R turns three!

Our Black Lab, R, has a birthday today. He was born three years ago, and landed in our pack shortly thereafter. As you can see, Ring arrived at about the same time, and R had a flare for the dramatic even way back then. The ring dwarfed R!

R held his own in a tug war over Ring, against his brother and sister. The trio was wearing their fancy Christmas collar covers.

He learned the nuances of play under the gentle tutelage of K.

R arrived in the middle of winter so he quickly learned about cross-country skiing in our snow-bound forest. He's spent the past three winters biting our ski poles and ski tips as we try to make forward progress. Last year, he refined his technique so he acted like a mature dog until I was precariously careening down an icy slope. Then, he'd rocket toward the ski tips to bite them while making loud snarling noises. By then, he was strong enough to wrench a ski in whatever direction he wanted so I'd end up skiing one-legged while trying to wrestle back control over my ski.

Although he's tended toward the wild side, he learned to stay in a sit long enough for a photo during that first winter, with his brother S and sister K. S crossed the rainbow bridge about 18 months later but patiently endured R's puppyhood and even seemed to enjoy him.

 

Although today is R's day, I started it with a walk through crunchy frost with my sweet K. She's acting as if her paw hurts much less all of a sudden, despite a tapering of her pain medications - an encouraging sign to me. However, it is tough to keep her from doing crazy things like jumping over bushes with no provocation.

K, ever the philosopher, contemplated how her world has tilted slightly on its axis due to R's energy over the past three years.

After K and I walked, R got his second outing of the day. He started his birthday with a short run and then he joined me for a short mountain bike ride. We climbed up to Hug Hill to see a new layer of snow coating the Divide.

He posed for me with his front paws on a stump as he gazed at the mountains.

Then, he turned his deep brown eyes toward me. Our bond has grown exponentially in the past few months as he's taken puppy steps toward maturity. R comes from field lines, and I'm told that field Labs often don't mature until they're 4 or 5 years old! Oh my!

Before heading home, we found a yellow aspen for a photo. Aspens with leaves are becoming scarce!

Just before arriving home, R sprinted through a grove of aspen skeletons, and his ears pointed straight toward the sky as he skidded to a halt before bowling me over.

It's also the Two Year Anniversary of R's elbow dysplasia surgery, a stupendous success! Tonight, it's filet mignon for dinner for the birthday boy!