And a Fun Time was had by All

Introducing Brody and some of the Deckers!
Here's the story... for years, the kids have wanted a dog, for months the dad has been emailing me and for those same months the mom has said "No way, Jose." Then, while dad is out of town on a business trip, mom gets in touch with me IN SECRET and the day dad gets home... which just happens to be mom and dad's anniversary... guess who arrives! A whole lot of people... and one Cotton/Brogue puppy... are very happy.
The end.

Missing in Action

Yes, I know, it's been a while since my last post. My other life has been keeping me busy. And there really hasn't been much to talk about. Except for ranting about the post office and professionally unreliable people and March Madness spoiling tv and other downer stuff. I'm about over it now and everyone seems to have survived.

I have ONE puppy of my own available and am thinking about selling my Diamond/Brogue female, Peri. And two of Jennifer's are unspoken for.

We are in the middle of Spring cleaning... around here that means getting everyone to the groomer for haircuts. Still have Keogh and the Whoodle family to do because all those girls are finishing up their heat cycles and I don't like bathing them during that time. (If you want to know why, email me.)

The socialization boarding seems to be working well. It takes the pups a couple days to come out of their shells but once they do, they have a lot more confidence and are far less upset when meeting people. In fact, the boy I shipped this morning was quite comfortable at the airport and interested in everything going on around him. He walked right up to one lady when she spoke to him. We'll see how he does in his new home the rest of this week.

And that is pretty much it for now!

Experiment

Because these pups are just days shy of 5 months and most of them have never met another person besides me, I'm conducting an experiment I HOPE will make their transition to new homes somewhat easier for them. I am boarding them, individually, with my vet for a week at a time... Monday thru Friday. Her staff is taking the time to get the pup out of its run, play with it, walk it around inside the working area of the clinic and just generally socialize it with people who know enough about dogs to not make things worse in its little puppy brain. So, this afternoon, I picked up the first victim, I mean subject. I was a little disappointed when the tech brought him upstairs to me by carrying him (instead of on lead) because I had hoped he'd get a lot of lead time and I wouldn't have to make my already irritated back worse by lead training him/them myself. When I asked for a report, the first thing I hear was "He does great with other animals." Duh! But "other animals" included the cats who live at the clinic and have the downstairs to roam in. So that was a plus. When I asked about people skills, the pup got a C to C+. However, it was actually encouraging since I was told that although he was still shy, he had come out of his shell somewhat and with encouragement, was playing a little fetch and wagging his tail when being paid attention to. The idea is for the pup to spend some time away from the pack... and me... and then come home for a while. I'm hoping that will teach him that there is light at the end of the rehoming tunnel and that he WILL survive. He recognised me before I got the car turned on... jabbed me in the back of my neck with his cold wet nose... and his tail wagged all the way home. And when he heard all the dogs barking in the house (INTRUDER ALERT! INTRUDER ALERT!) he practically did cartwheels in the back seat. Which made me feel really bad. Having to drag him into the yard, since he flunked "Lead Training 101," didn't make things a whole lot better. Of course, the other pups gave him the old pack welcome... knocking him over, dragging him around a little while everyone barked, sniffing him from nose to stern... and after an our out in the yard, they are all cuddled together asleep in their pen. The next test is when he leaves for his new home....

And, by the way, he weighed in at just a smidge shy of 25 pounds.

Prices
I hope I don't ever hear anything again about high prices for my pups. Did y'all see the story on the 1.5 MILLION dollar puppy in China? Gorgeous dog. And that's all I'm going to say on the matter.

Two Things

First, it is race week here and as usual, I am totally unprepared and put off by the increase in traffic. You city folk, even those from smaller urban areas, would probably be amused by what I consider an increase in traffic. BUT whenever I reach the stop sign at the end of our private road (which gets no traffic as in NO traffic) and have to wait for more than one car before I can pull out onto the paved road, I wonder where all the traffic is coming from. And this is only Wednesday... note to self: Survivor is on TONIGHT, not Thursday.... it will be ever so much worse tomorrow and then the weekend (when I stay home period.) Usually by Tuesday, things are pretty much back to normal. How they get all those people out of the area in such a short time is amazing to me, especially as accidents seem to be minimal.

Second, the waiting list is open again. I'll be changing the website to reflect that and to update breeding status of all the girls, but here it is for those of you who check here first:
Di and Emy are in season (actually, almost out) and have successfully been "skipped." That's not always the easiest thing to do, but Brogue is getting older and I separated him from them BEFORE he realized what was going on. Then, Cotton came in... she's always the last one... and I immediately put her in with Brogue which made him very happy and kept his mind off the girls who were out of sight but still smelled very, very enticing. He has covered Cotton twice already (probably more because he wanted the others but she was the only one available than because she was ready,) so.... As soon as I know for sure that she is pregnant (in 6-7 weeks,) I'll open the reservation list for their pups.

TN Snow Dog

Well, we didn't get any pix of Jack Elliott on the beach when he spent all (ALL) of January on Sanibel Island, but he was more than happy to pose... in mid air... for this shot once he got back home. Caren says he absolutely LOVES the snow. Where have we heard THAT before?!

