Reid

A rare photo of 6 month old Reid!

Thoughts from someone who's been there . . .

Remember I told you about one home that was just a few days late in contacting me? She wrote up a wonderful little "I know how it is" to me that I thought I would share - since I do think that people need to understand what I've created and what is out there in the land of Aussies. Obviously Daca's origins are a bit different and she is actually quite the opposite in terms of being reserved from birth (Fury was), but the qualities she's exhibiting now are similar and the advice below are sound.

Posted with permission:

It's me again.  I read your blog and felt compelled to share the story of our first Aussie, the one I spoke of in my first e-mail.  I think Daca and Tess are two peas in a pod.

We got Tess when she was 12 weeks old as an early Christmas present.  She was from a BYB but I can say she was without a doubt 100% Aussie.  We picked her specifically because she was the one that hung back checking things out the other puppies were getting into before she would head over.  Her first year was pretty uneventful.  I took her everywhere I went never leaving her behind.  At about 15 months she decided she no longer wanted anything to do with people or other dogs.  She was so "bad" she would not even take treats from other people.  About 3 months later we started being active in frisbee competitions.  She did not like the people but her love of the disc and her wanting to please me outweighed all fears.  Starting to be around dog people I got conscientious of what people thought.  I signed us up for an obedience class.  We were SO bored as we knew all the commands and then some.  She acted like a perfect angel in the class, never lunging at or even looking to another dog.  She always left people alone anyways.  By this time I realized that our bond was so strong that all that mattered to her and I in life was being together.  I embraced her "fears" as I saw them as she was being the dog she was bred to be (aside from the dog issues of coarse).  In her 6 short years she never come to like other people, she would tolerate them but they needed to know that her space was to be left alone.   She never wanted to be with other dogs but one foster that I had for about 3 months she learned to tolerate with work on both of our parts.  Quite a few times at events people would "sneak" up from the back of the tent and she would go into protect mode but as soon as the "its OK" command came out she was fine with them being in our tent.  I did eventually teach her it was OK to take treats from people and that people were respectful of her.  She was a dog we had to manage but I would not take back a second of it.  You do not know how many times I was told "I would not have that dog" but my reply was always "I would not live without her".  She was very true to the Aussie standard in many ways.  I could go on and on about how I managed her but I do not want to bore you :-)

Dogs like Tess and Daca should never be expected to be something they are not.  If Daca continues to be so similar to Tess her new family needs to embrace her for who she is.  They will get in return more loyalty and dedication than they have ever known.   I was glad to read they have signed up for classes and hopefully this trainer has some experience in acceptance and teaching the owners how to make the fears manageable.  It is great to try to work the fears away but sometimes we as trainers have to accept a dog for what they are and roll with it not against it. . .


. . . I hope for Daca they do stick with her...it will pay off ten fold no doubt about it!! 

The Right Choices

Daiquiri with Rocky

So a number of you have been too kind with your comments on the blog or sending private emails and Facebook messages. How is Dacky doing? How are you?

Because of this, I thought I would update you. We're both doing well. Why is this?

The aggressive "I WANT THAT PUPPY" home I mentioned before is clearly not the right home for her, the more this woman says to me. They need an older, started dog and while I am not sure they realize it yet, I do. I'm still not quite sure why the woman wants Daca and not any of the nice Aussies listed on Working Aussie Source or Tracey's website (Tracey being Fury's breeder - she has a couple puppies by Fury's brother Ice-T available), except perhaps that well . . . let's face it, Daca is flipping adorable. But if you're serious about needing a stockdog for your cattle operation, I'm not sure that should be your deciding factor. It wasn't an accident that my litter is cute cute cute, but it shouldn't be someone's priority. It's just the result of my personal taste being able to match up with what I want to contribute to the stockdog/Aussie genepool.

