First Camping Trip

Last week I saw an article about ACDs that stated they "had two speeds- extremely fast, and comatose".

I laughed at this, thinking I had never seen an ACD "comatose", definitely not my own. Particularly not Airlie.

We might have achieved "comatose" on the ride home, and again when she was home in her own bed for the night.

I've never seen her so still and unaware.

Of course, she spent Friday and Saturday nights sitting upright in our tent, taking in the panoramic view of the sky, stars and campground. It was like having a little meerkat in the tend. She'd lie down and nap for brief intervals, but every sound had her popping back up (and waking me up in the process). She was very quiet, though. The other two passed right out both nights. We all slept in the tent together. That was a first. Kansas hasn't slept in bed with me since 2004, and Airlie and Leo never have. I worried they'd burst through the tent wall and tear off after a deer or something, but they just slept. Kansas fell in love with the air mattress and slept right by my side all night long both nights. Leo curled up in a corner and passed out. Airlie just kept watch.

That and learning how to swim (apparently she's going to have to actually be TAUGHT to swim...) really did her in. She was very quiet, polite, friendly, active and interested all weekend, met lots of new family members and behaved beautifully. The first day she would only go into the water up to her chest. The next day we got her paddling about- well, sort of... her front legs paddle on top of the water while she walks on her hind legs. She hasn't yet made the connection to paddle all feet just as if she were walking, and to do it without drowning the rest of us. I got splashed in the face alot, and scratched quite a bit when she would try to swim to me then climb up on me. We had to keep her away from the other two dogs (despite how much she desperately whined to be allowed to follow them way out in the deep water) because she would thrash frantically toward them, then try to climb on top of them. DH spent a lot of time walking her back and forth in water just deep enough for her to barely touch, trying to get her brain to connect the walking motion with swimming. I got her to paddle in circles and practice NOT climbing on me. Holding her around the middle and trying to get her to paddle in place didn't work so well. She'll get there- it's just going to take a mind/body connection and developing some muscle memory. She kind of figured out that her back end floats if she picks her feet up off the lake bottom...