Elk Viewing and a Naughty Little Pup

I decided to paint the Elk Viewing area, off Fontinalis Road. It was so pretty, the field practically painted itself. A couple young men parked nearby, and proceeded to unload five dogs. Three large hunting dogs, a pomeranian-sized dog, and a little puppy. We chatted for a moment, and they left to take all five dogs for a good run.

About thirty minutes later, a woman who had binoculars, and hoped to spot some elk, walked up to me and said, "is this your puppy?" Um, no. I took the little guy, and put him in young men's vehicle. He jumped out, and curled up under my easel. So I put him back in their truck. You guessed it, he leapt out the window. This time, he wanted me to chase him. But I got him bundled up, popped him back in the truck - noticed the keys in the ignition - and rolled the windows up to keep him safe. He barked. And barked...and barked. And I began packing up my paints.

The guys returned, and asked me if I had seen a little puppy. I pointed at the pickup truck, where Naughty Little Pup was now all sweet and happy to see them. They had been out in the field, noticed he was missing, and spent an hour searching for him. I guess he got tired of the walk!

For the record, there are NEVER any elk at the Viewing Area. Plenty of people walking through it though. It seems a popular place. I did see some elk, but they were in a hayfield miles away from the Viewing Area.