Dakota settles in, and a new canine addition

Dakota is doing great. I lunged him several times in the new arena, and then one night the property owner was just leaving for a sunset trail ride as I arrived and invited us along. Dakota is always so sensible that I said yes, tacked him up, and off we went, even though he hadn't been ridden in twelve weeks. We had a lovely hack. Dakota's feet were a little tender on the gravel roads, so we moved up to the edges of the cotton fields. He was a total steady Eddie, walking calmly the whole way except for two quiet trot sets. What a good boy. He's on free choice grass hay from a round bale at all times, and he looks great.

Dakota's pasture mate is a quarter horse gelding named Shiloh. They are thick as thieves and completely adorable together.

There are also two mini donkeys on the property. Who doesn't love mini donkeys? They are a force to be reckoned with. One night one of the dogs was chasing a jack rabbit all over the property. The dog made the mistake of following the rabbit through the donkey pasture, and one of the donkeys charged and knocked the dog through the air about ten feet. The jack rabbit was relieved and managed to escape.

My GSP Sam passed away about six months ago, and I have really been missing him. I talked Ted into thinking about adding an adult rescue GSP, and while I think he was a little hesitant to add a fourth dog, he agreed. We found a beautiful boy in Amarillo named Duke, and we've had him for two weeks now. He had a rough start in life and is fearful of many things, but we've already seen a lot of progress. He's a sweetheart and a clown. We love him to death. And all four dogs are living in harmony.