Damn it, Della!

The current forecast calls for rain all day tomorrow. That pretty much made up my mind that I had to spend some afternoon and evening time doing some mowing and other yard work today. I had the dogs outside with me and I got the dog yard trimmed and mowed for the first time this season, and even got most of the rest of the yard mowed as well.

I checked the time and the amount of remaining daylight and decided I could get in a quick two miles before dark. I loaded up Della and Dakota, we drove to Pleasant Grove and headed off down one of my favorite trails. After the first mile I decided we could probably squeeze out two more with the available daylight, IF we kept moving. 

That's a big "if" where Della is concerned because she likes to do a lot of sniffing, any place another dog has pissed, or any where there's any olfactory sign of deer, bunnies, or other wildlife. I'll stop when she needs to pee, but if we stop every place some other dog has marked, we won't get anywhere very far or fast. I tried a couple times letting her sniff as long as she wanted, but we never reached that limit because my patience always expired first. This results in a lot of me saying "Damn it, Della" every time she stops, requiring me to pull her off whatever has caught her interest. Sometimes it's easier than others. 

Dakota on this evening's hike.

The dog yard buttercups, before mowing.

I hated to do it, but if I didn't mow it today it may not have been possible at the next opportunity.

Maya has teamed up with Elvis on a lot of his hunts.

Dakota is a very small shepherd, but he looks really tiny next to Della.

Dakota is really good on the leash, which is really amazing.

His confidence is growing.

3.2 miles