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A blue merle Border Collie walks through a backyard pumpkin patch while an older man in overalls follows behind, smiling. 22 / 39

Grandpa Earl Went to Check on His Pumpkins. Skye Insisted on Leading the Tour.

AI imageborder colliepumpkin patchautumn

Orange pumpkins dot the yard like scattered lanterns, tucked among curling vines and crunchy brown leaves. Skye has taken the lead on this autumn stroll, padding toward the front with her speckled coat ruffled by the breeze and one pale blue eye catching the light. A few steps behind, Grandpa Earl follows in his plaid shirt and overalls, smiling to himself as he surveys this year's harvest. The little white house and its tired late-season garden frame the whole scene, and the air practically smells of fall.

Pumpkin season is fun for dogs, too, with a few sensible precautions. Plain cooked or canned pumpkin, with no added sugar or spices, is often given in small amounts as a fiber-rich treat, but avoid pumpkin pie filling, which contains sugar and spices that are not meant for dogs. Raw pumpkin rinds and stems are tough to digest, and pumpkins that are rotting or moldy can make a dog sick, so keep an eye on what gets nibbled in the patch. Around Halloween, carved jack-o'-lanterns with lit candles are a burn and tipping hazard, so battery-operated lights are a safer choice when pets are around.

For now, Skye seems content with sniffing the pumpkins rather than eating them. Herding dogs have a habit of walking just ahead of their people and checking back, and she looks like she is doing exactly that, making sure Earl keeps up.

Soon there will be pies to bake and porch steps to decorate. Today is just for wandering through the patch together.

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