And Caren and I have been discussing the crop of 3 year old (Thoroughbred) colts and their Triple Crown possibilities. Feel free to chime in with YOUR favorites!

Wouldn't You Know

Just a little over a week ago, I posted that I was NOT going to be doing Double Doodles, the Labradoodle/Goldendoodle cross, and Ost and Wombat were for sale. Well, that just goes to show how much I know about anything! Oh, Ost and Wombat were for sale and they've been sold. They've found a new home with a well established breeder in Florida (although they are still here with me right now.)

But, my beautiful silver Goldendoodle gal, Keogh, came into season practically as I wrote that post. And this weekend, Ost had his first taste of... connubial bliss (much to his surprise!) Now, Keogh is 7 years old and has had only one litter, mainly because her cycles have been a real puzzle for the last few years. A year ago, in a last ditch effort, we put her on thyroid. This is the first time she's cycled since and I won't know for weeks... at least 6 of them... if they've had any effect. But I got to tell you, I'm rather excited!



All the Double Doodle pups I've seen have been stunningly gorgeous and Keogh's pups (Goldendoodle backcrosses) were also incredibly beautiful But more than that, SHE is one of the sweetest dogs I've ever had and she passed that on to all her kids. I'm trying not to get my hopes up, but I'm going to be really, really disappointed if she isn't pregnant!

Please, EVERYONE, fingers (toes and eyes) crossed!

Dog Parks - Not a Fan

Let me start by saying I understand that many dogs could never be off lead outdoors if they didn't have a dog park to visit. It IS important for dogs to have a chance to run and sniff without the interferrence of their humans. However, it is YOUR responsibility that the dog be safe while it is doing that. The problem with dog parks is... other dogs. And, even worse, other PEOPLE. Unfortunately, people are just as clueless about their dogs as they are their children. Ours is not a large family considering the number of dogs living in the US, but in the last TWO years we've had pups injured while playing at dog parks, one by accident and one because of a deliberate attack. We've had one PERSON biten while trying to protect her dog. We've had one dog killed because it escaped from the dog park when someone didn't close the gate properly. Any number of pups and dogs have been exposed to viruses carried by unvaccinated canines. And the latest problem is a case of "puppy warts" picked up from an infected dog at the dog park.

"Puppy warts" is an easy way to say canine papilloma virus. Which is closely related to the family of papilloma viruses that plague humans. It is highly contageous and dogs with it MUST be isolated from other dogs. While it usually disappears on its own in about 45 days, it can require various degrees of treatment including surgery. Here is a website, if you'd like to get more info:

http://www.ehow.com/how_4772024_treat-dog-puppy-warts.html

Scared Puppy, Surprised Girl

Yesterday, I shipped a Cotton/Brogue puppy to Colorado. And he was not pleased with ANY of it! To say he was scared to death may be a little exaggeration as he is still breathing (if shallowly!) but he was very intimidated. And he was a huge surprise for the family's older child who has been asking for a puppy for "a while."



Both made it through the night. Here's hoping they become best friends forever!

What's Happened to Girl Scout Cookies?

It's been a couple years since I bought my last box of Girl Scout cookies, but I got way laid at Lowe's... well, the kids were outside the exit door and that's all it took. I bought a box of Thin Mints and it was an extreme exercise in self control getting home with the box intact. Which is why it is so sad to report that I just tossed the box and 3/4 the cookies in the trash. They were absolutely TERRIBLE! I can get better... MUCH better... chocolate mint cookies at the dollar store. And for a lot less money. I will not be buying any more from the Scouts!

Sweet letter
Got this "thank you" note in the REAL mail today. That is so unusual and the letter is so nice, I'm posting it...

Dear Sherry,
Two years ago Zoe came to us in a crate on an airplane and I never would have guessed how much I would love her! Thanks for breeding such a sweet dog. We went to the vet today and she was just so friendly to every person and animal there.
I hope your life is getting a little less hectic and wishing you an early spring. Thanks again.
Love,
Kelly
P.S. Murphy (not to leave him out) is just the best, easiest dog in the world - love him!

Just so you know, Zoe is from Emy and Shadow's first litter and Murphy is from Emy and Sparky's second litter.

Puppies' progress
So, I still have 4 pups available... a female and 2 males from Emy and Shadow and a male from Cotton and Brogue. And there are 2 of Jennifer's pups here as well.
All have just turned 4 months old and next week, weather permitting, I'm going to start working with MINE on lead. It's pretty much a "have to" rather than a "want to." They are getting so big... over 20 pounds... I simply don't want to be lugging them around in my arms any more. Once I get into that, the price goes up... they've had ALL their shots (a BIG financial savings for their new families) and are well started on house training (a BIG time and frustration savings for their new families) and lead training/early obedience work is also a huge plus.

The gist of this is... if you know anyone who is thinking about getting a pup you might want to tell them
NOW is the time to make their move!