Adventure Pack The dreary weather kept many hikers at bay today. The parking lot wasn't empty, but it wasn't near as full as it had been the rest of the week. We saw some people and a few dogs at the trail head, but only crossed paths with one other hiker while we were out on the trail. Mamacita, Sputnik, Rucksack, and Roger Roger all hiked along nicely at my sides, but still ended up with watery mud splattered all over their legs and bellies. Variety Pack Ruffers, Griff, Mamacita, Avo, and Zoey enjoyed a walk along the Boulder Creek Path together this afternoon. Griff and Avo were especially interested in the wildlife we encountered along the way, including squirrels and ducks. Surpris

Adventure Pack The trails were busy today, and lots of people commented on how beautiful and well-mannered the pack members were. The mud was dried up today, and Colby wasn't showing nearly as much interest in sniffing around. Griff and Racer were equally casual about picking up scents, though Sputnik was still as enthused as ever about sniffing and peeing on trees all along the trails. Then, we came across a stretch of about 20 yards where the ground wasn't quite muddy but was still damp. All of a sudden, everyone's noses shot downward and a couple of the pack members scratched at the ground to stir the odors up into the air for better scent intake. Once we were past that damp area, th

Adventure Pack There are very few patches of snow remaining by the trails at the Chautauqua, but Rucksack sought out every one he could find. Ruffers chased him to them and the two of them had fun dodging and dancing with each other. Rucksack flopped down in one snowy patch and wiggled around. Sputnik and Mamacita stayed on leash with me. Sputnik looked on with excitement at his packmates playing, while Mamacita was pretty mellow and content. Variety Pack Rey, Roger Roger, Zoey, and Griff played chase all around the CU South Campus trails this afternoon. Griff was typically the one at the head of the pack, playing rabbit, while his packmates raced after him. Rey did the best job keepin

Adventure Pack Colby was very interested in sniffing the freshly-formed mud from spots along the trail where the layer of packed snow has finally melted due to this recent spell of warm weather. Sputnik's nose was mainly directed toward tree trunks, as it typically is. Griff and Racer did a little sniffing here and there, but not with the same focus of purpose that their packmates had. Variety Pack Ruffers, Isaac, Milo, Rey, and Zoey all walked along the Bear Creek Path together this afternoon. Squirrels were out in force today, and Ruffers nearly bolted out of the packmobile after them as soon as I opened the car door to begin our walk at Martin Park; but I caught a hold of her leash bef

Adventure Pack Mamacita took her time on the trail this morning. She found a spot to wiggle in the grass early on. There were a few more times after that when she sniffed around and seemed like she was going to go for another wiggle, but she only went for it the one time. Sputnik was happy to sniff around alongside Mamacita. He left plenty of scent marks while he was at it. Roger Roger and Rucksack pulled over with their packmates about half of the time, and stayed on the trail, waiting to get a move on, the other half of the time. Variety Pack Ruffers, Avo, Griff, Zoey, and Rey all had fun racing around with each other and with some of the other dogs at the park this afternoon! When s

Adventure Pack Rucksack and Roger Roger were the ones chomping on the snow this morning, when we passed over one of the few remaining snowbanks along the trails at the Chautauqua. Sputnik had some fun running around off leash again today. He had the same over-the-top intensity as yesterday. I kept Rucksack and Roger Roger on leash with me so it was easier to address Sputnik since he had to approach me in order to get to his packmates. Rucksack and Roger Roger did a pretty good job of turning a cold shoulder when Sputnik charged toward them, and before long Sputnik got the idea and settled down. After he got over that initial, frantic energy, he trotted along much more pleasantly and en

Adventure Pack Sputnik and Colby were back to giving each other a flurry of kisses when Sputnik hopped into the packmobile for our hike this morning. Out on the trails, Griff and Sputnik both munched on some snow when we passed over one of the few spots where there is still some on the ground. Sputnik went off leash with Colby for a bit today. Sputnik was being a bit too intense in his play by charging at Colby and jumping into her. Racer did not approve, and started to bark at Sputnik to let him know his behavior was not appreciated. So, Sputnik went back on the leash pretty quickly. Variety Pack The CU South Campus trails were surprisingly pretty empty this afternoon. The pack enjoye

