk on leash.

Fun and sun for our momma dogs

Our plan was to caravan out to Horse Creek, give the momma dogs a good time, and take lots of photos and videos. It was a glorious spring day and the waysides were bright with wildflowers. After a peaceful drive, Kevin Sweet’s son Grayson met us at the Horse Creek turn-off and escorted us to the property.

No sooner did the mommas’ paws touch grass than they were off to explore. It was all I could do to keep up! The only hiccup was Fables being momentarily spooked after unloading. After some reassurance, she was soon back on her feet and eager to follow the others.

The riparian setting was incredibly peaceful. The sound of the creek drew us all like a magnet and within minutes the dogs were happily splashing through the clear water. A soft breeze rustled the willow and alder leaves and made the sunlight dance over the forest floor.

The Mid Klamath Watershed Council has been working extensively throughout the region to help property owners restore the natural watershed. They dug the salmon pond, built log dams to slow the current, and planted native trees in the soft clay. They hope to attract species like beaver back to the region.

The dogs were in bliss. So many smells to explore! Hasiko splashed right into the salmon pond for a swim, while the others found shallower spots to wade.

Mommas just want to have fun

When the dogs were thoroughly wet and muddy, Grayson led us on a short hike up the hill to a vista overlooking the property. All the mommas have excellent leash manners and enjoyed the exercise.

After a few minutes of admiring the view, the sun’s heat drove us back to the van for drinks and snacks.

Since it was an unfamiliar setting we’d kept the dogs on leash up until now. But the day wasn’t complete without some off-leash time for the two with the best recall. Khloe, Ruffles, and Fables rested quietly in the van while Hasiko and Narnia returned to the pond for some off-leash exploration.

It was a perfect afternoon and I fell in love with all five mommas. They were so at ease and full of joy.

Ruffles and Narnia were sweetly attentive throughout the adventure. Narnia especially has a beautiful connection with her handlers. Hasiko and Khloe were in their country gal element. And though still unsure about being approached, Fables gradually unfurled like a spring flower.

I wish adopters could see them like this, free and out in nature. Maybe in future we can organize adoption events away from the shelter. We returned to Yreka with five very happy dogs!