Adventure Pack The whole pack enjoyed chomping on snow from the north-facing banks along the trail this morning. We came across several dogs, including one who very much looked to be a wolf hybrid. Sputnik seemed slightly on edge as we passed by that one, but he managed to maintain his manners and continue on by without incident. Rucksack wanted to go over and say hello to most of the dogs who went by. Coco and Mamacita were pretty indifferent. It was a bit breezier out than I had expected, but on the whole it was a pleasant day for hiking. Variety Pack Thompson was eager to get into the Creek again this afternoon. Coco joined him in the ankle-deep water while the Doodles - Zoey, Rucks

Adventure Pack We found a small clearing with untouched snow where the pack had a lot of fun. Griff and Coco chased each other around and around. Sputnik and Coco bowed and dodged around one another. Colby shouldered down into the snow and plowed through it. It was a fun time for everyone! Variety Pack Isaac, Zoey and Roger Roger all played fetch at the park this afternoon. Rucksack had a tennis ball in his mouth but he never dropped it, so I never threw it for him - he just ran alongside his packmates as they chased after their own tennis balls. Roger Roger barked at Isaac a bit, but he listened pretty well when I called to him to stop being a nuisance. Thompson kept on the move for

Adventure Pack It was nice out for our morning hike. Sputnik chased Rucksack around through the snowy fields while Mamacita watched. Mamacita tossed her head around playfully and hopped in place in response to her packmates' move as they ran with each other. Later on in the hike, we passed by an old Lab and everyone sniffed hello with friendly demeanors. Variety Pack Snow was coming down in big, clumpy flakes by the time we set out for our afternoon walk at the CU South Campus trails. The trails were slick with mud and I had to take care with my footing as Rucksack and Zoey kept pulling ahead while Thompson kept pulling off to the side. At least Coco and Roger Roger stuck by me and trot

Adventure Pack Colby and Griff checked out an old log together after running around through the snow for a bit. Colby shouldered down into the snow repeatedly at one spot next to a tree. Melting snow was falling from the treetops in heavy clumps as we hiked, causing both Coco and Colby to keep spinning around and checking over their shoulders whenever it plopped down nearby and gave the impression that someone had sneaked up on us. Sometimes, I even mistook the dropping snow for footfalls of another hiker coming down the trail. Griff and Sputnik didn't seem so concerned. Variety Pack Mamacita seemed unusually wired this afternoon when we set out for our walk along the Bear Creek Path. S

Adventure Pack Coco, Rucksack, Mamacita, and Sputnik all had their noses glued to the dewy grass as we made our way along the trail this morning. It was slow going because everyone wanted to sniff everything, and the mood of the pack was very mellow. When we stopped for a photo by the park near the end of our walk, Mamacita broke the mold and started hopping around and dropping into play bows, but none of her packmates took the bait. Variety Pack Thompson was eager to get into the Creek this afternoon. While he was wading through the water and getting a drink, Zoey and Coco found some sticks to chew on. Zoey moved from twig to twig, breaking them apart. Coco stuck with one big stick tha

Adventure Pack We saw several friendly dogs along the way and the whole pack was pleasant as we passed them. Sputnik, Coco, and Isaac were all into nibbling on the grass today. Sputnik and Coco ran along the trail together a bit, but didn't go on any big chases. Rucksack perked up at a couple point during the hike and stared off into the distance. I didn't see anything where he was looking, but I thought I did detect an animal smell in the air the first time he was on alert. The second time, Sputnik was also a bit worked up and the two of them seemed to be focusing their attentions on the ravine between Bluebell Road and the Enchanted Mesa. I wonder whether there was a herd of deer or

Adventure Pack Coco started off our hike with a wiggle in the grass right as we got onto the trail. Today, it was Griff who found himself in the splash zone when he moved in to sniff at a spot just as Sputnik marked it. After I rinsed off his head with some water from the CamelBak, Griff shook it off and didn't go in for any more sniffs behind Sputnik for the rest of the hike. There was a large presence of ranger and fire rescue vehicles around the Bluebell Road shelter at the Chautauqua this morning. The whole pack was curious about what was going on and monitored the parked vehicles as we passed by the area. Colby was predictably the most curious as her gaze darted rapidly around the s

