Leader of the Pack

Adventure Pack

Sputnik and Coco were both feeling less amiable today than they have been lately.  They barked and growled at the first dog who passed the car right after we parked by the trailhead, and required a bit more distance as we passed others on the trails.  When we weren't managing social skills, the pair of them walked very nicely in place just behind me and made occasional stops to sniff around.

Play Pack

Isaac broke up his usual fetch routine by joining in for some big chases with groups of dogs.  He always caught up to and then overtook the dog at the lead playing prey, then returned for some more fetch, content in his display of prowess.  Meanwhile, Ruffers found a playful young pup who wouldn't leave her alone as he kept jumping all over her to get her wrestle.  She also hopped around with a few other dogs later on after her new little buddy left.  Thompson spent his time hanging out with humans who were happy to offer him some love and affection.  Coco was still feeling a bit ornery and ran off a couple dogs who got in her business a little too much while sniffing hello.  She caught short throws of the tennis ball but didn't even bring a single one back today - relying on Isaac to do that part of it.

Adventure Pack

The skies were surprisingly clear this morning despite the fire in Sunshine Canyon still burning.  Sputnik and Coco took up positions on the scent-investigations committee while Mamacita supervised.  The pair of them were adamant about checking out various spots off the side of the trail.  While Mamacita didn't show anywhere near as much enthusiasm as her packmates, she did occasionally join them for a casual sniff before we moved along.

Play Pack

Thompson took the liberty of wading through some muck when he was off leash early on during our afternoon walk at the CU South Campus trails.  Thankfully, Coco - who was also off leash at the time - thought better of it and stayed on dry land.  After that, I made sure Thompson stayed on the trail with me, Colby, and Stella until we made our way around to the pond, where we rinsed his paws in clearer water.  A few joggers passed by us during our walk and I was thankful that Coco has outgrown her youthful habit of barking at such individuals.  Now, she just trots on by without a second glance.  Colby was less nervous today than during our outings last week and she settled into the pace pretty easily.  She took notice of Coco, however, and eagerly wanted to check out spots that Coco had sniffed ahead of her.

Adventure Pack

Sputnik has been behaving himself in a much more civil manner in his encounters with other dogs on the trail lately.  There was one dog who was pulling at the leash to come over and sniff hello with the pack, and Sputnik only gave a subtle grumble before walking on.  Rucksack, on the other hand, returned the other dog's enthusiasm as they sniffed hello.  Mamacita and Coco were indifferent and just trotted on by.  Sputnik was less interested in sniffing around and peeing on things this morning.  He and the rest of the pack only made a few stops here and there.

Play Pack

Coco and Colby went for a run when we first entered the Foothills Dog Park this afternoon, while Ruffers, Stella, and Thompson lingered by the entrance to say hello to the other dogs there.  Ruffers joined me, Coco, and Colby after a minute and then Stella soon followed, but Thompson stuck by the other park visitors for a while longer.  Ruffers chased Colby around a bit and Thompson eventually found his way to the rest of the pack across the park.  Everyone spent a while sniffing around the north end of the park.  Colby started acting ansy and looking at the gate a lot, so I put her on the leash to walk her around, calm her down, and keep her from misbehaving out of insecurity.  Coco stuck by me and Colby while Stella and Thompson went off to sniff on their own and Ruffers hung out with a group of playful dogs.

Adventure Pack

So many hikers wanted to stop to say hello to the pack today.  Monarch, Clover, and Sputnik were all eager to give and recieve love from everyone that was interested.  Coco was happy to greet the first couple groups of hikers who stopped to say hello, but seemed to grow a bit uneasy about all the attention we were getting and started to hang back while her packmates licked at faces and got all the pets they could.

Play Pack

Ruffers made a couple friends during our park visit this afternoon.  Each of then hopped around with her a bit but neither kept up the action for as long as Ruffers wanted, so she came over and joined in with Isaac and Coco for a little bit of fetch.  Thompson got even more pets and attention than usual today and he loved every minute of it, especially when he was getting his neck scratched in all the right spots.

Adventure Pack

Sputnik was actually the one who stayed calm and friendly while Coco and Mamacita growled a bit at an excited, young dog who came up to say hello on the trails this morning.  We passed by a few other dogs later on and everyone was fine.  Sputnik wasn't as insistent about sniffing and peeing on everything today.  Coco, Mamacita, and him all just trotted along happily.

