sleepy puppies
We went on a long hike, Leah and Rascal and me, at a state park over in Carlisle, and the unacustommed fresh air and vigorous exercise made us all very tired indeed (Leah always gets alot of exercise, but usually it's in the stuffy stinky gym). Rascal especially wore himself out: not only did go about twice as far as us with all the running back and forth (not to mention the exhertion of pulling at the leash--don't tell Betty!) and playing with the two dogs we met along the way, he also went swimming for the first time in his young life! And boy, was he suprised. I have to say, Rascal, I know it's warm and all but still, here in Massachusetts January is never the best time for your first dip in a fresh flowing stream.
But he was playing with his new best friend (which is to say, whichever dog he's met most recently) and when the other puppy jumped right into the water chasing a stick, Rascal jumped in right after him. And then turned right around and got out about as quick as he could. I think he was under the impression that there was a chance the surface of the water would bear his weight; I know he tried it carefully in a few other spots along the bank. It didn't scar him for life, though, I'm happy to report: while he's still not a huge fan of the swimming, he did go in a couple more times, and I'm quite confident he'll be hopping right in once the weather turns warm for real.
In any case, he's been asleep ever since we got back, except for a little break for dinner; come to think of it, that pretty much describes Leah's evening too. And the only reason I'm still awake is because I wanted to record the momentous occasion of Rascal's first swim, so now that that's done