That wintry feel

Cold weather adds some challenges to the daily dog management routine. There's more rotating of dogs in and out so that everyone gets enough outdoor time but isn't outside beyond their comfort zone, especially the puppies. The mild fall weather we had been enjoying made it easy for me to leave the pups outdoors all day. Moving them in and out as I did today means a lot more clean up because they aren't just sleeping when they come back inside. At least the sun was shining today and that helped. 

I got away for a hike with Bailey early this afternoon and we ended up going six miles. This is great hiking weather. The chill keeps me motivated to move faster. Bailey doesn't need much motivation for that, she kept quite a bit of tension on the leash for our entire walk. We saw a few other people out on the trails who were similarly motivated, but had only one direct encounter with another human, which allowed me to maintain my fantasy of walking in the wilderness. 

We had a few deer spottings, which Bailey particularly enjoys, including two bucks, which was unusual because mostly we seem to just see does. 

Tomorrow, Sunday, we have the reversal of Friday's influx. The visiting Danes will go home, Thor will go back to his new home, and Marvel will go to her new home. Puppy Wakanda goes to his new home on Wednesday. Bette will be arriving sometime soon for a two week stay. Change is the only constant around here.

The river is visible from this point now that the leaves have fallen.

We practiced "ups" at several benches and log piles along the trail.

Here's the big buck and there's a smaller one behind him. 

The smaller guy is clearly visible here.

The millstone table is a great posing spot.

6.00 miles

Temporary influx

We had a very substantial, but temporary, influx in our canine count and pack weight today. 

But first, I took Norman on a four mile hike this morning. It was his turn and we had a good walk that included encounters with two other walkers, one with an off-leash dog (they went another direction), and one with a leashed dog, (we got off the trail but stopped and chatted for a bit). Norman was good but I didn't get a lot of pictures because I had him on a short leash, and my hands were cold. 

Early afternoon our pack weight went up substantially with the arrival of two weekend boarders, Maddie and Quinnie. I gave them the pasture and dog yard for the afternoon and then brought them in and settled them in the two Dane crates in my office for the evening and night.

Maddie was a foster here quite some time ago.

Quinnie came into Green Dogs as a puppy, but she has sure grown up.

Our pack weight enjoyed another, but much smaller increase later in the afternoon when Thor returned to his litter, again, just for the weekend. Everyone was happy to have him back.

Still later in the afternoon the puppies had a visit from a family who is interested in adopting Wakanda. Mom, dad, and their three daughters were nearly as excited as the pups themselves. I'm pretty confident that Wakanda will be going to his new home next Wednesday. That will leave just the three female puppies, Storm, Elektra, and Rogue, to be adopted.

Thanksgiving walks

Thursday morning started off wet, but it had about come to a stop when I headed out with Bailey for the short two mile walk at Pleasant Grove. The rain picked up significantly just as we started out and we both got fairly wet, but it finally let up again around the halfway mark. When I first pulled into the park there seemed to be no one else around, which wasn't too surprising given the day and the rain. However, it wasn't long before a car passed us on the road and then we saw three vehicles parked at the disc golf parking spots. Apparently Bailey and I weren't the only ones who thought that a walk on a rainy morning was a good idea. 

Bailey did her "up" on the mounting block where the horse trailers park.

I'm not sure if it was a squirrel or just birds that got her attention here.

The way she was staring at that tree, it must have been a squirrel.

Puppies having the mid-day feed.

We had dinner with Clay's mother in town and when we got home later in the afternoon I took Bear out for another three miles. This boy takes some good pictures.

We've got dogs coming and going this weekend, it should be a busy one.

Marvelous Marvel

Marvel met some prospective adopters last weekend at the Green Dogs Santa Paws event. I wanted them to see her in their own home so she and I went out there today for a visit. She was great, it's a great home, and they want to adopt her. She had a great time checking out their house and backyard. We went for a short walk in the neighborhood as well. They will be out of town this weekend so I have her until Sunday. 

When we got home I put her out in Daneland with Bear for the rest of the afternoon. They both enjoyed that. 

Pasture puppies

I'm always trying to give the puppies new experiences and entertainment. Today was a beautiful day so we took a short walk out to the pasture, down the hill, and back up again. They are still young enough that they will follow me, the benevolent giant, provider of food and fun, without needing to worry about them being leashed. They stick together as a group and they stick pretty close to me. It was certainly good exercise for them and from the looks on their faces, I'd say they clearly enjoyed it too.

You will notice many instances where the puppies are not all headed in the same direction.

Elektra

Front to back: Wakanda, Elektra, and Rogue

Heading down the trail as a pack

Rogue broke from the pack and ran back towards me.

Then they all came running after her.

Front to back: Elektra, Storm, Wakanda

Elektra and Wakanda

Rogue (She has the darker coat and more black on her face.)

Rogue also has that white patch on her chin.

Storm and Elektra

The three girls: Rogue, Elektra, and Storm (the smallest).

Elektra facing the camera

Rogue and Elektra

Storm

An overturned bucket with some water still inside.

They all stopped to explore the pile of cardboard boxes in the firepit on the way back.