Adventure Pack Sputnik looked handsome in a ladybug bandana this morning. He has been doing a very good job of keeping cool when we pass other dogs lately, and he did well again today when a young black Lab caught a passing sniff of the pack from just a few feet away. Mamacita shouldered down into the tall grass yet again for her routine wiggle. Rucksack stayed on the leash again after last weeks incident. We made plenty of stops along the way so everyone could sniff around off trail. Variety Pack Milo had his second outing with the pack today. Sputnik was happy to greet him right from the get-go this time around, and Milo didn't take up such an awkward pose in the car as we dropped off

Adventure Pack Mamacita was sniffing around in the tall grass beside Sputnik when she shot a devious smile my way and then dropped down and started wiggling. Sputnik, Zoey, and Rucksack stood by patiently while Mamacita had her fun. It was a beautiful today for hiking. We passed several other dogs along the way and gave enough distance that the pack stayed calm, even when one of the dogs we passed started making a fuss. Rucksack stayed on leash for the duration of the hike to avoid a repeat of Monday's misadventure. Variety Pack Coco, Zoey, Stella, Oliver, and Benny enjoyed a very leisurely walk along the Boulder Creek Path this afternoon. We made a stop by the Creek at one point, where

Adventure Pack Colby and Sputnik greeted each other with lots of kisses, as always. Colby's leg seemed to be feeling mostly better, though she still stepped a little funny every so often. Sputnik and Griff were pretty mellow when they went off leash together. They opted just to sniff around rather than chase each other. Variety Pack Isaac, Zoey, and Thompson enjoyed a walk along the Bear Creek Path this afternoon. After an initial stop for everyone to sniff around and do their business, we kept a casual but steady pace for most of the walk. A couple kids asked to say hello to the dogs, and Thompson walked right up to get some love. Zoey also went up to them to get some pets as well, wh

Adventure Pack Mamacita wiggled in the grass beside the same stretch of trail as she did Monday. Sputnik didn't insist on as many stops to leave scent marks but was still happy to take advantage each time we stopped along the way, including while Mamacita enjoyed her wiggle. Variety Pack Thompson went from person to person around the the center pad at the dog park this afternoon while Zoey ran from dog to dog around the park. After running around with other dogs for a while, Zoey found a tennis ball and enjoyed some fetch. If she didn't catch the ball on her first dive, she tended to lose track of it and then bounced all around in a goofy mess as she tried to figure out where it went. Th

Adventure Pack The pack and I got thoroughly soaked on our hike this morning. The dogs didn't really seemed bothered by the weather, but Coco and Colby are both dealing with minor leg injuries that caused them to limp a little bit along the way. I think they may have been feeling a bit ambivalent about their pack outing today, but they still enjoyed sniffing in the tall grass with Sputnik and Griff. Variety Pack Thompson, Isaac, Zoey, and Mamacita walked the Bear Creek Path this afternoon while snow was still falling. Mamacita wanted us to hurry up the whole time and expressed herself by rearing back and leaping forward repeatedly. Meanwhile, Thompson was taking his time. Isaac and Zoey

Adventure Pack Mamacita wiggled in the grass early on during the hike this morning while Sputnik was sniffing around, and Coco surprisingly refrained from joining her. We took our time along the Baseline Trail because Sputnik was in the mood to leave lots of scent marks again today. When we started up the mountain, Coco and Rucksack went off leash together. Rucksack got distracted sniffing around in the brush and when I called him to catch up, he looked up and then turned and started trotting back down the mountain through the bushes. I brought the pack back down the trail to get him but I couldn't figure out where he went. It was so out of character for Rucksack not to come when I call

Adventure Pack Coco still harasses Rucksack whenever Rucksack jumps out of the packmobile behind her at the outset of our hikes. As soon as he hops out, she barrages him with a brief flurry of face-to-face pokes and prods. Rucksack never reacts to her pushy nonsense. I tend to let Rucksack out first so he can avoid it, but sometimes - as today - it slips my mind, and Coco is ready to take advantage of the opportunity to bug her old buddy. Sputnik didn't need to make quite as many stops to leave his mark today, but Mamacita wanted to pull over to sniff around nonetheless. Variety Pack Stella, Roger Roger, Isaac, Zoey, and Coco all had a pleasant walk at the CU South Campus trails this aft