I do have another home inquiry (that was a bit too late in finding us and still out of state) whom I love, and she's started reading this blog, so hi there. She so clearly gets Daca's personality and likes her because she shares my personal taste on all fronts - working style, looks, and lines. I've enjoyed meeting her and have a feeling that we'll be good friends before long.

Some of you guys wrote to remind me that the decision wasn't entirely mine - Yishai was supportive of the Sibleys and the Sibleys so very clearly know what they have and it was their idea to take her home in the first place. Everyone has a choice here, so yup, I'm happy now. I called them up yesterday and we had a discussion and the Sibleys say that barring her deciding to become truly aggressive toward people, she's staying there. I think between Shelly, myself, and her training program Daca will be fine.

Also, look up - who looks happy? Who likes her new big sister? 

So yup, I'm fine.

The funny thing about this is I keep telling ya'll that I don't think I'll breed again because I am way too neurotic. But placing the blame squarely where it lies - with not enough home placement and screening experience - is important. I did Aussie rescue for four years when I was in college, but that was a while ago, and even then, it wasn't a lot of Aussies coming through my hands. A lot of "I live three hours away and if you don't come get this dog, I am putting it down tomorrow." (And my reaction, because I am not a bleeding heart was, "Well, I haven't met the dog, so right now, it's just a dog. You wanna be like that, fine. Your friend's blood is squarely on your hands.") Not so much in the way of matching homes up.

So this has got me to thinking that (1) in honor of having contributed more dogs to the world, (2) because I recently got a request from someone in SLO for a rescue dog, (3) there is a way to get more experience  . . . I am seriously contemplating becoming a rep for Aussie rescue again. I don't know if my time schedule can allow that right now, but the thought of running for the ASCA Board again with a new goal in mind keeps coming to me and really, I need to stop thinking about that one.

The reason is this - the interactions I've had with people since the beginning of this tell me something: that breeding this litter was the right choice. I know my dog and my lines are not popular locally for the most part for a few reasons, but I also know that there is a market for what I'm producing. It's why I did it. And that in that market, there isn't really anyone out there working on what I am. My mentor, Terry Martin of Slash V, is certainly producing nice cattle dogs still (as are others with lines similar to mine), but my particular style of dog is stamped all over this litter - their looks, their temperaments, what I wanted to see in the pedigree, etc. In having to say "no" to people for whatever reason, I always try to help them find a dog, but most people don't want what I'm offering to them as a consolation. They want what I have, and I actually feel bad about not having any more puppies to offer. That's cool. I still hang on to the fact that there was some healthy interest from respected stockdog judges and breeders, but that either the price was too high (shipping plus my puppies weren't cheap as making them wasn't cheap) or the color not right, or whatever . . . but that they liked what I produced, the pedigree, and the way I raised them.

So yeah, I updated my website today - Daca's no longer available and the litter page says I'm taking names for a waitlist. If it fills in two years, I may repeat the breeding (If, God willing, everyone stays sound and wonderful and if Ben's around and Anne will have me). I don't plan on trying to breed Rippa until she is much older (5-7 seems like a good age), and even then, Yishai is not sure he's keen on doing it. Pregnancy was hard on Fury - a lot of grumbling and grunting. I am not too worried about that, though. I pointed out that after she's been totally revitalized, likes playing with dogs (and that hasn't happened since she was 2 years old and got dog piled a couple times), is a fabulous mother, etc. He also still regularly says that raising the litter with me is one of the best things he's ever done. I may have even started fantasizing about who I'd go to . . . and no, I am not telling you. :)

Anyway, today I am pretty clear, now that everyone is in loving homes that are bringing out every ounce of potential in the best way they know how (apparently Piper got a free ride to a third puppy kindergarten - Bekka says the other classes don't have play time and Pipes loves her playtime), I think they're aces, and I think I have done right by everyone on a micro level and right by the breed on a macro level.

Yup, we're happy.

Have I told you that I am neurotic? Yeah, I am. And Rippa's first snow.

