Labradoris

Cosette showing off some awesome moves, Jan 2008.

My breeder just sent me this pic.  These are the pups at 2 1/2 weeks old.  3 chocolates, 5 blacks, 1 female each color.  We've got our eyes on one of the chocolate males.

Today I had a neighbor stare at my ass.  Cosette is my witness, she saw him do it.  I had decided to procrastinate on studying for a test, and what better way to procrastinate than to do yardwork.  The area I live in is fraught with sweet gum trees and balls.  LG calls these "fight balls" because they are full of spikes and  hurt when you step on them barefoot.  Trust me on this one. 

Since the snow melted, all the fight balls from my roof had fallen onto my front porch and walkway, which, combined with the leaves I didn't rake up last fall, were driving me crazy.  I prepared to fight the fight balls themselves with a rake and bags, and darn it if I didn't put up a good fight.

I tied Cosette to a tree so that I wouldn't have to keep a close eye on her whereabouts.  I've kept her loose in the yard before, and she knows where to go and where not to go, but her limits are tested if another human/dog walks by on the sidewalk.  She just can't help herself.  Hence, leash to a tree.

I was busy raking up the fight balls and wet leaves when I straightened up to stretch my back.  That's when I realized my 80+ year old stroke victim neighbor was standing at the corner of my yard with his itty bitty dog.  Cosette was watching them intently, as they had not yet crossed the grass.  I smiled and waved, and he just looked back down at his dog and muttered something.  I shrugged and went back to work.  I kept glancing up, though, and noticing him just...standing there and staring at me.  Occasionally he'd make a comment to his dog, and his dog would just look up at him solemnly.  I decided that they must be discussing the size of my ass; otherwise, if he was critiquing my leaf and fight ball raking techniques, I might have thrown the rake at him.

He eventually wandered back inside his house, without a word to me.  What a strange afternoon.

Taken May 2008.

On Sunday, we decided to go with some friends to a local winery.  They were planning on heading down the wine trail, but we decided to stop after just one. 

That morning, we had all gone out onto the trail for a good hour+ hike on the snowy hills.  Cosette enjoyed herself and we threw plenty of sticks for her as she ran trailside.  When we returned home, she followed us with great interest around and around the house as we all got ready to go out to the winery.

We had LG with us - no babysitter available - so I agreed to stay outside in the pleasant weather with LG and Cosette while Joel stayed in the tasting room with our friends.  This particular winery sits upon a big hill, and at the bottom of the hill is a large pond.  When I first exited the car with Cosette and LG, one of my friends who had only met Cosette once followed us to the grassy knoll.  I had brought a tennis ball - and when I say tennis ball, it should echo in your mind with great fervor and splendor, with a beautiful ringing tone, just like it does for Cosette.  Tennis ball?  Tennis ball?  Do you want to play TENNIS BALL?!  Each syllable should be enunciated, with each pronunciation lilting higher than the last.  Right before I throw the ball, my pitch is so high that I think I might shatter glass...TENNIS BALLLLLL?!?  It drives Cosette bonkers and gets her hyped up like a proper Lab should be.  My friend watched in amazement as I hurled the ball straight down the hill and Cosette tore after it with reckless abandon.  We began making our way down the hill as she started to return with the ball in her mouth.  We arrived close down by the pond, and she dropped the ball at my feet.  I flung it into the water, and she bounded into the pond, all Lab energy bursting and stretching and moving.  My friend turned to me and proclaimed, "She's beautiful!  I can't believe she goes in the water like that!  Wow!!  She's just amazing!!  Look at her!!"  I shrugged off his comments like, "Yeah, well, she's a Lab and that's what they do!"  Meanwhile, my heart was singing inside.  After I've been around her for nearly 2 years, her boundless enthusiasm for her TENNIS BALL!? was a little, oh, routine for me.  But to watch her perform through the eyes of a person who is rarely around dogs, let alone big dogs, was thrilling.  I always cherish my dog, but this left a warm glow between Cosette and I long after my friend decided to venture up to the tasting room.

