Hikes and more hikes

Hello dog friends!

I took last week off to spend with the fam and we had a wonderful time. Our weather has been crazy lately! Well, crazy for the desert dwellers. Freezing temps have been greeting us each morning. Needless to say, our 3:30 wake up calls have gone unanswered. Instead, Hazel and I have been hitting the trails in the middle of the afternoon. I give major, major props to those with true winter conditions still getting it done in extreme weather! I guess it's a trade off because we have the same issues in the summer. It is too hot for vigorous exercise, and when you don't have a swimmer, it's a real challenge to get our pups tired when outdoor time is so limited! But, I digress, thankfully summer is months away.

Last week we were blessed with my favorite conditions...cloud cover and temps in the low high 50's/low 60's. There wasn't many people on the trails so I was able to let Hazel off leash for just a little bit. I love this picture of her. She looks like a little lion looking down on her kingdom.

We went out of town for 24 hours and missed Hazel like crazy. D cried most of the way home because she missed her so much. We had an awesome, awesome pet sitter take care of her so we knew she was in good hands. The day after Christmas we went out to a deserted area and hiked/ran for nearly two hours. When I say deserted, I mean, deserted! There was not a soul around, so Hazel was off leash most of the time. It was far from scnenic..much of it was dirt roads until we go into the foothills on trails. Poor Hazel's paws were a little tender afterwards, because we encountered a lot of sharp rocks. Poor babe. She loved racing around though.

This past weekend we had good friends stop by. They brought Hazel a huge knuckle bone from their butcher. (gross!!) Hazel was in a bone stupor, and though we knew she would pay for it, we let her chew on it for a loooooong time. Pay for it she did. Poor girl had tummy trouble all through the night but was ok by morning. I think she would choose to do the same all over again.

Her human sister is still on winter break so they are enjoying a lot of time together during the day. I get home earlier because I don't have to pick D up from school, so we are enjoying afternoon walks and play dates with other dogs. January can suck it...I don't want to lose our holiday schedule!

Am I the only one who dreads January? I don't want to let go of the holiday spirit. It left too quickly. Boo.