Cooper’s Hawk

Cooper’s Hawk

There is a spiritual story behind this photo. I let Coby off leash at a bench overlooking the Bay while I took off my sweatshirt and tied it around my waist. When I looked up, Coby was gone. I yelled for him, whistled, and yelled some more. I asked a couple of hikers if they had seen a dog on the trail. Nope. I figured (hoped) he'd come back; after all, he's done this before, once, a long time ago before he was old enough to know better.

After about 30 minutes, I'd just about given up hope of finding him here, so I figured I might as well head back to the car in hopes of finding him wagging his tail patiently waiting for me. I turned one last time toward the bench to see if he was anywhere to be seen, and there he was, right in front of me. No, not Coby, the Cooper’s hawk! He seemed to be telling me to slow down, be patient, take a step back, take a breath and trust my instincts. So, I raised my camera, and took a few photos.

Just as I snapped the photo of the hawk, I heard something sloshing around in the water down the hill and off to the right. Yep, it was Coby, soaking wet. He had gone for a 30-minute swim in the Bay! It wasn’t until later that I realized that the Cooper's Hawk had been guiding me the whole time. He was my spirit animal!

Coby