Smokey starts a new year

It's time to get Smokey going. We started today with a nice hike in the woods. He loved it.

Tomorrow I'm going to start introducing him to other dogs. I would have done it today but would prefer to do it on a day that vets are open. Actually, I think he will be fine with other dogs. He really wants to be with them. He may not have the best social skills, or any, but then, neither do I. We will just have to try it and see how it goes. Then I need to get him to a vet for vaccines and neuter and such. By the time I get these new female shepherds spayed and adopted and out of the house, it should be time to bring Smokey inside, get him fully assimilated and work on his house manners. There's no point in keeping him if all I can offer him is a life of isolation. He may have better living quarters, food, and care now, but that's really only a small portion of what a German Shepherd needs.

I climbed up onto the split trunk and encouraged
him to do the same. He made a couple jumps at
it and almost made it, but then a couple of off-leash
dogs appeared from the woods, no people in sight.

We encountered this downed tree blocking the trail. It was a
huge, double trunked tree that had split in half. Smokey could
have gone under it easily enough, but I had to go over it.

I abandoned the tree climbing experience out of an abundance of caution.
I did not want to encounter the loose dogs, so we made a hasty getaway
and the other dogs went on their way as well.