A Hunting We Will Go

29 March 2009 by admin.

Four Hunt Tests and a Field Trial later and I am now the proud owner of three really bright orange rosettes.  That means I have three legs towards my Junior Hunter title.  Mom says I should’ve had four, but I got birds on my brain.  I’m not quite sure what that means because I am now catching those birds and bringing them to her.  Makes it easier as she doesn’t even have to worry about shooting them any more.  More on that later.

The first day dawned and it was pretty nice.  It was supposed to be raining, but it was just overcast and damp.  I ran late in the day so we had allot of standing around and waiting, or in my case hanging out in my crate and waiting.  Mom walked some of the braces in the gallery.  I think she was nervous and wanted to make sure she knew what to do.  I told her not to worry that I had the bird thing pretty much figured out.

Well our turn came and I was braced with another dog.  Don’t remember much about that dog because I was so excited.  Mom let me go and I took off.  After about the first 5 minutes I figured I better slow down so I could locate some birds.  It was pretty hot by now so as I rounded a curve I saw a water rest stop on the course for us dogs.  I decided I better cool off a bit so I could concentrate better.  I went and got in that barrel.  The only problem was the water wasn’t deep enough to get my back so I just rolled over.  It was pretty nice like that, but then mom walked up and said, “Come on Ringo we’re burnin’ daylight.”  That meant I had to get a move on and find some birds.

So, I buckled down and got my very first find and point.  Mom flushed the bird and fired her blank.  Then we were off to find the next bird.  I did really good that day and got my first leg, and first orange ribbon.

The next day went pretty much the same way except it was bloody cold and windy.  Most of the Junior braces were coming back empty.  That was not good.  Thankfully we ran late again so there were birds scattered.  Still we were having gusts of up to 30 mph.  Mom was worried.  This time I was braced with a cute little Vizsla girl.  When mom released me I took off with that cute little girl and we played all the way up to the crest of the hill.  I don’t think mom was too happy about that, but she sure was a cute little red dog.  It didn’t matter though because I found and pointed two birds and got my second leg, and second ribbon.  Two down and two to go.

This is a picture of me taken the second day around lunch time.  Mom and some of her friends were playing around stacking the pups.  I was one of the pups.  I thought this was a total waste of time when we could be getting birds, but mom wanted to see me stacked so I tried to behave.

The following weekend we were back and I did a repeat of the previous two outings with one slight difference.  I found three birds and I pointed the first two, and then it happened.  I was pointing that third bird real nice when he decided to take off.  Well I just couldn’t stand there and let the bird get away, so I gave chase.  Next thing I knew I had the little quail in my mouth.  He squirmed a bit, but I didn’t let him go.  As I was prancing around with that bird, it dawned on me I had to do something with it.  So, I thought and thought and then decided I would just take it to mom.  She would know what to do with that bird.  I raced back to her and presented it really nice to her.  It was even still alive.  Mom took the bird and looked at the man on the horse (the judge).  He laughed and said, “You know he doesn’t have to do that yet.”  Mom kind of chuckled.  They meant I didn’t need to bring the bird back yet for my Junior Hunter.  I figured I must have gotten extra credit for that one.  So, I got my third leg and figured out I could catch birds.

Here is me and one of those pretty orange ribbons.

And this is me and Halo.  She was supposed to be acting proud of me, but I think she was a little ticked that I was getting all the attention.  I had just got back from qualifying for my third Junior Hunter leg.  I guess it is hard to share the limelight when you are a cover girl like my sister.

The next day mom called a total disaster. I still don’t know why because I found, caught and retrieved three really nice quail.  I was only one of a few dogs that even found birds.  I still don’t know why I didn’t get another pretty orange ribbon.  Mom kept saying, “If he had only pointed.”  My thought was, why waste the time pointing when you can just catch and retrieve.  And so went the next two Hunt Tests and a Field Trial, catch and retrieve.

At the end of Hunt Test and Field Trial season mom told me I was going to Bird Boot Camp.  I am not sure what that is, but I think it will be fun.

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The Canyon of the Eagles - Ringo’s Hiking Adventure

17 February 2009 by admin.

Mom woke us up early this morning and told us we were in for a big day.  She was off work because of President’s Day.  Mom’s friend Marcia was going too.

 

The alarm went off early this moring which was really surprising since mom was off work because of President’s Day.  It was kinda drizzly and cold outside, but mom got out our hiking and hunting collars and started loading up her day hiking back pack.  We were all pretty excited because mom only gets her hiking back pack out when we are doing a longer day hike outside of our usual hikes around the neighborhood. Halo started her incessant whine that she does when she gets excited.  She was getting on my nerves (geez we were all excited, but Halo had to whine about it) when mom told her to hush as we had a long way to go before we got to go hiking.

 

Marcia showed up shortly after that and mom and Marcia went and ate a big breakfast at IHOP around the corner, and then they came back and loaded us up in the truck. (Mom has a new F150 that has a big back seat just for us kids.  We have a dog bed and everything back there. Mom even put a bone back there to keep me busy.) Mom put Marcia’s backpack and her backpack in the back with us.  I was curious about those packs because they smelled really good.  Turns out mom had some biscuits for us, and venison jerky and other snacks for her and Marcia.  I kept trying to check out the packs, but mom finally had it and told me to “Leave it,” so I went back to chewing on my bone.

We road for what seemed a long time to me.  It was only about an hour and a half to Canyon of the Eagles.  Canyon of the Eagles is up on the north side of Lake Buchanan which is one of the Highland Lakes in Central Texas.  It is a huge lake, but is down allot this year because of the draught.  I thought maybe we were going swimming when I saw the lake, but mom just kept driving.  We turned off in the park and parked.  There are a series of 14 miles of trails in the Canyon of the Eagles park, and most close after March 1 because this park is the home to many birds on the endangered species list (golden cheeked warbler and the black capped vireo are two that nest in this park).  This park is also a winter nesting area for eagles.  Mom was hoping to see an eagle today, but since is was cold and rainy we figured we were probably out of luck. 

 

We all piled out of the truck.  I got out first because I shimmied through the front seat and slipped out the door.  I surprised mom that I could get out there, but she should have known I am a great escape artist.  I thought it was funny and tried to play a bit of tag with mom.  That didn’t go over to well and she was getting back in the truck when I thought I better get back over there.  I was afraid she would pack up and leave me there alone. Actually she had called me and I am good about coming when called, and I know mom would never leave me. Anyway, Marcia and mom got their packs on and we started out.  The hike we were doing was about 3 or 4 miles, but I know Belle, Halo and I would do allot more than that since we were all off leash. This was my first big off leash hike and mom said this would test my recall skills.  I knew I would do good.

