Keeping in Touch
The puppies new families have been kind enough to keep in touch and share their puppy updates with us. We hope they will keep them coming!
From the Jack family:
Just a quick update to tell you Lightning and Sally are doing great! Sally absolutely loves to nibble on my earlobes. She does love to give kisses. At least, I think she does. And boy is she tough! When I lay on the floor at night to read the kids their bedtime story, she’s all over me. It’s almost like she’s trying to establish her dominance over me — but that’s not happening.
Lightning also loves to give kisses, but he’s also a hand-licker. He’s kind, gentle, and I would almost say “considerate” with our little girl. I swear he lets her get away with murder. We stay on top of her whenever she’s got Lightning, and, like all babies, she’s learning how to be gentle with puppies. She’s getting better at it, but it’s nice to know that Lightning still allows her to touch him, even though she’s sometimes a little rough. He is eating very well — in fact, he eats better than Sally! Or, at least, he eats more than she does. They still clean their bowl twice a day, but I think he gets more than seh does. Lightning is absolutely brilliant, too — we bought one of those water bottle feeders to keep on their crate (’cause Sally likes to dump the water dish), and Sally wouldn’t drink from it until he did. Oh, she sniffed it and everything, but didn’t take a drink until he showed her how to do it. It was funny to watch her reaction to him doing that. She was literally licking the water out of his mouth as he was taking drinks.
It’s absolutely imparative that two people take them out to use the bathroom. That way, one of them can be on one side of the yard, and the other can be as far away as possible! Otherwise, when one is finished with their business, it’s almost like it was timed that the other one is just starting to do theirs — so it’s the perfect time to attack! Splitting them up so far apart ensures that they are both done by the time one reaches the other.
And, we’ve learned Lightning’s morning routine. We get up, take them out, and they do their business. We bring them in, feed them, and immediately take them back out to do their business again. After they’re back inside, we give it five minutes, then Lightning must go back out. I swear, that dog poops more than any other dog I’ve seen! Three times in as little as twenty minutes!
They have also discovered that snow/ice is cold and wet. They like to lick it. A lot. Sally will run from you if she’s not finished licking it and you try to pick her up.
Speaking of Sally, she will willingly go outside by herself. Just open the door, and she runs to go. Lightning, on the other hand, must be picked up and carried out there — he runs the other way when you open the door. She likes to play outside when she’s done. He will come sit at your feet and look up at you with those sad puppy eyes that say, “I’m done. Can we go in?”
They are absolutely precious!!!!!
Update: 3/4/08
Sally is still the BPOC around our house. She rules the roost, and nothing gets by her! She’s lots of fun, and wants to play constantly! And if she can’t get our attention, she’ll go after Lightning. He doesn’t stand a chance against her, either. We handmade each of them collars out of different Cars flannel. Hers is still in perfect condition (save that it’s a bit dirty, since she LOVES to roll around in the dirt!), but his is in tatters. That’s what she goes after to get him to play with her. That’s also what she goes after to take him down. He just goes after her back leg, so he sometimes “wins.”
Lightning is such a calm, patient puppy. He rarely barks at anything, unless Sally somehow convinces him that whatever she’s barking at needs to be barked at. Otherwise, he just sits back and watches the world go by. True, he does like to play, but he also enjoys his quiet time. He’s a wonderful lap dog, and likes to snuggle up with you. The vet says he’s absolutely gorgeous.
They’ve both been groomed a few times. Lightning just sits there and — while he might not enjoy it — he’ll take it. Sally, on the other hand, is a bit of a handful when it comes to grooming her. It scares her to no end. So, we’re going to start taking her to a groomer.
We have been fortunate enough to watch Bella Brigitta a couple times. The puppies LOVE having her over, so that they can play with their sister. They all get along great, even though Bella and Sally sometimes have to have it out to decide who’s in charge. After watching them play, I’d say that Bella and Sally are typical sisters — they’re terrific friends, but also fierce competitors and fighters. Sally usually wins, even though Bella is slightly bigger. But, after they’re done, they’re back to being friends and ganging up on Lightning.
As always, the boys still love the puppies. We use the puppies to wake the boys in the morning. They do a WONDERFUL job of that! Gets the boys right out of bed, and wakes them up enough to start getting ready for school or church. Plus, during the really nice weather we had recently, the boys spent a lot of time outside playing with the dogs. We’ve started teaching the boys how to train the puppies, and so far, we’ve got Sit down really well. Lightning can even contain himself to do a Stay once in a while. Sally is proving more of a challenge, as she likes to wiggle constantly. 
But we’ll get there eventually.
Sally and Lightning are SUCH wonderful additions to our home. Thank you, Jennifer! And give Juliet a hug from us!
