Adventure Pack It was a quiet day at the Chautauqua today. The cool weather must have discouraged other hikers from hitting the trails, but Roger Roger, Rucksack, and Sputnik enjoyed themselves. We lingered a little along the Baseline Trail while the boys sniffed around, but nobody ventured very far into the tall grass. At the end of our hike, Sputnik sniffed intently at Rucksack's neck and ear. Usually, Rucksack is the one licking his packmates' ears but this time he was on the receiving end. Variety Pack Despite being on three legs and going through chemotherapy as a result of the osteosarcoma found in her wrist earlier this year, Coco is still an energetic bundle of joy who was enthus

Adventure Pack After the first ten minutes of our hike, when everyone wanted to go sniff at different things along the trail, everyone - including Racer - settled into place and went the rest of the time with almost no pulling at the leashes. The one exception was when a deer hopped away from the trail up ahead of us. Colby leapt to attention and watched with perked ears, but she didn't pull anymore after the initial jump. Griff, Sputnik, and Racer somehow didn't seem to notice the deer at all, despite Colby's alert to the disturbance. Variety Pack Oliver and Benny joined Isaac and Zoey for a walk along the Bear Creek Path this afternoon. Benny and Zoey both wanted to stop and sniff arou

Adventure Pack Sputnik drew Ruffers into a few playful exchanges as we hiked at the Chautauqua this morning. He also bowed and hopped around Mamacita while she was enjoying her wiggle in the grass. Ruffers mostly followed a short distance behind the pack, but didn't linger far back as much as she had been doing lately. Variety Pack Rey and Zoey have been getting very close since Rey joined the pack. The two of them turn playful with each other very quickly, and like to wrestle around a lot. Griff is starting to get more accustomed to Rey. He still grumbles at her a bit, even as he lets her lean on him and really get in his personal space. Rey seems careful about how much she tests the

Adventure Pack Racer loves drinking from the CamelBak. She nosed in impatiently while her packmates Sputnik and Colby were taking their turns re-hydrating on the trail today. Colby and Griff had some fun exploring off leash together. Racer was pulling more than usual today. She still needs more practice with better leash-walking habits. Despite today, she seems to be having more and more frequent days with minimal pulling, as she grows more and more used to the routine. Variety Pack Rey found plenty of puppy playmates at the park again today. There were two pups with whom she spent most of her time, but she also wrestled around with an older Basset Hound and a very young (10 week) Pit

Adventure Pack Rucksack rejoined the pack today after taking a long rest to heal from a broken leg he suffered as a result of a rabbit chase gone poorly. He stayed on leash with Mamacita, as he is getting accustomed to walking without a cast on irregular trail terrain again. Sputnik and Roger Roger enjoyed a bit of chase with each other. Roger Roger tends to get carried away with his big brother Rucksack, and starts barking and biting at his legs. Sputnik has no patience for that sort of stuff, but he knows Roger Roger well enough not to overreact either, so they made a good pairing for play. Variety Pack Zoey and Griff had a pleasant jaunt around Wonderland Lake. A breeze picked up as

Adventure Pack Sputnik was excited to have an equally energetic packmate to run around with on the trails this morning. Roger Roger chased Sputnik around with vigor, but also listened and came to me whenever I called them back to settle down or just check in. Mamacita was content to just follow along with me on leash. Isaac tried to bolt after his packmates the first time they broke out in a run, but he didn't take it too hard when I kept him on the leash. He tends to nip at the other dogs' flanks in an attempt to herd them when they get too rambunctious, so he stayed with me and Mamacita through the hike this morning. Variety Pack Zoey sniffed around in the tall grass beside the trail a

Adventure Pack Sputnik, Griff, Colby, and Racer all investigated the scents along the Baseline Trail with great care. We took our time for that first stretch of the hike, with a lot of detours so the pack could really check things out in the tall grass. Griff got a break from helping to rein in Racer, and instead walked at my other side with Sputnik today. At my other side, Colby and Racer kept switching places and getting their leashes twisted together. Racer continues to be on-and-off walking at a heel. Sometimes, she does a great job! Other times, she pulls without any regard for sticking by my side. I stopped occasionally to give her lots of love and attention today when she had b

Adventure Pack Li'l Zoe was back with the pack today after a hiatus, and she was very excited to get out on the trail with her packmates. She mostly stuck at my side with the pack, but her excitement got the best of her and resulted in some attempts to pull ahead every now and then. Mamacita forewent her constitution wiggle-in-the-grass until much later in the hike than usual, today. Instead of flopping down somewhere along the Baseline Trail, she waited until our descent along the Bluebell-Mesa connector to partake. Zoe stood by and watched Mamacita with interest until Mamacita had her fill and returned to an upright position. Ruffers lingered behind the pack again today, though not as

Adventure Pack Racer, Colby, Sputnik, and Griff all took notice of a squirrel hanging out on a wall next to where we parked at the Chautauqua this morning. Racer tried to lunge toward it at first, while her packmates restrained themselves and just stared intently until we headed off for the trails. Griff has been much less hesitant to take water from the CamelBak the past couple weeks. The rest of the pack were eager to nose in and get as much water as they could. Variety Pack Isaac broke up his fetching not only by visiting the kiddie pool, but also by wiggling in the grass. When a few other dogs came by, he even led the way to sniff hello - soon followed by Milo and Zoey, who were both

Adventure Pack Mamacita held off on wiggling in the tall grass on the trails, and waited until we were walking though the Chautauqua Park to shoulder down into the cut grass and wiggle away. Sputnik made eyes at a person we passed on the trails, and was rewarded with some pats on the head. Roger Roger and Mamacita were happy to get a little love, as well, but they definitely had Sputnik to thank for gaining the hiker's attention. Variety Pack Zoey enjoyed a walk around Wonderland Lake this afternoon. We went along at her pace and stopped wherever she wanted to so she could sniff around. Cloud cover made for a pretty pleasant afternoon despite the relatively high air temperature.