Adventure Pack Mamacita took her time on the hike this morning. During one of her rest stops, she flopped down into the tall grass and wiggled around, slowly sliding into a ditch as she went. Sputnik was happy to take the opportunities to leave scent marks along the way. Rucksack and Ruffers ran around together through the fields until Rucksack found himself a big branch to haul. After that, Rucksack carried his branch along the trail so all the hikers could admire him, and Ruffers started trailing the pack so she could linger and sniff around. Variety Pack Avo, Zoey, and Roger Roger were all about the tennis balls at the park today. Roger Roger was the only one who consistently brought

Adventure Pack Colby and Griff explored mostly on their own during our hike today, but whenever one of them came running back, the other would join in the race. Sputnik chomped on snow whenever we passed over stretches of trail where it wasn't all melted, while Racer was happy just hiking along at my side. She has come a long way regarding her tendency to pull on the leash, particularly since I started using the front-clip harness on her instead of her collar. Variety Pack Rey did a whole lot of sniffing in the grass beside the Bear Creek Path as we walked it this afternoon. Meanwhile, Milo and Isaac trotted along in place next to me. Milo and Rey were both interested in the dogs we pass

Adventure Pack I couldn't even count how many times Sputnik stopped to pee on things this morning. It seemed like it was about every 20 yards, for the majority of the hike. Roger Roger and Mamacita often joined him when he pulled off to the side to sniff and tinkle, and both had some narrow misses as they ducked down to sniff just as Sputnik lifted his leg. Rucksack stayed well out of the splash zone, though he did go check out the smells for himself from time to time. Variety Pack Rey went from one new friend to the next, running and wrestling her heart out. The first friend she made was an Akita/Husky mix. The pair of them eventually ended up lying under a picnic table and spooning wh

Boarding Pack Cooper, Oliver, Clover, and Monarch enjoyed a very pleasant walk to Wonderland Lake together, this morning. Cooper whined with excitement when we passed one young dog, while the rest of the pack moseyed on by calmly. Oliver's adventurous spirit of yesterday had already passed, and he stuck to the trail religiously while Cooper, Monarch, and Clover sniffed around in the grass at various points along the way. Adventure Pack Rucksack, Roger Roger, Spuntik, Mamacita, and Isaac were all putting their noses to work today at the CU South Campus trails. There was a lot of mud everywhere, apparently doing a good job of emanating scents of interest. We made very frequent stops along

Adventure Pack Yoda, Griff, Racer, Sputnik, and Colby hiked the snowy trails at CU South Campus this morning. Yoda was very interested in sniffing around today, as he pulled off to the side of the trail frequently. There was one particularly interesting tuft of tall grass that had the whole pack intrigued for a couple minutes. Variety Pack Cooper led the pack's olfactory investigations this afternoon. Surprisingly, Oliver followed up behind him and went off-path to sniff around in the grass and snow as well. It seemed he was feeling bolder than usual after braving the ice and slush yesterday. Benny wanted to stop whenever we passed someone along the way, apparently hoping that they woul

Adventure Pack Snow was falling as the pack set out for our morning hike at the Chautauqua. Ruffers and Rucksack had lots of fun bounding through the snowy hills together Sputnik and Mamacita made some playful hops and leaps with Ruffers here and there, as well. Rucksack disappeared over the crest of a hill momentarily before racing back to join us. On the return leg of our loop, we saw a couple deer hanging out under a tree near the trail, which tipped me off to the reason Rucksack likely ran off earlier. The weather wasn't too bad until the last stretch of our return along Bluebell Road, when we had to walk into the wind. That wouldn't have been much of an issue if it weren't for the

