Back to the cold

 I'm so glad Susan talked me into hiking with her yesterday.  The cold rain forecasted for today came as predicted, and I hurried to walk as many dogs around the hood as possible before the rain.

I began the usual route with Fritz and Sweetie, then Gretchen solo, then Hansel and Sahne who together walked well.  She has matured slowly into a more obedient dog. I then took Gretel and then finally Wolfie from the backyard.  Each got almost a mile and they all walked so well on leash.  What a difference from a year ago!

Then the rain came down at 8am and lasted until past noon.  Clouds didn't clear until 1:30pm.  I learned that Ethan's biological father Wayne R was found dead yesterday in his home, in a pool of blood.  He was only 38 years old.  Doctors will perform an autopsy as they predict either an aneurysm as he had suffered from a severe brain injury after a 2013 car crash, or he slipped, fell and re-injured his head.  Ethan was never close to his real father since Wayne wasn't in his life on purpose, but Erin kept the relationship open as Wayne's mother Linda and his sister Jennifer continued to be grandma and aunt to Ethan.  Linda had lost her younger son Joseph two years ago to a heroin addiction.  Ethan was closer to Joe than to Wayne. I never met the family, but I can empathize with Linda who lost both sons before they reached 40 years of life.  No mother wants that.

By 3pm I knew I had one last chance to walk the pack for the day.

Today's route was the boring maintenance road going south toward the border from the Palominas trail head of the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area. There was no one else parked here.  All four dogs were happy to get another chance to run.  Only Wolfie was limping.  His front left paw was bleeding.  How did that happen?  That dog never seems to catch a break.  He stayed by my side, but he also wanted to run with his pack. He also lifted his rear  left leg as well.

We made it down to the river, then reversed course to head back to the official trail south to the surveillance tower.  This is two miles into the route.  There is nothing exciting about this route; it's simply an opportunity to let the dogs run off leash without anyone else around.

I appreciate this pack.  All four dogs stayed close to me.  When they did run into the desert to chase a desert hare, they came right pack.  I didn't have to stop and wait for anyone.  They all came back when called.  Why can't Gretchen do that as well?

There were no puddles of rain waiter after the rain, which surprised me, so I had to give the pack my half-gallon of waiter, which they finished.  Each also got two raw chicken thighs, again devoured except for Gretel.  (She later devoured a can of Blue Buffalo right before lights out).  I put antibiotic cream on Wolfie's front paw as well.  I kept Gretel and Sahne in the CR-V, Wolfie and Hansel in the truck, and the other three in the RV with me, as plunging temperatures back in the 20s are forecasted all this week.