Adventure Pack Rather than crickets and grasshoppers, we saw a lot of spiders crossing the Bear Creek Path this morning. By "a lot," I don't mean anything like the swarms of the former that we've seen lately, but I noticed about half a dozen over the course of our walk. The pack didn't seem to notice them skitter by. Sputnik and Mamacita stopped to sniff around in the grass numerous times in the first 30 minutes. Roger Roger and Zoey joined them a couple of those times, but usually just waited on the path until their packmates were ready to start walking again. Variety Pack The crickets and grasshoppers may have dispersed along Bear Creek, but there were still plenty at CU South, where D

Adventure Pack Griff, Sputnik, Racer, and Mamacita walked the Bear Creek Path together this afternoon. The abundance of crickets and grasshoppers has abated since last week. We only saw a few hopping across the path today. Sputnik didn't make that many stops today. Griff, Racer, and Mamacita followed his lead and sniffed around at the spots he found. At one stop, Mamacita flopped down in the grass; but instead of rolling around she just lay out to soak up the sun while her packmates put their noses to work. Variety Pack Riley, Zoey, Isaac, and Avo headed up the Anemone trail together this afternoon. Riley and Avo both wanted to pull ahead on our way up, while Zoey and Isaac were happy

Adventure Pack Avo, Sputnik, and Mamacita walked the Bear Creek Path together this morning. Sputnik pulled off the trail a lot in the first 15 minutes - and left scent marks every time - but then didn't interrupt our pace again for the rest of the walk. Avo noticed every squirrel there was to notice, and got very excited about them. Mamacita trotted along dutifully behind me, acting as the anchor for the pack. Variety Pack The pack headed to the Valmont Dog Park this afternoon. Poppy, Zoey, Roger Roger, and Rey all started running around with each other right off the bat. Dylan entered the park with more composure, and spent most of his time sniffing around the park and greeting the oth

Adventure Pack There were a lot of interesting smells in the tall grass beside the Bear Creek Path this morning. Griff, Racer, Sputnik, Mamacita, and Yoda all pulled over to sniff around together, several times along our way. After a few stops like that, the pack settled into a steady pace for the rest of the walk. Racer got very excited about a squirrel who ran up a tree by us, but her packmates didn't take notice. Variety Pack Milo and Avo were keen on taking breaks in the shade whenever we passed beneath a tree on our way around Wonderland Lake this afternoon. Each time, Avo lay down right on the trail without hesitation, while Milo was content to sit in place. Rey, Isaac, and Zoey w

Adventure Pack Roger Roger and Mamacita trotted right along in place at my side as we walked the Bear Creek Path this morning. Avo and Sputnik were more distracted, and wanted to pull ahead or off to the side a lot along the way. The two of them also got a bit worked up about the other dogs we saw along the way. I brought them off the path a couple times to make some distance, so they wouldn't get too crazy as the other dogs passed by. Variety Pack Avo, Zoey, Rey, and Griff had a blast at the Valmont Dog Park this afternoon! There was a lot of running around by all parties. Avo found a giant disc to carry around and chew on. Griff and Rey sprinted around the south end of the park toget

Adventure Pack There were still a lot of crickets and some grasshoppers on the trails at CU South, but I didn't catch glimpse of any praying mantises today. Mamacita again forewent any wiggling in the grass, but she did want to stop in the shade whenever we passed under a tree. Sputnik wanted to sniff and mark every tuft of grass along the way. Rucksack was in a strange mood at the beginning of the hike, and turned to head back to the parking lot in a way that reminded me of the one time last year when he ignored my calls and ran back to the car when we were hiking at the Chautauqua. He was on leash this time, and I eventually convinced him to come along. Once we got moving again, his a

Adventure Pack Crickets were out in force at CU South this morning. They jumped all along the trail, clearing the way as the pack swept through. Amid the swarm of crickets and occasional grasshoppers, I noticed one praying mantis hop into flight just as Sputnik and Racer approached. Later on, as we made our way around the big loop, Griff paused to sniff at a striped caterpillar that was inching its way across the trail. Mamacita stuck to the trail today, and didn't wander into the grass for any wiggles. On the last leg of our outing, I saw another praying mantis fly by just in front of Sputnik and Racer. Variety Pack Zoey, Isaac, Riley, and Avo were all about chasing tennis balls at the

Adventure Pack Mamacita enjoyed a good wiggle in some tall grass beside the Bear Creek Path this morning. Sputnik opted out this time around, and just stood by while Mamacita enjoyed herself. We didn't see any river snakes today but there was some rustling in a bush near the path, just as we passed by it. Probably a squirrel, but I couldn't see. Whatever it was, the dogs weren't interested. Variety Pack We had a new member join the pack today - Poppy! Poppy is a very sweet black Lab mix, who made fast friends with the other ladies who joined us for the afternoon. Zoey and Mamacita sniffed noses with her and then invited her to hop into the packmobile with them. When Rey joined us, she

Adventure Pack Yoda and Griff wandered off together to sniff in the brush as we hiked around CU South this morning. They were so wrapped up in following scents that they ignored me when I called for them to come back, so they went back on leash when I finally caught up to them. Sputnik and Racer drank lots of water each time we stopped for a little break along the way. A pack of black Labs passed by us at one point. Sputnik stayed calm and friendly like his packmates, when the Labs came over to sniff hello. Variety Pack Zoey chased a lot of tennis balls alongside Isaac at Valmont Dog Park today. A couple Huskies hung out with the pack for a little while. I was expecting Milo to play wi

