Another Duchess story....

Duchess is a nice dog in training. Unfortunately with pups this takes some time and much effort. She is a wonderful dog and a great incentive to exercise!!! So............off we go everyday - me riding my bike and her walking or running. Lately we have been taking the trail (which is cement) to Pacana Park. Not sure how far it is but I would guess about 3/4 of a mile. The park itself is huge and has several baseball fields, two tennis courts, one basketball court, soccer fields, a covered play area for kids (covered because of the sun - not because of rain!), picnic tables, and a catch and release fishing pond/lake. It's a great family park which makes it a wonderful place to socialize Duchess with other dogs and especially with kids. She is afraid of little people for some reason - maybe because we don't have any of our own - so this is a great way to let her be with them. She has met several so far and they love her. She is doing well with them. She has also met quite a few dogs and while a little timid at first, she has always come away from the experience with just a little more confidence in herself each time. Coming home we have been taking the long way which is about 1.5 miles. This workout really mellows her out for the rest of the day.




And after her exercise I was putting a puzzle together and this is how content she was.... Normally she would have been trying to pull Lady around by her tail and I would have been trying to stop her! So our exercise has become part of our daily routine. When summer comes we will have to go out at o'dark hundred to beat the heat!









Here she is at the end of the day ready for some well-deserved rest so she can get up and do it all again!



We just got back (today is 2/2/09 and the previous pictures were taken 1/31/09) from Pacana Park - I had a picnic lunch (crackers/cream cheese/raspberry chipolte sauce/banana, ummmmm) and Duchess had dog biscuits (ummmm again) - we both had water - lots of it! She is getting used to the sights and sounds of the community as part of her socialization class. While there we heard birds, kids, adults, cars, and even a fire engine with its siren blasting! She did great with all of it!