Leader of the Pack

The Adventure Pack

Benny was the one carrying a stick today and he held his head up high the whole time, flaunting it proudly.  We saw a dog on the trails that Benny and Coco both met yesterday at the park but Rucksack was actually the most excited to go over and say hello.

The Play Pack

Oscar wrestled around with his Husky-puppy-friend Oberon for most of our park visit today.  Benny took it easy again and mostly just followed me around.&...

The Adventure Pack

Rucksack carried a big chunk of wood down from the mountain today.  He got a lot of comments from impressed hikers while Oliver drew a lot of "aww!"s and Benny got a lot of questions about his breed - all of which are normal for them when we're on the trails.

The Play Pack

Coco, Oscar, and Benny had another round of three-way tug-of-war over a stick at the park today.  Meanwhile, Maverick was hiding out under the tree s...

The Adventure Pack

We saw a lot of dogs on our way down the Chautauqua Trail at the end of today's hike - a black Lab, a Husky, a Poodle, and a few others - and they were all very friendly, so the pack made many new acquaintances.  Earlier in the hike, I was surprised that Coco was following along right behind me the way Wesley always does, instead of taking her usual position scouting the trail up ahead.  Benny was very playful today and got Coco to chase him arou...

The Adventure Pack

We made pretty good time on our way up the First Flatiron again today, and met several friendly pups along the way.  There was one in particular, who looked like a Corgi mix, who ran right into the middle of Coco, Benny, Rucksack, and Oliver with his tail wagging and tongue licking.  Oliver gave a little grumble to let the pup know not to trample over him, and then everyone proceeded to sniff and say hello.

The Play Pack

The Adventure Pack

Toskey, Benny, Coco, and Rucksack were all on different pages at the beginning of today's hike.  They were all very interested in sniffing but there were all different spots that caught their attention at any given moment.  Once we got moving, though, we made good progress and went well up the First Flatiron.  We took a water break when we reached a point where the trail turns more into a rock climb and then turned around and headed back down.

The Adventure Pack

Coco started off the hike by flopping down beside the trail with a stick and then rolling around.  Benny went over to investigate and then tried stealing Coco's stick from her while Rucksack watched and Wesley just sat next to me and looked up into my eyes.  After a few minutes, I convinced Coco to carry the stick with her instead of just rolling around with it.  We kept a pretty swift pace after that and headed up the First Flatiron.

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The Adventure Pack

Benny chased Coco around a bit at the beginning of our hike.  Rucksack was a bit better about walking on a loose leash today.  We took a long break at the side of the trail because Coco was getting a little worked up and ran right into Oliver's leash, then thought I was trying to play a game with her when I called her over.  Oliver, Benny, and Rucksack all sniffed around while Coco stood at a little bit of a distance and watched warily.  Aft...

The Adventure Pack

Wesley and Benny made the most of the snow that remained from yesterday.  Wesley rolled around in a patch while Benny scooped up mouthful after mouthful.  Coco and Rucksack were totally wrapped up in each other when they went off leash together.  They chased each other around the trail tirelessly for about 30 minutes before coming over to follow the rest of us at a trot.

The Play Pack

Benny started bowing in front ...

The Adventure Pack

Coco, Benny, and Rucksack had a blast frolicking in the freshly fallen snow today.  They all had turns off leash with each of their packmates, and they all made the most of it.  Coco and Benny started off, having momentary stand-offs that ended when Benny broke and started running around in circles with Coco at his heels.  Later, Rucksack found a stick in the snow while Coco stood a few feet away, watching intently.  He proceeded to tease Co...

The Adventure Pack

Benny and Oliver both stuck close by on the trails today.  On the several occasions when we passed other dogs off leash, Oliver excitedly ran up to say hello.  Benny trotted over with a more subdued demeanor and stood next to the other dogs, giving them a sniff, while Oliver hopped around them.

The Play Pack

Coco has been especially playful lately and today was no exception.  After playing a bit of fetch, she ...