Leader of the Pack

Adventure Pack

Sputnik and Monarch were very interested in sniffing along the side of the trail this morning, while Coco and Clover were happy to just trot along. Sputnik left a lot of scent marks and Monarch just narrowly dodged the stream a few times, as she was still sniffing the point of interest when Sputnik decided it was time to mark it and move on. Clover and Monarch are continuing to get a little more comfortable with drinking from the CamelBak each week. Progress has been slow but steady and now Monarch is sometimes coming up to have a drink without needing any coaxing. Clover is still a bit wary of the CamelBak spout, but she is growing a little more accepting of having it by her face.

Play Pack

The pack was feeling very mellow at the park this afternoon. Coco, Isaac, Ruffers, Chunk, Mamacita, and Thompson all just followed along as we walked the perimeter of the park. Ruffers had some bouts of play with a couple other herding dogs along the way, and at one point the whole pack followed one dog to the other end of the park and spent a little while hanging out with him before rejoining my sister and me to continue on our course. Coco enjoyed some love from a nice gentleman who we've been seeing at the park a lot in the last few weeks and she had some fun with his dog, Star, too. Isaac is recovering from his hurt leg from yesterday, so he took the day off from fetch and just walked around today.

Adventure Pack

Mamacita, Rucksack, and Coco were all pretty mellow on our hike this morning.  Sputnik was interested in leaving scent marks along the way and pulled enthusiastically off toward the side of the trail whenever the spirit took him.  We passed a lot of dogs along the way today, as more and more people seem to be getting out on the trails during this continuing winter heat wave.  Most of them passed by with a sniff in our direction; however, one pair came up behind us after we passed, to get a sniff at everyone's tail ends.  Sputnik didn't take too well to the extra interest and growled as he tried to spin back toward them.  In response, Coco gave a stern bark at Sputnik which helped to startle him out of it and then we continued on our way.

Play Pack

Thompson met a playful young Husky at the park today with whom he hopped around for a bit, while Coco, Isaac, Colby, and Chunk followed me around the park.  Stella took her own pace and made a few detours along the way, but roughly followed our path.  Isaac was excited for his usual round of fetch when we first arrived, but he landed funny when diving for the ball after just a few throws and his front, right leg got tweaked a bit.  He spent the rest of the visit following behind me with the ball in his mouth.  He occasionally dropped it in front of me as if he were going to fetch it, but when I threw the ball he just took a couple of steps and then watched it bounce and roll off into the distance.  Surprisingly, Coco didn't take advantage of the situation and still only went for the balls that I threw right to her.  Thankfully, Isaac was able to put some weight on it and actually did run down a couple throws before we left - albeit it at a more cautious pace than usual.  Meanwhile, Colby and Chunk were the social butterflies of the group today and spent much of their time saying hello to other dogs and running alongside groups who were wrestling and playing chase.  Colby seemed much more at ease being on the outskirts of a run, rather than being the center of attention as she has been when Ruffers tries to get her to play.

Adventure Pack

Coco jumped all over Rucksack again this morning when he hopped out of the packmobile at the trailhead, as she typically does.  It reminds me of when they were both puppies and first started coming out with the pack almost 7 years ago.  It seems a bit of that puppy energy still comes out for Coco in her excitement to hit the trails with her old buddy.  Rucksack comports himself in a more dignified manner, although I'm sure he's happy to have the company of his old packmate as well.  Sputnik's predecessor, Mogul, was the one who showed Rucksack and Coco the ropes, and he has been learning from them in turn the past four years.  Sputnik has had some trouble with greeting unfamiliar dogs but today he was calm and friendly for a few near passings, with the positive influence of his elder packmates.  It may also have helped that the first dog we encountered today was our packmate Isaac, who was out for a run and made a quick stop to say hello to all his friends!

Play Pack

Ruffers and Roger Roger got right to playing when we arrived at the park this afternoon.  The two of them like to get very rough-and-tumble.  Meanwhile, Coco, Colby, Thompson, and Stella walked the path around the park perimeter.  Coco kept a close eye on her more rambunctious packmates and ran over to join in the fun every once in a while.  Colby and Stella branched off from the path to sniff around a bit, while Thompson made slow-but-steady progress around the park, sticking to the beaten path.  Later on in our visit, I was throwing the tennis ball for Roger Roger and Coco, and Roger Roger was getting pretty wired.  When I picked up the ball and didn't immediately throw it, he started barking at me repeatedly, demanding that I get on with it.  This, in turn, got Ruffers barking at Roger Roger for making such a racket.  Rather than reward the temper tantrums, I walked along with the ball for a minute until Roger Roger realized he was going about this in the wrong way and instead settled into walking quietly at my side, and Ruffers quieted down in turn.  Unfortunately, all the commotion had racked Colby's nerves and she went over to the gate to indicate that she didn't want any part of the fuss.  She came across the park when I called her, but kept looking back to the gate and whining.  Once we made our way back to the entrance area, we hung out for a minute to see if Colby would calm down.  When she seemed a little less nervous, I got up and went for a run in the other direction, calling her after me.  She immediately jumped up and came on a long sprint around the park with me, flanked by Coco, Roger Roger, and Ruffers.  After a couple good runs, she stopped obsessing over the exit and, although she still seemed slightly uneasy, she was much more relaxed than she had been.  Thompson and Stella hung out at the concrete pad while the rest of us were off running, and we left a short while later in a more peaceful state of mind.

