Leader of the Pack

The Adventure Pack

Benny and Wesley had some fun together today as Benny mouthed Wesley's fluffy mane while Wesley wreslted him around a bit.  Coco got pretty excited about a squirrel that nobody else seemed to notice.  She didn't chase it; she just stood stiff and stared it down for a minute.  Oliver trotted along happily and got a lot of comments about how well he kept up with his bigger packmates.

The Play Pack

Charlie got into a b...

The Adventure Pack

Oliver, Rucksack, and Coco all had a good time trotting along on the trails today.  Benny took some motivating every so often, as he kept stopping and standing still with no intention of continuing.  Everybody enjoyed greeting some of the other dogs on the trails, including a big, sweet Alaskan Malamute who Rucksack wanted to keep hanging out with.

The Play Pack

Coco played a lot of fetch with a rubber disc that Buzz had...

The Adventure Pack

Everyone was good on leash today.  Rucksack, who often tries to pull ahead, stayed right with me with barely a tug throughout the hike.  Coco wanted to get playful with Mogul right when we started out but Mogul ignored her while she play-bowed around him and gave short, high-pitched barks.  Toskey kept pace without going ahead or lagging behind but she often wandered off to the side of the trail.  We moved along pretty quickly with water bre...

The Adventure Pack

Yesterday, Rucksack got a facefull of burrs; today, it was apparently Benny's turn to get tangled up with something prickly.  Near the end of our hike, I noticed Benny limping and licking at his left front paw.  When I got a closer look I saw he had two chunks of cactus stuck to it.  It took a few minutes to get him to settle down and lie still enough for me to pick them off but we eventually got through it.  Coco thought he wanted to roll a...

The Adventure Pack

Rucksack found himself a facefull of burrs and I picked them off before they buried any deeper into his fur.  He whined a little when I worked out one between his nose and upper lip but it was better to get it out before it got any more tangled.  Benny followed Rucksack around on the trails and they were playful with one another again.  Mogul hung back a bit more than usual today and was a little more hesitant to catch up when I called him. ...

The Adventure Pack

Rucksack and Wesley started the hike off leash together.  Rucksack carried a stick along and dropped it in front of various passers-by as if to offer it to them.  Meanwhile, Wesley trotted along close by me as usual.  A squirrel or chipmunk caught both of their attention and they ran to the base of a nearby tree in pursuit.  The hubbub didn't last long, and they both quickly returned to the trail and kept moving along.  Benny and Coco s...

The Adventure Pack

Benny and Rucksack were very playful with one another at the beginning of today's hike.  Benny has usually been the instigator between them but today Rucksack did his fair share of prodding and teasing Benny into play as well.  Coco was jealous watching her packmates play without her and she kept crouching down then hopping up into the air as she didn't know what else to do with herself.  Oliver followed his usual routine of staying either just a...

The Adventure Pack

Everyone was pretty hot and they were panting from early on so we made a lot of pit stops in the shade for water.  We took an easy route on the Bluebell-Baird trail and then over to Enchanted Mesa.  Rucksack couldn't help himself as we headed up the Enchanted Mesa trail and he bolted ahead to the small stream.  Toskey, on the other hand, was very good about staying nearby today throughout the hike.  Coco kept turning around and sniffing/nibb...

The Adventure Pack

Rucksack carried a log along for the hike today.  It was pretty hefty but he managed to bring it all the way up and most of the way back down.  He and Wesley got wet (and a bit muddy) together in the stream at the beginning of our hike.  Everyone stuck pretty close together today.  Coco didn't display her usual antics of flopping around in the grass; she was pretty mellow throughout the hike.  Benny was also his usual, mellow self.

The Adventure Pack

Benny followed Rucksack around on the trails today.  It was Rucksack's turn to grab up a stick and tease Benny with it, and he was happy to do so.  Later on, when Coco and Mogul were off-leash together, they played their game - I haven't thought of an appropriate name for it yet - where Mogul guards the trail and Coco tries to sneak around in the brush and catch Mogul by surprise.  Each round ended in either Mogul catching Coco and scaring her of...