Back in a Routine - Dog Walking

    As has been discussed previously in this blog, Nan and I volunteer at the Durham Animal Protective Society.  We adopted both our dogs from there, Finn and Hattie from APS's "death row".  So part of our week consists of at least 2 hours of walking dogs at the facility.  This is on top of the three walks a day our own dogs get.  One of our favorite places to walk Finn and Hattie is Eno State Park(no fees).  The Eno River meanders through northern Durham County and there are several accesses to the river, with a variety of trails.  One of our favorites is the Bobbit Hole - Cole Mill Trail.  These trails combine to make about a 3 mile loop which ends up along the river.  There's nothing like it on a crisp Fall day.

        Finn is a hunter, who comes alive on these walks and will almost pull your arm out of its socket if he sees a deer.  He's gotten much better about squirrels, as he's figured out he can't really catch them.  Hattie is a barker, particularly when surprised, but we've worked hard to reduce the barking and she'll usually look for a treat rather than bark now.
       On a warm, sunny day the hikes are beautiful.  The river flows softly by often stopping in deep pools like Bobbit Hole to relax and enjoy itself.

      Finn is sometimes interested in the turtles we see sunning themselves on rocks and submerged tree limbs.  But like the squirrels, he realizes that he can only dream of catching them.  When we have actually come upon a turtle on the trail, he's not quite sure what to do with them.  He sniffs, but jumps back suddenly if there is any movement.  It's funny to watch.  Usually they just slip into the water as we go by.

      Sometimes there will be a fisherman in the water.  And once we came upon a snowy egret(I think).

I not sure who gets more tired-out by these walks - the dogs or me, but they're usually worth it.

      Our apartment complex had a dog costume parade for Halloween.  Finn went as SuperDog.  Here's a shot of him taking off. Hattie went as a cheerleader, but didn't really get into the spirit of the outting