Play Pack

Colby, Ruffers, Thompson, and Coco had a light hike at the CU South trails this afternoon.  Colby was a little bit all over the place when we first set out, but she settled into the rhythm about halfway through and fell into place next to her packmate Coco.  Despite having a bit of a limp today, Thompson was eager to get out and explore.  He and Ruffers were the forward greeting committee for all the dogs we encountered on the trail, while Colby and Coco hung back a bit and only sniffed hello with the dogs who came over to them.  

Adventure Pack

We encountered an friendly, old chocolate Lab at the trailhead this morning.  He waited in place on the trail ahead of us for the pack to converge on him.  Roger Roger, Mamacita, Sputnik, and Coco all sniffed their greetings.  Once on the trails, the pack was very thorough in their olfactory investigations - stopping frequently for long assessments of various points of interest.  Sputnik usually punctuated their stops with a scent-marking.  The rest of the pack was content to move along without leaving their own marks.

Play Pack

Coco was very happy to see some of the old park regulars at Valmont this afternoon.  She was especially happy to see Scott, whose dog Charlie got jealous.  Charlie barked and jumped on Scott and Coco, to which Coco responded by making some playful moves with him.  Meanwhile, Thompson and Stella were taking their time sniffing around the park.  The two of them spent a while getting pet by a little girl who was very sweet and gentle with Stella while Thompson stood beside her and offered her kisses.

Adventure Pack

Even though Mamacita and Rucksack were hiking side-by-side today, Rucksack didn't spend any time licking Mamacita's ears.  He seemed much more interested in making progress on the trail, as he pulled a bit throughout the hike.  Whereas Rucksack was eager to move forward, Sputnik kept wanting to make stops so he could leave scent marks along the way.  Meanwhile, Coco and Mamacita were much less insistent than their packmates and just followed me around without any fuss.

Play Pack

Mamacita, Ruffers, Coco, and Thompson were all very excited about one particular, little, black dog at the park this afternoon.  Ruffers and Mamacita went on some good runs with her.  Coco and Thompson were more interested in posturing and dodging around with her in close quarters.  Colby joined in for one or two runs as well, but wasn't nearly as focused on this new friend as her packmates.  She and Stella mostly just sniffed around as we walked the perimeter of the park.  Toward the end of our visit, Colby started looking toward the gate and seemed a bit nervous, so I put her on the leash to walk right alongside me for a bit before we left.  Mamacita left off playing with Coco, Ruffers, Thompson, and the other dog to join me, Colby, and Stella for the final stretch of our walk back around to the gate.  Coco was hesitant to give up playing with her new friend when it was time to leave, but eventually joined the rest of us on our way out.

Adventure Pack

We came across a Burnese Mountain Dog at the trailhead, right at the outset of today's hike.  Clover and Monarch were both eager to say hello, but we kept a little distance since Sputnik's reaction could have been unpredictable.  We did pass by pretty closely, though, and Sputnik kept calm, so he got some love and pets right after we passed.  Again there were no deer sightings today.  Monarch took a couple long drinks from the Camelbak today.  Clover was still avoidant during our first water break, but actually drank a bit during our second.  Sputnik nudged my hand and then licked his lips at one point to inform me it was time for water.  Coco was quiet and mild-mannered this morning.  She only drank a little water and just followed along behind me on the trails.

Play Pack

The pack headed to the CU South Campus trails again this afternoon.  Coco and Ruffers ran around with each other a bit.  They had been pretty mellow until Ruffers stared down Coco and then suddenly broke out into a run, which got Coco to follow in pursuit.  Meanwhile, Isaac and Thompson trotted along the trail on-leash with me.  The boys made stops every now and then to leave scent marks while the girls kept on the move more.

Adventure Pack

There were no deer sightings on our hike this morning.  Coco, Sputnik, and Mamacita just made their way along the trails around the Chautauqua together, making occassional stops to sniff around.  We passed more people and dogs on the trails today, as the warmer weather has brought out the hikers again.  We had mostly peaceful and pleasant passings, except once when Sputnik got riled up at the passing of a dogs who didn't even seem to be paying any attention to him.

Play Pack

Thompson, Colby, Ruffers, Mamacita, and Coco hit the trails at CU South Campus this afternoon.  We came across even more humans and dogs than the morning group had at the Chautauqua, and the pack was calm and friendly.  We stopped to say hello to a pair of German Wirehaired Pointers who were very sweet and friendly.  Someone was practicing recall using a whistle with their dog off in the distance, in the fields beyond the far end of the trail loop.  Mamacita seemed a bit on edge when she heard the whistle, and tried to pick up the pace to get back to the car quicker.  The rest of the pack didn't seem to mind sound and just trotted on past.