1 year, 5 miles, and that damn dog show

Yesterday was Simba's first birthday and today was his first 5 mile hike.

He's very attached to Lily so I purposely separated them and walked him with Maya instead. I don't think he's ever really developed much of a bond with a person. I always tell people that the best thing you can do to develop that bond is to walk with the dog and today I took my own advice. He wasn't the worst dog on a first time walk, in fact we had very little leash problems, but my arms and shoulders got more exercise than usual holding him back and occasionally pulling him forward.

Maya just ignored him as much as possible, but at one point he decided he would rather play than walk. He did best if she stayed out in front. He tended to stick pretty close to her and follow her lead since he had no idea where we were going. It takes a few times for the young ones to realize that the trail's the thing. Where we are going is down the trail. That's really all they need to know.

There's nothing like some exercise to stimulate the appetite. When we got back he ate his dry food with nothing added for the first time. He had finished almost all of it before I gave him some of the Satin Balls for some extra calories and nutrition.

As many of you know, a female German Shepherd won Best in Show at the Westminster dog show yesterday. She's a beautiful girl and I wish her well, but I wish that some miniature breed had won. Breed popularity will drive up demand, and breeders both good and bad will ramp up supply. That's not a good thing for those of us in rescue. Shepherds are not easy dogs. They are great dogs if well bred, well raised, and with a high level of training. Take away even one of those and they can be bad news for the casual dog owner.