Updates!

Orent & the gang have had a busy summer, but we promised stories from the Finger Lakes and pre-school, so we'll share some highlights.

• Orent learned to swim! We took him and Brady to play in a creek and they both thought that was highly over-rated. Who wants to go plunging into cold water that's suddenly really deep? No-one but Max, apparently. So we thought, "gee, our water-loving Labrador's kind of a wimp..." and were sad. Turns out, we just hadn't found the right approach. The next day (warmer!) we took Orent to one of the Finger Lakes, where there was a looooong, shallow entrance into the lake, nice and warm. There, he loved dolphin-leaping out for thrown sticks and swimming back with them proudly. And then wiping his face on strangers' towels (sorry kind strangers!!!) Now that we're back home he pretend-swims in kiddy pools, laying on his belly and splashing his front legs purposefully.

• Both dogs were troopers in the car, with Orent sprawled peacefully across the whole back seat, and Brady learning to sit patiently in the passenger's lap, no matter who that passenger was.

• Pre-school was a great success. Orent was fine, being pretty brave around kids of all levels of enthusiasm, and keeping his calm focus on Kaytee (and her bag of kibble) the whole time, while I talked about his life and answered questions. Below he shows off "lap" 

• He even got thank-you notes!