Week 7 Photos

Here we go, ripped off my web page, once again . . .

Rippa, formerly Optimus Prime Rippa (Tara's Little Rippa) is staying with us here at Tara. She is, despite a loud-mouth start, one of the more quiet puppies in both vocalizations and activity levels, but has a presence about her. She appears to have very solid structure and takes after her sire's good looks. She is very friendly and people-oriented, but is very content to entertain herself, always checking out the puzzle toys and one of the first to potty-train herself. Week 1 Photo Week 2 Photo Week 3 Photo Week 4 Photo Week 5 Photo Week 6 Photo Red Bi female, Brown eyes
Tara Moto He is available. This is another favorite of ours, we aren't planning on keeping him because we don't want to deal with intact male/female issues. I think he would also make a lovely versatility dog for the right home, but he's also a major love - family dog? He's got some awesome bone, a killer head, and one heck of a beautiful neck so far. He's our explorer puppy - he'll leave the safety of his pack or location and take off to see what's around the next corner; very playful, too! He's also very sweet - makes a lovely lap dog during quiet times. He takes correction well: may be a good starter puppy for a new stock handler or an easy trainer. Week 1 Photo Week 2 Photo Week 3 Photo Week 4 Photo Week 5 Photo Week 6 Photo Red merle c/w - male, marbled eyes
Curry, formerly Tara Dactyl She is going to NJ to be a stock and agility dog. Curry is a fun little dog. She is always up for a fiesty, vocal play session and she's very busy. Huge play drive, she is usually the longest lasting of all the puppies when play sessions start and end. Life's too short to sleep! She's very impulse-oriented, like her mother, she will probably have tons of instinct and use every bit of it. Not so good for a new stockdog handler, but maybe a dynamite agility/competition dog. She is also very, very social and loves to come out and say hello to visitors. Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Red merle c/w - female, mostly blue eyes
Tara Firma She is going to Iowa to be a stock and agility dog! Firma is also a busy little gal, usually playing with Fie; she's an alpha female in our little pack at this point. You'll find her on top of whomever she's challenging. She's sweet and cuddly, but is also very focused and active. She's consistently showing stockdog savvy in her play patterns - wide working, watching eyes, even heeling. I am excited to see how she keeps turning out. She should be a major handful. Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Red merle c/w - female, mostly brown eyes
Tara Fie She is available. One of the other girls that is always playing, she's the physically active one, but she's also the most unassuming, least pushy one. Climbing, jumping, running, there she is, always. The first to respond to calls to come, and one of the first to figure out how to jump out of the pen. Sweet and people-centered, she also enjoys hanging out with the other dogs, always smiling. Just a well-rounded little beastie. Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Red merle c/w - female, mostly blue eyes
Tara Reid He's staying in California and going to be a family and stock man. Reid tends to be everyone's favorite when you meet him. The sitting photo is classic - this is how you'll usually find him: sitting there, taking it all in. He's very sweet, very much a thinker. He likes handling a great deal - wouldn't mind being with people all day long if you let him. Very tough little guy, too, very consistently "buffs" at me in the mornings and new people if he's not expecting them to show up - a natural guardian, but not inappropriate - just a few and then he goes, "Oh, you." Just carries himself like a mature man-dog. Might be a nice stockdog for a beginner with that thinking attitude (I wish I'd started with one like that!). Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Red bi - male, brown eyes

Day 53 - Rippa goes home and Fury reminiscence

So last night, Yishai spent a good part of the party talking about his dog and showing the guests photos of her on his iPhone. I have not seen him this stoked in a while. Well, that's not true. He's kinda always stoked, but I'm glad he's happy about his puppy. As he picked her up and loaded her into the car, he said, "This is a momentous occasion! Eeee!" and if I were more annoying I'd have gotten you a photo.