Adventure Pack Mamacita rolled in the grass no less than four times this morning. Sputnik joined her on two of those occasions. Sputnik's method was more of a flopping-from-side-to-side technique, whereas Mamacita's involves more wiggling and writhing around on her back. I saw a snake hanging out on a rock in the middle of Bear Creek at one point. Rucksack and Roger Roger also seemed to take notice when I stopped to look for a minute. When the snake recognized that it had been spotted and was being watched, it quickly slithered into the water and swam away. Variety Pack Rey was back out with the pack today, after taking a break last week due to a bout of Giardia. She seemed to be feelin

Adventure Pack The panting was much lighter today, thanks to the cooling temperatures. Curie's tongue never hung out as far as it did the last few times she has been out with the pack. Also, we walked along the Bear Creek Greenway Trail, where there is a bit more shade than over at CU South. We didn't encounter many other travelers during our outing. Sputnik made frequent stops to sniff around and leave scent marks. The rest of the pack were happy to sniff around whenever Sputnik made a stop, but didn't pull over themselves. Variety Pack Riley and Avo ran with Isaac while Isaac fetched his tennis ball at the park. Every now and then, Isaac would miss and run by the ball, and then eithe

Adventure Pack Sputnik and Rucksack roamed the CU South trails off leash together this morning, while Mamacita and Isaac walked with me. When Rucksack proved disinterested in chase, Sputnik turned his restless attention on Mamacita. He charged up to her a few times, and the two of them leaped and bounded around each other. Rucksack nearly stepped on a green garden snake that was writhing its way across the trail. None of the dogs seem to notice it at all, despite me jumping when I caught a glimpse of it in front of Rucksack. Variety Pack The pack walked along the Boulder Creek Path this afternoon. We made one stop at the creek and Isaac made the most of it by doing his usual belly dunks

Adventure Pack The heat was more manageable for Curie today. She didn't lay down and roll over for me to wet her belly as we made our way around the CU South trails. She was content just to drink some water, along with Racer, Sputnik, and Griff. Yoda opted not to take a drink, though I squirted his panting tongue a couple times. Yoda and Griff sniffed around the trails as they wandered off leash together. Griff headed off into the brush at one point, following his nose after something before running back to meet the rest of us on the trail. Curie, Racer, and Sputnik stayed on leash with me throughout. Variety Pack Avo and Zoey spent some time chasing tennis balls along with Isaac today

Adventure Pack Mamacita found a couple good spots to wiggle in the grass beside the Bear Creek Path this morning, while Sputnik, Rucksack, and Roger Roger stood by. It was very pleasant weather for a walk. Hopefully the more mild temperatures linger. Variety Pack Zoey, Griff, Rey, and Isaac were all very interested in one big tree beside Boulder Creek. They spent a good, long while sniffing all around it. Isaac was the first to be satisfied with his detective work, while the rest of the pack continued to double-check their work.

Adventure Pack The pack headed to CU South again this morning, but the weather situation was reversed: it started out sunny, but clouds rolled in as the hike went on. Mamacita wandered into some tall grass and went for a wiggle. Sputnik did his best to try to get Rucksack to chase him, but Rucksack never picked his pace up to more than a trot. Roger Roger stuck right by my side throughout the hike. Variety Pack Dylan's second pack outing started off similarly to his first, as he hopped into the front passenger seat of the packmobile, out of shyness. He headed to the Kiln Trail by Foothills Park in North Boulder along with Zoey, Rey, and Sanaya. Rey and Dylan pulled a bit at first, but t

Adventure Pack The pack headed to CU South again this morning. Again, we started off with some nice cloud cover. However, the clouds dissipated by the later part of our trip around the big loop. Curie was well-practiced from yesterday, and lay down then rolled onto her side to offer me her belly so I could squirt it with some water to help keep her cool. Satisfied with a wet belly, she stood back up and trotted along with her packmates until it dried off. Then, she lay back down for another soak. Racer and Sputnik were happy enough just drinking the water. Griff apparently wasn't feeling the heat so much today, and turned his nose away whenever I offered him a drink. He and Sputnik h

Adventure Pack Mamacita, Curie, Rucksack, Sputnik, and Sanaya headed to the CU South trails this morning. Rucksack seemed to be feeling better and trotted along with his packmates, without any signs of discomfort. In fact, he was raring to go and kept getting ahead of the pack, then looking impatient whenever the others wanted to stop. With her short snout, Curie was feeling the heat and paused in the shade for a couple breaks along the way, even though we had pretty good cloud cover for most of the time we were out. Sputnik wanted to leave a lot of scent marks along the side of the trail today. Mamacita and Sanaya walked along very nicely throughout, going with the flow. Variety Pack W

Adventure Pack Yoda, Sputnik, Griff, and Racer headed over to Gregory Canyon this morning. During our first water break, while I was giving Sputnik a squirt, Griff nosed my free hand to ask for some. I was skeptical, since Griff usually dodges the water, and thought maybe he was just sniffing me. But when I pointed the CamelBak spout his way, he lapped up the water without hesitation. Racer and Sputnik also drank eagerly, but Yoda turned away. I aimed and squirted some water into the side of his mouth and he turned away the first couple times, annoyed. But then he actually drank a little bit. We continued on the trail and saw several other dogs making their way back as we headed out.