Playdate with Lexi and Jasper the Great Danes

Hi! It's Cinnamon.

Today we are enjoying summery weather, but until yesterday one question everyone in New Zealand had in mind was "Where has summer gone?"

Since the New Year's day, I hadn't seen the sun much. Having lots of rain every day didn't seem like such a bad thing for my Mum, as she didn't have to water her tomato plants and the grass didn't turn brown like it usually does in summer. But, that was a big problem for us! Lots of rain means shorter than usual walks for us. Nevertheless, we were lucky, because many of my friends sometimes couldn't go out for walks at all, as chances for walks were limited for their humans who don't work from home like our humans do.

However, fortunately it was not raining when Mint and I met up with our big friends Lexi and Jasper the Great Danes at one of our favorite parks, Auckland Botanic Gardens, last week. This park is a wonderful place for doggies and their owners. Although dogs have to be on leash in most areas of the park, there is one off-leash dog exercise area. In on-leash areas humans can enjoy browsing a huge variety of plants and trees in well-designed landscapes, while doggies can enjoy many different smells, including familiar smells, exotic smells, and intriguing smells. When we had a walk with Lexi and Jasper, we had a great time finding new smells as usual.

By the way, do you wonder how we play with such big buddies like Great Danes? No worries! I have had a wonderful Dane friend, Honey, since I was a puppy. So, I am used to Great Danes at least. As for Mint, he seems to have some difficulty in understanding the size difference. He has never been hesitant in front of big friends. So, look at this! He was trying to hump this big guy who we met on the walk, as well as our big friends Lexi and Jasper!

This big black dog looks puzzled, but Mint doesn't take any notice of it. *

Hey, Jasper, what are you doing? Have you found anything interesting? *

Let's see what Jasper has found (Jasper has already lost interest and walked away)

We never fail to do our job, sniffing!!

Mint fetches a ball only because ... *

... he can get some treat every time. *

Mint, behave yourself, at least in front of our friends! *

I am a big sister, so I need to watch what Mint is doing. *

We posed together for the camera after a great walk :-)  *

*) Courtesy of Lexi and Jasper's human

After the walk, our humans wanted to have a cup of coffee in the outdoor area of a cafe in the Visitor Centre (Dogs are not allowed in all areas under the roof), but all tables in the outdoor area had been taken by visitors with dogs. So, instead, they sat on a bench in a different area to have a chat before going home.

We had a wonderful time with Lexi and Jasper! I hope we can meet up with them again soon!!