Cooper's Muttluks....

The first week of January came and went and it was a quiet one.  The weather was certainly good, especially yesterday.  We went on many walks with Cooper this past week, yesterday being probably our longest walk so far, 70 minutes, at a brisk pace.  Cooper now walks almost perfectly on a loose leash, as a result he walks quite fast and we find ourselves having to keep up with him.  Russell and I figured that we now walk about 11 hours per week. We continue using his PawZ rubber boots, which work well, but we also bought Cooper Muttluks,  fleece lined booties made of nylon exterior and leather soles, with self tightening velcro reflective straps.  The first time we put them on, he hopped like a jackrabbit for about 5 minutes, and we weren't sure if he would like them but he does.   Although the rubber booties work well, they do not protect from the cold and do not have traction.  Many people were impressed with the fact that Cooper actually likes his Muttluks. The secret to his liking the Muttluks was to condition him to booties using the PawZ which he adapted to right away. Not many dogs like booties - maybe they need more conditioning. These booties will certainly work well in Huntsville. So we alternate between both types of booties, depending on the weather.

Some blog readers may find that I am rambling on about the booties and Cooper. I actually find that this is good information to share with dog owners for future reference.

Cooper now has many friends that we see on a regular basis during our walks:  Cosmo (6 year old Springer Spaniel), Buddie (13 year old miniature Poodle), Mickey (7 year old Pomeranian cross), Titan (4 year old Rottweiler), and Willow and Wilson (4 and 2 year old Great Danes).  I will have to invite them all for Cooper's first birthday in May!

I don't have much to report on the log home front, other than the Hydro is about to be hooked up to our lot. This process took longer than expected, mostly due to some bureaucracy that got in the way.  This week, we plan on having a conference call with Matt to get an update on the construction of our home and timing of next steps.

Before I end this blog, I must tell you that Russell and I are currently reading an amazing book entitled "Following Atticus".  A must read!  The book is about an extraordinary friendship between Tom Ryan and his miniature schnauzer companion, the "Little Buddha", called Atticus.  Together, they hiked 48 peaks in New Hampshire and went through a lot of adventures.  We are not done reading the book yet but it has brought many tears to our eyes so far ( I expect to finish the book in a few days).  This book gives a new meaning to the friendship that develops between a dog and his owners and to life in general.

On that note, I wish you all a great week ahead.