Yishai and I took Rippa and Fury to the Sierra this weekend and went on a mondo epic hike. Rippa, as it turns out, love love loves the snow (good thing, since our huge hike in the mountains was about 50-70% snowed in). If she has a choice of snow versus dirt -- snow every time.

Rippa on her perch - bad angles!

Fury and Rippa's first snow:

What?

So coooool:

Yay!

Here I am, trying to go up this super steep snow field, and the danged dogs are running up and glissading down like it's no big thing:

Yes, still trying:

At least one of them is tired:

Daca's still in Santa Cruz. Yishai called her charges for me while we were driving home (I was at the wheel and it's illegal to be on the phone unless handsfree) and it's not all roses and sunshine over there (not that I expected it), but they have a breeder they trust (Shelly Hollen - Shalako Aussies) who is who referred them to me and they've been consulting with her in our absence about what to do. I am "friends" with them Facebook and they have posted some photos and even a video of Daca in her trial home. They like to update their Facebook status about how she's doing. Sometimes good, sometimes bad. The one thing I know is that that is a family full of love and capability - they are too cool. I hope this is the right thing for everyone involved.

I do feel really awful about giving them her. In my mind, I want to dole out perfect, problem free puppies that will be all that everyone wants them to be. I talked about this with Yishai on the drive up to meet them - and he's right. My sense of responsibility is sometimes cloudy, I always feel like I need to carry everything and I am the only one that can do it - it is better for Daca to go to someone that has the time and energy to put into her training, to get her away from Rippa and the constant fighting, and, after all, spread the love.  I sit here fairly powerless to intercede and I am trying not to . . . I keep looking for the right word, but the only one I can find is "hover." I don't know if family life is best suited for Daca's temperament, but I'm very sensitive to these things and I have to trust the other folks involved to make that call, also. They did wonders for their current dog, from what they and Shelly tell me.

In the mean time,  a couple more homes popped up, but the one that's made me feel the most uncertain about what I'm doing is the Missouri stock home. I don't really want to say much here because blogging about yourself is quite different than blogging about your personal interactions, but suffice it to say - this woman wants this puppy. I have reservations about her, just as I do others, but she is quite persistent in letting me know how disappointed she is that I gave her to the family on a trial basis. Like, every day, multiple times a day.

And if you really want to get me, what she's doing is a good way to do it - I tend to feel guilty pretty easily, and second guess myself a lot. But the fact is, no matter what I bred the puppies for or what my dreams for them were, the reality is that for me, the bottom line is puppy/owner happiness forever. I got another email that says that the woman LOVES the kind of personality that I feel like I am "inflicting" on Daca's try-out family and it's like, dang, how do you decide?

They said that they're planning on taking her to positive classes that are specifically for fear aggressive dogs (something like that . . .) rather than just obedience (which is good, and I like that I didn't have to prompt them to, they are not dealing with the kind of dog you can take to puppy class and be all good with - some of the puppies in the litter, yes, but others need a different kind of handling, and I'm glad they recognized it and want to learn how to work with it), and that they have plans to do agility with her when they help get her over her hurdles with some TLC. This is one really great thing - I don't have any resource like that around here for her - we just took her to the dog park and out in public, but nothing structured.

They take nice photos of her, too!

I hope for everyone's sake that Daca figures out how to live in Santa Cruz happily. I think she just may, too. As one of her maybe-owner said on Facebook after their first dog and she got in a fight: "Sorry Daca, not getting out that easy. Welcome to the island of misfit toys. We're gonna love the fear right out of you......"


PS, isn't this photo of Yishai and Daca that they took flipping ADORABLE?

Oh, and success with Rippa

Measured Fury and Rippa today:

Fury: 16 3/4" and 27.2 lbs.
Rippa: 17 1/4" and 27.4 lbs.

Yes, that's right, Rippa is going to be bigger than Fury (success #1) and within the ideal range for a female Aussie.