I woke up this morning and realized that I did not send him home with puppy food (he had also absconded with my phone, so I needed that back) so I dressed quickly after putting the other pups out to eat and play and drove over there with snacks. He was asleep, and Rippa looked happy in her little crate on top of his end table. When she saw me and Fury she was quite thrilled and tried to play with Fury, who was not in the mood. I took her out to go potty and Yishai told me she was very good. No crying or anything. I hope that bodes well for everyone else.

So now I officially have five puppies in my care. Two more will hopefully get shipped off next Tuesday and then I am driving up to the San Francisco Bay Area for a baby shower so the remainders will come hang out with my nephews and parents and sister, with Patrick picking up his dog then.

Today Chris comes over for week 7 photo shoot (which is more like week 7.5) and should be the last individual one. I'll probably stack them or something for photos on Saturday night.

I'm more than a little disappointed in how things are going for poor Fie and Moto, which are two of the most tractable dogs in the litter. I thought I might have both placed with really good homes for them, and both homes fell through for interesting reasons - but as I always tell my students, it's not usually a reflection of you and your offerings, but a reflection of the other person's projections. One woman, despite knowing Rippa was not available, decided that if she couldn't have her, she would have no puppy. At this point, Yishai asked me if it would be easier for me to sell Rippa and maybe he should just take Moto (whom he does love). But I am not going to let him sacrifice his pick puppy to make my life easier. Another said that I was asking too much for a non-AKC dog, which was interesting because where I come from, solid stockdogs registered with AKC are not really important. And really, I am not asking that much - upper end for stockdogs, but this litter has been expensive. You keep stockdog prices low so homes can afford them - I've even offered payment plans to good homes because that's more important to me than the dolla dolla bills. But whatever, Anne told me a story about how the price she was asking was too high because the person usually got their stockdog from the pound. Right . . . to each his own, I guess.

So anyway, that's that. I am way too busy for the remainder of the week to worry about it. I hope that the kids end up somewhere fantastic, though I am happy that if I do end up with the two pups for a while, they are definitely the most easy keepers. I just worry that I won't have time to give to them.

Anyway, on to cuter thoughts - I have been saying all along that Curry looking just like Fury - I thought I would do a Fury-as-puppy expose'. Of course, this is really hard because back when I switched computers I managed to delete all of Fury's photos along with all of 2006's photos and all my music. It was the awesome. So, here we have the few remaining snippets (mostly mined from Tracey's website).

This is the photo I used to say, "Yes, I want her." Maybe this explains my confoundedness with some of these lookyloo puppy buyers. My first dog I bought off a photo, my second I picked as soon as he popped out of his momma, and this is how I chose Fury. Right or wrong, you end up thinking your dog was by far the best choice for you no matter what. I have no regrets. Anyway, she's the one on the far right. For some reasons he looks almost pinkish here - but she was definitely a lot lighter.

And then here we are at what, 4 weeks?

And here's Curry at 5 weeks (the 4 week photos weren't amazing)

And here's Fury when I picked her up at the airport and when she got home:

And here's Curry a couple days ago:

Yup, the irony is that when Curry's owner asked for a puppy, she wanted a little Fury pup. I was worried they wouldn't turn out looking like her. That she ended up with her spitting image is pretty cool. Those ears are gonna be awesome.

And for fun, Anne posted a photo of Ben at 4 weeks a few weeks back on AussieBoard:

I hearted Ben way back then. :) She says Moto takes after him most, but I dunno:

I think Firma does.

Day 52 - Party time!

No photos today (and probably not tomorrow either), sorry. I have a lot of work to do and then Y & I are going to a party in Santa Barbara. I wonder if he'll elect to take Rippa - it would probably be a nice environment and I could drop by my brother's house and share some puppy lovin'.

New friend Lacey came by today - I met her Friday night and she was supposed to do the temperament testing for me on Sunday, but that fell through - she's a college kid, what are you going to do? But I have to say, it's very gratifying for her to come out and them pop out of their Dogloo and as soon as I open the gate they go swarming over to her. Firma barked a little, but they really don't show any reserve when I'm around strangers. If strangers show up themselves, they bark a little more and are more wary, but warm up quick. That's exactly the temperament I like to see in the little guys.

