My dog ate my to-do list

We had one of those weekends when we chucked my carefully planned to-do list and hit the trails.

We tried some running on the quiet trails. 

Some trees needed to be climbed.

I'm sure next weekend shall be way more productive.

Day in the Country

I located a fancy training facility that was advertising Lure Coursing, so of course we had to check it out.  Upon arrival we discovered we had access to the entire property and were welcome to hike, try dock diving, and use the agility course. 

I thought this would be a great opportunity to practice agility in a new location with different equipment.  We normally practice on turf and sand was a fun change.  We focused on Jumps and tunnels, Marley had a fabulous time.  There were a lot of distractions and Marley really impressed me with her focus and concentration.  (I've included some photos taken with my phone.)

Marley waiting to be released; she looks so earnest. 

Flying!

I simply love the expression on her face when she jumps.  She is always so excited and pleased with herself.

After playing in the agility field we hiked around some empty fields where sheep are normally kept.  I tried to entice Marley into some dock diving; she declined.  I also spent some time watching the sheep being worked by some awesome border collies and shelties.

While I was watching the sheep; Marley made a wonderful discovery; rabbits kept in cages where they can't run away!  Yes, my little dog started "harassing" the livestock. As soon as I noticed her standing in front of the rabbit pen pawing at the fencing, I realized it was time to leash her up and head back to city living.

"What?  It wasn't the snack bar?"

I found it!

I found the perfect secret park!

It is tucked away behind a school and Marley loves it. There are little trails, a bubbling creek and tons of trees. It is so relaxing and peaceful.

The first time we walked in our secret park, Marley ran circles around me for half an hour. The bliss on her face was priceless.

I'm very pleased with her behavior. We have encountered a couple of other people walking dogs in our secret park and I've recalled Marley...and she came back an sat on my left side. Amazing! She likes to scatter birds in the grass and I've called her...and she came came back. Totally Amazing!

So far we are totally crazy about our secret park and in a few days I'll post a video of her chasing birds.

Old Salmon Falls hike

The warm spring weather has inspired us to go hiking. We recently tried Old Salmon Falls Loop, it is an easy 2.2 mile hike. I enjoyed the nice weather and easy hike, while Marley smelled and peed on everything in sight. We were startled when we encountered some turkey vultures sunning themselves.

We walked down the the remnants of the Old Morman Gold Mining town. I believe the town is underwater; however, there is a building foundation and tons of party remains. It was a nice spot for a water break. Marley enjoyed running away from the tiny waves.

Overall, it was a fabulous day!

Hiking at the River

The weather is just glorious, warm with a cool refreshing breeze. We have been taking full advantage of the beautiful weather by doing a lot of hiking around the rivers.

During our hike she was fascinated by a black lab that kept swimming into the middle of the river for a tennis ball. She kept laughing at his silly antics.

Marley has no interest in swimming in the water. This is as far as she went into the river before she started to do her "you can't make me swim" dance.