I told you before that at six months (which they hit on Saturday) they're 75% the size they're gonna be based on Internet wisdom, but I calculated that at 21" tall and don't believe that for Rips. 33 lbs, however? I could buy that. :)

So maybe Rippy bear is gonna be my stockdog breed champion. :)

And we are again an empty nest.

So I am sitting here in my room after a fairly sleepless night (thanks Rippa) and the silence is overwhelming. Daca was a very easy puppy to live with. Polite, sweet, very affectionate. The space of her absence is huge. But I am stoked that she's not here anymore. If she comes back, fine, but this morning it was just me, Yishai, Rippa and Fury and that felt right. We sat out on the porch and had breakfast and Rippa barked at the neighbor's lab and then ran back to us until Yishai went over there to show her it was no big deal. Peaceful.

So basically, we drove up to San Juan Bautista yesterday to check out Kay Spencer's (from WorkingAussieSource.org) new sheep co-op setup and help her finish out a fence. We were supposed to get there at noon, but had to run a couple errands, and then as soon as we got on the highway, Fury started whining something awful. I always think she's just being annoying for some reason, but she never is - she had a huge bout of poop awesomeness in my truck as we drove up the grade. Stop, clean it out, feel crappy for Fury. (I do this at night sometimes, she has diarrhea and is waking me up and i think she's being annoying so she goes on my floor when I tell her to go away.) I don't know why I do that - she is never annoying for no reason.

On the road again and then there's traffic.

Just outside King City, the puppies get into a serious brawl over I have no idea what and Yishai goes to stop it and gets his thumb bit up pretty badly. Now he's in pain, and we have to stop at Rite Aid to fix it up. And then there's traffic.

And then . . . Fury does it again. She starts whining and I am like, "No way does she have to pee/poo again."

Way. So we pull over in a gas station to clean that off, too.

And all this is happening and I just start crying because I like to feel guilty about stuff and like to look for bad omens in strings of bad luck (though I know I should stop it).  Yishai's all torn up, the puppies fight, I'm not paying the right kind of attention to Fury and what have I done? Yishai tells me he knows better than to stick his hand in there and it's not the puppies' fault (and they are all happy with each other once again), and I made a beautiful litter of six wonderful puppies and to chill out.

But this is an omen. We should just give up now. We're already an hour late.

But we get there and there's Kay and the Sibleys all waiting. They're excited to see Daca, but just letting her out in the hubbub is not the best way to do it, so we go out to Kay's pens and they each take her for a walk until she is no longer worried about where her breeder family is and is taking pets and commands from them.

They introduce her to their dog (at my insistence, away from me - as I think a lot of it has to do with protection instinct of me) and that goes okay. Kay impresses me with her knowledge of dog behavior as she starts explaining how Daca's facial postures show her level of anxiety and she's right on.

I feel like I have spent about two hours stressing the absolute negatives of this puppy and what she is going to be like. How she will be wonderful with them but probably not always with strangers and I can't guarantee she'll totally come out of her fear aggression. How they'll need to keep her on leash and work really hard with her - Yishai interjects that she is going to need piles of exercise - and Kay tells her that they will have to protect her from others because she is so cute but needs space.

The Sibleys currently have a show-line dog who reminds me a lot a lot a lot of my old dog, actually.

Rocky, the Sibleys' dog:

Dusty, my late dog:

She is a totally different animal from their current gal. Shelly Hollen was very kind to cross-post my ad for Daca on Facebook and that's how they found her. She told me they are a fabulous home and good with working with problems.

So, we all stood around for a while and Lisa suggested they take her on a trial. Now, I wasn't planning on this. I had not really thought how this would go. Being me, I assumed it would go like how all the other homes would go - they would take one look at her initial reaction (which is either barking at them or being indifferent) and not really be excited about it. I didn't remember to pack her crate or food or anything in case this happened. Yishai brought his crate so we could keep the puppies up if we were working Fury, but beyond that . . . nope, no clue this would happen. So I said, "Yeah, okay, after checking in with Yishai."

