Growing Pains

I have a friend Pat that has a Labradoodle. Pat and Karma would walk with Dede my former first mate that passed in her sleep on the boat after 14 years of faithful service and Dede and Karma would play several times a week. So without Dede I didn't do much dog walking. Most dog walkers have a regular route and a schedule. After Smarty Pants Frances (AKA) The Bean or simply Beanie bought me a puppy I started to start looking around for Pat and Karma but never saw the two out walking.

Hansome Happy posing

Finally two weeks ago I saw them and Happy got to meet them. Karma was larger (taller) that Happy by maybe two inches.

Riding with the dog can be dangerous

This morning we saw them again in the park and I am pretty sure Happy is taller now than Karma.

Happy Tongue

The dog and I. He is almost seven months old and is still a pup but he is larger than most all the dogs we see during our morning walks. Our schedule starts when the sun rises which is so much better now when he was very small and had no bladder control or pooping machine. He climbs the ladder from our cabin after I remove the drop boards. He then wanders around the dock looking for small crabs that live here. We climb up the gangway depending on what tide it is and Happy goes to the green patch of grass between the two marinas.

watching crows

As he has gotten older he doesn't have the urgency to pee or poop after spending the night in our sailboat. He would rather explore or meet people. This morning he as waiting at the gate for me and was getting petted my a mother and daughter from New Mexico. Happy has lots of friends that  know him my his doggie name of Happy not Stinker or butthead as he is often called.

Happy likes to meet other dogs

We have been to the local dog park in San Pedro but it is about two miles away and we live across from a large city park that has no shortage of grass, dirt and other dogs. There are several marinas in San Pedro where we live and there is a sidewalk that runs around it. So all day long people stroll, ride their bikes or walk there dogs. 

Off lease in park

German Shepherds are not known as bird dogs but Happy loves to chase them. There are Ground Swallows or Bridge Swallows that fly close to the ground and often tease Happy. He loves to chase the swallows but in an open area there can be other dogs that distract him which makes for more chasing that this old fart needs.

Happy loves cones

In the grass between the marinas there are gophers. The fresh dirt in the morning smells tasty to Happy and he is always ready to dig the gopher hole deeper. The city park people put cones on top of all three holes. Happy thinks they are chew toys.