Bear's Joy

These are Bear's Christmas pictures. He wasn't too sure about sitting next to the ornament tree but he managed to tolerate it just long enough for me to capture these few pictures.

Bear has been a JOY to have at the house. He's really catching on to what it means to be part of a household. He tells me when he needs to go out. He comes when I call him. He comes in to the room to say hello to me - even though he's jumped out of the pen to do so. Bear has such a sweet personality; he can be quite the bear, too, when it comes to his brothers and sister. Thankfully, everyone holds their own and no one is over the other.

Bear is a joyful puppy and wags his tail often, sometimes in circles.

Too much JOY makes a puppy tired!

Bear and Squeak go to their new homes tomorrow. We are going to miss them dearly and the house will be quieter but we know they are going to G.R.E.A.T. homes and their parents will keep in touch.

Squeak's HOPE

These are Squeak's Christmas pictures. I could not choose only one picture so, I've posted them all. On this day, Squeak is 10 weeks old.

There is always HOPE - there's no time to be down when Squeak's around. He lives enthusiastically, his kisses are at full speed whether he's seen you recently or several hours earlier. He's a ball of energy and we can only hope that his new family is ready for the activity he will bring to the household! Buddy, hold on to your blanket! He has an awesome stand and should be able to learn how to freestack quite easily. He is vocal and doesn't mind telling the entire world his plight. So far, he's taking after his Gramma Lena in quite a few ways - must be in the genes! He was the first one to sniff out the pizza Daniel was cooking one evening so I'd say he has a very good nose! I have really enjoyed having Squeak in the house. He just has so much personality.

Squeak says, "I'm a little late getting my Christmas greetings out but I'm on time to say, "Happy New Year!" May all your dreams come true! Mine are about to!"

Squeak's Hives

The pups got me up at 2am today. When Squeak came back into the house, he was acting oddly. He was shaking his ears, and rubbing his face on the carpet. I thought it was his ears, so I checked them. Nope, they looked good. Then, I happened to look at his nose and said, "You don't have a Roman nose! What's going on here?" So, I took him into the bedroom and had Marc look at him. Yep, something was wrong. And, he had hives on the top of his head, and his legs. Nothing was new so I could only deduce it was an insect bite of some sort and that he was having an allergic reaction to. So, I gave him 25 mg of Benadryl. Little boy got to sleep with us in the Big Bed - mostly so I could listen to his breathing and to settle him. The medicine actually put him to sleep.

When Marc and I got up at 6am, Squeak didn't look much better. I called the Emergency Clinic and talked to them about Squeak. They told me I could probably wait to see his regular vet when they opened at 8am. So, I (we) took Marc to the airport and then headed down to our regular vet. She wasn't there but Dr Merrill was. He said Squeak checked out normal (does he KNOW Squeak?!?) but treated him with Temaril, a combination corticosteroid and antihistamine so the swelling on his nose would go down.



Of course, I thought Squeak was due to go home today. Nope, I was confused - he goes home tomorrow. By tonight, his nose is back to normal, he's had his bath, his DNA swab, and he's had his Christmas picture taken. He'll get one more dose of Benadryl later tonight but he'll be ready to go as soon as Fane and Murray arrive in the morning.

Little toot, Dr Merrill thought it was a spider bite. Goodness. Well, his Gramma Lena swells up when she gets bitten by a spider, too. Maybe it just runs in the family! :(

Catch You All Later!

Let's Get Mom!

Marc and Bear ~ Best Buds

For the past week or so, Bear has been climbing out of the puppy pen so he can be with us wherever we are in the house. On this day, he climbed into Marc's lap. Marc was only too happy to share his lap with his buddy, Bear. He has been a real joy to have around the house. We can often find him sleeping under the dining room table or behind one of the equipal chairs in the front room - it hides him just enough.

Everyone Sitting; Well, Just About

The pups are getting wiser everyday. They are learning to sit if they want to get a treat. Here, everyone is sitting but Patriot. They are just so cute. All eyes on Mom!

In The Snowy Expanse of The Backyard

Rancher strikes a pose


Patriot helps clear a path


"If I eat it, maybe the job will go faster!"












Patriot and Rancher


Patriot and Squeak

Can anyone tell Brianna is the one who was taking all the pictures? Hence, why there are SO MANY of Patriot! Yes, he's now sporting a Camo collar instead of his green one.

The pups have been really good despite the fact that we have had snow on the ground for the past 9 days. They are good about going out, doing their business outside although they are not housetrained 100%. And, that's only because I don't have six pairs of eyes in my head! Yeah, I'm a Mom of 4, so that means I only have 4 pairs of eyes in my head, right?!

Anyway, tomorrow is Christmas Eve and I still have a few photos to take and post. I really do hope the pups cooperate with my idea of a Christmas shoot. If they do, you'll see them here!

And Then There Were Five . . . Lemon Drop Goes Home

And, becomes Crawford. His new parents came yesterday to pick him up during one of the worse snow storms we've had; not since January 2004 have things been so severe. The winds were kicking up, snow was blowing everywhere, and cold - man, oh man, was it ever cold!

In the safety of the warm house, Crawford shows the world his beautiful face! But, in the face of the blowing wind, forget it, folks - this pup's hiding!

Do well, Crawford. Grow to be big and strong, love your Mom and Dad, and make lots of new friends. Never let them see you cry and never be the bully. Watch out for Wiley, your cousin down the street. He's pretty smart and much bigger, for the time being. We love you and will see you soon. Take care and represent the family well. Gramma and Grandpa Z

Initial reports are that he had a rough night settling into his crate and after a few suggestions, we are hoping he'll do better tonight. I wonder if the pups have a 72 hour fear period like rescues do. I don't think they'll follow the three week honeymoon period because they are still trying to figure out who they are!! :) What I do know is that life will get much better!

Wishes For You As He Prepares To Depart

"Merry Christmas, Everyone! I'll be leaving the nest later today and I wanted to make sure I gave you my holiday greetings. I hope the coming year is as fun-filled as I hope mine is going to be and may you never be without love! Licks and Wiggles!"

Lemon Drop

Playing With Dad on Friday Night

What a greeting Marc got when he came home from the airport! This would make even the saddest person feel filled to the brim with L.U.V. love!







Don't worry, Bear didn't hit the wall - it just looks that way!