Also known as Flink, Flinkster, the Flink, Chuckles, and most recently Coppertail, Charlie is a 4.5 year old female Chocolate Lab. Naming her is a long story but one of the chief benefits of the name is the ability to use any number of jaded expressions. Like when she is disappointed you could say "sorry Charlie". When she is jumping around with her toys you can say she is a Good-Time Charlie. If she's particularly devious we call her Charles Manson.
Hard to see much evil in her at the outset. This is Charlie at 10 weeks. But then again, Charlie Manson was probably cute at that age too. Well, maybe not.
In fact, Charlie is very well behaved and doesn't at all seem to mind traveling in the truck. She pretty much crashes the whole time, although this trip will break new ground with 8-10 hour drives. Day 1 is a nearly 12-hour route from Acton to Blacksburg VA.
Let's get to know her!
First, she loves to retrieve sticks, sometimes big sticks. She loves to drop them on the doorstep and the bigger they are the louder the thump. And I'm pretty sure in her mind she is thinking the louder the thump, the bigger the reward.
She loved sticks right from the beginning. Here she is as a pup on a Maine beach.
Second, she loves to swim, and often she can combine the swimming with the stick. We're not certain she knows her limits however. One day in Maine she nearly caught a sea gull on the beach. It swam away and she swam after it. After 300 yds it looked like she wasn't ever going to turn around. Eventually she did turn around, and made it back safely.
Which brings us to a third characteristic: she loves to sleep. After chasing sea gulls in the ocean, picking up sticks, or hiking the trails she will collapse for hours.
That's where we'll leave her for now. You'll see her again soon. Happy trails!