As Freedom finished up all his shots in August, he's been having many great adventures, including a road trip to Southern Oregon and Crater Lake, where we hiked a bit and saw the sites, and he bonded a bit with his two-legged sister in the back of the car.
Once home, we set out on a purposeful journey of exploring the trails behind our new apartment complex, which backs up to one of the most beautiful urban state parks you can imagine (I thought it was just a tiny beach state park when we moved here, until I got to hike in it!). Freedom and I spent a few hours climbing around the park, exploring streams and trails, coming home happy and tired. We tried the trail again the next day with the whole family, getting turned around on the trail, and ending up completely lost; our 3 mile fun of the day before turning into an 11 or more tour of misery! But, Freedom and Tardis took it like troopers, not complaining in the least, until near the end, when Freedom finally laid down, and begged for me to take his backpack off, poor guy.
Yes, Freedom and I are now working with a small backpack. It's not a service vest of any kind, just a simple small sized backpack that I picked up at the local pet store to help him grow accustomed to carrying the weight when we walk, which he's been doing great with. It helps him focus (we pack a roll of poop bags in each side to balance it out), and gets him used to "play" walks in the park, versus "work" walks, where he needs to stay close to me and ignore other dogs and humans. He's still young, so this is very much a work in progress.
The dog park has become a huge fascination for Freedom. Tardis has just completed his shots this past week, and of course it not only rained all weekend, just when he was released to go to the park, but I've been dealing with bronchitis trying to become pneumonia, so no dog park for us just yet. Hoping to take him for his first trip tomorrow. Otherwise, Freedom hears the words "Dog Park" and comes completely unglued... We simply cannot get to the door and into the car fast enough for his liking. Even though he still carries some of his fear of larger dogs, he's learning to get past it, and loves to run with everyone at the park, regardless of size; it's becoming more about just being a dog, and having fun sniffing and socializing with everyone, human and canine, than caring about size.
Tardis, of course, having been left behind every time we go, always goes nuts sniffing Freedom from one end to the other trying to figure out all the strange smells covering his pack brother when we come home. Just wait, kiddo, your day's coming....
In other news, Mom has added a new addition to her pack. While this is good news for both her and the dog, it's a harsh reminder of why it's so important to think about rescuing before you buy that darling puppy at the pet store. Rose is a sweet, lovely 4 year old red and white American Cocker Spaniel who is very shy and quiet, and came to Mom in dire conditions.
A huge "thank you" to Ginger's Pet Rescue, for saving this lovely dog from her disastrous conditions as a back-yard breeder. For such a young dog, Rose has a long way to go to a perfect bill of health (she's already lost at least one tooth, and has had untold numbers of litters judging from her body condition, from what Mom's vet, and her medical records say). She loves Mom, though, and sticks to her like glue. If you can, please consider helping Ginger's Rescue financially, or in some other way. This is a great cause, and she does so much with her team to help dogs who are literally at death's door. As for Rose's take on all the youngsters in the pack? A soft growl and a gentle snap to the nose usually is all it takes from this experienced mother to tell these young whipper-snappers to cool it (and amazingly, they shut up, lay down, and go to sleep, or at least leave her alone!).
In other news, if you're looking for a good dog-related book to keep you warm while your dog warms your toes this fall, check out this amazing read: A Dog's Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron. This is a must read for any dog owner, anyone who's thinking of owning a dog, or anyone who wishes they could own a dog. Okay, you could even read it if you own cats (as there's some really funny stuff in there about cats, from a dog's perspective). I cried, laughed, and sometimes, did a little of both at the same time, and hugged my own dog fiercely while reading some of the harder parts to digest. But what the book did to me, was made me look a little differently at how I interact with my own canine.
Anyway, it's getting late here on the West Coast (that's on the left side of the map for those of you, like me, who are geographically-challenged!), so I'm going to head off to find some other great adventure for my dog and I (most likely involving another great book and a blanket). Have a great adventure of your own! Woof!
