Charli and the Fetchin' Fields

I promised myself that today's post would be a bit lighter. And in my mind, there's nothing lighter than talking about Charli. Hey, other people talk about their kids and grandkids...so I can talk about Charli. Charli is our 5-year-old yellow Lab and she's the sweetest dog you'll ever meet. I know pretty much everyone says that about their dog but it really is true about Charli.

I mean, how can you not love a girl who looked like this as a puppy?

And who looked like this when she slept?Okay, okay, back to today. During the summer, Charli is a swimming fool; she's a retriever so it's in her genes. She loves to swim...I mean really, really loves to swim.

In the winter, however, when the water is cold, we have to find some other way to wear off the excess energy; 3-mile walks alone don't do it. That's where the Fetchin' Fields come in.

The Fetchin' Fields are located just west of Vancouver along Lower River Road, and since she's been going there for 3 years, she usually leads the way to the various fields.

When she gets to the entrance, she dutifully drops her bumper and runs ahead so she's ready when Randy throws it. Then the retriever nose kicks in and she's off on a fetchin' frenzy. I call this short clip "Where in the world is Charli?"

Hey, there she is!

Amazingly, she brings the bumper right back, drops it at my feet (why my feet and not Randy's is something we haven't figured out yet) and is off again. When she's tired of one field, she zips around us, bumper in mouth, and is off to the next field where it's all repeated. There are 6 fields in all...and we go to every single one...twice. I wish I loved to exercise that much. But when she's done, that's it. With bumper in mouth, she runs past us without looking at us, and heads for the car. Once out of the field, she turns briefly to make sure we're following. Here's Charli on the ride back home. Just look at that tongue...hard to believe it all fits back in her mouth.

And one other thing I need to share. Until this fall, Charli wouldn't jump into the car. It's just the way she was. So, for 5 years, she would meekly walk to the back, sit and wait for someone to lift her in. This fall, Randy practiced with her until she finally made the "big leap." It was a pretty special day for all of us! (Okay, I apologize for shooting the video sideways. I'll try to remember not to do that...promise!

She still won't get into the Miata. We'll have to work on that this summer.