{"id":44765,"date":"2023-03-14T08:10:02","date_gmt":"2023-03-14T14:10:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/?p=44765"},"modified":"2023-02-23T18:36:20","modified_gmt":"2023-02-24T01:36:20","slug":"remembering-cousin-laddie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/?p=44765","title":{"rendered":"Remembering Cousin Laddie"},"content":{"rendered":"

2-16-23, 8:00 AM, home<\/em> – The phone rang.\u00a0 Lupe’s Aunt Andrea!\u00a0 SPHP picked up.\u00a0 Right away, SPHP knew something terrible had happened.\u00a0 Andrea was trying hard not to cry.<\/p>\n

The news was every bit as awful as unexpected.<\/p>\n

Only 3 days ago, Uncle Joe, Aunt Andrea, and Cousin Laddie had left Hotel Lupe to return home to Colorado after a fun weekend in the Black Hills.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP had enjoyed a couple of prairie adventures along Centennial Trail No. 89 between Fort Meade and Bear Butte Lake with Joe and Laddie during their brief stay.<\/p>\n

And now, on this bright, sunny morning in mid-February, Cousin Laddie was no more.<\/p>\n

The trip back home to Colorado and life as usual had been uneventful.\u00a0 Everyone was fine.\u00a0 However, in the middle of the night last night, Joe and Andrea woke to the odd sound of scratching on the carpet.\u00a0 Laddie normally slept on a fancy memory foam dog bed they’d bought for him.\u00a0 Laddie loved his special comfy bed, but when Joe and Andrea got up to investigate, he wasn’t on it.<\/p>\n

Instead, Laddie was on the carpet in the midst of a horrible seizure.\u00a0 Joe and Andrea rushed him to the emergency vet right away, but other than a shot that put an end to the convulsions, there was nothing to be done.\u00a0 The brain damage was too severe.<\/p>\n

I’ll never see Cousin Laddie again, SPHP?\u00a0 How can that be?\u00a0 I just met him less than a year and a half ago.\u00a0 He’s still my practically brand new cousin!<\/em><\/p>\n

Laddie was new to us, Loop, but he wasn’t young.\u00a0 When Uncle Joe and Aunt Andrea adopted him in September, 2021 no one really knew how old he was.\u00a0 Even the vet had a hard time saying, because nearly all his teeth had been pulled at the animal shelter since they were rotten.<\/em><\/p>\n

Oh, that’s right!\u00a0 You used to call him Cousin Snaggle Fang, SPHP, because he only had that one upper left canine.\u00a0 All his other front teeth were gone.<\/em><\/p>\n

That’s right, Looper!\u00a0 Anyway, the vet thought Cousin Laddie was at least 10 years old, but couldn’t say much more than that with any certainty.<\/em><\/p>\n

Why did Laddie have a seizure, SPHP?\u00a0 I always thought that he was fine.\u00a0 Laddie didn’t act old!<\/em><\/p>\n

I know it, Loop!\u00a0 Laddie wasn’t weak or decrepit.\u00a0 That’s part of why this awful news comes as such a shock, but Laddie had a hard life until he found a loving home with Aunt Andrea and Uncle Joe.\u00a0 Exactly what all happened to him, no one knows any more.\u00a0 What is known is that Laddie survived testicular cancer, was nearly killed by other dogs owned by his former foster family shortly before Joe and Andrea got him, and was kind of afraid of men.<\/em><\/p>\n

Laddie wasn’t afraid of Uncle Joe, SPHP!\u00a0 When we went on adventures, Laddie almost always wanted to stay close to Uncle Joe.<\/em><\/p>\n

Oh, Laddie was a little skittish at first, even with Uncle Joe, but he got over it!\u00a0 Laddie quickly learned he could trust Uncle Joe completely.<\/em><\/p>\n

Well, this news is just the worst, SPHP!\u00a0 Now I don’t have any cousins left at all.\u00a0 Remember when Cousin Dusty<\/strong><\/span><\/a> died last fall how you put some of our memories of being together on my blog to have something beautiful to remember her by?\u00a0 Would you mind doing that for Cousin Laddie, too?<\/em><\/p>\n

