Chessie's Coming into her Own

We didn't think it possible, but it appears Pinot no longer reigns as the fastest, most agile canine of our crew.

Yup, Chessie's growing up, and she is now giving Pinot a run for her money.

Like like her half-sister, Chessie has become an athletic, driven, focused retrieving force to reckon with. She may even be faster than Pinot (wow!) and is every bit the Energizer Bunny Pinot ever was. At eight months old, Chessie is now physically mature enough to compete on equal four-legged footing.

Okay, so Chessie is admittedly still puppy klutzy, but she's fast!

She's also fun and playful and eager to please, so she's developing into a lovely retriever.

The downside?  Well, ah..., the little Chessie Squirt has become quite full of herself, complete with an adolescent attitude of entitlement. Everything must belong to her, of course (isn't she special?!).

See that Nylabone over there?  Chessie thinks, mine!

The Kong?  Mine!

The retrieving dummy?  Mine!

The lead? Mine!

The Booda rope?  Mine!

That place on Mom's lap?  Mine!

All the water in the water bowls?  Mine!

Chessie's dinner?  Mine!

Everyone else's dinner? Mine!

Tuc's bone?  Mine!

Ah, but Tuc doesn't let Chessie get away with anything, much less claiming something of his as her own. And she knows it, too:

Heehee, someone has to keep the Little Squirt humble! :)

Chessie, however, doesn't like to be humbled. So when Chessie can't have what she wants, she puts on the pout. When the pout doesn't work, she eye-pleads for human parental intervention:

Silly, growing-up-too-fast Chessie!

Even after all these years it amazes me how like our human children our canine critters can be. It's a good thing the two-legged kidlets are all in their twenties; no more human adolescence to live through.

Canine adolescence, though, is full-steam ahead!

Ruh-roh!

Nah, it won't be so bad; it never has been for us (human or canine). In fact, truth be told, I miss those adolescent years.

I guess we'll just have to keep those puppies coming!

Puppies? Did someone say puppies? It must've been my imagination. Regular Reader will recall that I'm happily vacationing in Complete Denial Land.

I'm not sure how much longer I can hold out there, though. I'll write more about that next time.

Ruh roh, indeed.

Until then,

Joan