 

This hike was going to take us in a loop and we were going to see a real live public observatory (for looking at the stars) at the top of the peak, and another view from the top of the plateau. The elevation gain on this hike is 700 feet and at the highest point is 1324 feet above sea level.  That is not much by Colorado standards, but here in Central Texas that is a pretty nice climb. It was ranked a moderate hike in the Texas Hiking book.

 

So we headed out along a dirt road that leads up to the observatory and we were looking for the trail head.  We didn’t know it at the time, but we walked right by the trailhead.  We had hiked about a half mile when Marcia and mom decided we had missed our turn off. They got out the topo map and studied it and decided to just keep going as everything was a big loop anyway21.  So, we kept walking and then we started to climb.  Belle and Halo said this climb was like some of the climbs in New Mexico, but without the altitude.  In other words it was just as vertical a climb, but not as high up.  There wasn’t supposed to be water on the trail, but I found an old cistern like tank that was full of water and had water running into and out of it.  So, there was also a good mud hole below it.  I was ahead of everyone else so I took the time to look at the tank and as I was reaching for a log in the tank I fell in, right into the green moss, but the water was nice and clear underneath.  I was climbing out when I heard mom say, “Oh Ringo.”  I climbed on out when Halo and Belle came over to see what I was into and to join in the fun.  At that point mom decided it wasn’t so bad as the water was running and not stagnant and was being fed by a spring.  So we all played in the mud and water, then it was time to hit the trail again. So, up we climbed over rocks and through the oak forest.  It was really a nice climb, but mom said it wouldn’t be near as nice when it warmed up and was prime country for rattlesnakes.  We didn’t have to worry about rattelsnakes this trip though because it was too cold.

 

After a while we finally came to a trail marker and Marcia and mom figured out exactly where we were on the trail map.  We were right at the observatory.  Here is a picture of the observatory.

Those things that look like solar panels are actually tables so people can set up their telescopes and look at the stars.  We got to run around and do laps here as this was a big open area.  Then we moved on.

 

The next big land mark was the “View.”  This was almost a mile and a half into the hike.  It was a spectacular view only the cloudy day made it a little disappointing.  This is where we were hoping to see some eagles in flight, but no such luck today.

Here is the view from the “View.”

That is Lake Buchanan in the background. We looked around here some and then headed on.  About 100 yards down the trail I found a great prize.  I thought it was a rattlesnake (now I haven’t been snake trained, so I wasn’t real sure it was a rattlesnake), and Belle and Halo who have been snake trained kept saying no it wasn’t a rattlesnake, but I kept up my barking until mom got there.  She saw it and said it was a snake, but just a big grass snake.  It was several feet long, and dead.  Dang, I thought I had found something cool.  Mom said it looked like a big bird of prey may have killed it.  Oh well, I guess I am glad it wasn’t a bad snake.

 

So we kept hiking and hiking.  Here a some pictures along various parts of the trail.

This one is Belle and Halo on the first part of the hike (the road up to the observatory) coming back to check on mom.

This next one is me and Halo after Halo scared up some birds.

So, after hiking on the road and then the trail for about two miles we were back down almost to the truck when Marcia and mom figured out where we missed the original trail head. They looked at the map again and decided that we had done the upper loop of the trail and if we took the trailhead we could do the lower loop and then we would have hiked close to all the hiking trail called the Juniper Trail.  We headed up the trail head, and boy were we glad we did because I found out about a new critter called an armadillo. 

 

I picked up the scent of the armadillo about half way around the lower loop.  Now I had no clue what it was, but it smelled interesting and it was definitely time for some excitement.  So, I started tracking it and mom and Marcia stopped to watch.  Of course, they didn’t know what I was tracking.  Belle and Halo were off exploring so it was just me tracking this critter.  Well I finally found it and rustled it up.  Boy, armadillos are fast.  Well, Halo heard me running after the armadillo and came to help.  We went right through the cactus and everything to get that armadillo and actually almost had it when it scooted down a hole.  Here is a picture of me and Halo with the armadillo cornered in the hole. 

Halo was digging furiously to get it out of the hole and I was watching and waiting to catch it if it tried to escape. Belle had joined us in this next picture, and Halo was in serious did mode.

Mom finally called us off as she was afraid we would be covered in thorns from the cactus.  And we were.  Mom got most of the thorns out, but she figured she would be picking thorns out of us that evening as this particular hike had allot of cactus and being shorthairs and mostly immune to pain, we were going right through allot of those cactus. Anyway, after the armadillo we figured we were done with excitement for the day, but just towards the end of the trail I finally picked up the scent of something I new, quail. 

This was right after I picked up the scent and turned, and the next picture is me pointing.

I held point until mom got up to me (I didn’t really want to go into the cactus).  She looked to see if she could see the quail, but she didn’t want to go into the cactus either, so she told me to come on and we would hunt more quail next weekend at the hunt test I am going to.  So, I broke off my point and we headed on down to the truck. Halo and I found one more covey of quail before we were done and we were pointing, but we just couldn’t wait for mom (at least I couldn’t) so I rushed in and quail went everywhere.  Unfortunately, mom wasn’t ready with her camera so you will just have to trust me on this one.

 

After that we walked on to the truck were we ate some snacks and drank lots of water and then piled into the truck to sleep all the way home. Mom said the truck was very quiet.

 

And that is how we spent our President’s Day.  

 

Next weekend is my debut weekend at a Hunt Test.  I am going to see if I can get a couple of legs towards my junior hunter.  Check back here after next weekend as I am sure I will have another story to tell.

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All Aboard the Shorthair Express to Glen Rose, TX

6 January 2009 by admin.

For Christmas mom got a fifth wheel and a new truck.  We christened it the Shorthair Express because we all get to go now.  We took the Shorthair Express to Glen Rose, TX just after New Years for the dog shows.  My big sister Halo was in the shows and hoping for her second major win.

 

Friday dawned, the day after New Years Day.  It was time to load up mom’s new fifth wheel for the maiden voyage of the Shorthair Express (thats what me and Belle and Halo call it).  Here we come Glen Rose and the Dog Shows. Mom got her new toy mainly so that she could take us all with her to the dogs shows, but she also says that we will use it for going on hiking trips and other adventures.  The fifth wheel is a 27 foot Keystone Cougar.  It looks kind of like this one (mom doesn’t have an outside shot of the fifth wheel yet so I got this one off the website so you would get an idea of what it looks like).

