Izzy and Me

This trip to Montana, in addition to its primary focus of providing support for my sister around her mastectomy and initial recovery, ha s been a nice one-on-one bonding time with Isabella.

Isabella (aka Isabella-pooh, Izzy, Izzy-pooh-pooh, and Miss Pooh) is a feisty but friendly brindle pitbull. She came to us fresh off the streets, underweight and mangy, but full of pep, energy, and joie de vie. Six years later, she's as energetic as ever; I'm pretty sure she could be accurately diagnosed Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disordered, or ADHD. Izzy is reliably friendly to man, woman, child, and beast however, and she's a pleasure to have with me on the road.

During the long day we spent at the hospital with my sister – checking in, waiting (endless waiting) during prep and then during surgery and recovery – Isabella waited patiently in my car. She had a fleece sweater for the morning, a blanket to cozy up with and fresh water. Intermittently, I took her for walks around the hospital neighborhood, which she both needed and enjoyed; and I appreciated her willingness to mostly lay low for the day. That requires a little determination for a girls-just-wanna-have-fun kind of gal.

Each of the other days we've been here, Izzy and I have headed up into the Mount Jumbo wilderness for long and strenuous hikes. While I climb to heights for mind-clearing good views, Isabella-pooh darts out and back in pursuit of ground squirrels and birds. She has given serious, but doomed, chase to several deer. They can easily outrun her but she gives it her all, pouring herself into long, stretched-out strides, flying across the meadows and hillsides in pursuit of the swifter quarry.

Today, Izzy and I trekked the local trails for three hours. We met mountain bikers, runners, and other folks with dogs – black labs, yellow labs, and chocolate labs. When I returned home, I asked my sister if Missoula has an unwritten rule about Labrador retrievers. She laughed and said there is a standing joke that anytime someone moves to Missoula, the city issues them a Labrador retriever. If today is any indication, it must be true.

Regardless of Lab requirements, regardless of cancer battles, Izzy and I have gotten ourselves dog-tired every single day.

And beauty is all around us.