Add one dog

Larsen and I played hooky today and went for a walk at Lake Allatoona.  It's a favorite place, just north of Atlanta, where Larsen can run in the woods and there is a remarkably clear and deep lake to keep him cool.  I thought I'd give you a sense of what it means to take a walk at Lake Allatoona.

We bring plenty of water, because there are areas of the trail that pull away from the lake and with 6:00am temperatures of 79 degrees, working their way to the high 80s by the end of the hike at 10:00am, the little guy gets overheated very quickly.

The blue bucket holds a favorite: ice water.

Plenty of towels for after the swim.







I usually bring a backpack with a few odds and ends that are useful when we go off the trail or when he freelances.  Here is today's load, with a list going counter-clockwise starting at about 12:00.

Items for the trek.

• Eye wash and a few first-aid items
• BackTrack compass
• Small PAS camera
• Blunt-nosed scissors
• Acme 210 1/2 spaniel whistle
• Leatherneck folding branch clippers
• Sheath for Leatherneck
• Dog tags
• Flash light
• Fetch Dummy
• British choke lead
• More first aid items
• Compass & lanyard

There are also the usual additonal items: collars with my cell phone number on it, the e-collar (today), an extra leash.  I also have a first-aid kit that travels in the car with a few items such as hydrogen peroxide (to induce vomiting or to clean a wound) and some bandage pads that I can use for more serious injuries and until I can get Larsen to the vet.

First aid kit



I didn't need any first aid today, but I used the blunt-nosed scissors to cut out a thorny branch that was impossibly tangled in Larsen's fringe.

What a tangle!