Des Moines is Flooded

Downtown Des Moines reflecting in Flooded Street, originally uploaded by WOOF Factory.

Des Moines is flooded! Despite evacuations today, this afternoon the Des Moines and Raccoon Rivers crested and the water should start going down. In the meantime, most of our favorite dog spots are partially or totally underwater!

What's an outdoor loving dog to do when his trails and parks have morphed into dangerous rivers and lakes? Beyond that, what happens to the wildlife when the water suddenly engulfs large areas?
By downtown last night, this adorable beaver attracted a crowd while swimming up and down the flooded edge of the Raccoon River looking quite disoriented. According to Doug Harr of the DNR, as quoted in this article, people in Des Moines can expect to see more deer, raccoons, opossums, skunks and other wildlife in populated areas like housing developments as they move to higher ground. Animal Control in Des Moines has had several calls regarding snapping turtles that have wandered into roadways or yards, and many people have reported finding baby wildlife.

View some more Des Moines Flood 08 Photos here>

As people are forced to leave their homes, the The Humane Society of the United States deployed an animal rescue team to flood ravaged Iowa today. The HSUS has been working in partnership with the Animal Rescue League of Iowa, located in Des Moines, to ensure that resources are getting to the most critical flood locations. Read more here>

Swimming at the Lake

Vegas swimming at Saylorville Lake, originally uploaded by WOOF Factory.

Vegas is my 6-year-old German Shepherd who LOVES LOVES LOVES water. I tossed small rocks just out of his reach for about an hour. He dives and bounces after the rocks. I've tried bringing tennis balls, his other love... no interest he just wants to go after rocks.

I took my shoes off and squished my feet in the soft sand while Vegas dunked his head repeatedly in the water.

We have a special private spot at this lake. We hike down a little trail that is cut into the woods and then climb down kind of a cliff and then climb down the beach to our private cove. On the way we met a couple with a black lab. At the end of the trail there were downed trees and it looked intimidating. They turned back. We went on. It was worth it.