Adventure Pack Mamacita popped up to greet her friend Griff when we picked him up this morning. Out on the trails, Sputnik and Mamacita both stopped to munch on grass several times. Meanwhile, Ruffers and Griff were lingering behind us to sniff around beside the trail. A short while later, Griff and Ruffers broke into races with each other up and down the trail. Variety Pack Zoey, Yoda, and Coco all ran around together a bit when we first set out at the CU South Campus trail this afternoon. As we continued on our way, they all enjoyed splashing through the ditch beside the trail. We met a couple friendly Labradoodles along the way and the pack all hung out a minute to say hello to each

Adventure Pack Colby and Sputnik sniffed along beside the trail as we hiked this morning. Sputnik got caught up in the smells and tried to drag us off course a few times. At one point, Colby had the misfortune of going to sniff a spot after Sputnik, just as Sputnik raised his leg to mark said spot. I pulled her out of the way almost in time to dodge it, and used some water from the CamelBak to rinse off the ear that got tagged. Meanwhile, Coco and Griff weren't particularly interested in sniffing and just trotted along at my side as we made our way to the Enchanted Mesa and back. Variety Pack Ruffers found several friends to hop around with at the dog park this afternoon. Zoey found a b

Adventure Pack Mamacita did her signature bunny-hop move repeatedly as we hiked the snowy trails this morning. Rucksack loved all the showers of snow that dropped from the trees above of. Coco, on the other hand, wasn't very happy about the snow plopping down around us. When it fell to the side of us or behind us, she would spin around to confront the intrusion. Unfortunately, this guarded mentality led to her eyeing another hiker with the same sort of distrust, and ignoring me when I called her back. She went back on the leash after that and then Sputnik enjoyed running around in the snow with Rucksack. But then, Sputnik decided to wander off and ignore my calls for him to return. Wh

Adventure Pack Sputnik was the only one with his nose glued to the ground today. Isaac, Coco, and Mamacita sniffed around a bit, of course, but not an inordinate amount. Sputnik made loving eyes at a small group of elderly hikers and instantly endeared himself to them. Mamacita, on the other hand, felt guarded and gave a warning woof when we first stopped to say hello. Variety Pack Thompson set a leisurely pace for our afternoon walk along the Boulder Creek Path. There weren't many fowl in the creek today, but Zoey kept scanning for them. Coco and Isaac trotted along dutifully in place beside me, as they did on the hike this morning as well.

Adventure Pack There was a whole lot of sniffing going on. After yesterday's packs took a break from scent research, today's packs were back at it with vigor. Griff, Coco, Sputnik, and Colby all wanted to spend a long while sniffing around by the trailhead. Once we got moving, we still made frequent stops as the pack were insistent about giving a more thorough examination to various points along the way. There were deer running around in the woods by the Mesa Trail so I kept the pack all on leash for the day to keep them out of trouble. Variety Pack The nose party continued this afternoon. Our variety pack members weren't as zealous as their morning counterparts, but what they lacked in

Adventure Pack Ruffers, Mamacita, Ruby, and Sputnik were less interested in sniffing around at the beginning of the trail than the pack has been in recent days, so we got moving right along. The pack got lots of smiles from hikers on the trail, and compliments on how beautiful they are. Variety Pack Zoey was very interested in the geese and ducks we saw along the Boulder Creek this afternoon, as she often is. Coco enjoyed a wiggle in the grass at Eben G. Fine Park. The variety pack's members also received several compliments from passers-by about how pleasant they all seemed.

