Adventure Pack Ruffers and Rucksack had a lot of fun chasing each other up and down the trail while Sputnik, Mamacita, and little Zoe watched with enthusiasm. Zoe occasionally let out little barks to express her desire to get in on the action. Ruffers sometimes responded by coming over to Zoe and making playful moves with her while Zoe dodged around. Ruffers was in a very social mood today and eagerly greeted all the dogs we passed along the way. Mamacita had fun wiggling around in a patch of tall grass where the snow had melted away. Sputnik went off leash for a bit and raced around with Rucksack after Ruffers started lagging behind the pack to sniff around. Variety Pack Avo, Rey, Zoey

Adventure Pack Colby was very interested in sniffing at the upturned soil that was scattered at the edge of the path as we walked along Bear Creek this morning. Sputnik wanted to make a lot of stops as well, but he was more interested in leaving his own scent marks than in investigating uncovered odors. Meanwhile, Racer walked alongside Griff. Racer wasn't pulling at the leash very much today, but Griff seemed to feel that he needed to balance things out by pulling ahead far more than usual. He wasn't coursing forward and trying to drag us along, but he kept inching further and further ahead until I gave him a tug or drew the whole pack back a few steps to reset. Variety Pack Rey was par

Adventure Pack Rucksack and Roger Roger got covered in snowballs as we hiked through the snow at Shanahan Ridge this morning. The snow was super powdery, and there was one stretch of the trail that was ice-slick beneath the surface layer of powder. The pack obliged me and took a slow pace through that section. Shortly after that, we came across a few dogs with a pair of joggers. We headed to the side of the trail and they passed on by. Not longer after, they were making their way back and came up from behind us. Sputnik kept turning around to check on their progress. He almost kept a pleasant demeanor along with his packmates, but then started to growl when one of the dogs lingered be

Adventure Pack Rucksack, Roger Roger, Sputnik, and Mamacita walked the Bear Creek Path this morning. There weren't many other travelers out, but we did pass one German Shepherd with an unfriendly attitude. Sputnik and Mamacita both to bristle a bit when the German Shepherd started barking at us as we passed along the far side of the sidewalk. Rucksack and Roger Roger, always the pleasant and happy, were unfazed by the encounter. Mamacita chomped on some snow in the park at the end of our walk. I thought she was going to plop down and wiggle in it, but she just ate it. Variety Pack Oliver sniffed around in the snow early on in our walk along the Boulder Creek Path. After he found the ri

Adventure Pack Racer munched on snow as we hiked at Shanahan Ridge this morning. She and Sputnik were both on alert and a little bit grumbly when another dog came near us. Griff had run over to greet the dog and then the two of them embarked on a chase, with Colby joining in soon after. They had a lot of fun running through the snow together. Variety Pack Isaac, Zoey, Benny, and Mamacita walked around Wonderland Lake together this afternoon. Benny and Mamacita each pulled over several times along the way, to sniff in the snow and turn it yellow. Zoey watched with alert perkiness as other dogs walked by on the path. The cold weather brought out Mamacita's frisky side, and she woofed at

Adventure Pack A couple friendly Golden Retrievers stopped to say hello, and Ruffers was eager to return the greeting. I kept a close eye and short leash on Sputnik as he grumbled quietly by my side. Mamacita was neither irritated nor excited by the Golden Retrievers, and just waited patiently until it was time to keep moving on. Ruffers, Mamacita, and Sputnik all found some particularly spot to be of interest along the trails. There was one point where both Sputnik and Mamacita dug at the muddy topsoil a bit to uncover the odors beneath. All three of them also checked out a fallen tree trunk for a good, long while. Variety Pack Rey and Avo burst into the dog park at full speed again to

Adventure Pack Racer and Griff happily greeted a young Vizsla pup who came over to say hello while we were hiking at Shanahan Ridge this morning. The pup politely stopped a few feet short and let Racer and Griff come up to him. Colby and Sputnik hung back, at my side. They watched with some wary reservation but waited patiently and politely as their packmates got a good sniff. Variety Pack Colby and Rey exchanged kisses when Rey joined us in the packmobile in between pack outings. Colby no longer grumbles about our youngest pack member, as it seems Rey has endeared herself to her through persistence. On our afternoon walk along the Bear Creek Path, Rey kept lingering behind to sniff in

Adventure Pack Roger Roger treated his brother similarly to last Friday. He mostly just ran along beside Rucksack, but every so often he would start harassing him and I would have to call him back and have him settle down. Roger Roger grabbed a few pieces of wood from the snow along the way, but didn't carry anything along with us. Rucksack eventually found a long, thin stick to bring along for the latter part of the hike. Sputnik and Mamacita enjoyed the hike as they sniffed around in the snow along the side of the trail. Variety Pack Zoey, Rey, and Sputnik walked around Wonderland Lake together this afternoon. Rey was back to leaping up in the air and trying to pull to the dogs we pas

