October 10, 2007
Part one
Hi, Here are some pictures sent in from our litters of this summer and the last year.
Meister, I Litter, Strongheart/Bree, three months old, Dave writes: Meister is doing great, I could not ask for a better pup
We are proud to announce that Meister's sister, Tari, was selected for the Carroll College Human-Animal Bonding Program, where she is being trained to be a Service Dog 8-30-2007,
Whitney and Kayla write: " Tari is a great puppy, she is very bold and eager to learn. So far we have found nothing that she is scared of! She bosses our labradors around as though she was twice their size and she loves to play. She is very loving to her humans, but isn't terribly interested in strangers. She is friendly and will say hello, but she would rather be with the people she knows. We have started a new service dog training class this semester and she is the youngest pup. Our instructor promises outings in wheelchairs, and that the dogs will learn 70-80 new commands such as turning on and off lights and opening doors. She has been a lot of fun and her antics amuse us daily. She has even been a relatively easy puppy as far as crate training, sleeping through the night, not biting, etc. We have been taking her to a weekly "puppy party" for socialization with pups her own age and to meet new people. She is weighed there weekly and she is now up to 27 lbs. She is scheduled to be fixed soon too. Anyway, I wanted to drop you a line and tell you how the little princess is doing ." Hearing about Tari is especially exciting to us as the idea of service is key to what makes dogs so special. Thank you Whitney and Kayla for all the work you are doing in bringing out the best in Tari that one day, somebody special is going find their life greatly enriched by her.
Athena, H litter, born December 5, 2006
Ranger, five months, H Litter
Sam, eight months, H litter
David, Sam's owner, writes:
"A while back, Sam & I went through a week or so where if I said "come" he would go; if I said "sit" he would run....you get the idea: any training he had received went out the window and my Sam had been invaded by an alien "demon dog" .... So I called the trainer and ask if he know anyone who could stuff Sam and put him on wheels....He suggested we come to him after I got off work that Sunday and did a free private session at 8pm (I think that is rare in and of itself) .... We arrive and Sam walks up to him and obeys every command...the trainer said that I was not firm enough and that Sam thought of me as a playmate and not and owner ... after a long discussion that I have a problem raising my voice to animals or kids we took what he said was the longer more difficult path... I actually drop my voice and give Sam commands more softly than normal conversation .... if he did not respond I would come up (unusually from sitting or resting) and take his collar and make him "sit, lay or follow for the come" .......Sam so did not like me going silent and coming at him that it took about two days and "my dog" returned .....He occasionally regresses but is mostly wonderful about obeying commands.... I have also been taking him almost every where I can where I will only be in a store/getting gas/etc for a few minutes (it's really hot here) and leave the top down on the car....he usually stays in the back seat and will occasionally more to the drivers seat and place a paw on the steering wheel....(I don't let him drive yet :) .....As always, thank you for a wonderful companion..........."
Max and Wessa's pup, born May 14, 2007, Sally writes
Above, Sallie's pup; below is his brother.
Hey Elizabeth!
Just wanted to drop you a note & let you know I'm tickled we went ahead
and made the leap now & picked up this pup instead of waiting.
It has been busy, but he is remarkably adaptive for our crazy schedule.
We finished flipping our house in Olympia and then had about 4 weeks in our
home in Shelton out in the country before we took off to our contract in Okanagon where we spend the day hopping in &
out of the truck & examine power poles & spending the night in a motel.
With his own bed & a few games he fits in happily to the motel situation.
He rides right along with us during the day checking poles & hops out
where its appropriate (or not). Coming home to Shelton he immediately
falls into his known routine here. He's got a "keep away" game he invented
with forbidden objects & does it right in front of you for a little extra
entertainment. Actually I find him really impressive. He's shows curiosity
& intelligence in every wierd situation we've inadvertently thrust upon
him. He's just pretty much of a blast.
Currently, here at Candle Hill, we have the privilege of hosting Dillion, a Strongheart/Bree 2006 pup, while his family is traveling to Europe. Dillion is learning to heel and his sit and down stays. What a great obedience dog. I'd love to compete with this fellow! Like his mom, Bree, he thrives on precision.
Here is Dillion in our home. He is just days shy of his first birthday. What a handsome fellow!
Also, we have new puppies!
In a moment another email is coming,
Elizabeth
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Part Two
Puppies!
These pups were born to Jake and Dakota last Friday, October 5. Right now, all of them are spoken for. We are so excited about this litter and you will soon find out why. First, an email just in from Jake's only previous litter. Just look at that pup, now one and a half years old!
Dear Elizabeth,
We enjoy all the pics you send of your litters and apologize for not keeping you up to date on Sheeba. Just looking at these pictures of these gorgeous dogs I just had to "show off" Sheeba!!! We took her to Kure beach, N.C this summer and she was absolutely amazing!! She had a blast on the beach! We just adore her so much and our thanks go out to you for choosing this wonderful family dog for us. Every single person that meets her asks about her breeder and comments on her beauty! She's a people lover and also a dog lover. We often have "playdates" with neighbor dogs and family dogs! We love her!
Thanks again, Ellen
The second reason we are especially pleased about this litter is that Jake, the sire, just keeps bringing in the ribbons. Thankfully the puppies were born Friday, allowing us to go to the Spokane Dog Show on Saturday.
Hannah and Jake took Third Place in competition with some very good dogs and handlers, achieving also Jake's second leg towards his CD title.
AND....Jake won the Highest Scoring German Shepherd in Trial Award
Somebody asked, "Elizabeth, didn't you also enter a dog?" Some things are just not worth writing about. Tag was in the Open Class, going for her CDX. Let's put it this way, she did great for the level at which I'd trained her. Her retrieves were beautiful, she just didn't consider that anyone in their right mind would expect her to go over a jump on the way. She always has been a sensible dog. As you can see, Hannah and I had a lot of fun! The AKC is very supportive of kids. This is something you can enjoy doing with your dogs....and kids.
One last picture just because I love it. Here are Hannah and Jake on a daytrip in our beautiful Idaho.
Best Regards, Elizabeth