Running and Running and Running and.....

Wow.

This week, the boy has really been running a lot! Wednesday night, he and Skally had me chasing them and running from them, and they were having a blast! I was a little fatigued by the time we left!

Rusty was on his feet chasing and sniffing and having a lovely time, while Skally walked about hoping that I would begin again. But no. So, she found a young, un-neutered male who she watched out the corner of her eye; but, alas and alack, he was still a pup, and wanted to run with the other dogs - she demands exclusivity. She's a princess that way.

Well, last night I ran with them, but Rusty kept joining in the pack, and Sonny, a young rescue, decided that he would run away from her, since she LOVES to herd him. So, for nearly an hour and a half, Rusty was going going going going, much to the amazement of the other dog pops and moms who were watching, and have seen him develop over the past 5 weeks.

One thing I noted, was that Rusty is a bit of a pill. He really wants the dogs to run for him to chase them. But he's a good pill. When he and another dog had Sonny pinned to the ground, I called him and he turned and came right away - but then ran back once I gave him permission. He was a dog in heaven!

When we came home, both dogs crashed! I fed them, and they scarfed down their meals (of course I gave them a little steak with their meals - maybe that helped, but it was really only gilding the lily with their hunger!). Then they fell asleep. They awoke only to have their nylabone dessert, and then were comatose until bed time, which was only walking from one room, down the hallway and into the bedroom.

This morning, Rusty was a little slow in getting up - slower than yesterday, which was another slow start - usually he's up and gadding about within a few minutes of my slogging around the kitchen. Skally was a little tired, as well, but she was really raring to go when walk-time came about.

Rusty was quite slow on the walk today - yesterday was a good one, with the challenge to walk all the way up to the top of 185th and through the new neighborhood. I love the sparkle of the lights below - you can see Hillsboro, North Plains, Beaverton, and the West Hills of Portland - but today we went on our usual trek. He seemed inclined to just walk a block and then return. Even this, though, seemed a challenge. But we did it. And once we hit the grade school, he was showing his fatigue. However, he rose to the challenge and came galumphing up to me at the gate and his pace quickened as we headed back up the hill to home.

Now, he's quietly dozing next to me, awaiting his breakfast. Skally is in the hallway with one eye open. We'll see how active they are this afternoon.

To be honest, the pallor of death has lifted from the house. It feels alive again after the deaths of Cubby and Syd, which still smart and make me quite sad. I verily miss them so much, as does Skally. But the enervation of Rusty has helped raise the optimism and life which once was here - we're nearly normal, but it will be difficult to say we'll ever be the same without our wonderful Ba's.