After a well spent morning counting sage grouse on six different leks in the sand dune country, I pulled off the main county road onto a powerline spur, to give myself and the heeler sisters a break before hitting the highway for home. I parked where the road crested a large dune: the heelers could wander free, and I could see any approaching vehicle for a mile east, and over four miles west.

Immediately after exiting the vehicle, both heelers zoomed in on a perfectly ordinary rabbitbrush plant, shoving noses in deep, with several snorts each. Then, messages read, they began to wander.

I noticed we weren't the only ones that thought this was a good spot for a break... there were at least 8 piles of coyote turds scattered in the road here. The little masked heeler decided to add one of her own (her larger sister apparently still has not learned it's okay to poop in the country).

Seemed like a good time for a little relief myself. Since it was there, I aimed my stream onto a large coyote pile, imagining what the depositor would think on their next visit.

And both heelers immediately, immediately trotted across the road to the original rabbitbrush, stuck their noses in, and then simultaneously turned to look at me.

The message was clear:

"Hey, dummy, males pee here."