It is brand new and really nice inside.  There is plenty of room for all of us and mom too.  For this trip mom’s nephew came along.  His name is Thomas and we really love him allot because he always plays with us.

 

Anyway, as I was saying, Friday dawned nice and sunny.  Mom loaded us and all our stuff into the truck and we headed over to the RV storage place to get the Shorthair Express.  Our Grandpa, mom’s dad, met us over there so he could help us get all hooked up.  Well we were in the back seat of the super crew and all ready to go.  Mom backed up the truck and we tried to get the hitch to engage.  Nothing.  Mom talked to Grandpa about what was going on and she said the fifth wheel had to be a certain height for the hitch to work.  She had been trained at the RV place.  So, they tried raising the fifth wheel, still didn’t work.  Well, to make a long story short, after several tries mom and Grandpa couldn’t even get the fifth wheel to raise up anymore, so mom called the RV store.  They said no problem, they would send a tech right over to help out.  I think it is important to let you all know that this was mom’s first experience with an RV, so she was also learning.  I thought she was doing ok, but she was kind of upset.  So, we proceeded to wait.  The RV store was about 40 minutes away, so we had some time to kill. 

 

Grandpa got each of us dogs out to go to the bathroom, and then back into our area of the truck.  Mom had opened the windows so it would be cool for us.  She was standing and talking to Grandpa when I got the idea it would be really cool to go exploring in the RV storage place.  I told Belle and Halo, but they said we shouldn’t, but I didn’t agree.  You know sometimes my sisters can be such goody two shoes.  Anyway, I waited until mom wasn’t paying much attention and then I made my break. Up into the front seat and right out the driver side window.  Wow!!  Well there was a guy just down the way hooking up a boat, so I headed down to say hi.  About the time I got almost to him, mom looked up and I heard her say, “Look, another shorthair”, to Grandpa.  Then I heard her say, “Oh no, that’s Ringo!!”  I thought I was in it for sure.  Then I heard her playfully call me and turn and run.  Well I couldn’t resist.  I had to go see what she was up too.  When I got to her, she praised the heck out of me and hugged me.  I guess it was good I came back to her.  Anyway, she put me back into the truck with my sisters who were all smug.  I heard mom tell Grandpa that I was much easier than Halo and that trick worked every time.  I love my mom. After that little adventure, mom had Thomas really watch us so it “didn’t happen again.” 

 

Finally, the tech guy got here and we figured out that the fifth wheel had to be at 66 inches and the hitch had to be really straight and then hook up was no problem.  He also told us that the battery that runs the up and down thing on the fifth wheel was a rechargeable one and that it had not been charged good before mom picked up the fifth wheel.  He showed her a trick, just plug the fifth wheel into the truck and shazam it works.  So, about 3 hours later than we originally planned we were off to Glen Rose, TX.

We got into Glen Rose just at dark.  We were staying at a really nice place called Tres Rios.  It is called Tres Rios (Three Rivers) because it is a peninsula surrounded on three sides by three rivers.  Mom got everything set up pretty easy, so we were ready to eat, poop and relax.  It was nice and warm too, so we had a nice walk in the moonlight.  We didn’t really explore much though as we had most of the day Saturday to do that.  The only thing that didn’t seem to work right that night was the water heater.  It just wouldn’t work and it was too late to call the RV store, so mom said it would have to wait until morning.  Good thing it was warm outside.

 

The next morning, mom got up and fed us dogs and took us for a walk.  When we got back she called the RV store.  They tried to figure it out, but to no avail, so mom made arrangements to drop off the fifth wheel on the way home on Sunday so they could take a look at it.  (We found out later that the store guys had messed up in going over the RV and the heating element was burned out.  Mom still doesn’t know why it wouldn’t work on propane, but she will find out.) Now it was almost time for mom to take Halo to the show, so she announced that for the weekend we would just have to have cold showers.  So she went to the bedroom part of the fifth wheel and got ready.  In the meantime, me and Halo decided to rest with Thomas in the fold out sofa bed. 

I think Belle was chewing on a bone.  So, when mom came out she looked really nice.  Halo got excited and off they went.  They were gone a while, but Thomas played with me and Belle and took us walking.  When mom go home, she said Halo did really good, but no points.  Maybe tomorrow.  Then she said after lunch we were going to meet a friend named Dawn who has labs and walk along the river.  It was a beautiful and warm day for a walk and we had a good time.  I got to get in the river, but mom wouldn’t let Halo go in ’cause she didn’t want Halo (the super model) smelling like river water.  I even saw a blue heron take off.  If I hadn’t been on a leash I for sure would have caught that big bird.  Instead I pointed it really hard to make sure everyone saw the bird. We also saw some big fish rolling in the river and mom said they were probably white bass.  Thomas was ready to go buy fishing stuff so he could catch them.  That sounded like fun to me.  Mom said it would have to wait until next time as we had to get back and eat dinner.  She and Halo had to get ready for bed because they had to be up early for the show on Sunday.

 

So, here we all are hanging out in the fifth wheel relaxing on Saturday night.  Mom and Thomas watched a movie, and us kids had bones and just rested.

Saturday was a really warm day in Glen Rose and we had been running the AC all day, but Saturday night that all changed.  For those who don’t know Texas weather, mom says if you don’t like the weather in Texas give it a few minutes and it will change.  Well it certainly changed Saturday night.  It got colder than cold.  I woke mom up at 3 AM and she turned the heat on.  Of course, I also had to go to the bathroom which meant that Belle and Halo had to go too.  So mom bundled up and out we went.  The wind was whistling and it was freezing.  We hurried up and did our business because we wanted to get back in where it was warm.

 

Sunday morning mom and Halo were up with the chickens, but me and Belle and Thomas slept in.  Mom and Halo left about 7:30 AM because Halo was showing at 8 AM and were back around 9:30 AM.  Mom brought breakfast tacos for breakfast, but we didn’t get any.  She also said Halo did good again, but no points.  Halo was disappointed, but she said she did good and that the darn judge just didn’t know a beautiful shorthair when he saw one.  Mom said if Halo couldn’t win she was still happy because her friends dog won and got her championship that day. 

 

Well the trip was coming to a close and mom had to pack everything up (in the cold) and get the Shorthair Express rolling.  That didn’t take long and really the rest of the trip was uneventful.  It was good to get home, but I can’t wait for the next trip.  Mom says the Shorthair Express will roll again when she takes me to compete for my Junior Hunter title in February.  I can’t wait. 

