Surprise! It's a girl!

Yes, we ended up with a girl!

iPod

iPod in her service vest

More pics and stories to come....

Note: Since Blogger let's users make new pages with tabs on blogs now, I am consolidating a few of my blogs into one. For newer puupy posts, go HERE

Monday night is the big night!

Monday night, we get our puppy. Hopefully we can name him iPod like we want. The lady didn't tell me someone else wanted that name, so we should be cool.

Of course, our house is not very puppy-friendly at the moment.

I had to hoe out my office and split the space (even more.) My stepson goes to the mediators with the ex on Friday, and most likely Little Man will be over and probably stay the weekend. It's been a few weeks- we miss him. Anyway, we are setting up a space for Little Man to call his own. So I lost my office, and kept the storage.

It will be woth it, and just wait till Little Man sees the puppy! I'll try to get a pic!

Think we have a name!

My daughters friend came up with what we think is a perfect name for the puppy-

iPod!

How cool is that, and it would really work for a girl or boy!

2 weeks-can't wait!

Starting Over..................

Well, it's been some time since I've written. Thunder died a year or so ago. Really weird.

It was a nice day (for fall in NY!) and  my daughter was riding her bike through the yard. She was having trouble shifting the gears and asked for help. I got on the bike & started riding the bike through the yard and Thunder was chasing me around. We went in and Thunder went in the hallway and just died.

I was devastated! Thunder had just started liking Ron! It was so weird.

I couldn't think of another dog for a month or so. Then, I started really missing my baby. I looked and looked and finally found a little peek-a-pom. Her was a good puppy, seemed to be fitting in well. We named him Max.

About a month after we got him, we went shopping. We left the dogs home. When we arrived home I was bringing the groceries in. The phone rang. It was a friend of mine, having a minor crisis. I didn't notice the door left slightly ajar. Max ran out and went straight to the road. And got hit.

I couldn't believe it! I wasn't sure if I EVER wanted another dog.

But, we did attend an event for the Canine Working Companions. They are dogs trained to assist wheelchair bound people, become nursing home companions, etc...

I knew right away this was something I would like to do. I have 2 uncles that were in wheelchairs for most of their lives because their joints were ruined from hemophilia. Although they were quite self-sufficient, some wheelchair-bound individuals need some additional help.

So Princess Der and I applied to be a puppy-raiser for the organization. Over a year later, our turn has come. The director and another woman came out for our interview tonight. We get our black lab (probably a boy) on February 4th. We have to come up with an "I" name. All puppies in a litter are named with the same letter, going in order. Last litter were "H's", this one (lucky us) have "I's".

We have a few ideas:

BOYS
Ike

Ivan

Idaho

Iota

I liked Indy, but someone has already claimed it!

GIRLS

Iris

Indyona

Ivy

Any suggestions?

We will have to attend puppy training classes at a mall about 20 minutes from here (every other week).

There are some rules we must adhere to :

No getting on furniture

No begging at the table

The dog must always be on a leash or dog run.

Rocky follows none of these rules, but you can bet he'll start :-)

I think this will be a great thing for Princess Der, another aspect of homeschooling.

We'll keep you updated.


P.S. Rocky is doing great! He gives our 2 yr old grandson huge kisses when he comes over, then let's him lay all over him! He's a big dog, a loyal family member. I know he misses having a friend, so the puppy will be a good thing for him.

It's been a while.....

Wow, I have been so busy lately. First I quit my job to do my biz full time. Then, my Grandmother had a major heart attack, followed a month or so later with kidney failure, etc, etc...So I have been going to see her quite a bit lately. The poor dogs- they are used to me being here all day. Thunder who has a psychological problem or something, won't come in the house for Ron. If one of the kids doesn't come home, he'll stay out. But when I'm here, he will let Ron throw the toy, and he'll sleep with us- often on the other side of Ron, not even near me! I swear he has flashbacks to something that happened in his old life!

Rocky on the other hand is just a big goofey teenaged dog. He's long & lanky, has the most pathetic, goofey look, and has known to be a bit clownish acting at times. We are trying to get him to catch a treat and he sits there like-duh! Although he did catch one yesterday and came closer than normal a few times. Maybe he's getting it!

Thunder will catch treats, drop dead when we say "bang, bang, you're dead" , roll over, and other things. He's a bit tough to teach because he is so high strung. A bit stubborn, thinks he's a tough guy- don't all little dogs think that? But he is smart, no doubt about that!

I'm thinking I would like a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. They are just too cute, are well behave & learn easily.

Of course, another dog is not in the plans at the moment!

Rocky's misadventures

Rocky is getting huge! He is such a good dog. He goes in tomorrow to be neutered. He is becoming quite the leg hugger, so he needs a little adjustment! Rocky loves to roam around the yard with us as we feed the chickens and goats. We had a rooster get out. We used to let the chickens roam around the yard until they went through the woods to the neigbors and started tearing into their garden. So, we now keep them cooped up. Since the gardening season is now over, we didn't care if the rooster hung around. Being 1/2 black lab, Rocky cared!. He would go catch that rooster and carry him around. Didn't hurt him, just carried him around. Rocky wasn't satisfied until we put Mr. Cock0doodle-doo away! So, he's back in the coop.

Rocky is also finally retrieving toys- or at least stealing them from Thunder and bringing them back. I throw the toy, Thunder gets it, Rocky steals it from Thunder & returns it to me. What a goof-ball! He is so funny & so mellow & lovable- everyone loves him!

Thunder is getting a little better about the barking at Ron. He now has Rocky to be jelous of, so he actually TRIES to get Ron's attention now. Ron has been throwing the toys for Thunder, so now I think he is Ok in Thunders book. Thunder still barks horribly if Ron walks in from outside.

Well, it's time to wake the kiddo up for school. I think the doggies & I are going for a LONG walk today- it's been a while. We've mainly been hanging in the woods behind the house lately. Bye-bye!

Whose the guilty party?

Yesterday I came home to find the kitchen wall all scartched and dug up, the paper peeled off. The hallway wall had a hole in it, and scatches, etc.. I think it was the puppy, but he has never done that before. They were only alone for about 1/2 hour before my son got home. He left again maybe an hour before I got back. I wonder if it was really Duke that did it? My dogs haven't ever done that before, but I guess their's a first for everything!

Poor puppy was sick for a day or so. I thought he was choking on something, and got him into the vet- he had a cold! The reason I thought he was choking on something is somewhat humerous ( I guess). I came home from Girl Scouts one day to find both dogs outside, just running around the yard- batting a SQUIRREL HEAD back & forth! It was disgustingly funny. Anyway, I chuck the head out into the woods, wondering where the rest of the body is! Later, Ron comes in and says there was a squirrel leg on the porch stairs. Ugggh!

Well, I need to go start packing- I have a Girl Scout camping trip today- yee-haw! No seriously, it's fun, and hopefully it is creating memories for these girls that will last a lifetime.