The Labraduo

We've had an incredibly snowy springtime, as you've seen from my photos. It has been a record year for spring snow but it's not as extraordinary as you might think. We rely on spring snow to feed our forests and flowers, and to help prevent forest fires. You might remember the terrible fire year that 2012 was in Colorado. We are all hoping that these big spring snows will help mitigate that danger.

In that spirit, we mountain dwellers appreciate the snow, even if we are (secretly) eagerly waiting for warm and sunny spring weather!

The Labraduo and I took a sunset hike through the snowy meadow and forest last night. Due to the stormy weather this spring, I've rarely had good sunlight to photograph them together in the evening. And, as you know, R goes on the trails with the Runner in the morning so he's "unavailable" for photos then!

The two of them have developed a strong bond. It seems as if they've worked out their small differences, like Shyla's intense play style, and they love being together.

Shyla has remained a petite Labrador. Indeed, most people who meet her for the first time assume that she's a mix of Lab and something smaller. You can really see the difference between the two in these photos. R weighs 13 pounds more than Shyla, and R is not a big Lab (he's 58 pounds).

It's been a little tough throughout R's enforced restricted activity to let his elbow heal. It's taken close to 6 weeks so far, and we are just now starting to allow him to be off-leash for short periods. Shyla seems to miss playing with him in the forest immensely.

Indeed, this morning, Shyla suddenly launched herself off a boulder when she spotted the Runner and R approaching from a distance. She was hoping that R could play with her... but the footing was too tricky with the partially melted and frozen snow so R remained on leash.

We hope that R's return to full speed will be soon. I stretch his elbow daily, and I've taught him to wave with each paw to help maintain his range of elbow motion. We're giving him regular glucosamine injections plus oral glucosamine and other supplements daily. With all those things in his favor, we're hoping to put off an arthroscopic "clean-out" surgery for his elbow for a long time. I'm cautiously optimistic!

Now, perhaps, we can have some springtime!