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Rockin’ Round the Christmas Tree

25 December 2008 by admin.

As my first Christmas draws to a close I wanted to wish all my fur friends and their two legged pets a Merry Christmas. So, here was my Christmas.

 

My Christmas started Christmas Eve. Mom invited some friends over and told me I had to be on my best behavior.  Hmmmmm! I guess that means I can’t jump on people or counter surf.  Hmmmmm!

 

 Mom put me and Belle and Halo outside just before her friends arrived. She said it would be better since Ellen was bringing a ham and I might tackle her in the door.  We were having a typcial nice Texas winter day with lot’s of sunshine and about 70 outside.  Belle and I started rough housing and playing around. It was allot of fun.  Then I noticed mom’s nice house plant sitting by the door.  This was the one I helped her put outside earlier in the day when she said it needed some sun.  She also told me that she thought it needed trimming up. I thought that mom would be really happy if I trimmed it up for her. You know a nice Christmas present, and after the last Christmas present I brought her I thought it would be an improvement (last night I killed a rat and brought it to her). She was really good about the rat.  She even told me I was a good boy, but she was muttering something under her breath about what to do with a dead rat. So, here is a picture of the trimmed up houseplant that I gave mom for Christmas.  Now to get the whole effect you have to understand that this plant was about 6 feet tall when I started.

Nice job isn’t it?  I consider it one of my better endeavors.  Mom was speechless when she saw it.  I guess she must have liked that Christmas present.

 

Anyway, back to Christmas Eve. We had a splendid time and mom eventually let us in to meet everyone.  I knew Mariah, Ellen and Dave.  Mariah had brought her boyfriend from Mexico and I hadn’t met him before.  I think he liked us though because he kept petting us.  He told my mom Belle and Halo were very well behaved.  I guess I have a little work to do on manners.  After about thirty minutes (about the time I was getting bored and looking for something fun to do, like grab some ham off the counter) mom told me it was time for a break.  That means I have to go get in my crate and take a nap.  I was good because it was Christmas and we had presents under the tree.  I didn’t want Santa to come and take the presents away if I was bad, so I went and got in my crate and was a very good little boy.

 

Mom and her friends ate and talked and then started playing board games.  The one that sounded like the most fun was a Lord of the Rings version of Monopoly.  About 10PM mom came and got me and let us four legged kids out to do our business (that means go potty). Then we got to come in and visit.  I was really good and watched the adults carefully waiting my chance. I waited and waited until everyone was in a big discussion about who should sell Mount Doom and for how much.  The time was perfect so I ever so carefully stood up with my feet on the counter, being quiet as a mouse, and got a big bite of ham.  Mmmmm!! Ouch!!! Mom caught me and I got a smack, but the ham was worth it.  Everyone was laughing at me, so I gave a good performance of a sweet innocent little boy.  Ellen took pity on me and my sisters and said we all needed a bite of ham since it was Christmas. Mmmmm!! was that good.  My sisters also liked the ham.

 

The Monopoly game went on for a while longer, then everyone left and us four legged kids were laying on our bed by the Christmas tree and the fireplace.  I was waiting for Santa, but I was really sleepy and falling asleep.  That was when mom got out the camera and took pictures of us.  She said she might never get a better opportunity because we were all laying there tired from all the fun and games of Christmas Eve. 

Here is a picture and me and Halo, and another of all three of us.

So after the pictures, we all went to bed with visions of bones in our heads.  Tomorrow was the big day and time to open presents.

 

Oh, I forgot to mention I already got one of my presents a little early.  Halo and I got under the tree a few weeks ago and there was this one present, well we couldn’t resist.  We opened it and were having a blast playing with it when mom walked in.  She told us if it happened again the presents would all go back to the North Pole. I think she was kidding, but we didn’t take any chances.  We didn’t touch those other presents.  Mom did let us keep the one we opened and we got to play with it.  It was a big squeaky bone. So far, the squeaker is still working too.

 

Christmas Day started just like any other day at our house.  We get mom up at the crack of dawn.  Except today mom said it was way to early and we should be sleeping in because we were up so late last night.  Well we would have none of that, it was time to get up, go outside and do our business and then eat. We did give in to mom though after eating.  We really were tired since we had been up until about 2 AM the night before.  So, we all piled in bed with mom and dreamt of opening presents later in the morning.

When mom finally rolled out of bed, we were raring to go.  So, she put us outside and we had some fun chasing the squirrels and generally making their life a living hell.  Boy was that fun. Mom was getting stuff ready for dinner later in the day.  Memaw and Papaw (that’s mom’s mother and father) and Thomas (mom’s nephew) were coming for Christmas dinner. After mom got all the stuff ready, she called us in and said it was time to open presents.  That was fun.  We got some really cool stuff and the cat’s got to play with the boxes and paper.  Santa brought us a bone on a rope, some hooves on a rope, a tough tug toy, a round frisbee ring, a tire with a rope,  a big rope with knots and Belle got a special bone.  I grabbed the hooves and Halo went for the bone on a rope and Belle took her bone.  Here is a picture of Belle with her bone.

 

And a picture of Belle licking her chops after a good chew.

And here are some pictures of me and Halo playing with the tire on a rope (you know dancing around the Christmas tree, GSP style).

Halo finally got tired of the game and I ended up the winner (of this round).

Halo pretending she doesn’t care I won.

And now for round too. This time we ditched the toys and really went after it.

Look at my big boy teeth. Nice huh?

Mom didn’t get the next shot, but after this one Halo had enough and flip me over and pinned me. You know, we didn’t even knock one tiny ornament off the tree either.

 

Well it is getting late and everyone is napping after our Christmas dinner.  So, Merry Christmas to everyone.  I hope you and your family had a much fun as we did.

MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

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On meeting DogBoy

19 November 2008 by admin.

Tuesday I got to meet DogBoy. Who would have thought that would be so much fun?

 

It’s gotten cooler here in Texas.  It is really nice weather now and me and my sisters’ stay outside allot.  It gets down in the upper 30’s or low 40’s at night, but warms up to about 70 during the day.  The days too have been sunny. Perfect weather for romping and taking hikes.  Mom took us on a short hike to our green belt on Sunday.  We met mom’s best friend Marcia.  Marcia is really nice and likes us kids.  Mom and Marcia had a good talk while we walked and us kids got to sniff and do doggy things.  Belle and Halo were off leash, but I still have to be on leash.  Mom usually puts me on a flexi so I can hang out with my sisters some.  Belle and Halo do come and sniff stuff with me too. 