The night before, I talked to a woman in Missouri who sounds exactly like the kind of home I wanted for all the puppies when I bred them - working cattle ranch but also looking for a pet and possibly a breeding dog - but only with my guidance as to who to go with since she wasn't involved in that end of things. But she's in Missouri, hasn't had an Aussie before, and that was as much a wildcard as anything else. I told Yishai I would defer to him. He has been absolutely the co-breeder on this litter and has had a lot of success with working with Daca. He asked me to give the Sibleys a try.

So, we packed her up and said our goodbyes.

I am feeling pretty bad because the woman in Missouri was positive she wanted her but I had to see this through and I came home to a lot of stoked emails about her. The good thing is, if Daca isn't a fit, she has a home no matter what - and both homes are primarily interested in loving her, which, for Daca, is a must.

And I still maintain that finding homes is like dating. See, this is why I don't date two guys at once. Being with Yishai has taught me that your initial inclinations toward someone could be totally wrong. If you told me I'd end up with him eight years ago when I met him after kind of insulting his plywood gym on the Internet, I'd have laughed you right out of town. It's the nuances.

So now we'll just see how things go. I am so glad that there are some people out there with the time and resources to love on her and work with her. My decision to place her is a solid one. Yishai's destroyed thumb can attest to that. It was only going to get worse.

But I miss her. We all do.

Lake days and big decisions

So Yishai and I had to go out to the lake yesterday after putting on a grueling 24-hour race that I am still trying to recover from (I don't do well with no sleep). I am always mad I don't take photos so I did, and here you go.

Daca loves her breeder papa.

Everyone on the pontoon boat. It still amazes me that they don't fall off or get nervous on it.

Y lovin' on momma dog.

Daca in the captain's chair.

I was thinking I haven't gotten any updates on puppertons in a while, but I think I'll not harass owners until I really can't stand it. I think quietness is just as good as daily reports - it means things are good in dogland.

And on that note, Yishai and I are headed north to San Juan Bautista to check out Kay Spencer's sheep co-op. I think it will be a nice way to put miles on the Fury and teach Yishai how to handle her without time constraints put on by lessons. I'm not putting the puppies on her sheep because I really know nothing about properly starting a puppy on stock and I did such a crummy job on my own with Fury that I want them to get started right - at Kathy Warren's. 

Them, I said them. One of the things we're doing at Kay's is meeting a family from Santa Cruz that might be interested in Daca. Just for a pet - which she'd like. I also have another prospective home that's a cattle ranch/pet situation in Missouri. As I said before, this feels like dating, and I have never liked dating two guys at once, so this is an interesting feeling for me. I am happy that Yishai is there and takes such a big role in the pupper's lives. I think his influence will be a good one on this. One one hand, if all goes well today, she'll be local and i won't have to worry about how she's adapting because I can always go get her if it doesn't work out. On the other, Missouri will be the kind of home I bred her for - and I get the bonus of her being an indoor housedog/pet. I just don't really want to ship her across the country again if we're uncertain. The Missouri home definitely wants her, so if today's family decides she's not a good fit, that's probably where Daca is going. I also feel bad if they don't want her and had to drive a one-hour drive out to meet her for nothing.

Ugh, I am so nervous. But, hakuna matada, no worries. What will be will be. And all that.

Progess! and a little musing on Aussie temperament and placing

So I had a three-hour long conversation with a friend of mine who lives near Santa Cruz, California. She set up a sheep training area a few hours away from me and we (Y and I) are planning to go put some miles on Fury and help her finish out the build out next week. A lot of interesting conversations came out of that call. I never, ever talk on the phone for any amount of time, but she and I have a lot in common with our philosophies and perceptions and such.