I've got a few leads on what might be perfect homes for my remaining unhomed puppies, but Reid's home was confirmed yesterday. I kind of figured he was already placed after they came to visit, but he said to wait to see if "better homes" came along - but I had a long chat with Reid about what kind of home he wants and he said he was a family dog - so off to the MacRoberts family he goes, and we may yet see him trialling, depending on folks' motivations. At least one other puppy will be in California: cool!

I periodically get emails from people who follow this blog - I find it amazing how many people are reading - not just interested dog folks, but former and current students, my non-doggy friends, parents, everyone. It was pretty cute getting one today - from a self-professed non-dog person who still likes reading it nontheless and how disappointed he'll be to see the blog end. I've decided it ends when every goes home and we get photo reports from our new homes with new names and such. Maybe I'll update it periodically as the litter grows and does stuff. Who knows?Anyway, I'm gratified that you all like this so much. I always worry I am a major attention whore with my writing - but it seems to be benefiting people and I appreciate that.

:)

Bonus entry - Eye Visit

Duuuuuuuuuuude, I took all these adorable photos of sleepy puppies at the vet clinic getting their eyes done and mysteriously NONE appeared on the camera. Only the before shots I got of Yishai riding with his dog. I wonder if there's some way to block it from saving or something? It's weirder than weird.

Did it EVEN HAPPEN? I have no idea. I feel like one of those people who gets a photo of ghosts when they process film.

Anyway, as I said I got them good and tired and then stuffed three puppies in each of the two crates I bought to ship Firma and Curry. They were all pretty happy in there until I started up the car. WHAAAAAAA! I even brought Fury thinking that would make them happy, but no. Rippa got to sit out on the way there and cried and cried the whole time. Cars are not fun!

But as soon as we got there, they tuckered out and made the entire vet office squeal with delight. All the assistants were walking around holding puppies. They were draped all over the exam room. Reid has his paw on Moto's head while they're waiting their turn to get examined, Fie's sacked out in the back of her crate, Curry has fallen asleep with her rear end draped over Rippa, it's ADORABLE. And I took tons of photos. YET THEY ARE ALL MISSING!! AHHH!

Anyway, I was really happy with how they handled everything. Everyone was fine with eye drops, strangers, being held up and bright lights. The vet was awesome, too, Dr. Kristine Schmidt. Everyone got a clear eye bill of health, with a few puppies showing anomalies that shouldn't affect them as breeding animals or in life, as the vet said, "They'd clear."

Interestingly, a couple of them had scratched corneas. They do play like the dickens. Nothing a little ointment won't fix.

And then back in the car. As soon as we get moving . . . waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! Only Moto, who was Yishai's lap puppy, was mellow.

And now they are sacked out until they wake up again around 9 pm. I tell you, there's nothing like a living room full of pooped puppies.

Day 51 - Even bigger field trips

Well, by the time I'm done with this one, Yishai should be here to help me load up the puppies and head out to the vet's office for eye clearances. It's kind of annoying. At least two puppies are shipping out next week and I have to bring them BACK for a vet clearance because they'll be flying at the earliest on Tuesday, and there's a week expiration on vet evals. ::shrug::

I am currently sitting at my desk and listening to them bop around in the yard. I have been watching them and decided that the yard is well enough enclosed and safe for some semi-supervised romping outside the pen.

Chris went away for the weekend so we haven't done week 7 photos yet. I may try the whole stack-the-puppy thing again. I cannot believe how they're turning out. Everyone's filling in and looking dang gorgeous. I thought some of them would be kinda reedy, but not so much. The old adage that they look like they will as adults at 8 weeks? Yeah, these Aussie pups are damn fine.