Absolutely, Loopster!\u00a0 Even though our glory days with Cousin Laddie were short compared to the many years we knew Cousin Dusty, I’ll see what I can do.<\/em><\/p>\n

Cousin Laddie<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Cousin Laddie’s early life is a mystery lost in time, but it’s known that he’d suffered through some very hard experiences shortly before his luck changed late in life when Aunt Andrea and Uncle Joe adopted him in September, 2021.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Happy Cousin Laddie<\/strong> after being adopted by Aunt Andrea and Uncle Joe.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Cousin Laddie’s name used to be Danny Boy, but Aunt Andrea liked the name Laddie, which was the name of a dog that lived long ago across the alley from her Grandmother’s house in North Dakota back when Andrea was a young girl.\u00a0 Even though Danny Boy was a Sheltie with beautiful luxuriant fur, and looked nothing like the original Laddie of Andrea’s youth, he began the last, and happiest, chapter of his life as the new Laddie.\u00a0 Uncle Joe, on the other paw, would have named him Banjo.<\/p>\n

At the time Laddie joined the family, Lupe’s Cousin Dusty was still alive, so Laddie got to be friends with Dusty while living in the same house in Arvada, Colorado that backed up on the 100 acre field where they often took walks together along Ralston Creek.<\/p>\n

Lupe met her new Cousin Laddie in late October, 2021.\u00a0 Laddie’s very first adventure with Lupe was Black Hills Expedition No. 281<\/strong><\/span><\/a>, going N on Centennial Trail No. 89<\/strong><\/span><\/a> from Alkali Creek to a ridge S of Fort Meade.\u00a0 This part of the trail along the E edge of the Black Hills near Sturgis was one of Uncle Joe and Dusty’s favorite hikes.\u00a0 Uncle Joe always called it the Ponderosa Hike.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Uncle Joe<\/strong> with Dusty<\/strong>, Lupe<\/strong> and Laddie<\/strong> on the Ponderosa Hike<\/strong>.\u00a0 Bear Butte<\/strong> (R) in the distance. 10-29-21<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Laddie had a fabulous time!\u00a0 He climbed Peak<\/span> 4027<\/span><\/a><\/strong>, his first Black Hills peak, saw Bear Butte<\/span><\/a> (4,422 ft.)<\/span><\/strong>, and got treated to part of his very first chocolate coconut bar shared with Loopster and Dusty.\u00a0 It was also on Expedition No. 281 that SPHP first discovered Laddie’s talent for almost always managing to face away from the camera, a skill he never lost, at least not when SPHP was around.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Bear Butte<\/strong> (Center) from Peak 4027<\/strong>. 10-29-21.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
On the ridge S of Fort Meade<\/strong>.\u00a0 10-29-21<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Fort Meade<\/strong> (L) and Bear Butte<\/strong> (R) from the N end of the Ponderosa Hike<\/strong>.\u00a0 10-29-21<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Relaxing together in the shade at the N end of the Ponderosa Hike<\/strong>. 10-29-21<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Laddie<\/strong> taking it easy on his first ever Black Hills of South Dakota expedition.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 282<\/strong><\/span><\/a> the very next day, Laddie made it to Peak<\/span> 5261<\/span><\/a><\/strong> after starting out from Centennial Trail No. 89’s Elk Creek trailhead.\u00a0 The Ponderosa Hike had been warm and sunny, with a high in the mid 70’s \u00baF, but this was a very different experience.\u00a0 Suddenly it felt like late fall, or even early winter.\u00a0 Arriving at the summit in a cold fog, Laddie didn’t get to see any of the views Lupe had hoped to show him.\u00a0 There was even some snow around!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Near Peak 5261 <\/strong>(Center).\u00a0 10-30-21<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Joe, Lupe, and Laddie in the fog on Peak 5261<\/strong>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Laddie’s second visit to Hotel Lupe didn’t take place for nearly another 6 months.\u00a0 Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 301<\/strong><\/span><\/a> started out with a wintry jaunt around scenic Sylvan Lake.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Laddie, Joe, and Dusty at Sylvan Lake<\/strong>.\u00a0 4-16-22<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Joe, Laddie, and Lupe below the Sylvan Lake dam<\/strong>.\u00a0 4-16-22<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
In Sunday Gulch<\/strong>.\u00a0 4-16-22<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
By frozen Sylvan Lake<\/strong>.\u00a0 4-16-22<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As the day warmed up a bit, the trip around Sylvan Lake was extended with a short loop along part of Little Devils Tower Trail No. 4.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
On Little Devils Tower Trail No. 4<\/strong>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Expedition No. 301 ended with a buffalo hunt in Custer State Park<\/strong><\/span><\/a>!\u00a0 No one knew if this was the first time Laddie had ever seen a buffalo, or not, but he saw a whole herd of them today!\u00a0 When Lupe began barking at them from the RAV4, Laddie got into the spirit of it, too.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Dusty, Laddie, and Joe on the buffalo hunt.\u00a0 4-16-22<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
They’re over here, Laddie!\u00a0 Come and see!<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Yes, they were genuine bison alright!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Two days later, Laddie enjoyed an easy road hike in the central Black Hills to Gimlet Pond on Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 302<\/strong><\/span><\/a>.\u00a0 Cousin Dusty would be 16 in June, and this turned out to be the last time all 3 cousins would be together.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
The 3 cousins heading up the Gimlet Creek valley<\/strong>.\u00a0 4-18-22<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Laddie and Dusty in Gimlet Creek<\/strong>.\u00a0 4-18-22<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Dusty wading in Gimlet Pond<\/strong> on her last Black Hills, SD Expedition.\u00a0 4-18-22<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Dusty, Laddie, and Joe relaxing on the hill overlooking Gimlet Pond<\/strong>.\u00a0 4-18-22<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Time marches on.\u00a0 By the time Laddie made his 3rd visit to the Black Hills in late September, 2022, Cousin Dusty had died suddenly only a week before.\u00a0 Just Lupe and Laddie, now.<\/p>\n

