friday morning

another beautiful morning. warmer today.

we went the reverse of our usual walk to avoid some people & dogs. glad i did- i caught this blooming. probably a buckwheat, not sure which variety.

the cheatgrass is starting to dry out, creating a hazard for dogs. if you're not familiar with cheat, please read this article on protecting your pet. having paid to have cheat removed from teddy's paws i can tell you it's nasty stuff. just ask your veterinarian. means it's time for echo's summer cut and daily pad checks.

other than that, another clear blue sky day. i saw my first tanager of the year a few days ago, and 2 smaller bright yellow birds chased each other across the trail in front of us today. maybe warblers?

great walk- til we ran into a flexi head on the way out. smallish female rott or rott mix at the end of an 8- 10 ft flexi, pulling toward us for all she's worth. i went to the far side of the trail and asked the gentleman not to let his dog come up to us. halle & echo in a sit. no problem he says, and heads toward us with his dog still at the end of the flexi, still pulling for all she's worth. he made no attempt to reel her in or keep her on his side of the trail. so i asked him again to please keep her away. she won't come up to you he says. i finally said she's too close, and i would appreciate it if you would respect my request.

why is it so hard for people to put their dogs in a heel (or at least keep them within 3-4 feet) when approaching another dog (or person for that matter) on the trail? especially when asked to keep them away? i don't get it. my friend swears to me flexis are great if used properly. that last is the key.

anyway- a very nice walk, great start to the day and very busy- 7 with (all leashed or not as appropriate) and 5 without.

have a great memorial day weekend, and help keep the trails clean!