Our story starts in Stevens Gulch, near Georgetown, Colorado. I had arranged to meet my friends Dave & Dawn up there for the long weekend- with the puppies. The puppies at that point were little black fuzzballs, just over a month old. Their mother, Ebony, was Dawn's dog. There had been a third pup, a male, who died within a few weeks of birth, of a condition that made it impossible for him to swallow properly.
-
The two female puppies were just about indistinguishable, and like all puppies they spent their time eating, sleeping, and wrestling. I had seen them earlier, actually- when they were only a few days old. But this was the first time that I had seen them as lively little dogs- and the first time they had seen me. Not that they cared much- I was useless for eating, sleeping, or wrestling purposes.
-
The photograph was taken that July 4; we were out camping in a blizzard. So the puppies didn't spend much time outside. But it was the first time Blanca and I saw each other. At least I think she saw me; mostly, the two of them were interested in playing together.
-
Little did either of us realize how much we would depend on each other in the coming years.