View of the Farmington Valley

Jim explains the scenery to Emma

Happy hikers

A New Adventure: Hike up Talcott Mountain

We took another fun hike this past weekend to introduce the puppies to yet another type of terrain and experience a new adventure. This time, our walk took us just a few minutes drive from our house, to the Talcott Mountain State Park where the Heublein Tower is located. http://www.ct.gov/dep/cwp/view.asp?A=2716&Q=325272 This is a tall tower, about 5 stories tall, that was built by a local entrepreneur many decades ago, and has become the most visible landmark in the Farmington Valley in Connecticut. When you get up close to it, it is much larger than it appears on a daily basis when you see it in the sunlight from below. It’s a really amazing structure, with a great view of the valley.

Heublein Tower

This is only the second time that we both took the walk together, and it’s only about a 35 minute walk up the hill, part of it being a little bit of a breather, even for the puppies. But once you’re on top, it’s pretty flat and easy to negotiate, with some lookouts along the way to the tower. There are no railings to hold you back from the edge, so you need to use your own discretion about how close you go. With two fun-loving puppies, we kept them pretty close to us on their leashes for the walk. We didn’t want to take any chances with one of them running a little too close to the edge. We did see a helicopter landing pad at the base of the mountain, so it’s obvious that this is not a place to be careless.

It was really a perfect day for the walk, especially since we started out early in the morning before the majority of people got on the trial. We passed only a couple of joggers on our way up, but on the way back there were lots of walkers. And the day was heating up a little too, while we had a perfect temperature for a nice leisurely climb.

Emma, the little mountain goat!

Will and Emma both loved the trail, even though they were both a little winded on the steepest part. They explored the new terrain, which was for the most part a well kept trail, but along the side part way, we came to a sheer rock wall which we had to stop and explore. Of course, Emma was the little mountain goat and climbed easily with her short, strong legs. Will, ever the gangly teenager, even did the climb easily, but not quite as sure-footed as Emma. He just wanted to play in the new environment. We call him the ‘playboy’ because he just wants to romp and jump and bound along light-heartedly. Emma gets pretty impatient with him at times, and her snapping at him does slow him down a bit, but not usually for long. He’ll be back after a while to entice her to play again. They are really such different personalities, and it’s been an adventure for us getting to know them both, and trying to understand what makes each of them tick.

Will, wondering what's next

I'm ready to play!

A day at the WAG Park

Little Daisy, the 'jug' (pug and Jack Russell mix)

Will is fascinated by Daisy

Are you for real?

Jazz, the happiest dog in the world!

Running free!

Jazz joins the chase!

Trip to Burlington

We spent a week in our hometown of Burlington, Ontario, Canada last week, our first week long visit since the puppies were just new to our home. It was a fun week of visiting family and doing some projects around our townhouse. The puppies got a chance to visit with a lot of their friends and even met some new dog friends at the WAG Park in Burlington. It was their first visit to a proper dog park where they could run free off-leash in a totally enclosed area with other dogs. They had a fantastic time, running and playing with about six or so other dogs at any given time. We met my sister, Lori there, with her springer spaniel, Jazz. They all had fun running together and even Emma didn’t have to worry about Will barking at her. He seemed to have so many other dogs to run with that he didn’t seem to bother Emma as much. It was a real treat for all of us. For some reason, Will has to bark and bark at Emma, and at other dogs sometimes. It seems like he wants to get them to play, but it really disturbs Emma, and she just fights back by biting and snapping at him, or by staying close to me and ignoring or hiding from him. The is consistent behavior and we don’t really know how to correct it. So it was a really nice treat to see that he could play without barking.

They met all kinds of other dog, but their favorite (and ours too), was a little puppy called Daisy. It was one of the cutest dogs I’ve seen in a long time, a cross between a pug and a Jack Russell terrier, known as a ‘jug’. We’d never heard of this, but it seems like a common cross-breed these days, trying to breed out the respiratory problems that the pug has. Will was just fascinated with her, and wanted to play. It was almost as if he thought it was his toy puppy. He was quite gentle with her and it was cute to see.

On the run on the frosty field

Will and Emma run the bases

All this running is hard work!

Emma, the circus dog

A few photos at Town Park

Even though we had an unseasonable frost overnight last week, we still enjoyed the morning run at Town Park. Here's a few photos of that frosty morning romp.

Emma greets Tommy Girl, her new friend

Emma and Tommy Girl

Emma, Tommy Girl and Will watching

Mornings at Town Park baseball diamond

Our latest routine is to take the puppies for a good run and play at the Town Park with the beautiful baseball diamond in the morning before Jim goes to work. They love it! We love it too, since it's a lot more fun for all of us than a walk around the neighborhood. They have even met a few new friends, but Emma especially loves her newest best friend, Tommy Girl, the miniature Australian shepherd. She comes with her 'dad' in the morning; he jogs and she runs. And she just loves playing and running with Emma. I'm sure this is a long-term friendship with the two of them. Will just watches the two girls run and play, and they barely know he's there.

Mother's Day at Elizabeth Park, West Hartford
Me, Will and Emma by the lilac garden

No roses yet!

A little girl treats the puppies!

Will just hanging out!

Emma's wondering where all the robins are...

We decided to take the puppies to Elizabeth Park, the Victorian style park in West Hartford for a little fun and socialization. They had a fun time meeting and watching people, wandering through the lilacs and the rose garden that will be in full bloom before we know it. Emma saw lots of her favorite robins to 'herd', which made for a bit of a challenge. There was lots of fun and frivolity with people out to enjoy the fine weather and mother's day festivities. A pretty day it was.

Obedience Class for Will and Jim

We have enrolled the puppies in beginner Obendience class. This time, Jim is working with Will, and I take Emma to class. We are all benefitting, even though the puppies really know how to do all of the basics, like sit, down, stand, sit-stay, down-stay, and leave it. The best thing about the class is that they are being introduced to distractions while we work with them. They are getting used to being approached by other people, but still want to jump up to greet anyone that comes near. This is such the opposite of Tobie, who was leary of most people who came close. These puppies are overly friendly, which means we did a good job introducing them to lots of people and pups when they were young enough to get accustomed to it. Now we have the challenge of getting them to be mannerly when they meet folks.

The other issue is that Jim was having a difficult time controlling Will, and we felt that he should get more involved with his training. So taking him to class and doing the work in between classes has been beneficial. Jim has more control now, but still has more to go. We are also dealing with the 'terrible teens' and the rebellious nature that goes along with it. More about that later.

Connecticut Sheep, Wool and Fibre Festival (100th Annual)
at Tolland Agricultural Center

Sheep herding trials

Waiting their turn

It's a hot day for herding! (or watching!) Watching the dogs and sheep

End of day
Skeins of wool ready for sale

Fluffy dyed wool


Daffodils and grape hyacinths around the labyrinth