We had a big surprise at the beginning of the walk.  We had just met up with Marcia and were walking back down to the creek area when this big 8 point buck came racing across the field right at us.  Marcia grabbed for Belle and Halo because they were off leash and she was afraid they would chase the buck.  Mom told her not to grab them because if they decided to pursue they could jerk her off her feet.  Mom quickly told them to stay.  Me, I was all excited and wanted to chase that buck.  I think Belle and Halo did too, but they stayed. A few minutes later we found out why the buck was running.  There was a dog that had been chasing him.  It was really exciting.  Mom told Belle and Halo they were good and we kept walking.

 

Toward the end of the walk though, Belle and Halo got in big trouble. They went across to the other side of the creek bed and were yelping and barking.  Mom hadn’t brought the whistle so my sisters couldn’t hear her.  She gave me to Marcia and went across to the other side.  I wanted to go and see what happened, but mom said no. I think what happened though wasn’t pretty because Belle and Halo came hightailing it back toward us.  It took mom a little longer because there was allot of undergrowth and bushes.  I heard mom tell Marcia that the girls had treed something, probably a squirrel, but you never know.  We have all kinds of critters that live in the green belt, foxes, skunks, squirrels, deer, opossums, coyotes…. Mom said there even used to be bobcats in the area along time ago.  She told Marcia though that she hasn’t seen one since she was, well, allot younger.

 

That was Sunday, but it was the first time I heard mention of DogBoy.  As we walked back to the trailhead, mom said now that the weather was cooler it was time I met DogBoy.  Belle and Halo already knew DogBoy, but they wouldn’t tell me anything about him, just that he was really cool. Mom said she would make reservations for us to meet DogBoy on Tuesday.

 

We got up early Tuesday morning and got dressed.  I was a little nervous about meeting DogBoy.  Well, it was almost time to leave when mom told us we had to get our DogBoy collars on.  Belle and Halo knew what that meant and went right up to mom and sat nicely while she put on some old leather collars that looked pretty worn to me.  Now mom didn’t have a DogBoy collar for me, so I got to wear the bright orange collar I wear when hunting.  Once dressed, we all loaded in the GSP mobile and off we went to meet DogBoy.  We drove for what seemed like forever.  Then we turned a corner and Belle and Halo woke up.  Halo started whining like she does when we go to the lake or hiking, so I new we were close.  Then we stopped and got out of the car.  There was a small building near where we parked and about 15 acres of land that was fenced in different ways.  I learned later that those were for the play groups. Anyway, we went in the building and met a nice man by the name of Jay.  Mom knew Jay and they talked a little about me.  Jay seemed really happy to see Belle and Halo and came over and said Hi to me too. Mom signed us in and Jay called the nice lady from the back to take Belle and Halo to their play group and me to my orientation. Mom must have left at that point, but I was so excited I don’t remember.  This was DogBoy’s place.

 

Once out back, I finally got to meet DogBoy.  Here is a picture of DogBoy.  He and mom went to the same high school together. 

He is really nice and loves dogs.  His place is DogBoy’s Dog Ranch.  He can board dogs and he also has doggy daycare.  There is also a huge training area and mom says he wants to put in a pool so that we can do dock diving.  He also does Search and Rescue with his dogs on the side.  Mom also says you have to be a good dog to come to DogBoy’s. She explained that they evaluate the new dogs for temperament and compatibility, that way they can place us in play groups with other dogs that we will like.  That is what they did with me at my orientation.  They told mom I was a green like Belle and Halo which normally means I could play with any dog I wanted too.  But for me, since I am not neutered they will have to be careful with some of the other male dogs.  They were worried that some of those other males might not like me. 

 

After orientation I got to spend some time with Belle and Halo and some other dogs in my first play group.  That was allot of fun.  What I didn’t know (but soon learned) was DogBoy switches the play groups periodically during the day so we get to meet new dogs and also so we don’t get bored.  I can’t imagine ever being bored at DogBoy’s place.  Well, my turn to switch play groups came and I really didn’t like leaving my sisters, but I went anyway and I was glad I did.  We went to a bigger play group and I met some other really nice dogs.  We ran and played and played and ran. Later in the day (because we were good) we all got to go on the afternoon hike.  That was really fun because Belle and Halo came too.  The hike is on the back 9 acres of the ranch and has a huge swimming hole in it.  Right now it is more a mud hole than a swimming hole because it has been so dry, but it is still fun.  (Mom always puts on the sign up sheet to rinse us if needed, because she knows we will need it.) Here is a picture of the swimming hole from this summer. I don’t know the dogs in the picture, but Belle and Halo say they have met some of them.

That lady in the picture is one of the ladies that works for DogBoy and she takes allot of the dogs on hikes. This next picture is one of the play group areas.

If you haven’t figured out by now, DogBoy’s ranch is a great place for us dogs.  I had a ton of fun at DogBoy’s and didn’t want to leave, at least not until we heard the GSP mobile coming up the road.  The lady that was watching us told mom that we sure had good ears.  She said Belle and Halo knew when mom turned on the road. We love DogBoy, but there is no one like mom and no place like home.  We had had a good day, but we were all really happy to see mom and ready to go home. Mom was happy too because we were all sacked out in the back of the GSP mobile sound asleep the whole way home.

Mom says we get to go back to see DogBoy again soon.  Maybe for daycare before Christmas, but definitely for camp (that means boarding) for a whole week in January when mom goes skiing in Colorado. I can’t wait.

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I’m a Bird Dog

18 November 2008 by admin.

Mom took me to a Fun Hunt Day on Sunday and it was the most fun I have ever had. I was really tired when we were done, but boy was it fun.

 

I wasn’t too happy with mom this last weekend, because on Saturday Halo got to go with mom to school and then Belle got to go with mom to do therapy dog work (I will tell you about Belle’s first day as a therapy dog in another post.). Anyway, I was feeling pretty left out and sad because mom didn’t take me anywhere.  She kept telling me Sunday was going to be my day and was I going to have fun.  I still felt left out.

 

Then Sunday morning mom got up even before I got up, and that is really early.  She got us all out of bed and fed us and put us outside while she got dressed.  We could see mom through the window and she was getting stuff together like a cooler and dog bowls and check cords and stuff like that.  Belle and Halo were getting really excited, so I got excited too.  When it came time to go mom came to the back door and called me.  She actually wanted me to go with her, and not Belle or Halo.  Yippeeee!!

 

So we got in the GSP mobile (mom’s minivan) and we headed out to the lease.  I was in my crate and couldn’t see much so I took advantage of the time and slept.  We drove a really long way to the lease.  When we got there we were in the middle of no where and there were other people there with funny looking grayish brown dogs mom called weimaraners, there were also Vislas which I already know about because I have a cute little Visla girlfriend, and other GSPs. 

