Walking the Dogs

I have six dogs and I walk with them often.  Someone recently asked if I had them all on leashes when we walked.  Thankfully, I don't have to.  Our property is completely fenced.  We walk the perimeter and it's almost a mile.  There are cut-throughs and alternate paths and sometimes I go slightly different ways.  As many times as I've walked it, you'd think I'd be bored, but I'm not and neither are the dogs.  They get sooooo excited.  I don't have to say a word.  They know when I'm getting ready for a walk. It doesn't matter that they've had free reign of the property all day. They love it when I join them.

Here's a look.  If you come for a visit, bring your walking shoes and you can join us!

They all run like mad off the porch and then they start up the hill.  Teddy is in constant motion the whole walk.  I never can get a good close up photo of him.

Once up the hill, the dogs sniff everything to see if the neighbor's dogs have been around.  They stop to take a look across the pasture just in case there's any sight of them.  If there is, then things get very exciting.  On this day, the coast was clear.

By the way, the white dog is Jack.  You won't see him again for awhile. If I'm not diligent about keeping an eye on him, he sneaks away.  Jack is my dad's favorite.  They have a serious bond.  They talk to each other.

Cocoa sneaks away sometimes, too, but today she just rested anytime I stopped to take photos.  The others decided to speak to her about it.

Next, we head downhill towards the pasture.  Annie is one of the most faithful of the dogs.  She stays close by on every walk, no matter how many laps I make.  If she runs off to see about something important, she always runs back as quickly as possible.

Sadie stays close by, too.  Many people have trouble telling Sadie and Annie apart.  It's easy to tell the difference on a walk.  Sadie almost always has something in her mouth - a pine cone or stick usually. She thinks it's her job to carry something along and she's very serious about it.

George loves to walk, but he learned from Jack that boys don't stay with the crowd.  He's conflicted about it. He wants to be where the action is, but he has his pride, so occasionally he moves away and waits to be called.

There's a pleasant path leading to another dog meeting area.  Another neighbor has a bunch of dogs and there's often a showdown at the fence.  I've been using this area to tame the aggression in my dogs. I use my gadgets that make noises to distract them.  They are hardly ever rude there anymore... at least when I'm around.  It's a different story when I'm not there.

Once past the meeting spot, we round the corner and head towards the pond.  They are getting tired of me stopping for photos.

George joins us again and wants to know why I keep stopping.  This is not how our walks are supposed to go.

We get to the pond and then there's lots to do.  Some of them swim.  Some just get a drink.  Jack is the only one who doesn't like the pond, but he's nowhere to be seen.  Annie likes to go for a swim and then come back by my side and shake off the water.

I like to pause at the pond.  If I watch for a few minutes I usually see fish and turtles.  I love to take a look at the sky. Clouds are fascinating and there are often interesting birds to see.  Sadie likes to relax after a swim and she will even put down her pine cone for a bit.

This is the path beside the pond.  The paved road is on the other side of the fence.  It's pretty, too.

Once again, George is staying back, waiting to be called.  The pond sure is low. That drain pipe is really sticking out.

Now, we're heading towards home.  First we pass the barn, then head through the backyard towards the house.

George... come on!

Cindy Lou walks around the house while we walk.  She stays near the house, which is right in the center of the property, but tries to keep an eye on our progress all the way around.  When we start in, she walks out to greet us.

Also, there waiting is Jack.  I know he hides and watches us through our entire walk.  Then he sits on the porch looking very regal when we come in.  Only his wagging tail gives away just how happy he is that we're all back.

There's one more furry family member who has not been pictured yet.  I don't want to leave her out because she's definitely a VIP.  This is Sissy -

Sissy is the oldest.  She's very smart and extremely sweet.  Her conversational skills are impressive and she never interrupts.  As you can see, she's also a gifted snuggler. She likes to be held like a baby.

Having a house full of animals is quite an undertaking, but I sure do have a wonderful furry family.