Well hello Everyone!!!! Can you believe that the month of July is just about coming to a close already? The summer season always seems so short but I hope everyone's summer has been filling up with lots of fun and special memories!!! We can all hold on to those forever!!!! My summer has certainly been very awesome so far. July was a quiet month for us travel-wise and we've been sticking close to home but it's been a fun month nonetheless. One of the great things about living in Sussex County is that there are so many fun things to do, especially for an avid outdoorsman such as myself!
Mom and I have been hitting the local rail trails, including the Sussex Branch Trail and the Paulinskill Valley Trail, for our runs. Now that it's been so much hotter out, Mom's always sure to get us out first thing in the day and she's pulled back our daily mileage to about 3 or so miles rather than the 5 to 6 miles we were able to pull off in the Spring. Given that I won't cooperate with Mom when she's tried to stop me for water breaks, she has to be very careful that I don't overheat. There was a story that just got a lot of attention in the news about a family dog that was rescued from a trail near Los Angeles, CA. Please pay extra special attention to your furry family during this time of year!!! A good rule of thumb to remember is that if you're feeling the heat, your dog is feeling a much, much greater adverse effect from the heat. Don't forget that we are wearing fur coats after all!!! We also do not sweat and so the only way we can cool ourselves down is to pant. If you try it as a way of cooling off the next time you feel like you're baking in the sun (if you don't mind looking a little silly) you'll find that it's not the most efficient way to cool down, unfortunately for us. Make sure you always have water for your dog to either drink along the way and/or at the end of a walk or run and keep a close eye on how your dog seems. You know that we're typically up for any trek out and if we seem like we're not enjoying ourselves as we typically would, it probably means it's just too hot out for us. To keep the heat from curtailing my playtime too much, Dad keeps a kiddie pool filled up for me in the yard so that I can cool off in it as much as I need to when I'm playing outside.
During July, we have continued to enjoy the local produce from Sussex County's fantastic farms. We've been frequenting Windy Brow Farms every single weekend now that their peaches are in season. We've also been getting some beautiful blueberries there as well as squash, potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers, etc. Windy Brow makes their own ice cream too and I can definitively say that our whole household gives the stuff two paws/thumbs up!!! Mom always gets something she can share with me, which means no chocolate, which is kind of a bummer for Mom as both she and my Dad are true chocoholics (which is defined as someone who is excessively fond of chocolate....I place fond but extra emphasis on the word excessive when I use it to describe my parents, especially my Dad). Mom and I immensely enjoyed the new Peaches and Cream flavor when we were at Windy Brow just yesterday to stock up on our produce for the week.
Well that's all I have to report for my very low-key but fun July!!!! I hope you all are having just the very best summer and I look forward to sharing what I get myself up to during the month of August. Until then, have more fun and stay cool, both literally and figuratively! :)
With lots of love and sloppy puppy kisses,
Piper, The Rescue Mutt
