I hope you don't think I'm a pest with these, but I just love her so much and she is such a wonderful dog that I just like to share her adventures. The end of September, we went on a week long camping trip up to the U.P. At first I questioned if it was a good idea, but she enjoyed every minute of it. She is game for anything, and so well-behaved. She was great company. Jaspen is a "kid magnet" and got more than enough attention wherever we went. I met one little girl on the beach on Lake Huron and the next day we were in town and I heard "It's Jaspen!" The little girl emerged from the crowd and gave her a hug. We camped every night and she did great in the camper, even tho it is small. The funniest thing was when we were at a state park and I was looking at a Wolf display. I was reading about the wolf and she sat down and stared at the guy next to us and barked. I wondered why, till I saw he was eating an ice cream cone. She LOVES ice cream and thought he should share. We both got a laugh out of it, but she was serious so after our walk we shared a cone. She loves to "creep" on the other campers and watches then out the window of the camper every morning. Jaspen has had a tug of war going on inside her for awhile now. Water and what it's all about. Me and the vet think she is Lab crossed with hound (perhaps Plott) and the Lab in her wants to go into the water, but the hound - not so much. She likes to wade, but hates waves. She just doesn't understand them and I think she might think in some way they are chasing her! When she was sitting on my lap by Lake Michigan, I couldn’t help wondering what was going through her mind. She has waded in 3 of the Great Lakes and we're going for all 5! With her (lengthy) nose, she explores! I cannot imagine all the smells she found along Lake Michigan in the rocks. Last week we went up to our favorite campground up at Clam Lake. We were the only ones there so the dogs ran free to swim and explore while I fished. The first day Jaspen went into the river a little but wasn't sure about it. We had so much fun, we went back the next day. While I fished they explored nearby. Jaspen would go up on the bank and sniff in the woods, then you would here her coming - on a thundering run - and she would run right into the river and splash around. She waded half way out into it and thought she was pretty brave to climb up on a rock and jump in. She is just like a little kid. She is growing so fast. The last time we were at the vets, she weighed 60 pounds and she had just turned 6 months old. She is my best friend and goes everywhere with me. She has so much patience waiting in the truck and doesn't destroy it while I’m shopping. She is so much company and so funny to have around. Once again I thank you for this wonderful little dog. Lynn
