New Dog

The weekend is just about over. Sunday afternoon, a chill entering the air. It was so sweet and warm today. I took Bird up to the Comeau for the first time. On the leash, which is something Tamar did not need and I will have to get used to it. But I liked it, the leash. Suddenly leash-walking is in. Just this afternoon I read something from a woman I respect who lives near the Comeau, asking that everyone obey the leash law – she doesn’t like being bounded upon by unleashed dogs, and she says people are always calling  and calling for their lost dogs. 

That’s what I was doing a couple of nights ago and there aren’t many things worse than not knowing where your dog is. 

Bird has now been identified as “a runner” and she will be on a leash for a long time, maybe until she is an old lady years from now. But for the time being she is our new dog and it is such new territory. 

Getting Tamar did not feel so traumatic, so seismic a shift. I notice how committed both Fred and I are though. We really love her and want this to work. It made me so happy last night to wake up in the dark realizing she had clambered up beside me. She spent the night at my side, sharing the bed. She was a thoughtful sharer of space, willing to shift when needed. 

I love the colors of her fur when I look closely, the browns of her head, like wood, soft subtle hues. And this afternoon I noticed that the tip of her tail is almost red. She is a beautiful palette of browns.