She was talking about how most people are breeding away from the true Aussie temperament (reserved, protective, and very loyal) to get more of a friendly-to-everyone temperament. And I said, "Yeah, it is something I'm opposed to doing, but . . ." here I am with Rippa who is a very mellow little dog and very easy to take places, and there is Daca, who is exceedingly fun and friendly once she knows you but before that has a little wall up. As a hobby breeder (which is what I am, right?), I did this breeding out of idealism for what I thought the breed should be and what I had to contribute. And, as I have said before, I am proud of what it's done, where the dogs went, and what some very respectable people have said about the litter. But, I told her, the honest truth is that if Rippa were to come available today, she would be snatched up. Daca is a special case and needs a special home.

When you breed, home placement is the #1 thing. I was scared going into this breeding because unlike last time, I didn't have a wait list. The people that wanted puppies the first time went and got them elsewhere. I just had to have faith that it would work out - and if you know me, I am pretty weak on faith in such things. How much easier placement would have been if I didn't have dogs I wanted to be sure would be in homes that could handle them.  And then, well, one home couldn't. No wonder people breed away from it. How many Aussie breeders are there? And how many live a legit lifestyle and are networked with the right kind of people? I live in suburbia (sort of) and we're surrounded by cattle ranches and such but I have no idea how to reach those people. I knew that would be a problem doing this litter, but I'd been assured that I would have help from people who did have that connection. It didn't happen.

That's okay, though. Lesson learned. If I breed again, it will only be because I have a fat waitlist. I'm not committed to the dog lifestyle enough to ever be seriously effective in the breed. But, with that said, I have always said that one shouldn't breed if someone else is producing something you want exactly, and I dare say that people come close, but no one that I know of is doing that. So, well, when the time comes, I may just have to make my own dogs again. But I am, in no way, "a breeder."

Anyway - Yishai took Daca to the dog park yesterday and reports a complete rehab success!

Gasp - she takes her dogs to the dog park? Yes, yes I do. This is highly frowned upon in dog people circles, but I do a lot of things that are highly frowned upon and don't really care. Fury has always liked being able to chase a ball in a wide-open space and I have always liked not having to get a ticket from the park rangers. I also think it's good to socialize your dog to people, dogs, good and bad, etc.

So, Yishai and I have been taking all the kids to the dog park with some regularity. Rippa has been very intimidated by encounters with strange dogs (a little timid, hackles up), so regular exposure makes her happier. Fury plays ball. Daca has had a tendency to bark and rush strange dogs (when I got her back, she would do it on walks on leash and to dogs across the street), so regular exposure to calm dogs who want nothing to do with her was the goal. As time has progressed, she has learned to play with strange dogs, but sometimes still does the bark-and-rush. If she accidentally makes contact with a dog (ie, it runs into her obliviously or she runs into it on a miscalc), she squeals and runs away. The dog park folks have been very patient with her - I am careful to explain what we're doing. Every week or so I go and someone tells me they see real progress.

Well, yesterday, there was no rushing. Just a little poking around, looking at other dogs, and somesuch.

I attribute this to Yishai's fine instinctual handling skills, but also to Fury upping the ante at home. I feel like Daca went through a fear period at her previous home and didn't learn how to warn people and dogs out of her space appropriately so she just bluffed people and dogs to get respect. As time has gone on, the Fury is quite done with Daca trying to bluff her (which before she would ignore) and she has been steadily working on ways to dominate her. Sometimes Daca will bluff and they get into a scuffle and the Fury waits until she is relaxed on her back before walking off, and then sets to licking her ears to calm her down. Dax also submissive pees, and this is crazy, but Fury still cleans her off when she does that. It's tough love, I guess. I remain very appreciative to Fury for being an awesome dog mother - and one who is not yet bored with her offspring's rearing needs.

What Fury has been effectively doing, in a way that Rippa can't, is teaching Daca how to submit, as well as that she can back off of problems instead of reinforcing them. She and Rippa still can't get that worked out. Rippa can walk away from something, but Daca doesn't get that it's over - she keeps bringing it. You can see it frustrates Rippa because she'd rather not keep fighting, especially when she always wins. It's unfortunate, but I can see Daca learning.

