Baxter Begs for the Park

We recently wanted to take Baxter to the park, and we've decided that Baxter has learned our routines so well that he knew exactly what our intentions were. Generally, when we get ready to leave the house, Baxter will bolt into his kennel and sit patiently for us to lock him up. The other day when we were about to go to the park, Baxter kept whining and running to the door. I took him outside, since I thought maybe he needed to potty. We got outside and he immediately ran to my car door. Since I wasn't ready to leave, I had to bring him back inside and listen to him whine and bark at us for a few more minutes.

Here's the video of his pleas!

Baxter's 1st Birthday!

Today is Baxter's first birthday. Unfortunately, he was stuck in his kennel most of the day since we were at work, but this afternoon he got to join some of his friends at the dog park. Enough words. Enjoy the pictures!

A Trip to the Dog Park

Four days ago, Louisville was covered in ice. Schools in surrounding counties were closed, and road crews were out in full force spreading salt. Today, the weather shifted nearly 40 degrees for a high of 70, the clouds parted for a nice, sunny (yet windy!) afternoon, and Baxter's Dog Park tags came in the mail. It was the perfect recipe for a happy, muddy, very tired dog.



When we first arrived, Baxter and I were the only ones at the park. He wasn't quite sure what to do or where to go, and he actually wanted to go back toward my car instead of in the fenced area. After about five minutes, another dog joined the fun, and allowed Baxter to get used to the idea of the dog park.



Within 10 minutes, several other dogs--all bigger than Baxter--showed up. Baxter tried to play with them, but he was the obvious runt of the group, so they all picked on him. This week's ice and this morning's rain absolutely drenched the ground. This was bad news for Baxter, since his defense is to quickly roll on his back to claw and bite. Every time he got up, there was more mud and hay caked to his fur.

About halfway through our visit, a couple walked in with their Border Collie, Sage. Baxter and Sage, both being relatively small and over four months old, became friends rather quickly. They stayed mostly on the concrete and enjoyed each others company away from the bigger dogs.



Below are videos of Baxter and Sage playing at my feet. The first one was when they first met. Later, once they got to know each other a bit more, Baxter became a bit more vocal and tried to get Sage to play more.