Howl-o-ween Fall Fun

I had a busy and hard week at work.  Coupled with cold, rainy weather, I really had a tough start to the week.   Changes at work, lots of things to get done, and the poor weather also made it difficult for us to get out to do much and that just isn't good for any of us.  We didn't even get more than two miles away from the house between Sunday and Thursday evening.  

Luckily on Tuesday, the rain held off long enough for us to get out for a lunchtime walk at Benjamin Davis Park, just down the road from home.  The colors were really pretty at the park, and we made it back to the car just as it started to rain again.  We all enjoyed our mid-day walk and I think at least one day a week, we're going to make this part of our regular routine.  

I feel like I spent most of the week with Peaches hovering close by and staring at me a lot.

Mina kept busy harassing Peaches, hiding chewys, chasing balls, and playing with her treat toys.  She is really pretty good at keeping herself occupied and she's quite the busy little puppy most days.  

Nether of them like the rain, so neither of them wanted to spend much time outside when it was raining, but they did get some time outside.  We also did some short car rides.  They always like a ride in the car, no matter how far we go.  While we didn't get out for many long walks, I must have done something right because the girls put themselves to bed shortly after sunset every night.

Thankfully, by Thursday evening, the rain stopped and the weather began to improve.   After seeing that Thursday nights were dog-friendly nights at the Jack 'O Lanterns Unleashed event at the fairground, I decided to buy a ticket and head out to Mason with the girls for a little Halloween fun.  

The jack-o-lantern displays were pretty cool and it wasn't too busy, so we took our time to enjoy the displays.  

It was a little over a 1/2 mile walk and after our fist slow walk around, I decided we'd go for a little faster second walk around the path.  

There were lots of interesting things for the girls to smell and lots of people stopped to say hello to them.  They had a great time and I was really glad that we went.

I even let someone take a picture of me with the girls as we were leaving.  I was pretty happy about how well this turned out!  I still hate getting my picture taken, though!  

Friday was a beautiful sunny day, so I made plans to head to Marshall after work.  We started our adventure to Marshall with a walk along the Marshall Riverwalk.  

I always enjoy a Fall evening walk here and this walk didn't disappoint.  It was a gorgeous evening for a walk.  

The girls were having a fantastic time...Fall always gives them lots of great things to smell.  And I was enjoying all of the pretty colors.  These red maples always make me happy.

We moved quickly and were able to get in a three mile walk by sunset.  It was a great start to our weekend.

After our walk, I stopped for dinner at Oye Amigos in downtown Marshall.  I good taco salad and some buttered tortillas hit the spot.  

After dinner, I got the girls out of the car and we walked down the street to the Holiday House.  This house is pretty awesome.  They decorate it for most Holidays, but I have only seen it at Christmas before this.  I was glad I had made the trip to Marshall to see it decorated for Halloween.  

We then took a short walk around town to see the skeleton displays.  We even ran into a fun group of Witches out on the town.  It was a good night.

Saturday morning I started my day at the animal shelter for our Saturday morning Dog Walking club.  We had a nice walk.  Afterwards, I decided I had time to take Trillium out for a Sniffari.  The Sniffari program at the shelter allows approved dog handlers to take a dog out on the town for a fun adventure.  Trillium and I walked around downtown Mason, visited a couple of the businesses that welcome dogs, and then stopped at Biggby for a pup cup before heading back to the shelter.  I think Trillium had a great time.  She's a bit shy and needs to build her confidence so I think I'll take her out again next week if she's still there.  She such a sweet little girl.

When I got home, I had some fun planned for the girls.  The first stop of the day took us to REO town for the Howl-lo-ween event put on by a local rescue.  

There were businesses handing out treats for the dogs and some dog-friendly fun like bobbing for balls, a pumpkin pie eating station, and paw print painting.  Look how talented they are!

Our second event of the day was a trick or treating event at the Capital Area Humane Society.  We got there a little early and had to wait for it to start, but we were first in line when the event finally did start.

They had some Halloween decorations along the paths that they use to walk their shelter dogs and eight treat stations set up along the way.

The weather was perfect and the views were pretty too.  The girls and I both really enjoyed this event.  We were spaced nicely, so we didn't see anyone else along the trail and really got to enjoy our walk.  I really hope they decide to do this again next year.

By the end of the day, Mina had completely caught on to the meaning of Halloween events.  She did so well meeting people and other dogs, was well-behaved, and I was very proud of her.   And the girls made quite a haul of goodies between the two events.

After a fun-filled Saturday, we spent Sunday at home.  I did some work around the house, including some extra cleaning of a couple of closets.  With the nice weather, the girls spent a lot of the morning outside.  We had a short mid-day siesta...I was trapped under Peaches while Mina napped on the couch.

Once they were rested up, we headed outside to do some work in the garden, to mow the lawn, and to enjoy the beautiful 70 degree weather.  

Mina and I even had some fun playing in the hose and then played several rounds of fetch.  It was a productive day, but we also had some fun.  

After dinner, Peaches was ready for some more snuggling.  She's been extra snuggly the last few weeks.  Maybe it's the changing of the seasons.  

Our weather should remain nice the rest of this week, although after 70s tomorrow it is going to cool down into the 50s and 60s...but that is much better than 30s!    I expect another busy work week, but we have big plans for some fun next weekend and I'm looking forward to it already!