Puppy's joyful zoomies in snowy forest delights her family

Raven is a Great Dane puppy with tremendous energy. Like all big dogs, she loves her off leash time in this isolated, snowy forest. It's a little piece of heaven in Ontario, Canada, full of trees, a babbling brook, rolling hills, and long trails for exploring. She comes here once or twice per day to sniff and run with complete freedom.Show more

Raven has been working hard on her training, and she comes when called, especially if there are treats involved. So, when her family brings her to this quiet spot, she can run with reckless abandon. Doing this where other people might come along, or where other dogs might be present is not possible with a giant dog with Raven's enthusiasm. She is very friendly, but she is also likely to run straight into somebody and cause a misunderstanding or an injury.

Raven lives with a smaller dog named River. River is a rescue who has a serious heart condition. Although they play very well together and love each other immensely, Raven doesn't understand how strong she is and how easily hurt River is. This is why Kristy steps out with her leg to shield River from a collision. But Raven has no idea that her 65kg (130 lbs) of solid muscle is like a freight train bearing down on poor little River.

With a joy that only a puppy can display, Raven romps through the snow drifts and runs circles around her family. This is her normal reaction when the leash comes off. After burning off some energy, she settles into a nice walking pace and follows along with much better manners. Raven is sporting a leather mitten with duct tape on one of her front paws. The oversized mitten is adorably clumsy as she plows through the deep snow. Raven had a minor surgery on her toenail and the mitten provides added protection on long treks like this one. Her family will hike 5km (3 miles) but Raven will cover at least 10km as she follows and explores. She will sleep solidly for several hours on the couch and then they will do this one more time.

Raven is living the good life and it brings her family tremendous joy to see her so happy!