Anyway, I am pretty stoked that Daca's had an incident-free dog park exposure. I have redoubled my efforts to try to find her a home, but if nothing pans out soon, I am excited to get her started in agility classes with Rippa. She is going to be awesome fun to run - just like Fury has been. Too bad she has me as a handler - she'll never reach her potential - I just don't care enough to try that hard.

Anyway, quite a bright spot. It gives me solid hope that she'll come out of her stranger-danger with people fairly soon, too, and go back to what she was - a happy, friendly little gal.

Shiny Rippa Bear

Tried to get photos of Daca's suspected tweed merle, but they didn't turn out. What did turn out was a shiny Rippa Bear's coat. I've been disappointed that you couldn't see what it looks like in most of the photos, so there we go. Cool, huh? Yishai was all worried she would be dull and not soft because Daca's coat matured so much faster. I just told him she was maturing slower. I was right. She is gonna be a heck of a looker. That pose ain't so great, but she just might be my breed champion working dog.

Oh, and PS, remember me worrying about the bite? Scissors. Full dentition. Same with Daca. Not surprised by this at all, but it's so hard to keep yourself out of their mouths when they're babies and their jaws are all wonky.

Howling

While Fury has always been a howler (just TRY singing "Happy Birthday" around her), she didn't howl at ambulances. Rex, our roommate's dog, does. So he is currently not in the house . . . and both puppies start howling at the sirens. Stupid Rex. This, of course, gets Fury going, and we have a veritable dog chorus on our hands.

Which is cute. If you're not my neighbors.

Adventure dogs and honesty

So yesterday, we took all three ladies with us to help cut some poison oak on a trail for next week's 24-hour adventure race. Yes, I said 24-hours. Yes, I think it's nuts, too.

Rippa and Daca have both earned their adventure puppy wings at this point as they both tromped/swam/waded through water effortlessly and careened across the rocks. At just under six months (yes, I am doing math properly again), I'm pretty happy with their progress. I've not put a lot of formal training on either dog, but they're functional members of society at this point and worth their kibble.

In fact, Yishai cannot stop complimenting me on the breeding. It's pretty cute. I have to say, again, that I definitely lucked out. Emma's owners report she won the sit-stay contest (I might have threatened violence on owners if she didn't) in her puppy obedience graduation. All the puppies are doing phenomenal in their homes - smart, active, cool puppies.

Daca had another play date with her prospective local owners and they are talking about taking her for an afternoon this weekend. I really like the way they interact with her. Very doggy people, they are. Better than I am, even. I'll be disappointed to see her not go to an agility/stock home if they choose to take her, but given that her days here involve sleeping on the bed, going for huge treks, etc, and that won't change with them (very outdoorsy people, they are), she'll be happy.

I got to talking to a couple breeders yesterday because I have been wondering if I should be managing the puppies differently. They do still get into brawls maybe once every other day (a lot of spit, but not much more). Neither one wants to submit is the problem. Rippa's clearly stronger and more wily at the fighting than Daca is,but when Rippa dominates her and walks off, Daca asks for more. She definitely needs a home where the dogs won't let her do that. (or no dogs) She's fine with Fury and 15-lb Rex because both of them don't tolerate her crap. This is pretty unfortunate to me because from what I understand, she was allowed to dominate the adult dogs in her former home and I think the pattern started there.

Anyway, the breeders I talked to admitted to failings in their own programs, why they rehomed certain dogs, etc, etc and it seems like getting a puppy back that's a management issue is pretty par for the course - it's just that no one tells you these things. It made me feel a lot better about what has transpired here.

I would seriously consider keeping Daca permanently if not for the major sibling rivalry between she and Rips.  I worry that it will only get worse and I am just not prepared to have her be an "outside" dog or whatever it takes to manage their relationship. They play all the time and love on each other, but then something sets them off and . . . as I've said, when I was younger I'd seen the results of sibling rivalry and it is not awesome.

