Charley's First Week

Though we failed to get a photo of our little doggie on the ferry, where he spent the trip on the top deck with his ears flapping in the wind, and though we always forget our camera on the many walks we take him on, we did manage to get a few sappy pictures that we will now fob off on you all, faithful friends.

I promise I will not become a Dog Blogger. It's just that's it's his first week, and he is a near-perfect dog.

He is perhaps the snuggliest dog ever.

Yes, they were holding paw/hand.  Awww.

We are pleased.  Unless faced with a few big dogs in particular (with most, he's fine, with a few, he's impolite), Charley is the perfect gentledog.  He doesn't pull at the leash, he doesn't bark, and if he's walking with more than one person, he waits, head turned back, for the stragglers to catch up, wanting to be sure that everyone is together before continuing on his trot.  He is unbelievably gentle with children, even with Elspeth, who loves to carry him around with her.  He loves to do tricks and retrieve his squeaky toy though we are trying to teach him to care about balls and get into chasing them and bring them back.  The girls love him (Bea plays with him for hours) and he has changed us mostly in these two ways:  We take a lot more walks; we get up earlier ready to face the day--a whole hour earlier.  (Well, I still lay around in bed generally until I absolutely have to get up, but it is hard to teach an old dog new tricks, as they say).  Oh, yes, and I clean the house more, for though he sheds very little, I hate to see his white hairs anywhere.  We're rounding our first week and everyone seems to have settled in well with each other.