Happy Dogs

 

They really needed no introductions.

They just got on with the things dogs like to do while running free. 

A certain amount of sniffing, a whole lot of running and rolling and jumping and accepting treats seemed to satisfy our pups when they all met Lily for the first time. 

Lily is a Golden Doodle. She spent part of the afternoon yesterday with three new Border Collie friends. 

Betcha can't guess which Border Collie turned into an instant friend. 

Little Kenny is a Golden Border Collie, so he knows his ilk when he sees it. 

Lily belongs to my friend Chris Moon, who decided it was time for her dog to get some outdoor freedom. So she sent a text on Saturday asking if Lily could come and run in our fields with our dogs. 

We have the fields, but right now they're pretty inaccessible, except for the one along the lane. 

With rain a possibility, I also asked my sisters if we could let the dogs loose in their arena. 

They said by all means. 

I also decided that just one of our dogs, Bridie, would participate in this first meeting with Lily.  Sometimes jealousy gets in the way. 

So, Liam and Foster unhappily remained in the house as Lily and Bridie took an initial run down the lane. 

The only glitch in this new friendship:  Bridie wastes no time getting into herding mode to which Lily was pretty oblivious.  

She just kept running and leaping and rolling and playing with Bridie. 

Once the two seemed to be acquainted, we moved on to the Colburn arena where my sisters served as ushers, pushing aside overly friendly horses as we made our way from the barn to the arena.

For some reason the chuck-it game wasn't nearly as popular as the wealth of spots for sniffing.  Within seconds, Chris was planning where she would take Lily for a bath. 

Golden dogs and dirt do mix quickly. Lily soon had four dirt stockings as she romped around the arena, finally wearing herself out and collapsing at Chris's feet.  

So, it was back out of the barn and on to some snow, which we all figured could substitute for a bath. 

By that time, Debbie had arrived with Joe and Kenny.

Once those dogs lit into that snow, they bonded with each other and with the snow. 

Joe also spent some quality time circling and jumping at his windmill.  

Chris was the most popular human because she had the cheese treats. 

As the dogs played, Barbara, Laurie, Debbie, Chris and I laughed and visited and embraced the mild January air. 

Horses stood by the gate spectating, probably wishing they could join in. 

Twas a great "get-out-of-the-house" for two-leggeds and four-leggeds alike. 

All agreed that we must do this again. Indeed, a good time was had by all. 

Definitely a happy doggie day. 

Happy Monday. 

Enjoy the photos.