Hallie's & Ginger's Great Adventure

James and I took the little girls to the "bark park" near our apartment this afternoon for some play time. After riding in the car for over 15 hours and being in the apartment only allowed out on a leash, we thought this would be the perfect afternoon adventure. Oh, did I mention it's sunny and 83 with relatively low humidity. :-) We stuck with the "little dog" section of the park to let them aclimate to the whole new experience. As we drove up they quickly heard the other dogs barking and joined it. They could barely wait to get out of the car. Then it was through the gates on the leash and off to the races. Ginger spent the first 15 minutes just wandering around taking in all of the smells; she would be on one trail and quickly move to the next. Hallie and James played fetch with the ball for a little while. Shocking, I know. We decided to mosey on towards the "water element" and see what might be in store. Hallie, even though she can swim, wasn't sure of the whole pond situation. James would toss the ball in, and she would stretch as far as she could to retrieve the ball. Several times it was literally by the fuzz of the ball. But as expected, Hallie got a little braver with each toss. In a matter of 20 minutes, she would swim out to get the ball and bring it back. She went from biting at the ball to getting it in her mouth in one fail swoop. And even better was when she finally would wade in and the lunge toards the ball. She only inhaled too much water a couple of times, but that didn't stop her one bit. Hallie should also get the "plays well with others" award, and her tennis ball was a hot commodity in the park. And all of the lovely owners would always encourage their canine to leave the ball because it wasn't theirs.

Ginger on the other hand, really didn't care about the water at first. She went exploring at our end of the park and would return periodically to "check-in'. The pretty-pretty princess decided she needed some shade and went and sat in the shade under the shelter. But of course Ginger decided she needed some better means to keep cool. Shade wasn't enough, which really isn't a good sign since it's only March. After seeing Hallie and another dog (who is swimming in the picture above with Hallie), Ginger started seeing things in the water. She was barking and carrying on with the water. Eventually, I looked over to find Ginger with her entire head under water. What a crazy nut! She would go under water and bark and come back up and just look at us.

The girls ended up spending nearly an hour running around, socializing, and just enjoying the freedom a few acres can offer. Our trip culminated with the hose shower, which neither one enjoyed, and a ride home with the windows opened. It didn't take long for the great adventure to cause everyone to peter out...Ginger, Hallie, and James; Ginger on the air mattress, Hallie on Pa's lap, and James on the couch.