Leader of the Pack

The Adventure Pack

It was cold and wet from the moment we started hiking today, but that didn't slow down the pack.  Benny had his first off-leash hike today, and Coco was his off-leash buddy for the day.  The two of them were already wrestling around in the back of the packmobile on our way to the Settler's Park, and when they got to roam the trails together their play continued.  Whenever Benny started to wander too far ahead, I didn't even have to call him back because Coco ran up and herded him back; however, when Benny lagged behind Coco guarded the trail from him and kept him back there, so I called her off to let Benny catch up without being ambushed.  For the latter half of the hike, Rucksack and Wesley had a lot of fun together.  They chased and played pounce-and-dodge games with each other on and off throughout until Wesley fell in line behind me toward the end and Rucksack found a stick to busy himself with.

The Play Pack

When we arrived at the park, the only other dogs there were on their way out.  The weather wasn't very inviting, but the pack certainly didn't mind.  Fletcher, Coco, Benny, and Isaac were all super playful with one another and they chased each other all around the park.  Fletcher followed alongside Coco, whining and barking in her ear; Isaac chased after Fletcher, occassionally body-checking him and drawing his attention off of Coco; Benny ran a bit behind the pack, bowing and hopping around Isaac whenever he caught up; and Coco just ran around, happy to stir up all the action.  After a while, a Wheaton Terrier/Poodle mix named Charlie showed up at the park and joined in all of the chasing.  Then Charlie and Benny broke off into their own play while Coco, Fletcher, and Isaac raced each other to fetch tennis balls.  Isaac found a mud puddle that he couldn't resist lying down in and Fletcher followed him in but stayed on his feet.  They both needed a good towel-rub when we got back to the car.