Before my eyes open, I can feel his breath on my face. His nose pressed as close as he dared without touching my face. He senses I’m awake. My eyes are still closed, but he knows the rhythm of my breathing as though it were his own. I smile. Slowly, I open my eyes, squinting from the bright sun pouring in through my window. It’s barely 7 am, but the Alaska sun is high in the sky.
Seren sits in her ex-pen, she’s staring at me while delivering her signature high-pitched bark. She is insisting I release her from her confinement.
“You get this prima-Donna attitude from your grandmother,” I tell her as I toss some treats into her pen to distract her. I know it will only work for a moment.
While Seren snuffles around her pen for the treats I tossed, Sojourner excitedly prances over to find out what Seren is snacking on . He stands with his four feet square, neck perfectly arched as he observes the puppy and her treats.
You’ve just hiked a vertical mile. You are at the crest of your favorite destination, prepared to relax and take in one of your favorite views. You settle in to rest with your hiking partner, your dog.
Can you imagine the dog you have with you?
Did you imagine yourself with a poodle?
No? Well then, I encourage you to keep reading so I can alter your imagination a bit.
Take a minute, and get yourself comfortable while I tell you what makes the standard poodle the ideal hiking partner you never even knew you needed!
As I write this blog entry, my sweet puppy, Sojourner, is almost five months old. Life with him has been so special! In some ways, it feels like Sojourner has been a part of my Galavanting poodle crew from the beginning. He’s such a good, biddable puppy and he fits right in.
But then, isn’t that the goal of a breeding program; to create dogs that compliment a home?
