Bonus Pack Ruffers, Dylan, and Alfie went for a neighborhood stroll ahead of the windy day that was coming. Alfie kicked things off by taking off after a rabbit when I didn't have a good grip on his leash right as we started. The rabbit took cover under a porch in a neighbor's yard. Dylan and Ruffers followed with me as I collected Alfie. Everybody paused to sniff some bushes and some patches of grass early on, then settled into a steadier pace. Adventure Pack Lucy led Tozai

Adventure Pack Griff, Racer, Arlo, and Imogene headed to Mesa Trail at Chautauqua today. Arlo really wanted to just hang out in the stream at the switchback, but I kept the pack moving. Griff had a noticeable limp in his gait when he was walking slowly, but it faded when he got into a trot. We paused at the stream on our way back. Racer and Arlo both took a drink. After a minute, Imogene came over to the water and sniffed at it but opted not to have any. Griff just waited on

Adventure Pack Tozai was a pushy puppy and Rey wasn't feeling it, so she stuck close to the rest of the pack and did her best to ignore Tozai while he poked and prodded at her, with some backup from me to reinforce respecting boundaries. Tozai eventually got the idea and kept a little distance as he invited Rey to play with bows and leaps instead of bites and tackles, but Rey just trotted along without engaging today. Bear led the way for a short bit on the return trip, but t

Adventure Pack At the beginning of our hike at Chautauqua today, Lucy and Lou got tagged by Yoshi and Tozai respectively when they moved in to sniff points of interest just as the boys had finished investigating and were lifting their legs to check off their work. Neither Lucy nor Lou was very happy about being sprayed down with water from the CamelBak afterwards; they reacted to that more than they did to the pee. Yoshi and Lucy roamed and explored together, then did a quick

Adventure Pack Racer insisted that we take our time up Bluebell Road - as she often does - especially near the trail head, as she wanted to check out every smell in the area. Griff noticed a couple black squirrels in the distance and ran over to them. They were up in the trees well before he reached them. Rey was excited about Griff's sudden burst of energy, and she chased behind him. I don't think she saw the squirrels, though, because when Griff stopped she just stood next

Adventure Pack Nelly bounced around next to Ruffers while Bear and Tozai wrestled each other in the snowy field beside the trail. Bear lost his seasonal bandana in the fray with Tozai, and I luckily noticed it in the snow. When I was trying to tie it back on him, Nelly got so excited that she started running in circles around me, chasing Tozai. Ruffers kept up well throughout the hike. The snow on Bluebell Road was mostly melted away today, and everybody ended up with a layer

Adventure Pack The packed snow is starting to melt, leaving the trails muddy. Racer, Arlo, Imogene, and Griff all finished the hike well-splattered on their legs, chests, and bellies. Imogene and Griff led the way most of the time they were off leash, except a couple occasions when Imogene was distracted by a scent and lingered behind a bit; Griff kept a steady point position. Racer pulled off to the side a couple times along the way to check out a smell here and there, but o

Adventure Pack Tozai and Rey got right to wrestling when they went off leash together at Chautauqua today. At first, Rey was lingering behind me and the other pack members, and poking ahead for brief engagements with the awaiting Tozai. Tozai would immediately go at her full steam, and then she would back up behind the rest of us again. When Tozai moved in toward her, Bear would get in his way and wrestle him. Eventually, Tozai started giving Rey a little more leeway when she

Adventure Pack Lou and Nelly were keen spectators of Yoshi and Tozai's rowdy off-leash play in the snow. When they came near, Nelly leapt and dodged all around, and she and Yoshi exchanged a couple chest-butts. Lou was very interested in the commotion but didn't contribute to it. Despite their excitement, Yoshi and Tozai settled down a bit to sniff hello with a friendly, older Golder Retriever we came by. Nelly and Lou also got some sniffs in when we caught up to them. Variet

Adventure Pack Racer initiated countless stops on our way up Bluebell Road today. The snow, by its yellow coloring, provided a good visual indicator as to what drew her attention - a detail for which I usually have to use my imagination in order to fill in the blank. Rey led the way up the trail, with Griff often splitting the difference between her and the rest of the pack. Arlo and Rey were both very excited to see our OSMP volunteer friend Reid, who noted that he had to go