Pupdate

I'm very excited to go pick up Rumor this Friday! I can't wait. I believe the pups are now at Linda's so she can spend some more time with all of them, individually.

Cliff has actually gone to his new home... and his new name is Phantom - fits perfectly since he looks like he's from Phantom of the Opera. Field and Brook have been promised to homes and Linda is keeping River.

Dylan turned 3!!!

Dylan had his 3rd birthday on Friday, July 27th... we spent the weekend in Glen Carbon, IL. I figured since it was his last weekend as an only child, that it would be good to do a 4 day trial... overall, we both had a wonderful time.

For a special Bday treat... he got some leftover fajita steak from my dinner :)

5 week old puppies

The pups are 5 weeks old today! I can't believe how cute they have all become... Lisa sent out a wonderful description of each puppy just so everyone can get a better idea of their individual personalities. They are all looking good right now and I'm getting really excited/anxious to hear which one Linda thinks would fit best in my home! The suspense is killing me :)

Forest might be a tri-colored... Lisa and Linda still can't tell yet. He is a very confident little guy. He was the 1st one to climb out of the whelping box and is a very affectionate boy.

River is handsome and has the most classic BC markings with an odd black spot under his chin. He is usually the last one who tires and he is on Lisa's heels when she's trying to tucker them out.

Tree was chest butting his brothers while growling the other day. He liks to act tough and WANTS to be able to climb the steps, but he's still too small... so he flings himself up. He is very determined.

Stone is a Tri. He has tan showing up on his cheeks. His skull is a bit longer/different than the rest. He is a goofy pup... he runs into the side of the pen instead of the door. he has also toppled over in a number of videos.

Meadow has been quite the little instigator... she is the 1st awake and bugging everyone else. She is a very big explorer as she likes to wander outside. She and Brook like to pick on the boys :)

WAG @ Crystal Lake, IL

Dylan and I were at Crystal Lake this weekend and we had lots of fun with our friends. D started having some weaving problems and stressing a bit so, at the moment, it's all about fun and I'm not going to be pushing the weaves in the ring right now. He and Rainey got to room together and had a wonderful time.

The highlight of my weekend (and agility career) was definitely running Preacher! It was a spur of the moment thing, but I had so much fun with him! Probably a good thing I didn't have more than 5 minutes to think about it :) He is such an amazing dog and Kelly has done an incredible job with him -- he's just so cool to run! I was very excited when we ran clean and got a 1st in the 26" Std class. Woohoo! It was a blast to play with Dylan's idol!!!

The pups are 4 weeks old!

I can't believe the puppies were born 4 weeks ago today. It's incredible how much they have changed in that time. They have gone from little guinea pigs to little, adorable puppies! Their noses are all pretty much black (which is a big improvement from no pigment *g*) and they all sound like mischievous, adventurous critters.

They have had quite a variety of textures they have already encountered and dealt with very well (fleece, newspaper, tile and grass) and they are now eating cereal and kibble. It's amazing how rapidly they change. In the videos you can hear the "barks" and "growls" that they make... and that term is used loosely :) They are also much more proficient on their feet! I haven't ever seen pups so young and the process of them learning how to walk was really interesting... but I think they all have the hang of it now.

Rally

Yesterday Dylan did his 1st Advanced Rally class. Somehow, the judge seemed to ignore most of our mistakes because we ended up with a 96! We even redid 1 part of the course, which is -3 pts right off the bad. There were 4 people with a score of 96 tied for 4th place... I guess we had the fastest time because we got 4th!

For not training, he is being a very good boy about this Rally business :) I think he was wondering why we weren't running and doing the fun "stuff" that is in the agility rings.

The Adams Family

Dylan, Fergus & Jameson all got to go swimming at Andy's Mom's house after the dock diving event. Andy's mom lives on a lake and they were having a big 4th of July celebration, so there were plenty of people to play with the pups... which they were thrilled about! Dylan and I both had a wonderful time... I'm so glad we finally got to see where Fergus plays all the time.

I've got it! I'll get the cuz!

Fergus, get out of my way... the cuz might drown!

OK, we can go get the cuz together...

Dock Diving

Dylan and Fergus had a wonderful time at the Dock Dogs event on Saturday. Both boys did beautifully! I was very proud of Dylan... he had his new personal best... twice! 17' 11" is his farthest jump yet... and he had "Senior" jumps in all 3 waves. Dylan's buddy, Fergus, had an amazing day at his 1st dock diving event and his best jump of the day was 17' 3"! We had a wonderful time and the dogs definitely had a blast.

I love belly rubs! :)

Weeeee! I love jumping into water!

puppy update

The pups are 3 weeks old today... I can't believe it. Hopefully, in 4 weeks I will be able to go pick up my adorable new family member!

In the mean time, the pups are all growing like weeds! They are all walking now and eyes are open... they're starting to get their teeth and will be starting cereal now.

Working Certificate

Dylan got his Working Certificate (WC) today. The dogs had to do 1 land retrieve and 2 water retrieves. Dylan's were fantastic! It was the first time he has ever retrieved a duck from water and he didn't even think twice about it... he knew what his job was.

I'm not sure I'm going to enter him in any Hunt Tests, at the moment, until we get his vocalization under control... the whining and squealing is frowned upon at a Test. But, he sure did entertain everyone today and we both had a blast!