During this stay at Hotel Lupe, chef SPHP learned how much Laddie liked sloppy joes, and especially SPHP’s “Sheltie delight” spaghetti.\u00a0 Spoiling Laddie was fun, and Lupe had no objections, since she reaped the same benefits.\u00a0 Every evening, dark, beady, little Sheltie eyes stared up at SPHP inquiring when the next delicacy would be served.<\/p>\n

Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 305<\/span><\/strong><\/a> lumped several hikes together.\u00a0 Laddie received some Black Hills adventure training, starting out with rock climbing experience gained at Boulder Hill<\/span><\/a><\/strong> (5,331 ft.)<\/span><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Laddie practicing some light scrambling on the way up Boulder Hill<\/strong>.\u00a0 9-22-22<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Joe and Laddie on Boulder Hill<\/strong>, Laddie’s 3rd Black Hills summit.\u00a0 9-22-22<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Cousin Fuzzy Caterpillar<\/strong> looking the wrong way, as usual, up on Boulder Hill<\/strong>.\u00a0 Laddie’s fur was growing out after having been shaved for the summer.\u00a0 His coloration was a lot like Lupe’s!\u00a0 9-22-22<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After Boulder Hill, Laddie explored a segment of Flume Trail No. 50<\/strong><\/span><\/a>.\u00a0 The next day, he visited Legion Lake, and returned to Centennial Trail No. 89, venturing S from the Badger Hole trailhead.\u00a0 This was followed by a trip to Mount Coolidge<\/span><\/a> (6,023 ft.)<\/span><\/strong>, technically Laddie’s 4th Black Hills summit, but he didn’t even get out of the RAV4 due to high winds.<\/p>\n

It still counts, SPHP!\u00a0 Laddie was there, and even if you say he should have gotten out of the RAV4, I did get out as his personal representative!<\/em><\/p>\n

