Adventure Pack The atmosphere was serene at Shanahan Ridge this morning. We saw a couple other dogs early on, and then only human hikers after that, so Sputnik got to spend almost the entire hike off-leash with Dylan. Dylan broke up the tranquility periodically by being goofy and wiggling around in the snow. Roger Roger was back out with the pack after having a heart murmur checked by the vet, and getting the go-ahead to resume normal exercise. Still, I kept the hike to a

Adventure Pack Griff and Zoey chased each other through the snow at Shanahan Ridge this morning. Racer and Sputnik hiked along with me. After their initial round of play, Griff and Zoey settled into the hike. As we continued, I noticed that Griff and Racer both enjoyed plowing through the deep snow alongside the trail, while Sputnik and Zoey mostly stuck to the beaten path. Still, Zoey ended up with an incredible amount of snowballs stuck in her fur. Variety Pack Riley, A

Adventure Pack Ruffers, Dylan, and Sputnik all seemed extra excited to come out for the hike this morning. In Sputnik's case, I think it was because he smelled the treats in my pocket, as he kept poking his nose at them. For Dylan and Ruffers, they just seemed to be in great moods, and eager to head out. Sputnik again stayed calm even when passing other dogs on the trail. Dylan sniffed hello with a couple dogs we came across who were also off leash. There was a bush with

Adventure Pack Sputnik hesitated a little before hopping out of the packmobile today, but didn't go lie down in the back like he has done some other times, recently. He quickly cheered up when everyone got some treats. He and Griff got to spend a lot of time off leash together. I still put Sputnik back on leash whenever we passed other dogs, but he was exceptionally relaxed about them today, even when one dog barked at us from only about 10 feet away. Ruffers and Racer st

Adventure Pack It was a lot windier at Shanahan Ridge than I was expecting this morning. The trails were also a lot slushier than I thought they would be, with a lot of deep puddles. Sputnik, Ruffers, and Riley didn't seem to mind the conditions, but we didn't see as many hikers out today. We did see a new face arranged on a rock, not far from our mustachioed friend from a couple weeks ago. Variety Pack The wind had died down a bit by the afternoon, so the afternoon walk w

Adventure Pack Dylan and Sputnik snuggled in the back of the packmobile on our way to the trail. I snapped a photo of them before we headed out. It's funny to think of how they used to grumble at one another when Dylan was new to the pack and they weren't used to each other yet, contrasted with what good buddies they've become. Ruffers and Lou joined for the hike instead of coming out this afternoon, since several pack members ended up being out for the day. Sputnik and D

Adventure Pack Racer really enjoyed plowing through the deep snow during our hike today. She periodically dipped her face into it, as well. Griff enjoyed running through the fields beside the trail. Sputnik was less animated than his packmates. He again resisted exiting the packmobile before the hike, but was coaxed out with a couple treats. There was no barking dog on the other side of the nearby fence, today, so I don't know what the cause was for his hesitation. He s

Adventure Pack Dylan was eager to roll around in the snow this morning, and took a few opportunities early on. Once satisfied, he didn't roll around anymore for the rest of the hike. He led the pack most of the time, with a bounce in his step. Ruffers was very interested in following up behind Dylan to sniff at the spots he had found just ahead of us. Sputnik was drawn to his own spots, usually on the opposite side of the trail. When he and Dylan were off leash, they tro

Adventure Pack Sputnik was hesitant to exit the packmobile again today, as he was on another recent morning. I coaxed him out with a treat. He looked a little uneasy at the beginning of the hike, but then seemed to relax as I doled out some more treats while we passed by other dogs on the trails. There were a lot of other dogs, and Griff was very happy to say hello to them. Racer was mostly just interested in sniffing around in the snow, but she and Sputnik sniffed hello

Adventure Pack Patches of snow that were speckled with yellow drew the pack's curious noses like magnets. We made a lot of stops of that nature, especially throughout the first half of the hike. Later on, Sputnik munched on some fresh snow, while Riley and Ruffers buried their faces in it. Riley paused a couple times to pick packed snow out from between her paw pads, but the dogs otherwise handled the cold without trouble. Variety Pack I brought the pack to the Old Kiln Tr