She looked cold on a brisk fall day, so I wrapped her baby blanket around her.

Scout and I continue our morning adventures. The weather has been beautifully cool and crisp in the mornings. But the water was still comfortable enough to dip my toes in for a bit.

Scout is doing great. I was hoping these walks, far from our usual routine, would take my mind off Bixby. Walking through the neighborhood, everyone always makes an effort to say hello and often comment on how much they miss Bixby. Me, too.

So, we needed to get away. And away helps me notice things about Scout as we work together. She relied heavily on Bixby as her guide in the world and she’s actually struggling to find her way without him. These explorations have been good for us, I can see where she needs more confidence and also where she needs a bit more training. She followed Bixby’s lead in most things, which worked well for us, he loved having a groupie and she was just a breeze to train because of it. But now we have to find our footing without him.

She’s outgoing on walks, not afraid of much, but can be timid with new routines or new experiences, like walking in the river. It takes her a bit to work up her courage, but she gets there. We get there. Before we know it, she’ll be alpha dog. Leading the way, bowing down only to her kittehs, whom she adores.

She’s still not playing at home – no tug, no fetch, a few zoomies. But she loves going on drives and is happy to snuggle on the couch. And she is ridiculously happy when the neighborhood kids come to visit and when she’s allowed to go out the front door, unleashed, to greet people, trusted to come back when she’s called. She knows it’s a big deal to earn that trust and it gives her hyper tail wags.

x-posted at Annie DeMoranville