Adventure Pack Coco led the way for most of the hike this morning, while Griff bounced between lingering behind to sniff around and racing to catch up with her. Colby and Sputnik hiked along at my side. At one point, Coco stopped to sniff hello with some nice people. When she was done greeting them and caught up to the rest of us, Colby was very interested in sniffing all around her face to see what she could glean about the people Coco was so brave as to approach. Variety Pack Isaac, Roger Roger, Zoey, and Rucksack were all ball obsessed at the park this afternoon. Rucksack found his prize early on and held onto it for the whole park visit, not daring to drop it for more than a moment w

Adventure Pack Mamacita and Sputnik both wanted to take their time sniffing along the trail today. Sputnik left lots of scent marks, while Mamacita was content just to see what was there to smell. She found one spot that was worthy of wiggle, so she dropped down into the grass and rolled around on her back for a bit. Variety Pack I tried a new stepping stool to help Thompson get into the car today, since he has needed more help lately. He wasn't really sure what to make of it and tried to avoid it as he climbed in, but it did let him plant a back foot, which made it easier to help up his back end. On the walk, Thompson started slowing down a bit about halfway through. Then, we saw a squ

Adventure Pack Griff, Sputnik, Colby, and Coco had a good time hiking at the Chautauqua this morning. It was a little bit breezy out but not bad. We lingered at a lot of spots along the way so the pack could sniff around, and everyone took full advantage of the opportunities. Variety Pack The wind picked up incredibly this afternoon. When I threw the tennis ball for Isaac, it would take a hard turn in mid-air as the wind caught it, and then Isaac had to figure out where it went. Zoey and Isaac found a couple playful pups who ran with them while Thompson and Zoey moseyed through the park and sniffed around. Near the end of our visit, Yoda got into a playful mood and started racing around

Adventure Pack Coco flopped down for a wiggle in the tall grass at the trail this morning, and Mamacita was quick to follow her. Even Sputnik joined in for some wiggling in the grass! Rucksack stayed upright while his packmates goofed around. Once we got moving, Sputnik wanted to make very frequent stops to sniff and mark spots along the way. Rucksack wanted to sniff hello with the dogs we passed on the trail. Sputnik was behaving himself well, so we got to pass by some dogs close enough for Rucksack to greet them. Variety Pack Thompson was eager to get into the Creek as we walked the Boulder Creek Path this afternoon. When we did eventually go down to the water, he picked his pace up

Adventure Pack Coco found a stick as soon as she hopped out of the packmobile this morning. She picked it up, chewed on it, and tossed it around a bit while Mamacita watched her with interest. I thought Rucksack might be inspired by his packmate's find, but he didn't seek out any sticks when he was off leash today. He just sniffed around along with Sputnik. At one point, he wandered off for a minute and then met us a short way down the trail. Sputnik stayed close. When Sputnik first went off leash, Mamacita tried to race him. Unfortunately the race was rigged because she was still on leash. Variety Pack Coco found another stick on our afternoon walk along the Bear Creek Path. She che

Adventure Pack Coco bowed in the grass and crouched down a couple times, but stopped short of going for the full-on wiggle. Nobody got tagged by Sputnik's stream this morning, perhaps in part because we made fewer stops to sniff along the way, which resulted in fewer opportunities. The pack were mostly content to just trot along the trail in pace. At one point, I was just considering letting Griff and Coco off the leash when Colby and the two of them all suddenly leapt to the alert. I heard a rustling down the hill from us and saw that the cause for their excitement was a herd of deer not far away. Needless to say, I didn't choose to unleash them. Colby and Griff were the most anxious

