Christmas Day Dog Walk

For as long as I can remember, we've looked forward to our dog walks on Christmas Day. Most people may not understand how this was so important, but it has become a cherished tradition for us. It doesn't seem terribly long ago, these walks involved 8 to 9 dogs. They were wonderful long walks through the field and forest. But time changes everything. Although we still have five dogs, two (Jess and Storm) are not able to come along with us. I've been very sad about this, but glad they are still with us this Christmas. They've been out a lot for short periods, with us around the house, Jess still rolling in snow, but both feel the cold more now and are anxious to go back inside. If we aren't fast enough, Storm stands and barks at the door.
So here we are, three dogs heading down the driveway; the other unfortunate circumstance is the deep snow wiping out our normal trails. So, we ended up going on two Christmas Day Dog Walks and playing a lot with the "bestest" toy involving more than one dog. Even Trust got involved, not one to play much with toys.

We all had a good time, lots and lots of running and chasing and pulling. At any time that it became a bit too frantic, I would call them back for a cookie - special ones that Santa brought - and off they'd go again. Obviously, we are near the end of the walk, or Blast would not have flung himself down acting the fool for Trust....and there's no way Tank is letting go of his end!

It was a good day, and the old memories are bittersweet, never to be forgotten. Today, like all the others, was special.