On my 9th birthday in 1984 my family relocated to the country. I am not exactly sure why, but it was a wonderful thing for me. I very much enjoyed the freedom of hiking, hunting and fishing right out the front door. I immediately found a peace there in the outdoors that I wasn’t finding in the city at little league practice and night games with my pals. Every single day in the country was a new adventure and a learning experience for me. Those were magical times for me tracking game in the snow, building lean-tos in the woods and listening to the haunting cry of coyotes in the milky moments of dusk. The only thing missing was man’s best friend.

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