Tobermory, Georgian Bay side

Jim and Emma

Will on the lookout

Aaron and the dogs

Will watches

Happy Cajun

Cajun and Eevi

Eevi

Trip to Tobermory, Ontario

Here's a few photos from our short camping trip in September to Tobermory. We went with my son, Aaron, and his two dogs, Cajun and Eevi. It was the first camping trip for Will and Emma and they had a great time, as we thought they would. We all love being outdoors, and it was a great weekend, even though it did get a little rainy and windy. We still got some great shots of the water and the rocks, and we all enjoyed the walking and being together.

Canadian Thanksgiving Weekend Walk at Hilton Falls Color around the beaver pond at Hilton Falls Conservation Area

Maple leaves give some color

It couldn't have been a more pleasant day for a nice long walk on another part of the Bruce Trail. This time we headed north to Milton, ON to a trail that is part of the Halton Conservation Authority. We found a lot more color than just a little south in the warmer parts near Lake Ontario. As we drove north, only about 45 minutes, there were a lot of maple trees turned to their brilliant fall orange and red. Finally, we had found our fall color. http://www.hrca.on.ca/ShowCategory.cfm?subCatID=1084

On the trail

Our gang consisted of three people and our four dogs: Will, Emma, Cajun and Eevi. They all love to run the trails, exploring every nook and cranny that they find. We figure they cover about five to ten times as much distance as we humans do. They run ahead, then back to us, then ahead again and so it goes, over and over. Sometimes Will runs off the trail, alongside but hidden in the woods then he'll jump out on the trail ahead of us. He seems to love this little trick. It's as if he's playing hide and seek with us, but primarily I think it's Emma that he likes to hide from and fool. He's always a fun lover, and we hope he keeps being the playful pup that we know.

Old Man Cajun and Eevi The Serious

Aaron with Eevi, just hanging out

Emma is so serious about everything, especially all the things that move in front of her. She has definitely an obsession with moving objects, and this time of year we really have our hands full. The leaves are falling and the wind is blowing, and Emma is on alert for every one of the leaves that blow in that wind. She will suddenly jump at one and make the mad scramble to catch the leaf. It startles whoever is holding on to her, which is usually me. In the woods along the trails today it isn't so bad, since we do let them off leash when it's quiet on the trails. It makes for a more pleasant walk for all concerned.

There is also another difference between Will and Emma. Will is much more easy going and loves to meet new dogs and people. He makes friends very easily, and it's as if there is no dog on earth that he doesn't like. He loves everyone that he meets, at least so far. He especially likes little dogs, and will start a romp with them, crouching down to get the other to play with him or chase him. As I said earlier, he 's the playful pup. Emma on the other hand, is moody, and does not make friends so easily. She is the true leader of the pack of our two, and will tolerate other dogs only so much. She doesn't like it when other dogs get too close to Will or to either of us. She will growl at the dog that gets too close, and she might even get into what would be a fisticuffs if she were human. She is not afraid of a fight, and has started many with poor unsuspecting dogs. She is especially not happy when her female 'cousins' are around and encroach on her space. Both Eevi and Jazz have taken their turns at being the center of Emma's aggression, and we have to be always on the lookout for her attack. She can be very vicious when she wants to be.

Anyway, this day was pretty peaceful with all the dogs together. They are best when they can have their own space, and Emma is best when she is allowed to run and have her way without being bothered by other dogs. We all enjoyed the nice walk in the woods along this part of the Niagara Escarpment, and wish that these autumn days could last a lot longer than they do.

Some signs at the park: not the usual signs you see along trails, but this park is known for it's trails for cyclists. Some of the trails are extremely rugged and I wouldn't want try riding them! I'd be on the ground for sure.

Will and Emma take a well deserved break

Five dogs and four people

We're in Burlington, Ontario again, and it's a great time to get out to enjoy the cool fall weather. There's a lot of clouds and some rain this week, but we did manage to gather some family together with all our dogs to get out for some fresh air and exercise. We all need the activity as much as the dogs do, but the dogs just seem to get a lot more than we do. On the trails, they are all off-leash and love to run up ahead, then back again to make sure we are all following after them. They must cover five or ten times the distance that we cover, with all the running back and forth.

Lori, Jim and Aaron on the trail

Aaron and five dogs

Our little group consisted of my sister Lori with her springer, Jazz, my son Aaron with his two Kerilian bear dogs, Cajun and his puppy Eevi, and Jim and I with Will and Emma. It was the first time for all of us to walk together like this, and it was fun. We found a good spot that was not too far from the city, and is part of the Bruce Trail system that runs from Niagara to Tobermory in the Bruce Peninsula. This is a trail system that was started in the 1960s by some forwarding thinking Canadians who wished to preserve the green space along the Niagara escarpment, a unique geological feature that dates back millions of years when the entire area was under water. Our hometown lies right along this natural treasure, and we've always found wonderful places to hike, some right within city limits, and others that are just a few minutes drive out of town. This place is in the north end of the city, and is high on the escarpment, and at points there were great views of the city and Lake Ontario to the south. For some information on the Bruce Trail Association, check out their website: http://brucetrail.org/

View of the city, Lake Ontario and the Skyway Bridge

Soybean field, asters and stormy sky

The dogs all know each other, and loved to romp together. We noticed that Cajun was especially fond of Jazz, and they ran along together, having fun along the way. The only time Jazz was a little disagreeble was when Cajun tried to take a drink from her water bottle. She can be very possessive and snapped at him when he came too close. He took the cue from her and didn't bother her again. Other than that incident, Jazz loved the walk with everyone else, and Lori said that our two hour hike was the longest walk that Jazz has had. I'm sure she had a great sleep after that run!


Eevi was the smallest of the whole gang, but certainly didn't let that stop her. She was the only one not to get off the leash, since she is only just four months old and not really trained to come to her name yet. I know our pups were probably six months before we let them off-leash and even then I was a little uncertain about it. They are pretty good about coming when they are called, and always run just a little ahead and return regularly to check on us. It's all part of their herding nature, but even Jazz and Cajun behave that way, so it may be just the general nature of dogs to check on their people. Eevi will be joining the crowd soon enough, but for now it's much safer to keep her leashed.


Will has a habit of running just off the path to the side, just far enough in so he can see us but he thinks we don't see him. He will run ahead of us fifty feet or so, and jump out onto the path facing us, as if he's surprising us. He thinks this is great fun!


Cajun, Jazz and Will

Cajun flirts with Jazz

Then plays hard to get

Jazz takes a drink