The Birthday Girl

Today Bracken is 11 years old. I can hardly believe that it is almost 11 years ago I spotted her in the puppy pen at the dog sanctuary. I was making my Christmas visit when I saw her amongst her five other siblings. It was love at first sight, she was the one and we were lucky enough to take her home in the new year. Her mother, heavily pregnant, had been taken to the sanctuary the night before (bonfire night), giving birth to 6 puppies on the 6th. Imagine her distress. Anyway I met her, she was a delightful little dog who also had been found a home by the time I saw her.
It was such a beautiful day today we went a walk taking a diversion to a favourite route. Bracken enjoyed her walk even though the ground is saturated and very muddy in places. The sky was bright blue and the Autumn colours just glorious in the sunshine. There were lots of photo opportunities but it had to be Bracken today whatever else I took. Here she is waiting by the water splash in the village of Thirlby. The water wasn't very deep so she enjoyed wading in to retrieve sticks, it also was very useful in washing off all the mud!