August, 2011
Hello Wonderful Puppy Families and Friends,
Summer finally hit Idaho with the result that we have spent as much time as possible outside in the beautiful outdoors with the dogs and puppies and as little time as possible inside by the computer which means there is lots to catch up on in our communication.
Last week, the Max and Wessa puppies went home, the Hero and Legend puppies were born, and the Drago and Indy puppies grew bigger and moved to the Advanced Puppy Romper Room and outdoor puppy yard.
One of our Max and Wessa puppies, the only female, went to a very special
home. A fifteen year old young man who is fighting cancer had contacted the
Make-A-Wish Foundation with his “wish” for a Candle Hill Shepherd Puppy.
We donated part of the price and after waiting eleven months from when his
mom first contacted me, Jamie’s wish finally came through. Please
click on this link to see the television coverage of Venus’ first meeting
with Jamie. This will reach to your heart.
Jamie’s mother wrote this morning, “Oh Elizabeth, these are wonderful pictures! Dave said that she was walking towards Jamie at the airport before they met and she caught his scent and perked up and went directly towards him. She is incredible. I agonized over adding another animal to our family dynamic, especially a puppy. But after Thursday, there is no question that they were meant to be together! He made the right wish. She is everything to him. They worked on going up and down the stairs yesterday. He couldn't wait to show me when I came home. She also picked up her leash and went to the door yesterday to let him know she needed to go outside. He was exhausted last night, so I slept in the family room with her. Naturally, she slept through the night! We will go down for more scans Sept 1.”
Be sure to keep Jamie in your prayers for a complete victory over this disease.
Here is Venus hugging Jamie’s hat, the week before she went home to be with him.
It’s as if she knew she was his.
We do encourage puppy families to send in articles which have their scent on them as it actually does help with bonding as you can see in Dave’s observation above.
This summer we added a new puppy yard, visible from the house and our deck. You can see it to the back right of the picture below. There is a big shade tree giving the puppies the option of sunlight or shade all through the day. Plus we can easily watch the puppies without disturbing their behavior.
Inside, we have the whelping box. You’ve seen pictures before of our large Advanced Puppy Romper Room, but on occasion we bring them back in to smaller quarters, such as on travel days when we take the pups to the airport to go home. These puppies are already learning sit with focus to earn attention.
My favorite thing is to walk the dogs down our driveway. Bentley, Charlie, Britta, Houston, and Mercy all found new homes this summer. This is the sentimental walk I take them on as I say good bye. They are doing very well in their new homes, especially Mercy whose new owner writes:
“Dear
Elizabeth
We are
not able to possibly express our absolute total craziness for Mercy.
We feel we committed grand larceny! Mercy is far beyond anything we
could have imagined or any dog I have ever owned. Sylvie, who as you
know was skeptical, is spending every moment she can with Mercy who follows
her at her heals. I can hear Sylvie laughing and talking to Mercy
like I do not know what. When I am exercising, Mercy sits next to me
and keep moving her head back and forth as I do repetitions. When I am
sitting at my desk she is under it with her chin on my foot or when on the
couch reading she climbs up and puts her head in my lap. Last night
she did that not moving for two hours. What on earth did you do to
us?
In
appreciation with more to come-
Bob & Sylvie”
There is something so wonderful about knowing that in giving up a dog you loved, you gave her a better home than the one you could provide. Thank you Bob and Sylvie and all you wonderful young adult dog families for providing that loving home.
Are you ready for puppy pictures? Here is one of Max and Wessa’s puppies
going home:
And another who is staying here a short while for the Puppy Foundation
Program. What a scholar!
Then we have Indy and Drago’s robust pups:
All five are reserved.
And finally the new batch, Hero and Legend’s. Two boys and seven
females. The boys have been reserved, but of the females there are
still a few openings for reservations, but not many.
Notice the rich red sable in these puppies, beautiful pigment. And
yes, I’m planning on keeping one—I mean, how could I not!
Somehow in the midst of this, Hero achieved his AKC CDX with three First
Place Blue Ribbons. Each time along with my prize, he was given a
stuffed dog toy, to the point that he thinks that is what happens every time
he goes in the ring. No dog every showed appreciation as much as does Hero
when he is given a toy. I may have mentioned it in the last update
that Hero, Rubicon, and Max all earned their IABCA Championships in June.
And Jake, finished his Rally Novice title with his third leg this July. Let
us know what your dogs are doing.
Thank you all who send in updates on your pups. We continue to tweak
our program to provide better and better dogs and often it is your updates
and observations which guide us. It is your joy in your dogs which
makes this fun and rewarding.
My best to you all,
Elizabeth