My hound

Today Henry went on a 4 mile run with me and Chris completely off leash! We like to take him to Mantua Reservoir and run around it, it's a great little run with the lake on one side and mountains on the other and I'm sure thousands of interesting smells. I love running with Henry off leash - mostly because it gives my arms a rest - and partly because he's so happy to be free to roam. His best pal Murphy (the black hound/lab in the pictures) will sprint up ahead, turn around on his heels, and sprint back the whole run, but Henry stays a consistent 50 feet in front of us trotting down the road. He rarely goes off the trail, stops to sniff, or sprints around. He's so consistent it's almost like he has a super long leash attached to him. If he gets a little too far ahead for our comfort we'll call him back and he stops, looks, trots about halfway back and then keeps going if we keep running. If we stop he'll add in the extra effort of running all the way back to us.
I'm so thrilled we can all enjoy hiking and running together without him on a leash now. If we run on/near a road I keep him on but for the trails that are nowhere near any vehicle danger or mountain bikers I like letting him off. I also like if he gets too far ahead or around a corner he naturally stops and waits for us - what a perfect pup we have.

...and here's a picture we got of Henry snoopin' around for snacks. The bag was empty...we left it out for Henry's personal enjoyment of licking the inside and ripping it apart. We learned quickly Henry's favorite toys are old socks, empty water bottles, empty peanutbutter jars, and dog food bags - why buy a $20 toy when he likes trash more!? Obviously we still buy him tons of normal toys, but he honestly is more enthusiastic about trash...it must be his stray background.

And here are several pictures of Henry and his best pal, Murphy. They really are hilarious together...you can tell they absolutely adore each other. Henry's behavior toward other dogs has infinitely improved since hanging out with laid back Murphy. Henry is always improving but since I started dropping him off at doggy daycare once a week with Murphy and letting him have play dates a few time a week I've really seen it skyrocket. I haven't heard Henry bark at another dog unless they're playing in weeks! Henry also has a new Golden Retriever friend in our apartment complex named Charlie. He's just a few months old but they love wrestling in the snow. If Henry hears or sees Charlie while he's outside he literally drags me over to say hi. It's awful when I'm in my pajamas in the morning but I'm delighted he has so many dog friends now...Murhpy is still my all time favorite. 

Murphy's favorite thing is licking/biting Henry's ears...it makes for a slobbery mess when Henry returns the favor

Murphy spent the night a few days ago. I dragged his HUGE doggy bed up 3 flights of stairs so he would feel more at home...and Henry took the liberty of making himself comfortable. Despite our best efforts, Murphy ended up sleeping on the floor

A winter hike with the boys!