Adventure Pack Roger Roger annoyed his big brother Rucksack a bit while they were off leash together during our hike this morning, but he listened well whenever I called him off to give Rucksack a break. Sputnik and Mamacita jumped into the mix when the Doodle brothers ran up to us, pouncing playfully on Roger Roger and thereby intervening in his harassment of Rucksack. Roger Roger found a chunk of lumber and played keep-away from Rucksack for a while, before the rotted wood broke apart into pieces too small to be of any use. Variety Pack Rey, Avo, and Zoey made the most of the snowy playscape at the Valmont Dog Park this afternoon. Avo and Rey kicked things off with a big chase while Zoe

Adventure Pack Colby and Griff had fun exploring the trails together this morning. They would would wander off trail and then come running back when I called them. At one point, they perked up and stared up the trail as some hikers and their dogs came around the bend in the distance. I called them back and put them on leash, since they were staring a bit intensely. Racer did a great job on the harness again today, sticking right by my side throughout the hike. Near the end of our hike, a couple dogs came up to sniff hello with the pack. We walked in a little circle as everyone got their sniffs in. Sputnik started to give a shrill grumble for a moment, but managed to collect himself be

Adventure Pack Ruffers and Griff had fun racing each other up and down the trail at Shanahan Ridge this morning. Mamacita was feeling playful, and hopped about in place at my side. Sputnik, Mamacita, and Griff all barked at a dog that walked by the car when we parked at the trail head, but they were more pleasant when we passed other dogs during the hike. Variety Pack Avo was very excited to be out with the pack today. She leapt out of the car along with both Griff and Mamacita when I was dropping each of them off, eager to be wherever the action was and to see where her friends were going. She accompanied me and Griff to Griff's front door, and was disappointed when she didn't get to go

Adventure Pack I used a front-clip harness with Racer for the second time, today, and she did remarkably well on it! She hardly pulled at all throughout our hike at Shanahan Ridge, and instead walked right beside me and her packmates. Racer, Sputnik, Griff, and Colby all sniffed along the side of the trail together in a neat line during one stretch, and I snapped a photo with Racer, Sputnik, and Griff in the frame. When we got back to the car, Colby and Sputnik gave each other some kisses, as they often like to do. Variety Pack Rey was far more tame today, even compared to yesterday. She walked along very nicely with her packmates, and when we passed other dogs she just wiggled with exci

Adventure Pack The wind was blowing while Mamacita, Sputnik, Roger Roger, and Rucksack hiked at the CU South Campus trails this morning. Roger Roger had an upset stomach early on but seemed to be alright afterward. He and Rucksack happily greeted dogs we passed, while Sputnik and Mamacita waited politely at the far side of me. Variety Pack Zoey and Rey chomped on some twigs in the park in front of the library, during our walk along the Boulder Creek Path this afternoon. Rey was slightly more tame on the leash than she has been in recent weeks, but she was still pretty full of exuberant puppy energy. She and Griff wanted to stop and sniff around tree trunks a couple times along the way.

Adventure Pack The pack headed to the CU South Campus trails this morning. Roger Roger and Rucksack were both especially excited to get out for the hike this morning, and greeted me at the door with enthusiastic barks and whines. They were a bit more tame once we were actually out on the trail, though Rucksack did pull at the leash a bit throughout the hike. Sputnik and Mamacita behaved themselves nicely. They both got a little worked up at the first dog we passed, and growled for a fleeting moment, but they handled themselves better as we continued to pass by other dogs along the way. Variety Pack Avo had her second pack outing this afternoon, accompanied by Zoey. Having already met We

Adventure Pack The pack made a lot of stops to sniff along the way during our hike/walk at the Red Rocks Trails and Boulder Creek Path this morning. Sputnik was especially drawn by the smells, and wanted to pull over about every ten yards. I entertained his curiosity periodically, and Colby, Racer, and Griff were all quick to join him in sniffing about. We bumped into packmate Milo on our way down the Red Rocks Trail, and Sputnik was very worked up. He growled for a brief moment when he saw Milo staring at us from a short distance and Milo started to approach. But when we stopped to chat for a minute, Sputnik's tail started wagging and he pulled at the leash with his ears pinned back, e

Adventure Pack Ruffers enjoyed romping through the snow at Shanahan Ridge this morning. She got both Sputnik and Mamacita worked up. Mamacita bunny-hopped through the snow when we was excited. At one point, Mamacita dropped into a play-bow in front of Ruffers, and Ruffers placed her paw on Mamacita's shoulder. Mamacita responded by hopping to another spot while maintaining play-bow position. Meanwhile, Racer did a reasonably good job on the leash. She and Sputnik both pulled a bit from time to time when they wanted to sniff around in the snow, but they kept with me pretty well for the most part. Variety Pack We had a new dog join the pack this afternoon - Avo! Avo is a sweetheart who