Tiny update.

I feel like I should write something because I know people are still reading this blog.

I haven’t heard much from Emma, but I know she’s doing well and may be a bit of a porker from going to work with her owner and acting as therapy dog-treat taker. She is always the star in the obedience classes her owners enroll her in.

Moto-bear is growing into a super manly dog that his owners adore. He’s been exposed to stock and they have interest in doing it more, but that hasn’t panned out yet.

Reiderton is the man on his property. Yishai and I got to see him around his year birthday and he is one heck of a studly dog. I’m actually really impressed with how he turned out. Here are some photos: Patrick was supposed to send me the better “stacked” ones and never did.

Piper is tiny and firey and doing awesome at whatever she is sent to do. She does all kinds of tricks, is learning flyball and agility and I hear occasionally that she is self-teaching herself sheep and always doing a nice job of it without supervision (no joke!)

Rippa (the one we kept) is doing awesome. She looks great – I love staring at her because she just looks like what I think an Aussie should. She’s a full 1/3 bigger than her mom and the contrast is amazing. We’re starting agility this month and her stockdog exposures have been great. I wish I could afford to be more regular on that. I really want to take her to ASCA’s Bakersfield Nationals for MVA. We’ll be doing rally with her in May.

And you all wonder about Daca. Daquiri is doing awesome. He owners think she is the bee’s knees, are steadily rehabbing her and training her to be an ace frisbee dog. She is devoted to the kids, gets along well with the other family dogs, and her owners send me lots of emails telling me that she is the perfect dog for them. Happy endings there!

I will not be repeating the litter, however. The emotional and financial toll were too high. I can’t imagine putting Fury bear on a plane again. I like what we produced, and between the two boys (who will remain intact) and Rippa, I think I have a steady foundation for the future. Now to training and loving on the puppies!

Rippa Gets a Spinoff Blog, too!

Happy Fall!

Stephanie sent me this photo along with a Daiquiri update (she's keeping her more formal name, and her new nickname is "Bitty") that she is doing fabulous, loving Ohio, loving her kids, and the bestest little dog she could have ever asked for. Sometimes even stuff like this has a happy ending. It's a good lesson to remember.

Yishai and I went out and took Rippa for her first formal lessons on sheep this weekend, with Trish Alexander. The result was some footage on video, some thoughts, and then I decided it was time for a Rippa Spinoff Blog, so I give to you:

Rippa Herds

So, you know, if you're interest in how to start a stockdog puppy the way I do (ie, the Kathy Warren/Jack Knox way), then follow us on our happy adventures . . .

Photos of some of the kids

Miss Piper makes an appearance:

Bekka took a ton of these photos to get this one. All of the girls are related, and the blue dog just next to her is her auntie (Fury’s mom is her litter sister).

Piper, btw, was so not into the photo taking. :)

And, we have some wonderful Moto updates, too . . .

Is he not the worlds’ most beautiful dog ever? Maybe I am biased because he looks like a male version of Fury and I think she is awfully cute. And I am so proud that they are cute, and structurally correct, and all show good instinct on livestock.

Rippa starts her formal training next month on sheep, and I will be SO stoked to work with her. I love this puppy. She is wonderful in every way. But I keep looking at her like, “What did you get from Fury, exactly, aside from being quirky?” She is still a Ben clone . . .

Yishai and I are lately surrounded by backyard bred dogs from repeat oops litters which is making us feel even more achieved than usual. He is really pushing for a repeat litter (it doesn’t help that Fury has come into heat and we’ve spent a lot of time watching her around the five month old, possibly dysplastic, border collie boy that she is flirting with) . . . we’ll see. Dogs need to be healthy and there needs to be a wait list.

Looking at Moto kind of makes me regret not keeping a dog for myself. I don’t know if I want three dogs in the near future though . . . though Alina is saying she’s planning on keeping him intact . . .

 

And PS . . . Daca is doing awesome!! Stephanie and family are bringing out everything I knew she had in her and she even says she’s doing great in public! No more inappropriate guarding/fear aggression! What a wonder the right handling can do. I knew it, but this proves it. And in so many ways, getting Daca to the Meyers was the best thing that happened to me this year. By far.

Little girls . . .

Fury’s just barely 17”, and she’s adorable, but geez. When I bred her to Ben, I was hoping to “fix” that, but I also knew it was such a close line breeding, it might be pretty strong.

Result? It’s pretty strong. The boys are nearing 50 lbs right now, so I guess they’re pretty big dudes (I hope to see Reid soon), but the girls are petite! I think the only one that is gonna make 18” is Rippa (Emma maybe, but haven’t checked in with her for a while.)

So, of course, just like Miss Fury, Rippa is asked all the time if she’s a mini. So I bought her a coat at the Outdoor Retailer show, and Yishai had it embroidered with a logo and a message:

It says, if you can’t see it, “I’m not a mini, I’m the Lil Rippa.”

That’s right. :)

Daca’s definitely in the right spot.

If you don’t believe me, check her blog.

But I got an email from Stephanie today, and had to share an excerpt: “She is a dream and I just can not express how much I love her.  I have the dog that I have been searching for the past almost 2 years now.  I really believe all things happen for a reason.  It was destiny that Daca be part of our family but for whatever reason she needed those other experiences before getting here.”

I love that. I feel that way about all the puppies. Alina I told no, and then a month later decided she would be okay, and now their lives are changed for the better. The Flowers, I said no, but now she is the prettiest princess which is just what she needed. Everyone else got exactly what they asked for.

Placing Daca with Stephanie finally has been the best thing that’s happened all year. So good that even Yishai is starting to encourage repeating the litter in a year-plus. A lot of learning, and all happy endings finally. We’ll see. I’ve noticed Fury is definitely slowing down, and I wouldn’t want to stress her out too much at 9 years old. Plus, we don’t know where we’ll be then. Y’s response was that maybe by then we’ll be married with a house and how much easier would that be. Heh. :)

Reiderton

I got this photo of Reid off Facebook. The caption was “pretty squeezil.” The MacRoberts are champions at nicknaming dogs, I tell you what. That’s a bow on his ear.

The family resemblance of this litter is ridiculous. I guess the line breeding’ll do that, but seriously, one litter and the “Tara” look is pretty solid.

Piper

Dude, how could I forget to post a photo of Piper!