A couple days ago we got our first snowstorm of the year. It's already melting, but Savvy got to go out and play around in it for two days. And he's absolutely in love with snow. Even though last winter his feet got cold and he didn't want to stay outside too long he still took advantage of every minute. Yesterday I (reluctantly) got up in the morning and took him out walking in the cold and windy weather and he had a blast pouncing and darting around in it, though there was only about 5" on the ground. R. started one of the snowmobiles to move it, and Savvy got all excited. I'm not looking forward to getting him to fit on one this winter.I promised to post pictures of Savage's new hooded sweatshirt. He should only need a coat in the coldest weather, and hopefully I'll find him warmer clothes for that. This hoodie I bought online, and this was the largest size it came in. Keep in mind that my 120lb puppy isn't even a year old yet and still has lots of growing to do. You can see how the hoodie is much shorter lengthwise than it should be, and too tight around the shoulder/chest area, which is why the collar isn't buttoned. The hood itself can't fit comfortably over his ears, even if I took out the elastic. Still, if he does get cold this fall, it will be useful just to preserve some of his body heat. Doesn't seem to restrict his movement at all, though when I first put it on him he wasn't too pleased. And it only cost $18 or so. Compared to most of my purchases for him that's nothing.

I don't ride a bicycle much (at all) but I thought biking with Savi would be an excellent way for both of us to get more exercise than our normal walks. A couple of problems presented themselves right away. To my surprise, Savage was quite a bit startled by the whole concept, having never seen his mama on wheels. I think he was worried I was going to take off and leave him alone. I was envisioning a leisurely ride with my dog trotting contentedly by my side. But it was not to be. He spends the entire time bouncing back and forth directly in the path of the tires, growling occassionally and pretty much wearing himself out. I'm worried he's a little obsessed, and I stopped riding and walked witht the bike when I started thinking he might overheat. (I'm not completely paranoid. It was really warm, even though it's October!) Once I got off the bike he stopped freaking out and allowed himself to sniff around off the gravel road and run ahead a ways.
Well, he did get a lot of exercise, so in that respect the biking episode was successful. My hope is that he will calm down a bit after we do a few more rides together.
Having my puppy to exercise and entertain does cause me to find new activities for us to do. Living and working in a tourist area, I find I don't do many of the things that the tourists come here specifically to do. Savage actually gives me a great excuse to explore the area. Yesterday we went on a hike through the forest, one that I've never done before. The trail leads to a huge magnetite rock sticking up out of the earth. It was really cool to be able to take time out of my day to just go hiking, because I would never have if I didn't have my puppy. In his own little way, he really opens me up to new experiences.

Since Savage wears the choke chain only for occassional training sessions now, and his blaze orange bandanna while hunting, we needed a comfortable everyday collar that also gave me a little control at the other end of the leash.The martingale-style collars work pretty well for that, but finding a cool-looking one was quite a search. I bought Sava his new collar from Shore Dog, which has a huge selection of wild fabric choices! (This fabric color is called "Groovy"). As you may know, I don't normally link to commercial sites, but I was so impressed with the product, selection of colors and sizes, and service I received from Shore Dog that I had to give them props on my site. Check 'em out!

Finally got my camera charger, and went crazy taking dane pictures today! So this is my baby Savage at almost 11 months old! It's hard to believe his first birthday is fast approaching. The picture below illustrates how far he's come. The difference between the two is 9 months, 20 inches of height, and 94 pounds of weight. Look at his little baby face! I am still absolutely in love with this dog!!