Also, I was totally going to try out the puppy temperament test but couldn't get anyone who was strange enough to be a good "stranger" to do the testing. And we missed the day 49 window, too. Oh well. I may give it a go on my own just to see what they do. I already kind of know, but if I get some free time tomorrow, it might be fun.

MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!

Day 50 - A week to go . . .

So I have been a little slow on updating the blog with photos - mainly because I take a lot of videos and it takes years and years to download them -- wee. So this blog will have oodles of photos and videos.

Man, do I love the puppies. I love in the mornings when I rush them out to their pen, and when I come out again to set them free in the yard. Over time they've decided the own every square inch of it, but usually end up in Plant, where Fury and Rex also like to spend time - they even have their own stupid den in there. Plant smells like something so it must smell awesome and be like home to all the dogs, I don't know.

Puppies playing in the yard:

Yesterday we let them out and they really wanted in my planter so I put them in there. Yishai has dubbed it the Rally Planter because they tear around in there and just "aerate" the crap out of the dirt in there - my icky broccoli didn't make it, but I don't like broccoli all that much anyway.

The Rally Planter - lite (they were tired, second play session):

They are moving around like dogs now - they leap and bark and work out problems. Their personalities are even more clear to me than they were just days ago. I am feeling pretty proud of myself because they all seem to be well mannered little guys. They sleep through the night, ask to be fed around 7, then go back to bed until say 9. They sit politely to be fed, they all come when called: "Puppy puppy puppy! YAY!"

This is what that looks like:

Most respond pretty instantly to their names. "Uh-uh" gets them to stop unwanted behavior or they get bopped on the nose. It's pretty cool.

Curry in the dirty.

Rippa.

Reid.
Firma.

Curry

Fie looks regal.

The only problem is that when they find carpet, they want to pee on it - so now I know that using carpet when they were younger and not into being housetrained was a BAAAAAD idea. Woe betide you future homes with carpet. But otherwise, they're close to house trained. Should be an easy ride once they are one-on-one. I can't imagine how much work it must be to have two puppies to manage at once.

Moto tries out a wading pool.

My roommate and I are getting pretty excited for when the house is puppy-free. The official Spring Cleaning will then commence! This especially exciting because this weeke I have discovered a major mold invasion of our house which is less-than-amazing, I would say. We will have to move all the furniture, scrub the walls, good times, let me tell you. Thinking about it gives me a headache. Or is that the mold? I've been steadily trying to remove it all, but there's big furniture where it is probably hiding. So fun. A few weeks ago I was dealing with a gas leak and it was so cold I was running the stove to make sure the puppies were comfortable. Winter in SLO . . . we're not so prepared.

Yishai officially took ownership of Rippa last night. I figured him taking her at 7 weeks is fine so long as she gets plenty of litter time. Her first big foray was movie night at Josh's house. She cried in the car both ways and we didn't feel so bad for her because of all the puppies - separation anxiety is not something she is allowed to complain about. I think tonight he'll probably take her home with him for a sweet night of unending whining and yipping. That is one thing I do not miss about puppies. He suggested we take them on short rides around town to get them used to it because he wasn't looking forward to hours of puppy screaming on the way down to the airport.

The first official one of these will be tomorrow, when I take the for their eye exams. I'm thinking of just rebuilding Fury's big crate and stuffing them all in there - comfort in numbers. I keep thinking it's cute how the vet office calls and restates they need my permanent ID or registration numbers - "They's *puppies*" I say, "None of that there stuff." Anywho, I'm not too nervous. I've been staring intently at puppy eyes and have been at this long enough to know if something is up, and it's not. But good to do anyway. When I got Fury, I guess she was so wiggly that the exam was useless - another proof that Miss Curry takes after her mama.