 

Mom put me on a check cord and a bright orange hunting collar, and we went out in the field to introduce me to birds.  I thought mom was kinda crazy because we have lot’s of birds in our backyard.  There was another nice lady they called the bird lady.  Now I didn’t know what she was doing at first, but I did later and I sure liked the bird lady.  Mom and I headed downwind of the planted birds (they were using homing pigeons for this part of the training).  I was supposed to smell the bird and point.  Sounded pretty easy to me. So, I started using my nose and I thought I smelled a bird.  Now I had never seen a pigeon before this so I wasn’t too sure at first about what I was supposed to do, but when I thought I smelled one I locked into a point.  The bird lady then came up and flushed the bird and it flew.  The first time I just kinda stood there, but mon and everyone told me I was a good dog.  We did this exercise several times and I finally was getting so excited I was chasing those pigeons.  They would fly off and then land on the coop.  Well that ended the first lesson of the day and we just hung out to let me watch other dogs on birds for a while. Then it was lesson number two. They brought all the young dogs back out into the field.  The bird lady was there and another guy that went way to the other side of the field.  The bird lady started releasing pigeons and then the guy would fire the blank pistol.  This was supposed to get us used to the gun and also teach us that good things happen when the gun fires.  I wasn’t worried about the noise of the gun though because I was so interested in the birds.  They said I was ok with the gun and they could shoot with me in a brace because I just didn’t pay it any mind, not even when they got really close to me.  Finally, it was our turn to run in a mock hunt test.  I was going to be braced with a more mature dog and we were going to hunt quail.

Mom took me over to the horse trough and hose to wet me down.  She said it was pretty warm and we were going to be working hard so I needed to stay cool.  Then we headed out to the field. My brace mate was named Sprint and there was also a person on a horse. I wasn’t at all afraid of the horse or the man riding.  He kept telling my mom what a nice pup I was, and he also said we needed to be careful I did not catch a bird.  I didn’t understand that one, but mom agreed so I guess all I was going to do today was find and point.  I ran off with Sprint and we started looking. The first three birds Sprint found and then we came up over a hill and I knew I smelled a bird.  I started zeroing in on the bird and then I had it.  Nose down to the bush and tail up and froze.  Mom called point and then flushed the bird.  It was my first quail and I chased it for a while.  When I came back everyone was making a big deal over my first bird. That pretty much wrapped up the morning.  Mom said I did good on the birds and we headed in for a rest.  When we got back I was so tired and hot.  Mom took me over to the trough and I just climbed right into it and stood there.  The water was over my back and if felt so good.  I stood their drinking for a while and then got out.  Mom put me in my crate for a rest and she went and ate lunch.

 

That afternoon we were again going to run the bird field only this time the birds weren’t planted.  There were allot of birds out there because we had run 5 braces that morning and the birds were scattered everywhere.  This time my brace mate was another GSP named Troy.  He was 4 years old.  So, I went over to the horse trough again and got good and soaked down and then we were off.  We weren’t in the field 5 minutes and I got wind of my first bird.  It was at the base of a mesquite tree in the tall grass.  I locked on that bird and mom called point and they flushed the bird.  So, off we went again and I found bird number 2.  By this time everyone was surprised because the squirt (that was me) was finding all the birds and it was my first time.  Mom said I came from good hunting stock (that meant my doggy mom and dad) and I just had a great nose. She also whispered to me that she knew I was a great hunting dog.  Boy did that make me want to find more birds. About that time I got wind of bird number 3. Bird number 3 was really hard because it was in a cedar, but I knew that bird was there so into a point I went and mom called point and flushed it.  The lady on the horse that was acting as judge for the afternoon said finding a quail in a cedar is pretty hard as the cedar will mask the smell of the bird, but I did find that bird in the cedar. Bird number three flew off and over to some more trees and the lady judge told the other GSP handler to take his dog over there and see if that GSP could find the bird since we kind of knew where it was.  Mom tried to hold me back, but nothing doing. If that other GSP was going to look for the bird then so was I.  Mom did catch up to me though and held me back, but that other GSP just didn’t have the nose I did.  He couldn’t find that bird. We moved on ahead and left them looking for that other bird. We had just reached a new tree line and I wasn’t picking up any scent. I was getting really hot and tired by that time.  Mom said we would try one more area and then call it a day.  We went into another area that looked pretty good, and that is when I found my fourth bird.  About that time the other handler and GSP and the lady judge were coming along when mom said point.  The lady judge asked her if she thought I could hold that point until we got the other dog up there and mom didn’t even hesitate, she said yes.  Of course, she was holding my check cord just in case ‘cause they didn’t want me to get too excited and spook the bird before that other shorthair got up there to us.  It didn’t take too long and they brought the other shorthair up to find my bird and after a bit he did find it and point it. At that point they flushed the bird for the both of us. Still everyone knew that last bird was mine too.

 

Mom said we were done and were going to head on back so I went ahead of her.  After a little while I was pretty far ahead so I found some shade and laid down until mom caught up with me.  I was pretty comfortable, but she said I needed to get up so she could get back and get some water for me.  That sounded good so we walked the last little bit together.  When we got back to the picnic area I went right over to that water trough.  I was so hot and tired, but I got my front feet up over the trough and into the water, but I just couldn’t get my butt into the water.  I was too tired.  So, mom came over and asked me if I needed a boost and I just wagged my tail. She lifted my butt up and splash I was in the water.  It was heaven.  I didn’t want to get out, but there were other dogs waiting for their cool down so after about 10 minutes I climbed out.

So ended my first day on birds and hunting.  I was pretty proud of myself and mom just couldn’t quit bragging about me.  I slept the whole way home and then when I got home I ate and fell into bed.

 

I think I dreamed about bird hunting.  I can’t wait to do it all over again.

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I graduated!!!!

28 October 2008 by admin.

I have been going to puppy school for the last six weeks, and this week I graduated with honors.

 

Six weeks ago mom and I started puppy class.  Mom said before the first class, that it was going to be a long six weeks.  Now I didn’t understand how six weeks could be longer than six weeks, but she said something about lack of focus and not being able to keep my little butt still.  I still don’t know what she meant.  I was just having fun visiting with all the other students in class.  I am absolutely sure they loved meeting me.  I know I loved meeting them.  We are all friends.  There was a little poodle that barked and whined all the time.  What an annoyance that was, but we still had fun playing.  There was a Teruvian that sure was cute and shy.  There were a couple of shepherds and a mutt.  My favorite though was this cute little female Vizla.  She was sooooo cute.  Mom kept calling her my girlfriend.  She sure was cute. 