Good to see you sticking up for your cousin, Loop.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Crossing the Legion Lake dam<\/strong>. 9-23-22<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Back on Centennial Trail No. 89<\/strong>.\u00a0 This time S of Badger Hole<\/strong>.\u00a0 9-23-22<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Break time on a little hill before turning back.\u00a0 9-23-22<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Heading back to Badger Hole along Centennial Trail No. 89<\/strong>.\u00a0 Laddie looking toward Mount Coolidge <\/strong>(R of Center).\u00a0 9-23-22<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Joe and Laddie’s personal representative on Mount Coolidge<\/strong>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This third visit to the Black Hills included free water crossing training along Iron Creek Trail No. 15 going upstream from Lakota Lake.\u00a0 Laddie forded Iron Creek several times before easily mastering plank bridge technology, allowing him to stay dry thereafter.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Mastering the art of crossing plank bridges over Iron Creek<\/strong>.\u00a0 9-24-22<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A quick stop at Iron Mountain<\/span><\/a><\/strong> (5,446 ft.)<\/span><\/strong>, another drive-up, counted as the 5th Black Hills summit Laddie visited.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Together on Iron Mountain<\/strong>, Laddie’s last Black Hills summit, 9-24-22<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

And, of course, Lupe and SPHP had been thrilled to welcome Laddie, Joe, and Andrea to Hotel Lupe on February 10, 2023 for their most recent long weekend stay.<\/p>\n

Sadly, this 4th visit proved to be Cousin Laddie’s final trip to the Black Hills.\u00a0 Perhaps it was fitting that his last adventures here with Lupe were on Centennial Trail No. 89, where he got to spend both Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 312<\/strong> and Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 313<\/strong> exploring the entire segment N of the Ponderosa Hike between Fort Meade and Bear Butte Lake.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
With Laddie<\/strong> on\u00a0the ridge N of Fort Meade<\/strong>.\u00a0 Bear Butte<\/strong> in the distance.\u00a0 2-11-23<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Cousin Laddie<\/strong> near trail’s end on his next to last Black Hills Expedition.\u00a0 2-11-23<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Lupe, Joe, and Laddie near Bear Butte Lake<\/strong> on Laddie’s last adventure.\u00a0 2-12-23<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Although she’d been there before back in the days when Cousin Dusty was alive, Lupe never got to visit Laddie at his home in Arvada, Colorado where he spent most of his happy days.\u00a0 In Colorado, Laddie was loved and cared for by all the members of his new extended family.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Out for a walk in Colorado with Ryan,<\/strong> Joe<\/strong>, and Dusty<\/strong>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Laddie<\/strong> on another scenic walk with Andrea<\/strong>, Mark<\/strong>, and Dusty<\/strong>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
With\u00a0Joe<\/strong> along Beaver Brook<\/strong>. 12-17-21<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Being cared for by Emery<\/strong>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Our time is limited.\u00a0 The precious days with Cousin Laddie were too few.\u00a0 Lupe will always remember exploring Centennial Trail No. 89 with him, and wish that SPHP could once again be whomping up another batch of “Sheltie delight” spaghetti, because gentle soul Laddie is on his way to the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Cousin Laddie<\/strong> in the Black Hills of South Dakota<\/strong> with Lupe<\/strong> and Uncle Joe<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Links:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Remembering Cousin Dusty<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Want more Lupe adventures?\u00a0 Check out Lupe’s Black Hills, SD & WY\u00a0Expeditions\u00a0Adventure Index<\/span><\/strong><\/a>, <\/em>Master Adventure Index<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/a>, or subscribe free to new Lupe adventures<\/span><\/strong><\/a>!<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

2-16-23, 8:00 AM, home – The phone rang.\u00a0 Lupe’s Aunt Andrea!\u00a0 SPHP picked up.\u00a0 Right away, SPHP knew something terrible had happened.\u00a0 Andrea was trying hard not to cry. The news was every bit as awful as unexpected. Only 3 days ago, Uncle Joe, Aunt Andrea, and Cousin Laddie had left Hotel Lupe to return … Continue reading Remembering Cousin Laddie<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":44783,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[699,1586,1464,1587],"class_list":["post-44765","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-black-hills","tag-black-hills","tag-cousin","tag-laddie","tag-remembering"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/adventuresoflupe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Emery-and-Laddie-1-20-22-1.jpg?fit=1650%2C1418&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44765","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=44765"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44765\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":44892,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44765\/revisions\/44892"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/44783"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=44765"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=44765"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=44765"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}