Andrew Schrauben

This morning I worked on organizing some files for the 2006 Mach League season, waiting for the temperature to warm up. It was just 20 F at sunrise but by noon it had warmed to 33 F and the sun was out. Time for my weekly long run...



This time I took Haven with me while poor Beacon stayed home, watching us leave through the window (see photo above) and whining. Amanda was riding the stationary bike again while I ran. Haven and I ran my usual North Country Trail route up to Fallassburg park and back, 11.6 miles. She had a blast! And she was very obedient, too. She never ventured more than about 100 feet away and the few times we came upon other people or dogs on the trail, she returned to me when I called. I was also teaching her to return when I blew a whistle, which she picked up easily. One time a bird cheeped and Haven thought it was my whistle and she came running back! Every time we approached a road I'd stop to leash her up, otherwise she was able to run free. After about 7 miles she started looking tired, and after 10 miles she was actually lagging behind me! She was so worn out. When we finally got home she just plopped down against the sofa and lay there for a while (see photo below). I'm looking forward to taking Beacon out there sometime!