The dog blog here

Another day of Callie pictures. What can I say? It's what we do right now. Along with cooking and watching tennis on TV (the Roland Garros tournament ended yesterday, and Walt is going through withdrawal). Oh, and set up the new computer. It's all running now, and I've been using it for e-mail and blogging for a few days now. The old PC is history.

Walking through the vineyard, 10 June 2007

So yesterday afternoon, during the tennis finals, I decided it was my turn to take Callie for a walk out in the vineyard. I put the harness on her and got the retractable leash and my camera. The weather was warm and muggy, and there were some big storm clouds but I figured we wouldn't go too far.

Hoping the walk is over, or at least that the leash will come off now

As soon as Callie saw the leash, she started looking for places to hide. I finally had to scoop her up in my arms and carry her out the back gate. Once out there, I clipped the leash to her harness and we started walking. I tried to walk on the gravel road but she didn't want to do that. She wanted to go down a row among the vines, so we did. She would walk some and then just stop and sit down.

At one point, I figured I would just keep walking and pull her behind me. Since she's on a harness and not her collar, there's no risk of choking her to death. I looked back and there she was, lying on her back with her feet waving in the air, just letting me drag her along in my wake. Sigh.

Letting herself be dragged down the row

Oh, the first thing that happened when we went out was that I saw our neighbor Annick standing out on the road in front of her house, obviously talking to somebody I couldn't see. I walked over the introduce her to Callie, and Callie actually followed along on the leash for that visit.

Annick was talking to Chantal, another neighbor. Both were out working in their gardens. Chantal and Annick are both about my age and both have lived here at La Renaudière for many years. Chantal had already met Callie, but both women petted her and seemed to enjoy Callie's affectionate advances.

A puppy with a purpose: heading home along the road

Back out in the vineyard, once I got Callie off her back and we turned around to return to the house, she was fine walking on the leash. She just wanted to go home. It wasn't the most successful walk but, as they say, little steps. Petit à petit, l'oiseau fait son nid. She will get used to it.

Callie had a big growth spurt last week. She's getting taller and taller. You can see how long and lanky she is in that last picture. When she wants to jump up on my lap these days, it's kind of awkward.