Notes On Charlie – July 24

Charlie is a mini coyote now in every way – the soft downy dome of his head is the last trace of baby about him. His eyes were pale blue when he was a baby, and they turned a bright turqouise-teal, then green, then olive, and now they are yellow coyote eyes.

I’m amazed by how GOOD Charlie is. He’s great in the car, and on our long walks he follows me without a leash. He trots along behind me and it’s just the cutest thing in the universe. Sometimes he wanders off to sniff at things but then looks around for me and races back over.

I wonder if this will continue as he gets older. I love the freedom Charlie has without a leash, but in the past few days he’s gotten so fast that he could outrun me if he chose to, and I wonder if independence will trump his child-like obedience when he gets big enough to chase rabbits. We shall see. I use a leash about a third of the time just so Charlie gets used to it and learns what a leash means while I am still stronger than he is!

My concern doesn’t stem from him running away, but from him being seen without me by his side and getting shot from the road. I am not exaggerating when I say that coyotes are the antichrist here and are shot on sight. This is part of the reason he has a collar – in hopes that it will deter the trigger happy.