Always two there are, a master and an apprentice. - Yoda

... ha! Well two mind sets, the number of dogs is irrelevant! I may be a dog in human clothing but I like to nurture the dogs into fun loving, well behaved, and happy hounds who run with me as a pack and work together to enjoy the trails that we have. Today I felt was the perfect example - everything was wonderful! The vibe was relaxed and playful and the dogs were listening and loving the commands and the games we all played - you know when some days the traffic lights go green at every intersection? Well I feel I was blessed with that in dog land today! With Millie, Bob, and Max being our young apprentices, Skipper and I showed them the Canine Energy way - we hung out before the hike, sitting in the truck just chilling, the odd treat, a sit, a down, and then one by one each dog was asked to get out. Max bless him did explode out once but the second time waited well for his name to be called. Gold star dudes...gold star! Then we had fun - I ran along with them, changing direction down different trails, reinforcing "this way...!' 'Come...' and 'Leave it' then 'wait...OK!' with stick play and it was awesome! They are so responsive, even Skip who is an old pro at this game. Then we bounced through the forests, and back down to the riverside where a super ten minute swim, splash, doggy kisses, and a general feeling of well being. It certainly put goofy grins on all our faces, and I am exhausted, the doggies should be fast asleep by now too I should think! Here are the shots...

Post games posse...up we go, all butt sniffs and pees done, tails swinging we are ready to explore!

into the shady trails...weeeee!

something smells interesting...

Across the water two-by-two...

Taking a breather..dogs and rocks and sunshine! 

Hey boys...does that water feel nice? Huh? Are you too cute for words?!

Max and Bob get refreshed!

Hey Milly! She is soo funny and I love this shot (reminds me of when my sisters used to crimp their hair in the 80's) Milly's ears, tail and head pop up when you call her name and her tail is a great indicator of her thoughts...wiggles a bit straight up when thinking, waved wildly when playing, and intermittent wags and wiggles when she is listening! 

Skip tail pluming out and with a very smart haircut, comes over to lick my nose after his dip. He was my wingman today...and pulled the most funny faces at times, almost raising a distinguished eyebrow at me as the young-uns played nearby - I felt like we were two grandparents watching the kids in the paddling pool! 

Ha! We were both looking at the camera..then SLuuuuurrrrrPPPP! Max you little love bug!

Good boys and Millie! What a great day..our star crew from L-R Millie, Max,Skip and Bob. See you all tomorrow, can't wait!! ArooOOOOOOooooooOOOOOooO!

A Beautiful Hike with Millie, Max, Bob, Kayla and Skipper!!

Due to some technical difficulties unfortunately we do not get to showcase pics of our hike today...but don't fret!!! We will be back online with some great photos and stories to tell tomorrow!!!

We had a great hike today up by Wedge, we made sure to stay by rivers and creeks as it was a hot one!!

Millie, our new sweetheart, started off a little shy but warmed up quickly once we were on the trail, she is quite the swimmer!

We had alot of refreshing swims today and a big uphill hike that left all of us needing a dip!!

Millie, Max, Bob and Skipper got along famously and played Tag in the woods by the river as we stopped for a rest, Kayla and I played with some pine cones in the meanwhile, we all felt a lot friskier after a nice cool off!!

We encountered a garter snake which nobody knew what to make of, so we gave a wide circle and went on our way ha ha!

Millie and Max enjoying carrying one stick together for awhile which was quite hilarious as they were running with it in perfect unison.

After alot of running, playing and chasing we had one final stick chase in a nice little pond on our hike, everyone was sufficiently pooped!!

We have a similar cast of friends tomorrow and there will be lots of fun photos to share!!!

AWOOOOOO...See you then!!

Three Amigos!

Well Bear was full of the joys of summer today, bouncing around with our old buddy Skipper, and new friend Owen! I guess doggy companions are way more fun that eccentric dog ladies, mind you, he did conveyor belt back for cuddles now and then, so I still feel like his special friend! Owen is a lovely boy- -  a big smiling Lab, and very much fits into our Canine Energy family. He like Bear is fortunate to have a lovely family now after a hard start in life - it's amazing what a little love will do eh? Here are the shots:

Pleased to meet you Owen! Happy chappy :)

Off we go!

Taking a break!

ooo is that squeak a squirrel?

Moseying to our swim spot!

