The Little Pack

We took the dogs camping this weekend. Well, sort of. We went for the day. We had a blast. Jackson immediately made friends with 2 little boys who threw his ball relentlessly. He was in his element and exuded absolute joy. Cheyenne was so over-excited that she fell asleep in the car before we ever got to our destination. We even let her off-leash for awhile and she did well… until she found a pile of poop to roll in. She wore herself out so much that she is still recovering 3 days later. IO found a cozy spot and just relaxed the whole time. Dixie seemed to love it too. She has been very happy since we came home and very loving. Next time, we will attempt to spend the night.

Dixie’s next check-up is tomorrow night–fingers crossed that stone has moved and there are no new ones!

We gave Jackson his first haircut over the weekend. He is 8. It was like shearing a sheep. It took a long time and he hated every minute of it. But as soon as it was done, we went outside. Once he felt the wind on his newly shorn skin, he was like a puppy reborn. I am not sure  if he was experiencing something akin to the swimmer’s feel for the water post-shaving, but he was beside himself with joy. The first time we shaved Archie, the vet tech who did it told me that cats come to either strutting or hiding. Archie hid. Well, Jack’s no cat, but came out of the experience strutting. Not only does he look like a puppy again, he is acting like one too. I wasn’t quite prepared for just how big his ears would be though and I still haven’t adapted to how small he really is. But I love seeing him this happy, and I think he is absolutely adorable this way.

Really is any other evidence needed?? For further proof, head on over to http://www.thebark.com/content/dog-nation, scroll down and click on Smiling Dogs. New dogs are added each week. You cannot look at these pictures without realizing the depth of joy these animals experience. In IO’s case, I was eating popcorn and she knew that she was about to get a piece. Have I mentioned that she is very food motivated? It’s OK Missy, your mom smiles for treats too!