Peace and Paws

Rodder

Rodder is just awesome!! It is just amazing how much he has changed in just a week! He has already been around other dogs, kids, and people and has done exellent. He is actually very social. He has had a few accidents in the house, but now goes right over to the door when he needs to go out. What a smart boy he is!! We are still waiting for him to get used to being in his crate at night. To say he's not a big fan of it would be an understatement, but he is smart, and he will figure it out and get used to it. He is SUCH a love! A real little snuggle bug. We got the pills in the mail and he had those and he has an appointment with Dr. Thompson on Tuesday. To us he already looks like his legs have gotten longer. I can't wait to see what he weighs. Sending some pictures, and I will let you know what his vet has to say on Tuesday. I was happy to see all the pups were adopted. I hope they are all bringing their forever families as much love and happiness as Rodder is bringing us! Hope things worked out with Gracie too!!

UPDATE June 9, 2009:

Rodder has gained, he weighed in at 11 lbs and 14ozs!! His vet was very pleased with his overall condition. His wife runs training classes and we are hoping to get him into the next class which will be the beginning of July. He is doing well with basic commands and doing very well with house training. He is such a love!! He went to his first horse show this weekend and had his first horse ride. He is getting alot of social time with other dogs and people. Sending some new pictures, he's grown so much! Will keep in touch, LOVE seeing and hearing about the other pups!!

We have been having great fun. It seems like Omeo (Sundance) has grown in just a few days. We have been taking him places and introducing him to new people and things. He has met several new people, females are his favorites, but he is not too shy with men. He is very calm while riding in his crate in the back seat. Today he went to a nursery, the Hanover green, and the dentists office. He is very energetic in the evening and loves to chew his toys and and any fingers he can find available. He is learning to control his bite and be gentle. He is very loving toward both of us and he is developing a positive relationship with our other dog and two cats. He met his first horse today while I was holding him and they sniffed each other with interest. He learns quickly.

Look forward to seeing the other pups info on your website.

UPDATE August 13, 2009

Here is Omeo (Sundance) at 16 weeks. He weighs 28 lbs and our vet thinks he will grow to about 55 lbs. The vet also thinks that Omeo's tooth growth indicates that he is younger than we thought by a week or two. Omeo has graduated from puppy class and has started obedience class. We had a DNA test done by Canine Heritage. Besides Gracie's white german shepherd genes there is Australian Shepherd, Beagle and Whippet genes present. Omeo is very energetic and has just learned to follow me on horseback rides. He is a fast learner (when we can get his attention).

Hello- Satchel/Sheridan is doing great. We LOVE him. He has been doing well enough, so far, with housetraining. Great with crate training. He is calm in the face at all by the random loud kid noises, etc. He has been meeting people, kids, even went to work a little while with Steve the other day. One of his co-workers wanted to sneak him home, she thought he was so great. He has taken some car rides (not so happy with those). We will start obedience training until after next round of shots per vet and your recommendation. He's even slept through the night a few times even (if you count waking up at 5!)

I think he's growing noticeably.

UPDATE July 29, 2009

Satchel and the rest of the family just got back from a 10 day vacation to Maine and I thought I'd send you and update, since the puppies recently reached 4 months old. We went to his vet check-up before our trip for his last round of puppy shots and he weighed in at 18 pounds. At first, we were hesitant to bring Satchel for 8 hours in the car and wondered how it would be to add in a puppy on a long road trip and a week plus in a new location. Ultimately, he just seemed too young for boarding so we decided it would be best to bring him along. Any concerns we had were unfounded. He did great. He was much more quiet and content in the car than our 3 and 4 year olds! He was a good traveler, a great house guest, and loved the beach. We are getting ready to start intermediate obedience classes in a few weeks. He seems to pick up things quickly, though we are still working on mouthiness and the negative aspects of herding behaviors. On the plus side, he likes to stay very close by to us and he is good with the kids. Many times a day he will just lie down in my 4 year old daughter's lap on the floor with a chew toy. He is a wonderful addition to the family.

I wanted to let you know how well last night went! Big Piney has immediately adapted to life here in Derry as though she has been here her entire 8 1/2 weeks! She is a riot!

