We've been having more adventures than I've had time to record them, so here is a kamakazi version of Emma's adventures over the past couple weeks!
Emma and Brogan are all smiles after hiking up a steeeeeep hill.
Emma has turned into a true adventure dog. First Brogan and I began jogging again several weeks ago and Emma asked oh-so-nicely to be able to come along. She is an exceptionally easy dog to walk and has such a good time that I thought, "Why not?". Her enthusiasm was infectious and both Brogan and I got such a kick watching her run from lawn to lawn that we've brought her along every morning since.
The next challenge was hiking. We headed to our favorite hiking spot, McNee Ranch in Montara, just south of Pacifica and Devil's Slide. Neither Brogan and I are currently up to snuff enough for our usual four hour extravaganza, so knowing it would be a short trip made it a perfect opportunity to introduce Emma to real hill hiking.
"Hey, slow down, you pushy little chiwahwahwaaaah!"
Brogan goes off leash, so I gave him a try as 'anchor dog' for Emma, but she was a bit too enthusiastic in her trail blazing and the experiment (above) was short lived. It took her about 30 seconds to get used to going straight up on the slippery sandy cliff trails and then she was leading the way out in front of me. Emma is one intrepid little chi!
Happy hiking dogs.
After a one and a half hour trek we ended our McNee adventure by visiting the horse stables. Emma seemed intrigued by her first horse meeting and the horse was likely wondering why I was holding up a creature the size of his head to meet him. Brogan didn't appreciate me doing the introductions and growled when he felt we were too close to the scary horse... visit over!
A small little dog in a small little sweater in a great BIG forest.
Emma's next adventure was another courtesy of Santa Cruz dog social group Woofers and Walkers. Over a dozen dogs enjoyed a lovely hike near Chaminade Hotel and Spa overlooking Santa Cruz and then lunch on their outdoor patio.
It's the dog tree!
Thanks to organizer Whitney Wilde we were the first guests allowed to dine with their dogs, so all the dogs seemed to know to be on their best behavior. The sun got a bit warm and while the little dogs took refuge under our chairs, we started attaching the bigger dogs to what became 'the dog tree' to give them a shady spot to hang out. Can you believe how good they are all being? And of course, I thought Brogan was the handsomest dog gracing the dog tree!
Emma poses in front of Alamo Square's famous Painted Ladies.
Just yesterday Brogan, Emma and I attended the Alamo Square annual flea market in support of rescue group Rocket Dog. Even though Emma is not a Rocket Dog they let us help out and have a great day (Thank You, Rocket Dog!!). Brogan and I were put in charge of (i.e. put into) the chihuahua pen along with Miss Emma and four other dogs. We spent the next five hours serving as an impromptu chi (and Rottie!) petting zoo and meeting all sorts of people. I got to speak French, Spanish, Italian and German thanks to all the tourists, so it was a great day for both dogs and languages.
When we were finally liberated from our puppy duty, we headed into the square to take advantage of the great dog park and admire the famous San Francisco "Painted Ladies" which face the square. Brogan was a bit camera shy, but Emma was a good sport about letting me snap her photo at end of a long but fun day.
Today was a trip to the beach at Davenport and Bonny Doon where Emma surprised herself by running so enthusiastically after a seagull that she hit the surf without exactly meaning to. After the initial shock, I think she kind of liked it... I guess we'll just have to see if she turns out to be a surfin' dog. To be continued...
Emma thoughtfully contemplates her next adventure.