 

So the first class we learned something called heeling.  That is where I was supposed to walk really nice next to mom.  Then we also did sits where we were supposed to sit really still for along time.  My butt just wouldn’t stay on the ground that long.  My favorite exercise though was the down stay.  I liked it best because I could take a nap during that exercise.  I think it was mom’s favorite too cause she would get so excited and tell me how good I was when the teacher said exercise over.  School is fun, but kinda boring too.  So, mom said she would start bringing more stuff to future classes so they would be more interesting. 

 

After a few classes learning the heeling, sitting and downs we got to also start doing a recall.  Mom told me that this was one of the most important things I would ever learn, so I have been working really hard at it and I try to stay enthusiastic and come really fast.  That makes mom really happy. She is also happy because she says my fronts are really good.  I try really hard to sit nice and straight in front of mom, because if I do a nice front then I get a really good treat.  Boy do I love mom’s treats.

 

After one of my puppy classes we were standing around talking with the instructor and some of mom’s friends, and I heard mom tell her friend, Marty, that I was doing better than either Belle of Halo in my heeling at this stage in school.  She said I really knew where I was supposed to be and wasn’t even pulling on the leash.  That made me really proud that I could do something better than either of my big sisters.  Well, maybe not better, but at least I was doing really good.  Then I heard mom say I was sit challenged.  I wasn’t sure what she meant by that as I never sit unless she makes me.  I am starting to think that maybe mom wants me to be sitting when we stop in a heeling pattern as she always says sit and then pushes on my butt a little bit.  You know though, it just doesn’t make sense to me to sit as we are just going to start walking again.  I guess I will eventually figure that one out.

 

Mom is really patient with me and we always have fun in school.  Sometimes we play with toys and sometimes I get special homemade liver treats when I do something really good.  Mom also said I was ready for graduation. 

 

I was a little nervous graduation night because when I walked into school it looked really different.  There was a ring just like at dog shows (at least that was what mom said) and there were chairs for the audience, and some people even had cameras. Mom said we would get a number and when they called us we would have to do everything the instructor told us to do and not make mistakes as we were being scored.  She said it was all for fun and we shouldn’t be nervous, but I was kinda nervous because I wanted to do good. We went third and our turn came really quick.  I did really good on the heeling, but I forgot to sit until mom helped me.  She said not to worry as the other dogs didn’t do as good as I did.  After that I relaxed allot.  The next two exercises I aced.  The sit for exam (we don’t do a stand yet in puppy school) and the recall I do really good. Then it was time for all of us to do sits and downs.  Mom didn’t know it, but I had a big surprise for her.  I had never done a long sit for a minute for her before (remember I was sit challenged), but tonight I was going to keep my little butt planted no matter what happened.  It was hard because that darn poodle kept whining and getting up, but I just kept watching mom and thinking I can do it and next thing I knew mom was walking back to me with a big smile on her face.  I had done it. Yippeee!!  The last exercise was the down, and that one is so easy. I knew I could do the down, and mom knew it too.  Then we were all done and waiting for the big moment when we got our scores.  Mom was pretty happy. She said we did good and she was still happy because of my surprise for her.  If I had known sitting for a whole minute was going to make her that happy, I probably would have done it sooner.  She even gave me a jackpot.

Now the moment we had all been waiting for,,,,,who would get the high score…we did it.  Mom and me got a 91 out of 100.  That was the best in the class.  We got a blue ribbon for it, and everyone was clapping and laughing and having a good time. Mom said I scored better than either Belle or Halo did at their graduations.  She says I am going to be awesome.  I sure hope so, because it sure it fun to make mom happy.

 

Well now I am off to Intermediate school where I will continue to perfect my heeling, recall, sits and downs, and learn new stuff like a figure eight, a stand for exam, and the finish.  I can’t wait, if it is as much fun as puppy school, I know I will like it.  Plus, some of my puppy friends will be in intermediate class with me.  Sure hope that darn whiny poodle isn’t in my class.

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Anybody got a bone?

23 October 2008 by admin.

Boy does my mouth hurt. These days all I want to do is chew on something. I don’t really care what; just give me something to chew on.

 

I am now a little over 5 months old.  I weigh 41 lbs. and I am about 24 inches at the withers.  Everyone says I am a big boy.  I don’t feel so big though.  When I play with Belle and Halo they still win.  Plus, my teeth have started hurting me something awful.  I am always looking for something to chew on.  Mom is mad at me because I shredded her new chair cover for her nice chairs in the backyard.  I think it was because it was new.  She didn’t get as mad when I shredded the old one.  She even said, “No big deal, it was old.”  I thought it must be ok to chew on, but it wasn’t.  I also put some teething marks in her wood chair on the back porch.  Let’s see, I also have gone through about a half dozen of the really big leather chew toys.  I only get those when mom can watch me.  She says that is because she doesn’t want me to swallow any of the chew.  I also tried to chew on her slipper, but her foot was in it.  I guess that was a mistake.  She just found her small travel mouse for her laptop this evening.  I didn’t do too much damage to it.  After all it still works, sort of. I like to chew on my sisters ears, but they don’t like that and try to bite my head off.  I have lost all my front teeth top and bottom and my new big boy teeth are coming in.  I even lost my first fang, a little bit early.

 

Now that is a story.  It all started innocently enough.  I was playing rough house with Halo in the backyard.  We were really going at it.  She would grab me, then I would chase her.  On and on we went.  Our big sister Belle was just watching and mom was laughing.  Then I finally caught up with Halo and tried to grab her neck and then it happened.  I caught my upper fang (mom says it’s a canine) on Halo’s collar and snap.  The tooth broke.  No one noticed though, and it didn’t really bother me.  After all I am a GSP and everyone knows we are tough dogs.  So, I went on playing with Halo and having fun.  The next day though it started hurting, but I wanted to be a big boy so I didn’t complain.  That afternoon mom came out to play with us.  I wasn’t really feeling too good though.  Mom was working to get me playing, not knowing I had a broken tooth.  Well she came over and touched my muzzle.  OW!!! That hurt and I jerked away.  Mom got to looking and said, “Ringo let me see your nose.  It looks swollen a bit.”  Then she realized that I had a broken tooth.  She said it looked awful as the tooth was turning a grayish black.  She also said my gum was red.  She immediately put me in the GSP mobile (that is mom’s minivan) and we went to see Dr. Buell.  Well Dr. Buell had the day off, so we saw Dr. Maltby instead.  I like Dr. Maltby because she says I am one fine bird dog.  Dr. Maltby very carefully looked at my mouth and said that tooth had to come out, and that I should stay with her for the day. 

