Ballard!

After spending the Saturday in Seattle, I took our barker to Ballard where Kath was visiting our friends LeAnne and Rex. Quigley got to run around like he does in our house, but this time with the luxury of a backyard and patio. He surprised (and scared) me when he jumped from the bench on the patio onto the grass. He'd never been able to jump like that with us, and so I didn't know if he could make it. It was no sweat to him, and he landed it like a champ. If only we had a backyard that he could run around like that in. Oh well, at least with him running around our first floor, he doesn't have to get wet and/or dirty. =)

We had our 2nd 10K training session with LeAnne and Rex that day. Instead of 2 and 5 minute intervals (run/walk), it was 3/4 (run/walk). Q, however, had his own pace in mind. Parts of his pace involved weight-training for myself and resting periods for him.

After our run/walk, we decided it was time to chow down. We went to downtown Ballard to Zak's for some burgers and shakes. Q waited patiently outside with Kath, while we placed our order and then waited for the food to come out. He did very well meeting people and dogs during the wait. Once we got our food, we went to the park next to the Ballard Library. There were plenty of kids, younger and older, and some other dogs there. Once again, he did very well, even some skateboarders came by, he didn't seem fazed, unlike his usual scared-self around skateboarders.

Our final Ballard destination was All The Best Pet Care. This was an awesome pet store with very friendly people working there. I was interested in getting a toy called a "Bob-A-Lot", which is a wobbly, treat-dispensing toy, with the same effect as a Buster Cube. Q wasn't so successful with the Buster Cube (it's just too big right now), and I had no idea if Q would want to play with the Bob-A-Lot, so I wasn't sure if I should purchase it. Well, the pet store had the best thing ever... a toy testing area where your pup can demo various toys sold in the store! We tried to see if Q had interest in some toy, which he kinda did, but when it came to the Bob-A-Lot, it seemed to keep him interested, so that sold me on it. =) Q even met some more dogs while playing around. He tried to play-bite at an older dog, but didn't get too aggressive. He also tried to share the Bob-A-Lot with a more aggressive Golden Lab puppy, who barked, growled, and bit at him. I was happy about that encounter though. He backed away at the right times, but he stood his ground so that he could play with the toy as well.

That last stop was a great way to end our day in Ballard. Q got his new toy, and they actually gave us some different samples of pet food that we could try with it. We walked back to our cars, said our byes to LeAnne and Rex, and then made our way home. What an eventful weekend, Quigley. =)