Copyright © 2003 Trail Hounds. All rights reserved. Email webmaster |
Newsletter 2001 With the year 2001 coming to an end, we would like to take the opportunity to thank everybody for participating in the Trail Hounds walks. Without all of you and your pooches we wouldn't be able to make this dog walking club a success. Special thanks to Phyllis and her dogs Dylan, Tootsie and Mia, who joined us on the first walk and started it off on the right paw. The first walk was on May 19, 2001, it was a very hot and humid day. We had a few more hot days, but most of the times we had sunny and perfect walking weather. Only one walk was rained out, not bad. Special thanks to Bret for teaching me patiently how to create a web page. It is not the most professional web site yet, I am still in the learning process. Bret and his dog Gibson are always there to check out new trails. Our "Trail Hound" members range from a 9 pound Dachshund to a 93 pound Greyhound, what a variety! It is great to see so many rescued dogs in our group, purebreds from rescue groups, mutts from shelters - and all of them enjoy socializing with their new found buddies. No matter if purebred, mutt, small, big, slow or fast - every one of them is very special to us! On July 28, 2001 there were 18 dogs at the walk at Hemlock Bluffs Park in Cary! A long doggy caravan walked down the trails. We had another 18 dogs at Bond Park in Cary at the walk and the Frosty Paw doggy ice cream gathering! The camp outing at Umstead Park in Raleigh on Sept. 15/16, 2001 was great! We camped at the youth/group camp site which has a large fire ring in a very cozy wooded setting. We had perfect camping weather. After an afternoon walk on Sal's Branch Trail we put up camp, cooked dinner, sat around the camp fire and talked about our dogs. (Dog parents can do that for hours!) The smell of burgers, hotdogs and roasted marshmallows filled the forest. Thanks to Karen the smell got even better the next morning with bacon, eggs and coffee! On October 21, 2001 was or big trip to Pilot Mountain. The fall foliage was beautiful! After walking the easy trail around the pinnacle we decided that we could conquer the strenuous Ledge Spring Trail. And strenuous it was! At one point we had to form a type of assembly line to help the dogs slide down the steep rocks. Everybody enjoyed the beautiful views and the fresh mountain air, and the dogs were happy to be back in the car for a long snooze on the way home. We are planning more fun walks, day trips to the beach and mountains, camp outs and maybe a cookout for the next year. Any ideas and comments are always appreciated. We are looking forward to a fun 2002! "The Trail Hounds" |
Newsletter 2002 The new year started out with a new record, 19 dogs were at the Schenck Forest walk! And shortly after that we had another record at Bond Park in Cary: 21 dogs! In January we started the new Award Program for dogs to earn titles, bandanas, treats, and even gift certificates. So far we have award winners Bullet, GreenBean, Gibson, Tahoe, Sierra and Sweetie! They completed 10 Trail Hounds walks and received their "Puppy Paw" Certificate and a Trail Hounds bandana. Congratulations! In February a few Beach Hounds headed to Fort Fisher State Park for a fun walk up and down the beach. It was a beautiful sunny day with lots of wind. After the walk we had seafood (of course) at a restaurant while the dogs took a nap in the car. In March and April we had mixed weather, sometimes hot, sometimes cold. By the end of May it turned into summerlike weather, sometimes even too hot. On May 18th we celebrated our One Year Anniversary at our walk at Schenck Forest. Despite the rainy weather the dogs enjoyed a bath in the creek. Bullet, GreenBean and Gibson shared doggy treats and biscuits with everybody after the walk at the picnic shelter. Special thanks to Karen and Brian for the anniversary photo frame engraved with "Trail Hounds"! And many thanks to everybody who made "Trail Hounds" happen by participating and sharing ideas throughout the past year. Without everyone of you we wouldn't have such a great group of fun people and dogs! The Camp Hounds Outing was great. We had 10 Camp Hounds, and 2 Trail Hounds joining us for the afternoon walk. After the walk we finfished setting up camp and cooked burgers and hot dogs on the camp fire. The dogs supervised the cooking process and picked up any fallen crumbs and pieces to keep the area clean. The weather was absolutely perfect for camping. We sat around the camp fire until late night and told stories. Then we crawled into our tents and got comfortable. The next morning Karen and Brian cooked breakfast burritos for everybody, absolutely delicious! After breakfast we went for a little walk, packed up our tents and headed home. It was a great weekend! We broke our record once again at our Hemlock Bluffs walk in June with a total number of 24 dogs! And at Bond Park in August we had a whopping 30 dogs!! Thanks everybody, what a great walk! The first Trail Hounds Picnic at Crowder Park in September was great, 26 dogs enjoyed playing games and snacked on burgers, hot dogs and other goodies. Sylvie from K9Solutions taught us how to recall our dogs. We also played doggy games, best dressed dog competition, best tail wagger etc. It was lot of fun! Creating the Trailhounds Yahoo Group in October gave members a chance to post message with ideas and questions, get advice, exchange information or just share stories about their dog. It is a great way of communication. October 19th was our Mountain Hounds Day Trip to Hanging Rock. The day started out being very windy and cold, but soon changed to be nice and sunny. The breeze helped us keep cool during our hike up the steep rock. With a couple of breaks we were rewarded with a beautiful view! After taking a couple of photos we hiked back down to the picnic area and recovered for a little while. Crackers, cheese, sandwiches and juice gave us energy to check out the waterfall. The trails were short, but mostly steep rocks and steps. We had a good time and enjoyed the fresh fall mountain air. In November 2002 we had to say good-bye to our loyal Trail Hounds friends Karen and Brian with Tahoe and Sierra. They moved to Arizona where Tahoe and Sierra became desert hounds. They will enjoy living next to a dog park with a pond. Lorraine and her husband with Yogie and Lilly also moved to Arizona to check out the desert! We wish you all good luck in your new homes! Our Beach Hounds Trip in November to Fort Fisher was a total wash-out! It was raining all day. We still walked up and down the beach, and despite getting soaking wet we had fun. With great sadness we announce that Trail Hound Dylan crossed the rainbow bridge. He participated in our first Trail Hounds walk in May 2001 and several other walks. Thanks, Dylan, for starting the Trail Hounds on the right paw! We will always have a special place for him in our hearts. We hope everybody had a great holiday season and wish you a Happy New Year with lots of fun time with your dogs! We thank every one of you for a great 2002 and are looking forward to lots of fun walks in 2003! Thanks for walking with the Trail Hounds! |
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