I took so many photos, but only only a few made the cut because the others were underexposed and/or blurry. Such is the crux of living in a forest environment and loving black dogs that never stop moving for more than a few seconds.
Friday was monumental because it was both Roe’s first hike and Suki’s first hike since March because her resistance to her Florinef put her on yard rest. We kept it short, went slow, and took lots of breaks both because Roe is still growing and because Suki needs to rebuild her muscle and endurance.
We almost didn’t go because when I went to unload her from the car I noticed she was shaking. Then I realized she was shaking with excitement. That’s not normal; she’s usually an extremely stoic dog. She never whines and she doesn’t tremble. But she was made to be wild and she couldn’t contain herself when she realized she was going home.
And the boy took to the woods like a natural. It was hard to get any decent photos of him because he didn’t want to sit still.
He was able to explore everything new he wanted, from logs to loose dirt hills. He didn’t even care about the weird bumpy metal grip thing on a log walk. He was even a perfect little gentleman when a cyclist passed us. He completely ignored the cyclist, moved off trail when directed, and waited patiently for his treats.
This photo is both blurry and I had to adjust the exposure so much it went grainy, but I had to include it because I love it so much.
I don’t know what it is about Schips but I just love them so much. The forest setting adds to their appeal. Have you seen a book called “Charm O’ The Forest”? by Jeanne Louise Wenzel. ISBN 0-914370-84-7 If you have not seen it you absolutely must! The book is an illustrated story of a Schipperke named Charm O’ The Forest. If I can find a link to it I will post it for you.