Hagrid's first swim!

Drove to CT over the weekend to celebrate mom's birthday. I buckled Hagrid in his Ruffrider Roadie harness, secured him to the middle back seat, and off we went. The seatbelt harness was a result of a previous trip to CT in which dad noticed that I allowed (!) Hagrid to ride on my lap. He was so disturbed by the potential of injury that it inspired me to do research on canine restraint devices. After searching high and low, I decided on the roadie. Hagrid took to it right away, my magic dog.

OK, great news for Mass Pike users: there are now dog walk areas at select exits! I did not have my camera handy, but next time I will be sure to snap a photo. There were no muttmitts, and some areas are bigger than others, but woohoo! and hurray! to whomever put the fenced in areas for our canine friends.

In CT Hagrid had a great time enjoying 24/7 access to a yard. I fed him outside and he immediately went to work on hiding his bone and digging holes. He also loves watching the birds and catching insects in the grass. We visited the O&G off-leash dog park in Southbury, CT, a spacious natural reserve for canines complete with trails, fresh water creek, green grass, and muttmitts. Hagrid went swimming for the first time. He followed a big, old golden retriever into the creek and paddled away to his happy heart's content. I was delighted. He knows how to swim! Again no camera nearby, but I promise pictures next time.