payton makes a new friend

payton, our 11 month old rhodesian ridgeback, is still growing. i weighed him about 2 weeks ago & he weighed 82 pounds. his dad was just over 100 pounds & his mom was 85+ so we are expecting him to put on another 15+ pounds at least. of course with all the walking, running, playing at the dog park, & eating super healthy organic dog food that kristin insists on it's a wonder that he weighs as much as he does. payton is nothing but muscle; i'm actually quite jealous of how lean he is. he makes me want to go to the gym more.

as kristin's marathon training requires her to put in more miles i've been doing more & more dog walking/running than previously. the walks around the neighborhood are quite peaceful & relaxing. it's actually a nice way to wind down after work & it clues me into what's going on in our little neighborhood.

when we aren't able to hit the trail for a run & i'm short on time for a walk payton gets to hang with his friends at the dog park just two blocks from our house. payton is quite the pain when around other dogs too. he's actually great with the other dogs; it's us that he chooses to ignore. i've been spending extra time to ensure he starts coming when we call him.

usually payton dominates the park. he's definitely got the most energy, he's usually the biggest dog out there, & with the ridge on his back he just stands out in a way that catches the attention of all the other owners. this past friday, payton finally met his match.

there was a one year old great dane at the park & he was just massive. he wasn't just big, he was very lean, had a great shiny coat, & was just so masculine looking. he was very friendly with payton & the two were playing for a good 30 minutes non-stop. however, the great dane was just so much bigger & stronger than payton that he would roll payton every time the two tangled. while it looked aggressive at times the two were definitely just having fun. of course later that night we noticed a few new scratches & bruises on our pup. i suppose he's got to learn that playing rough with the wrong dog will leave him with some bumps & bruises.