Pregnant ladies and Arthur

Hello Everyone, If Golden Retrievers have a fault, it's that they set unrealistic standards for how excited a dog should be to meet a stranger. It's great that a Golden will be beside itself with excitement for every single new person it comes across, but it's not fair to expect every dog to be a walking love machine. Some dogs just don't really care that much about strangers. Dogs like Arthur. It's not that he never cares or is oblivious to strangers, it's just that unless they are family or happen to have a piece of chicken in their pocket, there's not much there to get excited about. He's come across lots of people over the years. But just as strangers often want to touch a pregnant lady's belly, very often the people Arthur meets want to pet his head. What's even worse, is that he doesn't even like being pet on the head, unless he's laying it on you at 7 in the morning. He'd much rather a scratch behind the ears or on his rump. Usually, one of two things will happen. Either he'll be cornered and the stranger will get their petting in while he keeps his head down and looks at me. Or, he wanders right on by an outstretched hand. He definitely saw it, he's just not that into it. We have a lot in common, as I've remarked many times, and he leads a good life, but I think that part would drive me a little crazy, were I in his shoes. It would be like being famous and ridiculously handsome, and I'm quite content being only half of those things. Wes 

Photos 

The first is from a trail called Aspen Alley. It was well named.

The second is of Arthur at the end of the trail in front of what is likely some kind of old boiler but which I will forever believe is an old submarine. 

The last is of the road on which I'm camped.

Note, I may have uploaded one more than once. Can't seem to fix it.