Adventure Pack Roger Roger stuck his face in a plant with a bunch of big, spiny burrs. So, we pulled over to the side of the trail to sit in the shade of a big tree while I picked the burrs out from his chin. An energetic dog passed by us while the pack was waiting for me to finish up with Roger Roger. When the dog started to approach us off the side of the trail, Sputnik and Mamacita both warned him off with growls. I quickly gained their attentions back and had them lie down until Roger Roger was fixed up and we were ready to continue our hike. The rest of the hike was pretty quiet. Griff wanted to make more stops than Sputnik today, to sniff around in the brush. Mamacita wiggled in

Adventure Pack Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of something skitter up the side of the trail as we approached. Racer noticed it too. She perked up and started looking around in the tall grass as we walked. Colby, Sputnik, and Griff were oblivious to disturbance. It might have been a chipmunk, or some type of lizard. Whatever it was, neither Racer nor I located it after its initial dash into the brush. Later on in the hike, Colby and Griff mingled with a pair of Viszlas who passed by while Racer and Sputnik stood calmly by me. Variety Pack Zoey, Ruffers, and Isaac walked around Wonderland Lake this afternoon. There weren't many other dogs out - just a pair of little one

Adventure Pack Mamacita went for a wiggle in the tall grass along the Baseline Trail this morning. Griff played scout while he was off leash, keeping ahead of the pack by a bit. Meanwhile, Ruffers brought up the rear, only to catch up when I called her and waited. She was very interested in sniffing around at the edge of the trail, examining scents her packmates overlooked. Griff actually took some water from the CamelBak today, along with Mamacita and Sputnik. Variety Pack Rey had her first pack visit to the Valmont Dog Park this afternoon! There was a 6-month-old Australian Shepherd puppy right at the gate when we entered, and the two of them immediately started wrestling around with

Adventure Pack No turkey sightings on the trails this morning. Sputnik, Griff, and Racer all wanted to take their time wading through the tall grass along the Baseline Trail and sniffing around, so we took a leisurely pace with lots of stops during the beginning of our hike. Eventually, we got moving at a more regular pace. We stopped in the park at the end of the hike. Sputnik and Colby didn't want to wait for their turns to drink water, so they both lapped it up from the spout at the same time. Racer waiter her turn, and Griff wasn't interested in taking any water. Variety Pack Rey was very interested in Colby while they were in the car together again today. Colby alternately gurmble

Adventure Pack A small flock of turkeys crossed the Bluebell-Baird trail ahead of the pack this morning. Griff, Mamacita, and Roger Roger all took notice and watched with tense interest until the turkeys disappeared through the brush. Sputnik had to have noticed them, but he didn't pay them any mind. After that, Griff and Roger Roger enjoyed some off leash time together. They explored the trail side-by-side. The pair of them often stopped and waited for us to catch up, without being prompted. Variety Pack Zoey enjoyed playing fetch at the park without competition from Isaac. She was hesitant to drop the ball for me at first; but after a while, she started bringing it back to me and lea

Adventure Pack Isaac joined the pack for the hike this morning. He was very excited to hop out of the packmobile and get out on the trail with Sputnik, Mamacita, and Roger Roger. Mamacita and Sputnik waded through the tall grass to sniff around and leave scent marks as we made our way along the Baseline Trail. We had pleasant encounters as we passed by a handful of other dogs on the trails today. Everyone hiked along at a pretty steady rhythm, and kept together nicely after the initial scatter along the Baseline Trail. We stopped to sit in the park for a few minutes at the end of our hike, and a little girl was admiring the pups with her dad, from a distance. Variety Pack Rey met a coup

Adventure Pack Colby and Griff wandered about off leash together at the Chautauqua this morning. They stayed on leash with Sputnik and Racer for the beginning of the hike, until we go past the area where there are signs about bear activity. Once they were off, they stuck pretty close and just trotted along the trail. Racer is definitely walking better on leash than she was on her first outings, but she still likes to pull quite a bit, so we are continuing to work on that. Sputnik has stayed cool and collected this week while passing other dogs on the trails, which is much appreciated. Colby edged to the side of the trail when people came by. She still watched cautiously as they passed

Adventure Pack Ruffers rejoined the pack today! She and Sputnik greeted each other with a lot of excited wiggling. On the trails, the two of them spent a lot of the hike side-by-side, while Mamacita was on leash with me. Mamacita wiggled in the tall grass and slid down the hill back to the trail. When she realized she was no longer in the grass, she stumbled back up onto her feet and shook it off. We sat at the Chautauqua Park for a few minutes at the end of our hike, and Ruffers and Sputnik made play moves together. After Ruffers lost interest and Sputnik dropped into another play-bow, Mamacita belly-crawled up to him and then flopped over onto her side. The morning was full of silly

Adventure Pack The pack headed to the Chautauqua for our hike this morning. Racer, Griff, Colby, and Sputnik all wanted to sniff around in the brush as we made our way along the Baseline Trail, so we made slow progress at first. Once we began our ascent up the mountain, everyone started to focus a bit more and stick to the trail. We came by a black Lab puppy, whose human observed that her little one is going to look like Racer when she grows up. Variety Pack We had a new pup join the pack today: Rey! Rey is a 4-month-old Pit Bull. She was excited to meet the pack members who were in the car when we picked her up this afternoon. I let Racer, Griff, Colby, and Zoey out from the car one-b