Adventure Pack

My sister is visiting from the East Coast and joined us for the hike this morning. She snapped some good photos of the pack and me making our way along the trails at Shanahan Ridge.  Sputnik, Coco, Monarch, and Clover all offered some good poses.  The trails were busy as everyone is making the most of this unseasonably warm weather.  Monarch enjoyed a roll in the dead grass at one point while her packmates looked on.  Sputnik started off the hike with frequent stops to leave scent marks, but after that initial flurry he was content with his work and only made a few more stops along the way.  Coco picked up some of the slack and started leaving more marks as we went.  Clover has still been hesitant to drink water from the CamelBak spout, so we took a little bit of time to try to further desensitize her to having it by her face.

Play Pack

Coco, Isaac, and Roger Roger were all very intent on playing fetch this afternoon.  Ruffers watched the action from a short distance away and dove in to tackle Roger Roger every so often.  Isaac branched off to join in a few chases and to splash around in water bowls.  Thompson got a lot of attention from one very enthusiastic puppy who kept licking his face.  When Thompson grew tired of all the attention, he groaned and cuffed the pup's muzzle in his own mouth to let him know enough was enough, and the puppy struggled to contain himself.  Meanwhile, Chunk hopped around and greeted dogs, taking occasional breaks to lie in the shade and catch his breath.  There was a lot more panting from all the dogs than is typical in mid-February, owing to this current heat wave.

Adventure Pack

Coco has been in the habit of ambushing her old buddy Rucksack when he first jumps out of the car at the trailhead, so I gave him a break by letting him out of the car before her today.  There were a lot of dogs on the trail at Shanahan Ridge this morning.  The pack was calm and friendly for all of our passings.  Sputnik kept his cool and seemed particularly interested in a pair of Labs that trotted by, one carrying a stick.  Speaking of sticks, Rucksack has surprisingly gone without hauling any for a while.  He also layed off of Mamacita today, leaving her ears dry for want of licks.

Play Pack

Pack irregular Chunk joined us for our park outing today, as did former Adventure Pack member Roger Roger.  The two of them brought a lot of playful energy, which Ruffers greatly appreciated.  They chased and wrestled amongst each other as we made our way around the beaten path around the park perimeter at the Foothills Dog Park.  Meanwhile, Thompson was roaming the park at his own pace.  Coco and Colby followed me as we walked the path, watching their more exuberant packmates from a distance and occasionally chasing down a tennis ball that would never make its way back to me.

Adventure Pack

Sputnik busted out some playful moves with Monarch on the trails this morning and Monarch responded in kind.  Later on, Sputnik turned his attention to Clover as he buried his nose in the fur around her shoulders.  His demeanor seemed to imply amorous intentions., though he didn't make any actual attempts to mount Clover.  Clover just stood and accepted the attentino from Sputnik without much reaction, save for a coy sniff or two in his direction.  Meanwhile, Coco was my trusty, old hiking partner, sticking by my side and keeping right in rhythm.

Play Pack

Ruffers has made it her mission to get Colby to play chase with her, and she has succeeded for short spurts each day.  However, Colby is still a bit timid and tends to end the run by slipping under a picnic table or huddling up along the fence and letting Ruffers overtake her.  Ruffers responds to this by sniffing Cobly, stepping back, and pawing at the air to try to tease her into more chasing.  Sometimes, Ruffers gets imaptient and turns to barking, so I call her over and Colby follows, and they both get some pets and love for a minute.  Coco is usually at her post about 20 feet away, waiting for me to throw a tennis ball to her, but she is quick to come up and get some love, too, whenever she sees her packmates bring it in for a snuggle.  Meanwhile, Isaac circles us with a tennis ball in his mouth, ready for more fetch.  Thompson was able to slip into the secret clubhouse under the stump at the south end of the park today and spent a little while investigating under there.