Good days

So Yishai and I put on a triathlon in Morro Bay this weekend - our first triathlon. It went okay, lots of things to improve on, but hopefully people liked it and will tell their friends. The dogs got little to no attention for a few days.

So today we took Rippa and Daca with us to unload the trailers (and pick up my truck, which blew a head gasket on the way home  . . . wee).  They had quite a good time getting out periodically and romping through fields and people's yards and the beach and such. By the end, they were quite tired.

Rips about ready to sack out. . .

Sack achieved.

Daca follows suit: 

You're probably wondering what happened to Momma - she's on a hike with my roommate. She gets her fair share of attention, yes.

Photos of the kids all stacked.

No comments right now, I just think they're pretty girls and wanted to share.

Daca:

Rippa:

The Face of Evil

So one of our nicknames for Daca is "The Face of Evil." Yishai claims to have coined it, but it sounds more like something Laura would use (she calls Fury "Little Monster" and her own dog "Shit Head" as affectionate terms). This comes from the look she flashes Fury all the time, who pays it back to her in spades. It really doesn't seem to be anything, but they will sit there, staring at each other like that for minutes at a time until Daca backs off.

I give to you, the Face of Evil:

Redeye happens to really add to the effect, I think. I also like how (a) you can see how Fury's missing her top canine (thanks to an accident at the dog park and $600 later) and (b) Rippa is calmly watching this from behind. That tells you it really is no big thing. But it sure is funny to watch the spotty dogs sit there making evil faces.

Alternate view, to show you why:

"This, this is MY rawhide." "You can't snarl at me? I will snarl at you, dang it."

So, for Memorial Day, we had friends over for a BBQ and hooked up our "new to us" NES system to play some power pad track and Mario Brothers. I proudly whupped everyone at Tetris. The puppies were happy.

There's Daca lovin' on Eric as everyone waits for meat to be BBQ'd.

Close up:

Rippa will not be outdone by making out with Chris:

And then we wrassle:

And man, aren't the girls super pretty these days?

And then we moved in for some Nintendo, and Chris had to keep Daca from trying to play, too.

Y with Daca:

It was a good night. One of the best days I've had in a while, actually.

So remember the legit kennel? It turns out that Rippa's escape gene is VERY, VERY strong. As soon as I put her in it, she set to escaping:

She tried digging, but that didn't work. She tried chewing on the wire . . .

Wait, did I just hear something coming from Kristin's bedroom?

Can we come out? PLEEEEEEEEEZE?

And then shortly thereafter, Rippa finds out how to squeeze through the door opening, so I have to stuff it full of stuff until Yishai gets a chance to help me fix it:

And then I took this photo after we went on a big hike today - the puppies cannot be bothered to sit straight:

Daca's prospective owner came over to Y's last night to help stuff racebags for our triathlon this weekend and we had a meeting. I have to say, it was really cool to see him interact with her - "I think I like her. Do you want to be my dog?" He is very much "good with dogs" and Daca is starting to love him. We'll see. His wife wants to take her on a walk this week with the other dogs to see how that goes. I would be very happy to see her go to him - she may not end up the prime agility/stockdog puppy I'd have liked her to be, but she'll be well cared for, loved and exercised. And local, so I don't have to worry.

It was kind of cool, actually. People have been pushing Chris to keep her - she loves him, but he lives in a condo or he would consider it. At the meeting, Blake came in and Daca loved on him and he just started saying how he wishes he owned his house because he would snag her in a minute and he keeps telling his dad about her because he thinks she's awesome and needs to be a family member. This is the general consensus on her - everyone seems to want her but the situation isn't perfect. Heck, that's my problem, too. 

So today we have an appointment for a rabies vaccine. I guess I thought we did rabies at six months, but remember that I thought they were six months? So I decided to confirm that and found out that rabies is done as early as four months. Oops. And I would love to go to a clinic, but the only day they're doing that is during an adventure race so off to the vet we go. This annoys me because I would just as soon administer it myself, but no can do.