Adventure Pack Yoda and Isaac joined Sputnik and Mamacita on the Chautauqua trails this morning. The wind was blowing in strong gusts that sometimes threatened to sweep a foot out from under me mid-step, but the pack didn't seem too perturbed. Sputnik made frequent stops to leave scent marks along the way and Isaac had the misfortune of going in for a sniff just at the wrong moment. A lot of packmates have suffered the same fate when sniffing around with Sputnik. I immediately rinsed him off with some water from the CamelBak. Yoda and Mamacita hiked along side-by-side at a steady pace. They weren't as interested in sniffing around as their packmates, and thus avoided any pee-related mi

Adventure Pack We lingered for a long while at a spot in the field about 30 feet from the trailhead, while Griff, Colby, Coco, and Sputnik all set out on a thorough investigation of the area. Once we eventually got moving again, Sputnik still stopped several times along the first stretch of trail; however, his packmates were ready to start hiking. Colby joined Sputnik to check out the first couple stops, but then she was ready to get moving as well. When we came by a fallen, uprooted tree a while later, everyone decided it was worth a pause to sniff around. Later on, Sputnik and Colby ran around off leash together briefly. At one point, Sputnik came charging back over to Coco, Griff, an

Adventure Pack The pack had a lot of investigating to do when we first set out on the trail this morning. All attention was on the scents that were to be found in the grassy fields along the way. The pack's focus was interrupted by a couple very excitable Golden Retrievers - one of whom rushed up to sniff hello while wiggling uncontrollably. Rucksack took point in greeting the lively pup, and the two of them hopped around each other for a while. Coco grumbled a bit at the over-the-top display, while Sputnik and Mamacita just stood by and waited it out. Later on in the hike, Coco and Rucksack got a bit playful with each other. Then it was back to sniffing. At one point along the way, R

Adventure Pack The snow was coming down pretty hard when the pack hit the trails this morning. Sputnik and Rucksack had a blast racing through the fields over the fresh layer of snow that had already accumulated. Mamacita and Coco both hopped around in place while watching their packmates race. After that burst of energy wore off, we trekked through the snow together at a slow and steady pace with Rucksack playing scout. As often happens during cold and snowy weather - when Mamacita is out of her element - Mamacita lunged at a couple joggers who came up from behind us and passed us. I had her on a short leash so she didn't get anywhere near them, and she got over it as soon I caught her

Adventure Pack Colby and Sputnik greeted each other with lots of kisses this morning, as usual. They enjoyed a calm hike at the Chautauqua this morning along with Mamacita and Griff. The trails were pretty busy. We passed many hikers, including a few other dogs, along the way. Variety Pack Zoey, Ruffers, and Roger Roger all had fun playing with each other and a few others at the park this afternoon. Mamacita joined in for a few dodges here and there, but mostly just explored the park with Coco and Thompson. A cute little Chihuahua came up and greeted them at one point. The Chihuahua fearlessly went right up into the middle of them to sniff and be sniffed. Ruffers also came over to che

Adventure Pack Griff and Ruffers were full of energy as they raced each other up and down the trails this morning. When they weren't running, they were sniffing bushes alongside Sputnik and Mamacita. Variety Pack The pack had a nice walk along the Bear Creek Path this afternoon. Yoda, Rucksack, Roger Roger, Thompson, Zoey, and Coco all kept their places very well as we made our way, which made my job easy. Rucksack was the only pack member with a few rogue moments that threatened to tangle us up, but I was able to redirect him easily enough. A couple different passers-by were impressed by how orderly the pack was, and one woman jokingly asked if she could pay to get a ride from them.

Adventure Pack The theme of the morning was grass. After Colby pooped, she started kicking up the grass. I stopped her a couple times, but she resumed after a brief pause. While I was picking up after her, Griff started kicking up grass next to me for no apparent reason. Then, Colby started kicking grass again, this time directly at me while I was picking up after her - how rude! A short while later, Coco flopped down in the grass and wiggled around while I was taking a pack photo. When we were passing through the Chautauqua Park at the end of our hike, Sputnik nibbled at the grass at the base of a tree while the others were sniffing around. Variety Pack The pack really stuck together