Walking the Danes (and puppy pics too)

Another line of thunderstorms ushered in another batch of cooler air late this afternoon. I couldn't not go out for a walk when the temperature had dropped to the mid-seventies. I needed to take Serena but I couldn't take her without also taking Della, so I took them both.

Serena hadn't been out for a walk in a long time and she was very happy and excited about it. Her personality is so different from Della's. Serena is from the big and goofy line of Danes. You can see it by the way she runs and how she displays excitement. Della is much more serious minded, and smarter, but Serena is sweet and I envy her ability to experience and express pure, simple joy and excitement.

The girls spotted a squirrel not long after we set off, and that piqued their interest but they remained relatively calm. I had the Gentle Leaders on both girls as a backup, but I never needed them; the rope harnesses proved to be all I needed. There weren't a lot of folks out, of course. Although the temperature may have dropped into the 70s, it really didn't feel like it when we were walking. We encountered one couple walking a dog but I just took a detour around them so we didn't have to deal with it.

As we were nearing the halfway point, I looked ahead and saw a couple deer, a doe and her fawn, not too far ahead. I started making noises hoping they would run off before the girls spotted them, but the doe just stood there frozen but watching us approach. The girls did see them, but perhaps because they weren't moving they didn't really get worked up. I decided to turn around just shy of the halfway point to give the deer their space and avoid a big scene. The girls cooperated with my change in direction better than I expected and we headed back, making up the missed distance with another small detour. 

I got another two miles in and Della and Serena had a great evening.

This is Serena after spotting the squirrel. 

Serena doing the walking lean with her head between my hand and leg.

We were stopped here, looking at the deer.

The level of puppy cuteness is through the roof and they are putting away more and more food each day. They eat four times a day and I'm increasing the amount that I give them every day too.

It's getting very crowded around the food bowl too.

Is this pup developing tiger stripes on that rear leg?

I introduced a toy hanging on a string today. Like anything new, it was an instant hit.