We traveled to our old stomping grounds for Memorial Day weekend - Hailey, ID. With mountain bikes and dogs in tow, we made the journey south to Idaho. I'd just gotten home from Nashville on Thursday night and we were on the road Friday afternoon. It was a beautiful drive...everything is so green this time of year and even the most desolate Challis, ID is appealing to the eye.

We had a great weekend with family and got in two awesome mountain bike rides - one muddy and rainy and one the perfect blend of sun and clouds with a spring shower that hit after we finished up. Wally tackled his longest trek ever on Sunday, with a jaunt of about 14 miles as we biked Haddy's Gulch. He did so well and had his buddy Chutney - a German wire-haired pointer - to try to keep up with, which meant...a quiet household Sunday evening! We had to leave Hunter behind, knowing that the sun and distance would have wiped him out after only a couple of miles. We left him with a rawhide chew, a cozy bed, and no Wally...pure bliss for Mister Hunter. It was hard to leave him, but the fact that it was for the best made it a little easier.

So you're probably asking...why the title? Well, as you know, on a regular basis we seem to have something random and completely inexplicable happen with Wally and Hunter (thus, the blog). And when we're traveling, the probability of those "huh?" moments seems to increase exponentially to the amount of miles we voyage away from home. This recent trip to Hailey didn't disappoint. We have a real doozy for you this time around. And instead of "huh?", this one left me exclaiming "oh s@#*!!!!".

Allow me to set the scene for you. Saturday night we were invited over to some family friends' house for dinner. These friends are experienced Europe travelers and we wanted to take advantage of our time in Hailey to pick their brains for tips and tricks that we could put towards our trip to Europe this fall. We were invited to also bring the dogs as entertainment for their little boy. Although we questioned the sanity of this offer, we ventured over to their house with Hunter, Wally, and Chutney packed into the car with us. Upon arrival, Hunter and Chutney were invited into the house as though they were part of the group. However, common dinner guest courtesies like asking to go upstairs before doing so and wiping your feet before entering were readily dismissed. Wally...well...Wally went straight to the back yard. He hasn't quite earned our trust in his ability to display decent manners, so we avoided any run-ins. Hunter and Chutney milled around for a few, but even they became too much to have inside, so we kicked them out into the great outdoors with Wally.

As dinner concluded, the little boy came up to me and Ty and asked if we'd go outside with him to throw the ball for the dogs. "Great idea!", I told him and figured that any kind of movement would do wonders for my body's ability to digest the mass quantities of food I'd just consumed. So Ty and I headed outside with the little guy, who gathered three tennis balls into his arms on the way out the door...one for each dog. We played around with the dogs for about 10 minutes and Ty headed inside. I was having fun, so I stuck it out for a bit longer. Eventually the dogs got tired and we made the decision to go inside. In an attempt for one last hoorah, the little boy was bouncing a tennis ball on the back patio, shooting the ball high into the air for Hunter to catch. First bounce didn't produce a successful catch for Hunter, so we decided to try one more. Keep in mind that during all this Wally is trying to find any way possible to get in on the action, so he's hovering pretty close to Hunter. The boy raises his arm for one last bounce of the ball, he drops his arm with a snap, sending the ball to the patio and popping back into the air upon contact with the concrete. Hunter leaps for the ball and it's looking good (I'm thinking..."yes! Hunter will make the catch and we can go inside!"). But wait...where'd Wally come from. Our "I'm still a klutzy, clumsy, not-so-coordinated" puppy makes his appearance right in front of Hunter's face...they leap at the exact same time...and their mouths go for the ball at the EXACT. SAME. TIME.

SCHMACKKKK!!!! Their jaws collide and the most horrific teeth-knocking noise presents itself to my ears. Immediately me and the little boy panic (this is where my expletives came in, which I apologized profusely for to his mom after the fact). As Wally and Hunter come down from the collision...almost as in slow motion...I see something white soar through the air and onto the patio. Oh crap (again...this wasn't my word of choice at the time), I think, one of them chipped a tooth. As I creep closer to pick up this bit of tooth from one of my dogs' mouth, my shock and awe is maxed out. Not a piece of tooth...a WHOLE FRICKIN' TOOTH!!! I rush from dog to dog, checking mouths for sign of (or lack of) tooth damage. And then I see it...Wally has a gaping hole in the front left side of his mouth.

The way he looked at me after my realization that he was the victim broke my heart. Not because he looked sad or in pain. It was the exact opposite...he gave me his goofy, happy, "what next, Ma?" look and was ready to roll. I couldn't believe it. How resilient can these dogs be? Hunter came away without damage. And luckily, the tooth that came out wasn't Wally's canine. Here's a picture of the aftermath...



So now you understand the title a little better. As we readied to leave the house from dinner, the little boy said to me..."make sure the Tooth Fairy gets that." We chuckled together (hey...I bonded with this kid...trauma can bring you close) and agreed that bones would be in order vs. the traditional monetary exchange for such calcified treasure. For now, the tooth is still in our possession. I think we'll hang onto it as proof of just how bizarre life can be sometimes.