Solo time with Jackson

Yesterday I decided to take Jackson hiking, just by himself. Up until now, any car trip has been in Greg's SUV, because the travel crates easily fits inside. My Honda Accord is a lot smaller than his Ford Expedition, so by default he has the "dog car." I also have leather seats, so I'm a little weary of having the pups sit on them for fear that they will claw them up. Had I known that I would have two pups in my life, I would have made a different choice two years ago when I bought my car. And don't get me wrong- I love my car- it's beautiful and reliabale and suits me just find. It's just not conducive to having dogs. If I were to get a new car now, I'd get a 2010 Subaru Outback (plenty of room and the hatchback sure would come in handy!). Though I've never really considered getting a Honda Element, this totally has my heart! How adorable is that?

So, yesterday I lined my backseat with a blanket and led Jackson into my car. The nice thing is that he can actually climb right into my car. (Greg's SUV is so high off the ground that we have to pick the boys up to put them inside. And when they come out, they literally JUMP into our arms.) Jackson laid right down in the backseat and enjoyed the ride. He's always been great in the car, so that didn't really surprise me. We got to Gambrill and went on our way down the green trail. He was awesome, and it was nice to just have one pup there for a change. We ran a little bit (I'm not supposed to run them much as their hip and leg muscles are still developing so much) and had a great hike. It was also freakishly hot out, so we stopped for frequent water breaks (they pups like to drink right out of the bottle!).

By the time we got back to the car, he was pooped. I put him in the front seat on the way home (which is only a 10-minute drive) and he seemed happy and comfortable and was laid-back as ever. I managed to snap a few photos from my Blackberry, because he just looked so cute and content.

I'm taking Lance out today, so we'll see how that goes. Lance gets nervous in the car, so I'm hoping he'll be okay for the ride. We will see...