She was a bit groggy yesterday, but woke up to meet Bosley in the driveway. Bosley was so excited to meet her and despite our attempts to keep him mellow, he was a bit excited. Big Piney immediately let him know she was cranky with a giant growl, throwing my 75 pound lab on his butt in a very polite sitting position. It was hysterical. Bosley showed her the way into the house where she sniffed every last inch of the family room. She found Bosley's toy box and took out each of the gazillion stuffed toys that were probably as big, if not bigger, than her. Bosley brought her his favorite toy and they sat on his bed, cuddling and chewing on the duck (she wants nothing to do with her puppy toys - it's hysterical.) She ate her dinner no problem and was really good about doing her business outside. She played for the rest of the night and slowly became braver about asking Bosley to play with her. He is really funny - he keeps licking her ears and back and standing over her so that she is in between his legs and he can gently herd her from place to place. She pins her ears when he licks too much and he stops, but I've never seen him do that with another puppy. He's a bit smitten.

She slept in her crate in our bedroom, but woke up every few hours to pee. Bosley was very worried about her and slept next to her crate all night, except for when he ran downstairs to let us know she had to go to the bathroom. She has tried to nurse on him a few times, and he is being very very patient with her - even when she gets mad that she can't find any milk! I love when she is angry - her little ears go right back and she bounces all over the place, squeeking. It cracks us up!

Now she is sleeping on my feet while I work - she's quite the cuddlebug. You can tell she received A LOT of attention with you ;) She ate all of her breakfast and we're going to feed her three times a day according to her weight for the next few weeks. She really is such a little sweetie with such a big personality and we are all in love. I can't thank you enough for all you have done for her. She's the perfect puppy.

UPDATE November 4, 2009

Attached is a recent picture that I thought you would enjoy – Sydney (formerly Big Piney) is too much. She’s doing very well in puppy classes and is currently chasing the kittens (who have managed to stay in our home) around the house.

Buddy-Rafter did well last night, slept most of the way home, settled into his new crate with his old sheet, woke up a few times during the night, did pee in the crate though (oh well...), he's doing fine today and met some of Joseph's friends this afternoon - they all loved him of course.

UPDATE August 12, 2009

Just thought it'd be nice to let you know Buddy (Rafter) is doing great! He's up to 20-25+ lbs. now. He's looking more like a german shepherd with his big, stand-up ears, tall legs and long tail. He's a smart, lovable, playful, energetic puppy who's a rascal at times. He's had all of his puppy shots and his 'altering' surgery is scheduled for October. Hope the other puppies are doing well also.

She is doing amazing! We are honestly so happy and she seems to be too. She didnt eat as much as we would have liked last night, but today she is eating a good amount of food and just finally drank water out of her bowl- Danny has been pretty creative getting her to drink water when she wasn't into drinking out of the bowl yet. She actually just climbed onto my lap as I am typing. She's also been great with training - except for a middle of the night half-accident she has gone over to the newspaper we put down from her to pee on all by herself! - it took one scoop up and bringing her to it last night and she has done it ever since-- she's so smart!! And she gets visibly excited and proud of herself after she uses the newspaper - its honestly the cutest thing, she runs out of the bathroom and right over to us all excited about her accomplishment. We are also one for two on the number two.

She has been pretty happy just alternating play and sleeping--- she is such a love bug. Thank you for everything, I have attached a few photos of her and will continue to send them.

Tilly, formerly known as Cheyenne, is doing great. We took her to the vets this week and she gained 1 1/3 lbs. She is a very playful pup and we have been having lots of fun playing with her. We are really excited about being able to see the other pups pictures.

We are all adjusting very well to our new addition, Gretta (Windy). She grows so much each day and is obviously a very clever puppy. We are still working on house-training. The cats are still adjusting but overall, Gretta is a welcome, energetic addition to our family. She and our shepherd, Tasha have become fast buddies. Tasha responds to Gretta’s nipping by inundating her with licks. They play wrestle often. I think Tasha enjoys her new playmate very much. The cats will come around. Two of the cats have already swatted her once but since then, they have touched noses. Gretta is very cute attempting to pull Tasha around by her rope toy. At times, Tasha allows her to do this but most of the time, Tasha gently drags Gretta on her belly with the rope as Gretta refuses to let go of it. I will try to catch this on film but until then I have enclosed two photos for you.

We will keep you posted!

UPDATE August 14, 2009

Here are some new pics of Gretta and her big sister, Tasha. Gretta is wonderful, full of energy and VERY smart. She loves to play, chew toys and rumble with Tasha. I hope you enjoy the pictures as much as we have enjoyed the ones from all of you.