Walking the Trinity

 In my spare time, which is fairly rare these days, I enjoy taking dogs out from the Fort Worth Animal Care & Control to go on all-day field trips. First and foremost, we go for a hike. In the past, I have taken dogs to various parks, the Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge, Mineral Wells, and TCU campus. This past weekend, I took two dogs, Baylor and Sugar, to walk the Trinity Trail. Both dogs were surrendered to the shelter because the owner had "too many animals." Both dogs were incredibly large and imposing in appearance, however, once out of the shelter, they were surprisingly docile and skittish. Baylor, a Shepherd/mix, saw her reflection in a store window and practically jumped. Sugar, a Boxer/Great Dane mix, tried to greet everyone who so much as glanced at her as we walked along the trail. 

Baylor

Baylor and Sugar in a fierce competition for the water bowl.

This was my second time walking on the Trinity. Both times I have only walked a small section compared to the entirety of the Trinity Trail. Near the beginning of our walk, we saw a coyote across the river. I was so afraid of the dogs randomly leaping to chase the coyote that I did not manage to capture a picture. Before this point, I had never really considered the wildlife present in the Fort Worth community, especially so close to campus. It honestly blew my mind that there was a coyote in such a populated area. I cannot fathom where it would sleep at night or find a den. This encounter was a very real reminder that the areas in which we live are often not our own. It was also a very sobering example of how the rapidly growing expansion of Fort Worth causes habitat destruction and displaces wildlife, such as coyotes.