Also, my predictions on eyes and ears are failing miserably. I think all the merle females will have predominantly brown eyes with the exception of Curry, who has one of each. Moto's got marbled eyes. Everyone except for Reid has wonky ears right now - but they're not really rose - I think Fury's high earset is dominant. I keep obsessively rolling their ears to fix them, but I'll get over it - just like I did with Fury. It keeps making me go back to the battle I had on the ASCA breed standard committee - that rose is perfectly natural and acceptable. I think very few Aussies naturally have that triangle shaped ear, and I don't think encouraging obnoxious ear manipulation/gluing/taping is right for the breed (ahh, but my conformation background still makes me obsess).

Rex and Fie play on the couch:

Do not watch this video if you have a crummy sense of humor.

Puppy play/pile:

I wish you could hear Reid - he hums to himself while he eats!

Day 48 - Field Trips

Rex has finally decided to play with everyone - him and Fie will chase each other around the house all day if you let them.

Moto got a special trip out to PetCo yesterday. I wanted to go look at crates to figure out what size would be most appropriate to ship our travelling puppies in. They had a sale so I ended up buying two crates. He was a good little beastlet on the trip - quiet, calm, and one of the employees was dying to hold him so I let her after she washed her hands. We can't be getting diseases right now - - but I daresay he enjoyed his foray out into the world.

So, in the spirit of being honest, I am more than disappointed in what's transpired in homing my puppies. First, I should say that where these puppies are ending up is more than I could have asked for in terms of puppies that will be loved, appreciated, and well-cared-for. The dilemma I have, that I was hinting at, was that there are so many puppies available for homes like this. I did rescue for years - I am intimately familiar with the dilemma. The point of me breeding was to produce serious stockdogs for homes that needed them. The idealism has caught up with itself when I realize that if that is really my life's goal with Aussies, I need to be a lot more committed than I am. Go do demos at stocksales, fairs, work in stockyards. That's how you do what I want to do for the breed.

Instead, I've produced some beautiful, loveable (dang, how loveable - I was just out with them watching them tear around the yard, give eachother eye, head me as I walk, and nip eachother in the butt while they all try to pile in my lap and lick at me and chew on my hair) puppies.

A friend of mine wrote me this about the litter and his surprise at my having a hard time placing them suddenly: "Well my thought is they would have generated a lot of working interest.They both should complement each other in the pups by just what a lot of people want; Ben-deliberate, Fury-intensity. A nice balance, not heavy on one or the other. At least the balance is what I like." That is exactly how I feel this litter was intended and how it's turned out - with puppies in that spectrum (Reid - to - Curry).

I'm also pretty thrilled with their structure and looks. To be quite honest, there are plenty of red litters that I am not personally into. I have found that with merling, it's a crap shoot - you have no idea what kind of markings you're going to get. Look at Firma - the other three merles are the same color, but she's got kind of a darker mocha tone. More than that, though, I think of Trish Alexander's litter, where out of Teal, who is a darker marbled merle, out came Denny, who looks a lot like Fury and my puppies, despite the Slash V side looking more like Teal than Denny. Who knows? The other thing that sticks out to me is how much more bone they have than Fury - although she is looking pretty reedy right now with her fur all gone - I did good there. Fury's in balance to herself, but I wanted a little more strength to the puppies. I love ALL their heads, love their basic structure, it's all kind of awesome.

Also, remember how Tara Moto was the big dude? Reid has far surpassed him. Someone came to look at the pups yesterday and she was like, "How'd he get so fat?" He's not fat, but he's massive. It's also insanely cute how he hums to himself while he eats.

Either way, I went out to spend some time with them in the pen today and they all piled into my lap, competing for love and man, I love them. But I also know the importance of sending them to places that will have time for them each individually - which motivates me to get on the stick about finishing off placing them. I think by the end of next week they should all have a good spot to be, I just need to keep vigilant and honest about what they are and fit homes properly.

I took a bunch of yard photos/videos, but I am too lazy to upload them. Maybe tomorrow night. Have a good weekend.

