Saturday, December 15, 2012

A hike with Hiker

I took Hiker out.  All by herself.  Just the two of us! 

Hiker is extremely social (more than me most of the time) but doesn't play a lot with others, she never really has.  The four that do the most rough-housing are Forest, deaf Azule, blind and partly deaf Brook and blind Breeze. They will chase each other around, play with each other with toys and in general, be wild and rambunctious.  So, I decided to take Hiker out. (Okay, part of it was that it was Hiker's 3rd Gotcha Day.)

Before we left, I crated those staying home.  This is what happened when I said, "Brook.  Get in."


Brook seems to think that if she falls to the floor, rolls over and has no muscle tone that she won't have to go in.  She likes her crate, she's just a silly pup!

We went to a trail that we've only visited once before, back sometime last year.  It tends to be a busy trail system and so we avoid it but this late in the season, there was only one car in the parking lot.


This is one of the reasons why Hiker wears Doggles.  She loves to explore and sniff and of course, that increases the risk of a penetrating injury (to use the vet's description).  Now that her eyes have been removed, there is less concern but I like the extra protection the Doggles give her, she is used to wearing them and I think they look good!


The other reason I am not a fan of this trail system is that it's very curvy and as a result, you can't see too far ahead if someone and their dog is approaching.  Sure enough, an overweight lab comes lumbering around a corner and right at us.  The owner?  He's about 15 feet back and yelling the ever famous and often dreaded, "My dog is friendly!".  Grrrrr......what if mine isn't?   It's situations like that cause me to be very selective of where I take Callie.  She would not appreciate that.  Not at all.  Fortunately Hiker is almost bomb proof.

Then it was time for a nice picture along the river.  Great weather for mid December, especially since we had snow a few weeks ago.


Hiker was just a happy girl out for an off leash trail walk.


Happy weekend everyone!

23 comments:

  1. Anonymous12/15/2012

    Hey ACD6pack, Jet here.

    Hiker, you look tres chic in your pink Doggles. Happy 3rd Gotcha Day! Glad you enjoyed a special outing.

    Brook, I use that same technique when Mom wants to go out because she is in a rush. She CAN NOT resist a belly rub. :)

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    1. Hey Jet! Thanks for stopping by. Why do dogs try and get belly rubs when humans are leaving?!

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  2. Hiker looks great in those Doggles...And she sure had a fine time on her "mom & me only" hike

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    1. When I bought the Doggles, I got a bright color to match her personality!

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  3. Oh the dreaded "my dog is friendly" call! I especially despise it when it is specifically implying my dog is NOT.
    I love Brook's roll over. Hades tends to do that except it's much more frantic usually if I am trying to get him to do something he isn't interested in.
    The doggles do look great!

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    1. I always think of it from my blind dog(s) perspective...another dog rushing into their face before they even have a chance to sniff and know it's coming.

      Oh ya, Brook's roll over is very dramatic. Hollywood don't know what it's missing!

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  4. Wonderful that Hiker got some alone time with mum. Love those goggles.

    Roxy does the same thing if she doesn't want to go somewhere and becomes longer and longer when you try to pick her up!

    XXXOOODaisy, Bella & Roxy

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    1. Sounds like Roxy is a bit of a smart one, eh?

      I think that part of Brook's drama act was that she wanted to go too. Next time!

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  5. Happy Gotcha Day Hiker! Looks like you had a great hike. Love the pic on the stump in the doggles, you look like Adventure Dog. :)

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    1. Adventure Dog...I like that, maybe she could wear a cape?! She is very much an adventurer and loves being in the wilderness.

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  6. Hiker, you look absolutely adorable in your doggles! It looks like you had a very fun day off the leash. My Coop loves his off the leash walks, too. (But I do call him back to me when I hear someone approaching. Not all dog owners understand sometimes.) Have a great weekend!!! Happy gotcha day!

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    1. Hi Laura, thanks for stopping by. I'm going to check out your blog now and get to know your pack.

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  7. Happy Gotcha day to Hiker!! Looks like ya'll had a great time :D Beautiful photos
    Cotton

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  8. Hiker looks so cute in her pink Doggles! Great photos! Love the photo where she's posing on the stump and the last one of her trotting towards you. She looks like a dog on a mission. It sounds like you had a nearly perfect hike (except for the lab). That first photo of Brook is so funny! Passive resistance. :-)

    Susan and Wrigs

    P.S. Doggles didn't work well for Wrigs. Lots of issues with them (lenses fogging up, easily dislodged, etc.).

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  9. The picture of Hiker on the stump almost didn't happen, she tried to jump down when I put her up there. I had the camera ready and kept saying, "wait...wait...wait" As for Brook, well, that's how it goes in our house!

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  10. Hey, the number generator picked you for the pack! Email me at 2punkdogs@charter.net & let me know where to send it. :)

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  11. When you live with multiple dogs of varying personalities, it can be such a relief to head out on the trail with just one trusted friend.

    I love Brook's "go limp" trick!

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  12. Anonymous12/17/2012

    I love the doggles.

    And silly Brook! All the way down to what we call the 'helpless and pitiful" ears.

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  13. People approach and assume that all dogs will like theirs, and that they will get along. People can be stupid. My collies all seem to love other dogs, but what if they didn't? What if one of them was a DINO? She shouldn't have to put up with a pushy or rude greeting from someone's dog, who is not in good control.

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  14. She looks so cute in her pink doggles! Looks like a pretty hike, we went hiking today too!

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  15. Hiker rocks those doggles!

    I love that Brook tries to get out of going into her crate by going "bone-less"!

    Owners like that are frustrating. I never worry with Blueberry though and I'm glad you had Hiker with you instead of a more reactive dog.

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  16. Love the Doggles. I wish I had those for my pug, Audi when he decided to push his face into a bush to do his business. That resulted in an eye ulceration that required surgery. My beautiful pug will look the same and lost some vision due to the skin graft.

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