Adventure Pack Yoda joined our Tuesday Adventure Pack regulars Sputnik, Colby, Griff, and Racer and we headed over to the CU South Campus trails this morning. Yoda did a lot of lingering to sniff around, while Griff and Colby tended to check out the trail ahead. Sputnik and Racer walked along at my sides, on leashes. There were a lot of other dogs out today. Yoda, Griff, and Colby all greeted them happily. Racer didn't go out of her way to try to say hello. Sputnik was in a pleasant mood and passed the other dogs in stride without worrying about them - for the most part. There was one confident, young male who came over and stood directly in our path to let the other dogs come up and

Adventure Pack The pack went for a light hike at the muddy CU South Campus trails this morning. Mamacita wiggled around in the tall grass a couple times. Sputnik was clam and friendly as we passed other dogs along the way. Rucksack and Roger Roger trotted along nicely. Everyone pulled over into the brush to sniff around and leave scent marks here and there. Variety Pack Benny, Oliver, Yoda, Zoey, Rey, and Mamacita all enjoyed a very pleasant walk around Wonderland Lake this sunny, temperate afternoon. We made occasional stops along the way to sniff beside the path, initiated alternately by Benny and Zoey. Mamacita, Yoda, and Rey were all happy to join in the investigations whenever the

Adventure Pack Sputnik was in a particularly ornery mood this morning when we first parked by the Chautauqua, and he barked in a markedly uninviting manner at the first couple dogs who passed by the car. He was much calmer once we started hiking, though, and kept his cool the rest of the morning as we passed some other dogs on the trail. Roger Roger, Rucksack, and Mamacita were all calm and pleasant through the morning. Variety Pack Early on in our visit, Avo went for her usual, all-out sprint with a couple other dogs in pursuit. Mamacita made a move like she was going to join in the chase, but stopped trying after only a few paces. Later on, Clover and Monarch found a friend in a slight

Adventure Pack Colby ducked her head down to sniff a rock just as Sputnik started marking it this morning. It had been a while since one of our pack members got caught by Sputnik's frequent marking while sniffing at a spot together. I used water from the CamelBak to rinse her off. At one point in the hike, we pulled over to the side of the trail and I threw snowballs for everyone. Griff didn't respond to the first couple I threw his way, so I tried Sputnik. Sputnik ignored the first one but caught the second. Colby and Racer were both watching me intently by this point, and they each caught several in a row. I tried throwing one to Griff again and he half-heartedly opened his mouth as

Adventure Pack Rucksack was the one eating snow on the trails this morning. He and Ruffers had a lot of fun chasing each other. Sputnik watched with keen interest, and leapt at Ruffers when she came close to us on the trail. He didn't make so many stops to leave scent marks today. Mamacita hiked along behind me and didn't pay that much attention to her packmates running through the snow. Variety Pack Rey, Avo, and Zoey were all in very playful moods when they got together this afternoon. Zoey settled down when we started our hike at CU South Campus, but Rey and Avo were still hopping and climbing all over each other. Roger Roger, Clover, and Monarch were all pretty calm for most of the

Adventure Pack Racer hopped playfully through the snow bank along the side of the trail while watching Griff and Colby race each other around in the fields. After taking a break from scent-marking yesterday, Sputnik was back at it and made numerous stops along the way. Variety Pack Milo, Mamacita, and Zoey walked the Bear Creek Path together this afternoon. Mamacita got a little shaky and nervous when there was a playground on the opposite side of the creek and we could hear the giggles and screams of kids playing. She is really not a fan of high-pitched noises. Milo and Zoey weren't bothered.

Adventure Pack Roger Roger kept eating snow all along the trail this morning. Near the end of our hike, he turned to eating the snow out of his paws. Rucksack ate some snow, too, but not as ravenously as Roger Roger. Sputnik got dusted with snow at one point, when he sidled up to a sapling tree to mark it. Mamacita had her sweatshirt on to keep her warm in the chilly weather, and she hiked along nicely at my side. Variety Pack Little Zoe, Rey, Zoey, and Mamacita walked the Bear Creek Path together this afternoon. There were quite a few joggers out despite the cold. The pack all seemed in good spirits as we made our way along the path. Rey wanted Little Zoe were both excited to sniff a