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From the Cross family:
Just wanted to drop you a note to let you know how happy we are with our “new addition.” She is such an adorable little pup…and will be spoiled accordingly! What an excellent traveler she is…by the time we left your subdivision she had already snuggled into her bed and slept all the way to Tulsa. She’s already visited both grandparents houses (more sleepy traveling) and has spent lots of play time with cousins and friends, as well as logging much lap time with grandmas and aunts. Of course, her first few nights were quite traumatic…my goodness there’s a big pair of lungs in that little body…and believe me, she can hit some high notes! But the last three nights have been cry-free, and we are glad that she is becoming comfortable with her new family and surroundings…and much quicker than I had even imagined. Paper training is also coming along nicely…and the last couple of afternoon outings outside have been successful as well. She might easily have been dubbed “Houdini” as she is quite the escape artist…resourceful and persistent (quite humorous). However, we’ve decided to name her “Scout” as she is also an intrepid explorer…she is very inquisitive and an encounter with something new (going from tile to carpeting, for example) is soon conquered with a cautious but bold step. What a hoot to watch! At any rate…just wanted to let you know how much fun we (and Scout) are having and to thank you again for sharing your “baby” with us. I’ve got lots of pics, but haven’t taken the time to download them yet…I’ll be sure and send a couple your way when I get the chance.
Update: 1/29/08
I finally got around to downloading pictures and thought I’d send you a couple from this past week. We are having a ball with Scout…she keeps us smiling and on our toes!! Unfortunately, I missed the sign-up deadline to start Puppy Kindergarten in January, so we’re having to wait until February to get started. My son and I are both looking forward to that…he even has ideas of eventually teaching her Rally and/or Obedience…wouldn’t that be super!! We’ll see if he still has the time and patience once we tackle Kindergarten! Scout is already starting to get her big dog, “schnauzer” shape…and attitude, too!
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From the George family:
Just wanted to let you know that the puppy is doing great!!! She is working very hard at potty training and is so excited when she does it right. The girls are keeping her busy playing most of the day, so she is sleeping very well at night. The first night she slept on her towel that you sent home, last night she just cuddled up next to me and slept very soundly. She has become a member of our family very quickly, and I think it is safe to say we are all wrapped around her little paw already!! We have finally decided upon a name, and it is Maggie. I am going to be taking her on Saturday for her next shots and to get her check-up. Thank you again, and keep in touch.
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From the Jester family:
I wanted to let you know that we have named our puppy Izzie. She is absolutely precious, and we are so grateful for her. It has taken a couple of days to get adjusted, but she has certainly come out of her shell and showed us her true colors. She loves to play ball and tug of war…especially with the socks that are on our feet. She loves to go for walks, and she seems to think that it is her goal in life to chase down all of the blowing leaves. She has sure been busy with these last few windy days! She is still working on letting us know when she needs to go out to potty, but she is learning quickly. Izzie has been such a joy to us, and we are so happy to have her as a part of our family! Thanks for allowing us the opportunity to love our sweet little Izzie.
Update: 1/29/08
Izzie is doing wonderful. She is getting tall way too fast. 
She loves to hide under the bed, play fetch and tag…anything that requires her to run full speed through the house is such enjoyment for her. She is also teething so she loves to chew on shoes…especially my house shoes.
Update: 2/18/08
Izzie went for her rabies shot on Friday, and she weighed in at 12.4 lbs. She is so tall and muscular. The vet said that she is going to be a big girl, but that she looks great.
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From the Skinner family:
I just wanted to touch base with you and let you know that Bella is doing great. You know I was very partial to the name Brigitta, but the girls liked Bella better, so she is Bella Brigitta, and we call her Bella. They played so hard last night she just crashed until about 5:20 this morning. She is doing great pottying outside! She gets to meet our other dog later tonight. I will have the camera ready for that one, I’m sure it will be cute. Thank you so much for letting her come live with us, we love her very much!
Update: 2/2/08
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From Jennifer White:
I’ve had a few requests for updates on Friedrich, so I thought I’d share with you how he is doing. Friedrich von Brutus, called Fritz, is now the newest member of my pack. Fritz has the most darling, loving personality. When I reach down to pick him up, he throws his head back so I will kiss his neck. He does the funniest thing with his ears — he flips the bottoms of them forward sometimes so they look like they’re on his head backward! He is growing so fast… You should see the size of his paws — he’s going to be a big boy. Fritz is not quite potty trained yet — maybe I should rephrase — he does whatever he wants, so mama is praying for lots of patience. He can now get up on the sofa by himself, and he has always been very good about sleeping through the night. He has gotten to see Lightning and Sally a couple of times now, and I’m hoping we’ll get a reunion with a couple of the other puppies as soon as I can squeeze a minute out of my schedule. Juliet has taught him the jedi ways of eating sticks in the yard (she is of the opinion they should be eaten, not fetched), but she has not yet convinced him of the perils that squirrels and cats and birds pose to all canine-kind. He has “sit” down pat and has a very bright future in obedience ahead. (Mama is reading “The Loved Dog” by Tamar Geller and getting loads of good info out of it!) Basically, Fritz is 100% adorable and a true blessing from God!
