Dear Dudley

Follow the weekly pen-pal letters between Charlie and Dudley as they discuss life as dogs. Dudley lives in Massachusetts with his owner, Sarah Kilgallon, who leads dogs on wilderness trail hikes through pristine conservation land. You can view her blog at: http://trail-dogs.com/blog

Dudley's letter:  http://trail-dogs.com/blog/2013/06/23/dear-charlie-love-dudley-june-22-2013/


Dear Dudley,
So glad to hear from you again buddy! Sorry that you have been busy and left at home while your mom walks. I hate it when I get left home! That is a huge bummer that you don't get to go on Vacation. What are you going to do? Do you get to have a Sleep-Over at a friend's house? My mom left for 2 whole days once and I cried the whole time. I bet you are going to be really sad too. But I am sure your mom will give you lots of treats when Vacation is over!

We have had tons of rain too! That is crazy that we live so far apart and we BOTH got lots of rain. Weird. I love your picture of swimming on the trail - it looks fun! Mom doesn't like all the rain because it makes the trails muddy and there are lots of mosquitoes. I haven't had to SWIM on a trail yet though - that is pretty cool! I love swimming.

We started our Big Hiking Project last weekend and I got to see some really cool Wilderness! But I also had ticks crawling ALL over me! Mom was really freaked out and worked very hard to get them all off. I held really still because I did not like the creepy-crawly feeling of them. It took a long time to get them off and I had to take a bath too. Yuck.

This weekend we went on a new trail and there were less ticks. Mom and me were both glad. I got VERY tired on this trail though because it was HOT out! Mom says I need to do some "conditioning" to get ready for longer hikes. I don't know what "conditioning" is but I hope it doesn't have anything to do with baths. I hate baths.

I'll give you some tips on how to stay cool if you are too hot: go out in the backyard and dig a small hole, then lay down in the wet dirt. When the hole gets too warm, move to a different spot and dig another hole. This works great but sometimes Mom puts me in the bathtub afterwards. I hate baths.

Love & Kisses,
CHARLIE

p.s.  Another fun thing to keep yourself cool is to chew on the garden hose when Mom is trying to water the garden or fill the bird bath. It is a Fun Game because Mom chases me around while I run away with the hose in my mouth, plus I get to have fun with the water! You should definitely try this. Or dig holes.

Here is a picture of me swimming. I get to wear a Float Coat so I can swim as long as I want without getting tired!