Super Saturday

If yesterday was Good Friday, today must be Super Saturday, and indeed it was. I took Rugger and Axel to a Promises Animal Rescue adoption event up in Gainesville. Maya came along because that's what she does. Both boys were very good. It was Rugger's first public outing and I was very pleased. He was friendly with everyone who stopped by. We also discovered that in addition to "sit, down, and shake", Rugger knows "speak" and he barks on command. That's not one I plan to use often, but it shows me that someone cared for this dog at some point and did put some time and attention in with him.

Axel really steals the show at adoption events though. He's cute, super friendly, and he really invites contact from strangers. He works the crowd like a politician, greeting everyone, and just generally putting on a good show. He can catch a treat, even a very small one thrown from a distance, and I really wonder if he might be a frisbee dog. I'm going to get one and find out.

I had to tell several people today that Rugger is not as old as
he looks. Those bare circles around his eyes make him look
like an old man, but he's only about six years old now.

Maya always clings to me at these events to
make it clear that neither of us are available.
I mostly left her in the van but she came out
and made a brief appearance.

It was Rugger's first public event and
he was very good.

Axel rolls over for a belly rub from anybody.

When I got home I left Maya and Axel in the van and after unloading Rugger we headed out to Pleasant Grove for a hike. It was a beautiful day and both the dogs and I were feeling very spring-like, so we went for a nice five miles. Axel is so much like Maya. They are the same size and shape; they hold and use their tails in very similar ways; and I think Axel may be at least close to being Maya's intellectual equal too. We only saw one deer, but that pleased them both.

These two are so much alike, it's scary.

After the hike I did some mowing with Max, Theo, Vince, and Jackie out running around in the yard as I mowed. Everyone had some good activity today, except Sparky who spent most of the day napping in my office, but that's what Sparky likes.

Rugger and Axel playing indoors.

Trooper and Maya

It was like old times. I took just Trooper and Maya out hiking today. Trooper had been wanting to go and I didn't take Maya yesterday and knew I couldn't get away with that again.

These two are always in tune with each
other when they walk.

It was windy but sunny, still quite nice, but there weren't a lot of people in the park. We encountered no one when we were out on the trails.

They have developed a disc golf course that runs through the woods. I've seen bits and pieces of it from other trails, but today I started at the beginning and followed the entire route. It's a nine hole course now, but they are developing another nine a short distance away through more open space. I think it's a good thing and hope it will bring another group of people to use the park in a low impact activity.

Trooper and Maya were both aware that we were on a new route and that got their interest in a way that trodding the old trails does not. I picked a route without a lot of hills (we didn't go down to the river), and Trooper held up pretty well. Three miles was long enough for him. When we got back to the van, he looked at the jump he needed to make to get in, and I thought maybe I'd need to boost him up, but he made it. He's a trooper. Good walk with two of my favorite dogs to walk with.

If you've never seen a disc golf course, the
green thing in back is the "hole" or target.
Players throw a frisbee towards it and
eventually into it.

Maya, my palomino shepherd

Trooper's ears are very alert, even if they are tipped at the end.

Rugger and Axel

Rugger stinks. I put his bedding in the washing machine and I put him in the bathtub. I picked up a bottle of medicated shampoo from the vet when we were there and I went about soaking him down and soaping him up with it. He was surprisingly good about it all. He even stepped into the tub on his own. I led him in there but I didn't have to even lift him up to get him in the tub. I think baths were a frequent occurrence since he's been at the shelter and he obviously didn't fear it. The worst part is sitting and waiting the 5-10 minutes that they recommend to allow the medicated shampoo to work on his skin. I figured we had been soaping for at least five minutes and then we sat and waited another five before rinsing him off.

I let him outside because it was 80 degrees this afternoon, with plenty of sunshine and a good drying wind. I put his collar back on and then harnessed up Maya to head out for a hike to finish the drying process. As I was getting the two dogs into the van, Axel appeared out of nowhere and jumped into the van to go with us. He can climb out of the dog yard fence when he wants to. It's just surprising that he doesn't want to more often, I guess. I never leave him in the dog yard when we go away, but I have been leaving him there with Max and Theo and Trooper during the day and he's quite content.

Dental exam by photo. His teeth really do look
pretty good. I'd say the 6 year old age seems
about right. 

Since Axel was determined to go along, and because he was already in the van, I took Maya back to the house and promised to take her another day. I took the trash out before leaving and looked around the kitchen to see if there was anything she was likely to get into.

Although I felt guilty not taking Maya, I'm glad I left her at home because the two boys, Rugger and Axel, were enough to handle today. Both dogs are pretty new to leash walking and hiking and both are pretty strong. Two dogs was enough for today. I was glad it was these two because I wanted Rugger to spend time with another dog while doing something he enjoyed. They got along fine on the hike. Rugger's social skills are definitely improving, faster than I expected.

We had a good walk and Maya only pulled one empty food container out of the sink and chewed it up while we were gone. Rugger came back dry and smelling much better. I know he'll probably need another bath in a few days, but at least the meds should be working on his stink from the inside now too.

When Axel saw me taking dogs to the van, he knew
it meant that a hike was happening and he was
determined to go along.

Rugger is still fairly wet here, but the sun sparkles
on his fur. The circles of bare skin around his eyes
make him look older and sadder than he is.

When we came to Sparky's Watering Hole, Rugger waded
right on in. He likes the water.

Axel didn't mind walking through the water, but he saw no
need to go in any deeper than his white socks.

The two boys walked well together, but they wanted to stop
and sniff and mark things, a lot, so I had to do quite a bit of
pulling to keep them moving forward.

This is Axel's normal tail carriage, up high and
curled over his back.

Axel's tan legs and white socks are very pretty and
a great contrast to his shiny black coat.

He also has a tiny white tip on his tail.

Today's walk was 3.4 miles and that was long enough for
Rugger. He needs to build up some leg muscle and stamina
for longer walks. Axel could run a marathon.

Gardening with dogs

We've been puttering around outdoors the last couple of days. I've been working on a completely new arrangement for the container garden. The cut back boxwoods look very bare and left a wide open space between the two rows of bushes right in front of the house. I'm arranging the containers in a row right down the center of the open space. I picked up some new planters today from a woman who is moving and had no problem incorporating them into the new scheme. I'm pretty pleased with it. Although it looks very bare right now, you have to imagine all of those pots and containers full of blooms and greenery, spreading outward and upward, in a riot of color.

Theo and Jackie in the back, then Vince,
and Rugger up front.

We had Max, Theo, Rugger, Vince, Jackie, and Sparky outside with us. They all stick around very well, interested in the action, and wanting to be part of it all. Rugger is getting more and more integrated with the pack. I haven't seen him scratch once since his first dose of Apoquel. That stuff really is a miracle. I still need to give him a bath. I might take him to one of those self-wash places.

Sparky in front, Theo on the left, and Rugger
on the right. Theo and Rugger are both big
ball players.

Rugger acted like he wanted to take on the
mower monster, but this mower was too much.

 Here's a few pics of the new layout for the container garden.

This is facing the front of the house. The two rows of boxwoods
on either side, and the containers are arranged in a row down
the center, and some large ones between the boxwoods.

This view is from the opposite end, standing
in front of the house and looking outward.

It was getting dark by the time we finished, but this is the new
view looking out from the porch.

I'm looking forward to getting it planted now.

I also got some really good pictures of Jackie today.