Leader of the Pack

Adventure Pack

Rucksack got out of the car before Coco at the trailhead today, therefore dodging Coco's typical burst of enthusiasm that is always directed at him when he exits the car after her. On the other hand, Mamacita couldn't avoid Rucksack outpouring of affection that began, as always, about halfway through the hike. I wonder whether the delay is because Rucksack is just distracted by his initial excitement to be out and about, or because Mamacita's scent changes after getting a bit of a workout. Either way, Rucksack was drawn to her like a magnet and hovered around her every time we stopped moving forward; however, he didn't bathe her ears in licks today as he has done other times. Meanwhile, Sputnik was feeling playful and dropped into play-bows in the snow whenever we lingered at a spot.  Mamacita gave him a few interested looks but didn't take the bait, and then Sputnik would just pop back up and give it another try.

Play Pack

Stella was feeling more spry than usual today and hopped into the packmobile without any assitance.  At the park, we came across the same little Pug she tried to make friends with last week.  She stopped by to be pet by the Pug's humans and made a few playful moves, but was again unable to stir the Pug up into playing with her.  Thompson followed Stella's example but got more attention from the Pug, who jumped up and pawed at his face for a minute before Thompson decided he had enough and moved on.  Chunk also went over and was far more accepting of the Pug jumping and pawing at his face, so he hung out there for a while and returned several times during our visit.  Meanwhile, Coco played a bit of fetch and monitored the play of other dogs.  On a couple occasions, Coco felt that a dog was being too pushy with their playmate and she went over and barked at them, then inserted herself to draw the aggressor's attention away.  Colby wasn't as rambunctious as she was last Friday but she did make some dashes alongside a few different pairs and groups of dogs who were dodging and chasing each other.  At one point, Colby and Coco both came over to me for pets and snuggles at the same time and they nuzzled with each other adorably as I scratched both of their sides.