It wasn’t Sam’s first run with the big dogs (it was his second), but it was his first run with just me and just one other dog (Lucky – 1 year-old, yellow lab) in just our woods.

 

The heat finally broke over night and it rained this morning – so the woods were drippy, muddy and slippery.  And humid and 80 degrees. (Which, in the dog-world, means that it was full of interesting smells.  Sometimes I am happy to not have a dog nose.)

 

The creek had new runoff from the rain.  Critters were afoot.

 

In short – I knew it was going to be a nasty dog-kind-of-fun day out there.

 

And Sam had a ball – running as fast and as far as his four little feet to keep up with the big dog.  (Sam has ears that flap when he bounds. I love them.)

 

Lucky ran circles around us – taking Sam out, bringing him back. Going further than Sam could follow and coming back to pick him up again.  Lucky brought Sam back to me when I called.

 

Sam slid in the mud and rinsed off in the creek. He pushed through the thorns and romped in the ferns.  He checked out holes in the ground and holes in the tree trunks.

 

Lucky and I took turns – we showed Sam how to go under the logs he couldn’t scramble over.  We showed him how to go around.  We stayed in front /below when the slope was steep going down. And we pushed from behind when going up.

 

Lucky was an absolute darling.

 

Sam is was exhausted.   (Right now they are chewing on each other on the floor at my feet.)

I'm gonna be a big dog soon!

 

 

I had a blast watching them.

 

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