I threw that ball over and over and over again, watching her joyfully jump into the water with intent.  I later raced her up to the top of the hill - she won - and sat down so I could be near LG.  He was busy burying his Transformers in dirt.  I was initially going to scold him, but seeing a four-year-old messing with his two favorite things:  Transformers!  Dirt! was just too sweet.  I sat nearby and kept a watchful eye on him as I played with Cosette.

I kept throwing the ball downhill as far as I could, and Cosette, beautiful baby, would run after it, jumping over whatever was in her path so she could bring her jaws to a satisfying close around that TENNIS BALL!?.  We must have played like that for an hour.  Occasionally I'd let her take a rest, but she was so insistent that I throw it again that I indulged her retriever fantasies.  Over and over again I hurled that ball down the hill. 

There were people sitting drinking wine on the deck nearby, and although they were conversing with each other, all their eyes were on Cosette.  They couldn't stop watching that dark flash of beauty, all muscle and sinew, all pure joy and happiness, just enthralled with catching her ball one more time.  I wonder if her world happens in slow motion when she's retrieving; I know mine does.  She moves at warp speed but it's as if my perception is slowing her down, savoring her every move. 

After we returned home that afternoon, she slept as hard as she did when she was a puppy.  Sleepily moving from room to room, she kept us all in sight, but was content to lay by me while I worked.  Her soft snoring and the flittering of her paws led me to believe she was having just as good of a time in her dreams.  I couldn't stop staring at her soft head and droopy ears, the rise and fall of her ribcage, the soft line of her tail.  I finally wore her out, and it was so beautiful.

After one year, 10 months, and 9 days, I have let Cosette begin to have independence in the household.  Meaning, I let her have full reign in the house while I'm gone.  It's been in little spurts here and there.  A quick run to the grocery store, a longer evening with dinner and a movie.  Several occasions of her not destroying any of my property like young Labs are renowned for doing.

Sure, she swallows knee-high hose occasionally, but darn it if my cupboards aren't chewed through and doors aren't clawed at!  Hot damn, she even leaves the toilet paper roll alone. 

I haven't let her have complete freedom all day long if I know I will be gone for a long period of time.  Cause isn't that what you really want:  after a long stressful day, coming home to a wagging dog and pillows shredded?  I don't.  So I trust her for shorter periods.  And she's done really well so far!  She knows not to get on furniture unless invited, she doesn't chew or dig or scratch or destroy.  Now, she's had her fair share of "whoopsies," but hey, that was all puppy behavior, right? 

So I'm trusting her.  I'm trusting her to only greet me at the door with a big Lab grin, and with no wood splinters stuck in her teeth, or no couch filling coming out her butt.  No toilet paper in between the paw pads, either.  Nope.  Not at all.  This dog's going to be great.

I'm right in trusting her...aren't I?

LG throwing the tennis ball as hard as his little body could.  It's funny, because usually he can't hurl it very far, but this particular time he must have contorted his body enough to get a fair amount of force behind it.
Taken December 2008.

Cosette, 5 months old, working on her "down" command.

We decided to go hiking again this morning, and in a brief moment of clarity, we thought to bring makeshift sleds using plastic container tops.  We drove out to the same trail, excited and somewhat optimistic that the sun hadn't managed to melt the icy slopes we  had been on yesterday.

We arrived and saw that the trail was somewhat still covered in snow, but it had become crunchy and less suited for sliding.  LG could get going on some of the hills, but the adults had less luck.  We spent so much time last week getting stuck in various places in town that I wasn't wanting to venture out onto unpaved roads, but I think I might just chance it next time it snows.  The hills out on that trail are well worth it!

We went out hiking on a Saturday morning, and found the trail to be quite...icy.  The boys decided to go butt first, but I thought belly sliding sounded much better.  Enjoy!