Rita and Olivia, racing the sun

It was Rita and Olivia's turn to walk today and they were more than ready for it. I knew I was in for it from the very beginning. They were both riled up and pulling hard. Olivia was all over the place and Rita picked up on that and tried to do the same. I don't mind a fast pace and pulling me along, but jumping all over and yanking me from side to side gets old really fast. Olivia doing it is bad enough, but when Rita started acting the same my frustration rose and my patience wore thin. There were a lot of people on the baseball and soccer fields and that amped up the girls' excitement. Once we were past there we were in the woods and the trail helped settle and direct the dogs. 

We moved at a faster pace than most of my walks and that was good for all of us. The dogs' excitement kept them moving, which kept me moving, and they provided enough resistance that my arms and back got some good exercise too. Olivia has her nose to the ground most of the time. When she would pick up a scent the energy escalated and Rita reacted too. Olivia is light enough that I can yank her around if I have to, but when Rita started acting crazy I shortened her leash and kept her close to me on the left. After a while she settled into that position and I could ease up a bit.

I should have started a half hour earlier, particularly given the fact that most of our route was in the woods. We were chasing the last bits of daylight but I could still see roots and rocks in the trail, which are the biggest hazards we face. We had one visual spotting of a deer and several more deer scents. It made for an exciting and fast three miles, finishing about a half hour after sunset, just as it was getting dark.