Pup-apalooza

This weekend was all about the dogs.  At least, that's how it felt.

On Saturday, the Best Husband Ever and I took the pups over to his folks' place for a little visit.  We got our family portrait taken by my youngest sister-in-law.  There's a shot of us will all three of the dogs, but this is my favorite:

Then yesterday after church, we took Jackson and Lio (both pictured above) out for a short hike in the crisp sunshine.  Lio found what we thought was a stick and went to town on it.  Only after he refused to put it down did we realize it was some sort of old animal part.  Ick.

Even though the grass on the mountains is notably shorter than in the spring and summer, it still provides excellent cover for a chihuahua who is looking to hunker down with a new plaything.  Can you find him?:

 

 

He's like a lion camouflaged in savannah grasses:

Image source.

Clearly separated at birth. 

But before Lio got to play lion, we found a dog named Herbert wandering the neighborhood.  The Best Husband Ever caught the little guy, and we set him up in our fenced backyard and left a message at the number on his tag, hoping that they would pick him up by the time we returned from our hike.

When we got back, he was still there.  And he was quite the depressing sight, huddled in the same sunny corner of the yard that he'd been in when we left.  I'd like to be able to say that Herbert quickly warmed up to us, but that was not the case.  Instead, he was put off by our dogs' collective exuberance and seemed generally skittish of people.

We eventually decided to let him in the house, and there Herbert finally began to relax a little.  It seems like he is quite the homebody, and probably is most comfortable with one or two special people who have no other dogs.  Still, he did eventually come to a stiff acceptance of our little pack, and by the time the Best Husband Ever drove Herbert to the address on his dog tag, I was sad to see him go.

Until the Best Husband Ever came back -- with Herbert.  Apparently the house had no one living in it.  I can't imagine how a dog as seemingly leery of adventure as Herbert came to be wandering our neighborhood, which is a fair distance from that address.  I hope he wasn't just released by a family who couldn't take care of him anymore.

Anyway, Herbert ended up staying the night, and even showed some life by romping with some of our rope toys.  I'll be calling Animal Control shortly to report that Herbert has been found, keeping my fingers crossed that someone is looking for this little guy.  Because, shy or not, this old man is a sweetie and well-mannered to boot.  I've quite enjoyed cuddling up with him, which seems to be all he really wants in life.  And I wonder if isn't that true for us all.

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Don't forget to enter my handmade cowl giveaway!  The last day to enter is Monday, October 18.  That's today!  Get those entries in by 6:00 PM Rocky Mountain Time.  I can't wait to announce the winner tomorrow!