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Show THORNY TIMES BLENDER by Ed Martley become a big attraction on their floats. him and learn what he is up to, they panhandler, and he is getting sick and talk more about Blender than anything else. tired of baloney sandwiches. “He” is Blender, a 60-pound redbone hound with shoulders and haunches like a quarter horse and ribs like a picket fence. And he is the joy and the aggravation of his owners, John and Nancy Hauer of Mile 21 on the River Road. Blender (so named because his reddish—brown color blends in with the - 7 ‘We have agonized over what to do about him. We try to keep him in the Once the tourists stop worrying about He’s a world-class athlete, a con artist, a defender of the weak, a - JULY 15, 1995 house or tied up on the porch while the rafts are going by, but that doesn’t always work. We have considered caging him, but for this dog that would be the ultimate cruelty,” John said. “I At night, Blender patrols the Hauer property, haying like a brass bell when he encounters any living thing, or anything he thinks might be living. Here, too, he has faced danger and was equal to it. The Hauers have two tiny poodle crosses, and one evening “Nicole" was attacked by coyotes and badly wounded. But before the wild animals could kill guess we will keep on like we have and hope he is lucky enough to get too old to keep up his pace.” So next time you see this lean and hungry looking dog with the long tail, give him a lift. Or a chicken sandwich. (Reprinted permission of author and Times Indepentent) general terrain) has several occupations, her, they were attacked by Blender, who chief among them being a follower of rafts floating toward Moab on the Colorado River. He doesn’t just run along the bank, but plunges into the water from the drove them off and saved Nicole’s life. Blender is about three times the size of a coyote, and because of his enormous strength and ferocity is more FOR SALE: 25' Kit travel trailer, clean & like new, $9400. Beige. sleeps 6, gas/electric refrigerator, magic chef propane stove, Coleman air, conditioner, than a match for them, John Hauer Hauer property and swims after the rafters, hoping they will fear he is drowning and take him aboard...and says. To give the dog more of an edge, the Hauers have equipped Blender with a wide leather collar studded with spikes. comfort him with sandwiches. . He has become so successful at this that he has lost his taste for the baloney and salami sandwiches common on such floats. Chicken and roast beef are his favorites, according to reports from rafting guides. In fact, some theorize, the food isn’t Blender’s motivation. He just likes the sport of it. Sometimes Blender fails to get picked up and will swim along with the rafts to their lunch time takeout spots. Sometimes he will swim all the way to the end of the float, 12 miles or more “They are not going to get his throat,” says Nancy Hauer. 9:3 22:13:53? Dtane at The Hauers admit that Blender is a 9 problem for them and they worry constantly about him being drowrred or attacked by more coyotes than he can handle. Or even run over by a car while thumbing a ride. ' ‘ 0 399- ‘ JANlE TUFT - SALES AGENT/OWNER through the swift currents and rapids that rip the Colorado. When the voyage is over, Blender trots up to the highway and stops northbound cars, hoping they will give him a ride home to Mile 21. Nearly every morning, the quiet desert air is shattered by what sounds like a Muslim prayer caller praying to Mecca. But if you look and listen closely, it’s John Hauer, standing on a Paradise Real Estate 47 E. CENTER STREET - MOAB, UT 84532 801-259-2650 - FAX 801-259-2699. P.O_Box 1121 ' Moab UT 84532 Res. 801259-8360 - Leave Message M.L.S. REALTOR hill and bellowing, “Blender...Blennn- nnnnnnnder! " Blender seldom answers. Castle Valley So that afternoon, the Hauers drive down the highway, checking takeout spots. If Blender hasn’t already hitched a ride, they pick him up and bring him home. The dog sleeps for the 20-minute trip and by the time he’s home he is refreshed and ready for another adventure. His stamina is incredible, Hauer says. The three-year-old Blender began following rafts in September of 1994 and since then has made the acquaintance of nearly all the rafting guides. In fact, one says, the dog has I J»): Inn For the best rest out west. A Bed and Breakfast Eric Thomson & Lynn Forbes Thomson 801 259-6012 CVSR 2602, Moab. Utah 84532 |