Adventure Pack The pack were all very interested in sniffing around in the vicinity of the trail head again this morning, as yesterday's pack was. After lingering there for a while, we headed for the Mesa Trail, where Coco and Griff wandered around off leash together. They didn't run around much - only to catch up if they fell behind while sniffing around somewhere. Colby and Sputnik stayed on leash because there were a lot more hikers both human and canine than there had been last week. Colby is still the most alert member of the pack, and turns to asses any unusual noise in the distance; however, she hasn't been obsessing over it even when it's someone following behind us - she just gl

Adventure Pack We had a slow start to the hike this morning as Coco, Sputnik, Rucksack, and Mamacita were all very interested in sniffing around beside the trail at the trail head. Mamacita and Sputnik were especially engrossed in their investigations and Mamacita nibbled a bit of grass, as well. Mamacita was the one chomping snow alongside Rucksack today instead of Coco, from one of the last remaining snow banks on the Mesa Trail. Variety Pack Zoey, Coco, Thompson, and Mamacita enjoyed a quiet walk along the Bear Creek Path this afternoon. Coco and Mamacita each took a turn wiggling in the grass - Coco actually took a couple turns. Zoey sniffed around for a while and briefly chewed a co

Adventure Pack While Sputnik and Coco were off leash and Coco was up ahead of the pack, Sputnik decided it was a good idea to race up and give her a check as he bolted by. Unfortunately for Sputnik, Coco stopped and looked over her shoulder when she sensed his approach, just as Sputnik came upon her, and he ended up clipping his left shoulder against her butt. He was sprinting full speed and ended up launching forward over a boulder and tumbling into a bush. Luckily, he didn't impale himself on any branches, but he was a little stiff for the remainder of the hike. Coco barely moved from the impact. It reminded me of the wood chipper scene in the movie "Tucker & Dale vs. Evil". Meanwhil

Adventure Pack Sputnik and Coco chomped on the snow bank at the Chautauqua trail head when we set out for our hike this morning. Griff and Colby went off leash together and they each went for a run, but they weren't on the same page and took their runs separately and in different directions. Near the end of our hike, Griff and Coco made friends with a Greyhound who had coloring similar to Griff's. Sputnik tried to rush up to the Greyhound but without any unfriendly noises. I still kept him with me because I don't want him to be in the habit of pulling to other dogs whether he's friendly or not, but we lingered for a moment and I rewarded him with some pets and water from the CamelBak. Va

Adventure Pack It was pretty quiet again today, but we did come across a few other dogs on the Mesa Trail. Ruffers went over to sniff hello with the first, little dog we passed. Sputnik and Mamacita stuck by me on their leashes. Later on, the pack stayed chill while another passing dog jumped around and barked a bit as they went by. Sputnik has been handling himself much better in situations like that lately. Variety Pack Thompson lingered at the entrance to the Foothill Dog Park while Yoda, Coco, Zoey, and Mamacita followed me for a lap. Thompson eventually decided to come join us so I slowed down and threw tennis balls for Coco and Zoey until he caught up. A little while later, Coco

Adventure Pack Griff and Coco explored off the leash together as we made our way up the Mesa Trail this morning. There is a very icy patch on the incline at the beginning of the trail and I called them back over to the side to let some hikers pass. One woman was very friendly and Coco went over to say hello. On the way back, Sputnik and Colby went on a run right when I let them off leash. After they made their way back, they stuck close to the pack. Then they went back on leash before we descended along the icy stretch. Variety Pack Mamacita and Isaac both flopped down for a wiggle in the grass during our walk along the Bear Creek Path this afternoon. Zoey found a small stick to chew o

Adventure Pack Rucksack enjoyed eating snow from one bank along the side of a stretch of trail this morning. Coco had a good wiggle in the grass. The trails were very quiet today. We only saw a few other hikers and no other dogs along the way. It was a bit windy. Sputnik and Mamacita trotted along at my side, just stopping to sniff around once in a while. There were a couple rocks down in the Chautauqua Park area that caught the attentions of the whole pack and we lingered around them for a while until everyone was satisfied. Variety Pack The wind continued through the afternoon. Thompson, Zoey, Isaac, Coco, and Mamacita enjoyed a walk along the Boulder Creek Path, which was also quie