Valentine Smoochie Poochies

Mikey, will you be my Valentine?

Dear George,

We’ve had two straight months of lousy weather – cold, snow, ice –and it’s kept us all, including the sheepdogs, cooped up in the house. Mike and Duffy’s younger sister, Sophie, came to visit for a long weekend after Valentine’s Day. Sophie peps everybody up. She’s very perky with her more laidback brothers, and she enjoys Katja’s and my company too. When they were younger the dogs would have occasional skirmishes, nearly always initiated by Duffy, but now they get along almost perfectly. Here are a few views around the house.

Mike (left) and Sophie – sweet friends

Mike looking regal

Mike watches, Duffy sleeps

Duffy wonders if it’s time for something

Of course, it’s treat time – such well behaved dogs

Our wintry weather let up on Saturday, so I took the dogs for an expedition to Mt. Airy Forest. Mt. Airy’s been closed much of the winter while they’ve thinned the deer herd, and they just reopened full-time recently. We took a trail near the Treehouse which runs down the hill to a dried-up creek. Then we got off the trail and took a hike along the creekbed. The occasional pools of water didn’t deter the dogs who were just happy to be out exploring in the cool weather.

Sophie, Duffy, Mike – the pack sets out on the trail

Mike thinks it's a great day to be out

We find the creekbed – Duffy stops, Sophie moves on

Look! Water! (Mike at right, Sophie left)

Duffy says to Sophie, "This is just the best hike!"

Duffy agrees to sit for his portrait

Sophie to Duffy: "Hey, where are you going?"

Oh no, Sophie, what happened to your freshly washed legs?

The end of a sunny afternoon in the forest

Mike and Duffy celebrate their ninth birthday in April, Sophie in November. Wow! That’s gone by quickly. But they still have a lot of puppy sensibility, and we enjoy them more every single day.

Love,

Dave