 

That is when the adventure began.  First, they gave me some pain medication.  My tooth felt a little better after that.  Then they let me rest in a crate and the assistants took turns keeping me company. Finally, it was my turn to get that nasty tooth out. A little while later I started waking up and it was really cold.  I was shaking really bad. That is when one of the assistants (the one that is my favorite) came and got in the crate with me and we cuddled.  She put her arms around me and loved on me and was keeping me warm.  It was really nice.  Almost as good and when I curl up and snuggle with mom.  Almost, but not quite.  It wasn’t too long after that that mom came and picked me up.  I was happy to see her, but I had made some good friends at the doctor’s office too. Now for most this would be the end of the story, but not for me.

 

So, a week went by and then another.  Mom said the big boy fang was coming in where I had had my broken tooth removed. And then, mom got really upset.  She was looking at the lower fang and all she saw was some blood.  Well you see, Halo and I had been playing again, and well that darn fang on the bottom broke. Mom took one look and said, “Ringo if you want to go to the vet I will take you. You don’t have to break your teeth to get to go.”  This time we had to wait until the next morning because it was too late to go that night.  So, the next morning I got to go visit my friends at the doctor’s office.  Both Dr. Buell and Dr. Maltby were there and Dr. Kelly too.  They tried to take this one out without surgery, but all they could get out was one of the pieces as I had really done a job on this tooth.  It was shattered.  So, I got to visit with the assistants again, and Dr. Kelly did my tooth this time.  Well this time when I woke up I wasn’t cold, but all my friends came and loved on me any way.  Dr. Kelly just laughed and said he had fixed me up this time so hopefully I wouldn’t be coming back with broken puppy teeth. My mouth was kind of sore on both sides too. 

 

Mom finally got there to pick me up.  I could hear her talking out front, but she took awhile paying and talking to Dr. Kelly.  I also heard Dr. Maltby talking about what a fine bird dog I was and that I must have awesome parents.  I think Dr. Maltby likes me.  Anyway, when they finally brought me out to mom she was laughing with Dr. Kelly.  She said, Dr. Kelly had fixed me up good and that Belle and Halo would be very happy about all the work that Dr. Kelly had done.  You see, Dr. Kelly had not only taken out my broken fang, but he had also taken out my other two puppy fangs that weren’t broken.  He had told my mom he didn’t want her bringing my back again in a few days with another broken fang.  I think Belle and Halo are happy too, because every time I try to grab their ears or neck, well there are no fangs to catch on with.  Mom says, “Ringo, don’t worry you will have your big boy fangs soon enough.”

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My third hike with pictures

5 October 2008 by admin.

Mom took me and my sisters hiking again yesterday and today, but today she took pictures.

 

Yesterday Mom took me and Belle and Halo to the Greenbelt which is just below our neighborhood where we live.  It is about a 2 mile area with a creek running through it.  It is closer to our house than Turkey Creek, but also not as rugged.  She said just in case we couldn’t go to Turkey Creek again this weekend, she wanted to get us out and hiking again because the weather was nice.  It was fun, but Turkey Creek is better.

Well, today we went to Turkey Creek and Mom took the camera, so here are a few pictures.

 

This is me waiting for Mom and her friend Mariah.  They were talking and I wanted to go catch up with Belle and Halo.

I am on a flexi as I get a little carried away and take off running.  Mom says there are too many areas for me to get lost or hurt.  There are a couple of pretty good drop offs and she says I get a little crazy when I am running.  She told me Halo used to be like that too, but is now reliable.  Boy, I can’t wait to be reliable.

 

Here is another picture of me backing Halo (with a little help from Mom and the leash).

We don’t know what Halo was pointing in the bushes ’cause we never saw anything, but Halo sure thought there was something there.  Mom says she has seen quail on this trail and that they are slowly coming back into Central Texas.  She said the fire ants ran them out, but that the fire ants aren’t as bad anymore.  Rumor has it that the fire ants are because those darn Aggies at A&M brought them up here to study and accidentally let them loose.  My mom is a Longhorn and bleeds orange, so she is always saying things about the Aggies.  She also says they have a phenomenal vet school.  Good thing too since my vet is an Aggie.

 

Anyway back to the the pictures of me hiking.  This next one is me and my sisters using our noses.  That is what we call Quality Nose Time or QNT for short.  My dad was the one that came up with that name.  He always said time for some QNT and Belle and Halo new what that meant.  I am just now learning.

And finally, this is me and Belle after we got home from the hike.  We sure were tired.

Mom says a good GSP is a tired GSP.  I guess this means me and Belle are really good.

 

Bye for now.

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My first hike

2 October 2008 by admin.

Well Fall is here (at least the temps have dropped) so we get to go hiking more often now…

 

Mom says now that the temps of summer have broken, she is going to take us hiking more often.  Geez, I didn’t mind the heat, but mom and Halo like it cooler.  Anyway, mom took all us kids to Turkey Creek this last weekend.  We went with friends (three of mom’s friends and another furkid GSP named Hannah).  Well Belle and Halo got to go off leash because this is a really cool 3 mile loop where dogs are allowed off leash, and Belle and Halo are reliable.  Mom said I had to be on leash cause I’m not reliable yet and I am way to fast.  It was still fun because she put me on a flexi and I got to go out to the end of the flexi.  My sisters were pretty good about staying with me too.  Hannah is a pretty cool friend.  She is an 8 year old GSP that has been rescued.  She says her new forever home is the best. 

 

Well back to the hike.  It was really awesome.  Belle and Halo were a little disappointed because they said there is usually water (11 creek crossings) on this trail, but due to the dry summer the creeks and springs are all dried up.  Except for one mud hole that is.  I found that slimy mud hole with green stuff on top.  I almost got into it too, then mom looked up and saw what I was doing… Boy did she yell. 

 

That hike was really long - 3 miles.  Of course, my sisters did about 10 miles and I probably did more than the 3 miles even on my flexi.  We met some other dogs on the way.  Mom wouldn’t let me run up and greet the other dogs until I had been properly introduced.  That is something I am also learning at puppy school.  But I met allot of other dogs.  It sure was fun, and I sure was pooped by the time we got back to the car.

Mom says we get to do it again next weekend and she is going to take her camera this next trip.  So, hopefully I will have some pictures to post next time.

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