Leader of the Pack

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.