Winters can be cold and snowy in Ohio, or at least sometimes. As we welcomed 2024, we began to see some of that snow and we could feel the cold, too. Although the season usually calls for us to settle in for a long winter, we couldn’t help but get out and have some fun. That fun included my granddaughter, Charlee. I had gifted her some cool, new hiking gear for Christmas and she was ready to get outdoors and try it out!
Bundled up in her new, warm hiking clothes, and Rocket in his own new sweater, off we headed to the local dog park. After hiking the trails, we took Rocket into the dog park where he could run freely with Charlee. Both are quite fast and both love to run!!!
As you may recall, Rocket loves his balls. Charlee, too, had a new love of balls as she began playing softball the previous summer. Put those two factors together and the fun was on!!! Charlee would throw the ball as far as she could, Rocket would chase it, and sometimes Charlee would try to beat him to the ball or chase him to get the ball back, and then they would repeat.
You might wonder where Frank was during all this ball throwing, running, and chasing. Well, Frank was laying low, sniffing around, and just enjoying a little peace and freedom to do his own thing. Rocket’s bullying with Frank had continued, and looking back, I probably noticed that it was getting worse. Rocket was becoming uneasy, too eager to “pounce” and just appearing to be a little more tense a little more often. As I thought about Rocket’s behaviors, I was grateful that he and Charlee shared a bond and that Rocket had never (nor has he ever to this day) ever, showed any aggression towards Charlee.
This day, in the story of Rocket’s life, was filled with fun, hard play, and the opportunity to rest and relax by the fire when we got home, and for the humans, a hot cup of cocoa and warm chocolate chip cookies would top off the day!!!