Adventure Pack

Rucksack laid off of Mamacita for most of the hike this morning, but he couldn't help himself during the last stretch and ended up leaving Mamacita with a soaking wet right ear from all of his licks.  Sputnik and Mamacita were both in the mood to kick up dirt after relieving themselves at several points along the trail.  Mamacita often indulges in this habit, but it was unusual for Sputnik.  Coco sniffed  alongside her packmates and left some scent marks herself, but abstained from joining her packmates in their turf-churning antics.

Play Pack

Thompson also felt like kicking up dirt on our walk this afternoon.  Perhaps there is something in the air that is triggering this impulse.  If so, it seems Stella, Coco, and Ruffers were immune to it's effects as they just stood around waiting while their packmate purposefully swept paws over ground.  We had a pretty mellow walk along the Creek, though Coco made a few grumbles and snorts when we passed by one excited, young, black Lab in the underpass between Eben G. Fine and Settlers Parks.

Adventure Pack

Rucksack again took an interest in licking Mamacita's ears during the latter half of today's hike.  For some reason, it's only after we've been out for a while when he takes notice of her.  A couple nice ladies asked to say hello to the dogs, and the pack were happy to oblige.  Sputnik was the most enthusiastic about greeting.  Coco and Rucksack were both also happy to have their heads scratched for a minute.  Mamacita didn't walk right up like her packmates, but one of the ladies coaxed her over and then gave her a gentle chin scratch while Mamacita sniffed delicately at her.  Despite the wicked winds we had through the night, the trail was relatively calm and we had a very pleasant hike.

Play Pack

The wind had picked up again in North Boulder when we headed to the Foothills Dog Park.  During the especially big gusts, the dogs all just stood in place narrowing their eyes against the wind until it passed.  During one gust, Ruffers came over to me and stood on the opposite side to use me as a shield.  Thankfully, the worst of the winds subsided after the first 20 minutes and it was mostly calm after that.  An English Shepherd showed up at the park and ran with Ruffers, Coco, and Colby.  Colby was a little shy at first as the Shepherd pursued her, and Coco intervened by jumping in the Shepherd's way at one point to give Colby a break.  Ruffers interrupted the Shepherd's chases a few times, too, though I'm pretty sure she just wanted the attention for herself.  Thompson and Stella wandered the park for a while and then hung out at the concrete pad by the entrance where they got some love from the Shepherd's guardian.  Yoda made a couple playful moves but mostly just explored the park and occasionally came over to me to give me a few licks to let me know he wanted some love.

Adventure Pack

Sputnik, Mamacita, and Coco had another calm, pleasant hike at Shanahan Ridge this morning.  The mud and ice patches are small enough now that they were easy to avoid.  My ankle is improving since yesterday's slip, but we still took a slightly slower pace than usual.  We encountered several other dogs on the trails today as the nice weather brought out more hikers than usual.  We stepped to the side of the trail to let them pass with enough distance so the pack all stayed relaxed.  Once the dogs passed, everyone - especially Sputnik - lingered to sniff the air in the direction of the dog that had just gone by.

Play Pack

Yoda, Ruffers, and Coco explored the trail at CU South together, off-leash.  At first, they were a bit scattered but before long they started to clump together and stay on the same page, often walking right alongside Thompson, Isaac, Mamacita, and myself.  I snapped a photo of the three of them when they momentarily fell into perfect sync, all trotting along in a line together.  There were a few bikers with dogs on the trail today.  Coco used to get a bit jumpy around bikers when she was younger but she didn't mind them at all as they passed by today.  We came across a very friendly yellow Lab who stopped to sniff hello.  Isaac was very interested in him and gave him a prolonged butt-sniff, and then Ruffers made some playful hops before we parted.

Adventure Pack

I took a slip on some ice on our way up the mountain this morning and twisted my ankle a bit.  Sputnik, Coco, and Mamacita all made it easy on me by being very well behaved and content to take a slower pace than usual.  Sputnik and Mamacita were both quite happy to linger at some spots so they could thoroughly sniff out the area.  Coco sniffed around, too, but was more interested in watching me and sticking by my side.  By the end of the hike, the ankle was feeling pretty close to normal.

Play Pack

Coco was happy to see a black-and-white, speckled dog named Star whom we met last week, and the two of them wrestled and hip-checked each other enthusiastically.  Ruffers wanted in on the action and mounted Star a few times to gain her attention.  Ruffers and Colby went on several runs together.  Ruffers was eager to play chase, though Colby was a little uncertain about all the attention from Ruffers and, after being goaded into a run, often ended it by slipping under a picnic table for cover.  Mamacita and Yoda went on a couple runs together, too.  Their chases were totally mutual endeavors begun by long, staring stand-offs that were suddenly broken by some combination of play-bows and goofy spins.  Not being one for sprints, Thompson entertained himself by exploring the park and greeting everyone there.