Who wants the tennis ball...? Bear does! Yes folks - he leapt in today tail waving! Owen was a little tentative at first but was soon splashing with the others.

'atta boy Owen!

Bear ponders his next dip!

on we go!

Skip on his second dip!

Bit blurry but love this shot of Bear's second dip with the gleams of sunshine!

Heading down to the lower trails in glorious sunshine!

Bear heading back for a cuddle....sweet boy!

Crossing the bridge with Owen leading the way while Skip and Bear took a moment to check out the river...

...and this is what we were looking at...lovely. We are so lucky to live here :)

Heading for home...what a beautiful day folks! See ya next hike, ArooOOOOoOOO!

Getting to know Bear

It was just me and Bear today, which was great as it gave me a chance to get to know the little chap and to observe him one-on-one. Bear is lovely but a little shy as he had a hard start in life but is very lucky to have a lovely family to take care of him now. He also has Addison's disease, which is a genetic adrenal insufficiency but is very much under control with meds.  If you want to know more about Addison's there is a great resource here . Bear is fully able to enjoy our hikes and be social with all the others as he did when we met him a couple of weeks ago, and tomorrow he will share the trails with our other good buddies when more furry friends join us. So today I was watching him, and chattering away to him, and loved to see how his shy trot with tail down, turned into excited sniffs with tail up and a bright eyed look-back to make sure I was there! He even loped into a canter at times and seemed to be interested in all the smells and people we met along the way. He is a very good boy too, and comes as soon as he is asked. I have a soft spot for him for sure and really enjoyed our hike and dip in Loggers! Here are the shots:

Little shy guy at first, quietly walking through the forests with me. When I stopped, he did - he was like a little shadow!

Up we go...

Ohhh, was that a squirrel? (yes...it yelled at us from it's tree!)

The forests are beautiful as ever...

Heading for a swim

mmmmm...time for a drink...

...and a dip!

I hopped in with him, but he kind of looked at me with bug eyes as if to say 'What are you doing in here?!' so I hopped right back out and we had a treat and a cuddle instead!

on we go into the sunshine!

See you tomorrow!!! AroooOOooOoOo!

Full pack of hounds and gooooood times!

Today we had Kayla, Brig and Spy, Skipper, Spanks and Harmony, Wicky, Jackets and their buddy Shorty! Shorty is a stumpy legged fluffy black Husky x who is adorable! As the hike progressed and he got to know everyone his neck seemed to lengthen and he shared some good banter and play with Skip and Briggy...wonder if they have met in the past? The girls were also on form, especially Harmony, man she was a little pocket rocket today! We bounced up thorugh the forests and into Loggers lake, found some dirt and bear poop (lovely) then swam it all off to return home somewhat clean! Good times my friends, gooood times. Now lets see if the photo's upload today! Here goes....

Hooray! So we started with a butt sniff and a pee on the world, before making our merry way to the trail head.

Up we go...

Taking a break in the sunshine...l-r Kayla, Skipper, Wicky, Brigg, Jackets,Shorty at the back, Spy, and the girls Spanks and Harmony at the front!

On to the lake!

This is fun!

Mmmmmmm smells good!

Jackets has a dance along the log...nobody else could get there!

Shorty and Kayla say hi...check out his neck! It grew more as he played with the others. He is such a dude!!! He kinda reminds me of Jayda actually, his mannerisms are similar - they are probably related as they hail from Mt Currie.

then it was playtime! Skip started the chase...check out Harmony full extension behind!

Dancing about

Somebody was cheeky AND dirty today!!! Ah Skip, You rock...sorry Mom, he stinks! We did go for another swim to clean 'em all off though.

Are ya gonna throw that or just keep taking pictures...c'mon on it's time to PLAY! ...so I did!

Getting amongst it..the energy was awesome today  - we were calm but suuuuper stoked, and everyone was PERFECT, they all came sat and played nicely, chased squirrels then came right back...text book dogs! Ever and Mom, you gotta come out for these ones too! ha ha!

Heading back down...

I fell on my butt in the woods...note the concern from my best friends.. haha! They just hung out until I dusted down and off we went again! Another awesome hike, see y'all next time! AROOOoooOOOooO!

Parting shot...Shorty says hi! Huge congratulations to his mom, who had a baby today!!!! Love to your family Shorty!