It's a girl!

But we don't know her name yet. Our new Sheltie puppy was born on Februrary 23 (which is one day after Callie's birthday) and we'll bring her home around April 20. Now we have to come up with a name. The year 2017 is an "N" year for dogs, so the name (at least the official name) must begin with "N." We're looking for a name that works both in French and in English.

Isn't she cute? She'll be 4 weeks old on Thursday. Her nose will lengthen considerably in the coming weeks.

There were two puppies in the litter. One is a male, tan and white (sable) in color like a classic collie. The female, ours, is tricolor, meaning she is mostly black, with white and tan accents. She's a Shetland Sheepdog, so she will be about half the size of Callie when she's full grown. Her mother (whose name I've already forgotten) is a sable color, fauve in French. Her father is a tricolor.

This is the mother of our new pup.

The breeder's facility was nice, out in the countryside between Azay-le-Rideau and Chinon (both famous Loire Valley châteaux), a little over an hour's drive from here. There were many dogs on the property, and a good number of older puppies from previous litters, all bounding with energy. Ken took a bunch of photos, but the dogs were hopping around so much that most of them came out blurry. When we bring our new one home, she will already be "chipped" for identification (a microchip implant under her skin), like Callie is, vaccinated, and registered with the official French dog registry. Now we have to think about puppy stuff, like a collar and a harness (I may have a small one from when Collette was a puppy), bowls, chew toys, and a bed. Oh yeah, and a name!