Fury teaches the little guys the proper tug technique.

Day 47 - Disgust?

I don't have any new photos today - it's kind of crummy out and I got home from work yesterday and just wanted to eat and chill.

Two thoughts - man, the dogs go through a lot of food. Doug (rest his soul) gave me 80 pounds of solid gold puppy food and I need to go to the store for more. Fury is going through 3-4 cups a day and hasn't been this svelte in forever, and the puppies are ginormous, especially Reid. Moreover, may I just tastefully say that their excrement is ALSO ginormous. I remember hating that about cleaning Doug's kennels out. Poor Fury has to poo two or three times on a walk to get it all out.

On the note of disgusting, I was further "thrilled" today when I took Fury to the dog park that's at the start of a run I do and this guy took one look at her nipples and gave me this disapproving face. What is that? Well, ever since I have started saying that she's pregnant or has puppies, people have asked, "What's the dad?" So here's this guy, looking at my obviously momma dog, and thinking bad thought about me. And hello, that purebred bulldog you got? Did she just magically appear?

Yeah, social judgment. Love it. And that's why I keep a blog. :P

Day 46 - Week 6 Shots!

Boy howdy, do the kids want attention right now. Short post because I need to go out there and shut them up so the neighbors don't kill them.

Before I get to the photos, I thought I might describe their house pen a little after a conversation I had with someone yesterday. It's just linoleum laid down over the hard wood to protect it, with an ex-pen around it in the corner. Half a crate serves as sleeping/play area, and I try to put the food in the open corner. Then the rest is potty - it's got puppy pads under two layers of construction paper (you buy it at Home Depot - it is ACTUALLY construction paper). And then we have ground cover on it. I don't know if I told you but the first ground cover I got did NOT work. Could not hold up - again, should have listened to Yishai because he was with me and suggested I get the Irish Moss as he heard it has smell negating tendencies. Well, what I got got decimated in about a week. So I went back and got the moss. That's why the "turf" looks sad - it's really patches of moss with the soil showing through. It works pretty good, i think. Most poo is directed to it, or very near it. And weeks later, it's still going strong. I think it will make it through to rehoming the little guys. Not bad for $13.

Okay, and on to the photos. Just like last time, I want to be lazy and cut and past from my website, so here you go.

Rippa, formerly Optimus Prime

Rippa (Tara's Little Rippa) is staying with us here at Tara.

She is, despite a loud-mouth start, one of the more quiet puppies in both vocalizations and activity levels, but has a presence about her. She appears to have very solid structure and takes after her sire's good looks. She is very friendly and people-oriented, but is very content to entertain herself, always checking out the puzzle toys and one of the first to potty-train herself.

Week 1 Photo

Week 2 Photo

Week 3 Photo

Week 4 Photo

Week 5 Photo

Red Bi female, Brown eyes

Tara Moto

He is available.

This is another favorite of ours, we aren't keeping him because we don't want to deal with intact male/female issues. I think he would also make a lovely versatility dog for the right home. He's got some awesome bone, a killer head, and one heck of a beautiful neck so far. He's our explorer puppy - he'll leave the safety of his pack or location and take off to see what's around the next corner; very playful, too! He's also very sweet - makes a lovely lap dog during quiet times. He takes correction well: may be a good starter puppy for a new stock handler or an easy trainer.

Week 1 Photo

Week 2 Photo

Week 3 Photo

Week 4 Photo

Week 5 Photo

Red merle c/w - male, marbled eyes

Curry, formerly Tara Dactyl

She is going to NJ to be a stock and agility dog.

Curry is a fun little dog. She is always up for a fiesty, vocal play session and she's very busy. Huge play drive, she is usually the longest lasting of all the puppies when play sessions start and end. Life's too short to sleep! She's very impulse-oriented, like her mother, she will probably have tons of instinct and use every bit of it. Not so good for a new stockdog handler, but maybe a dynamite agility/competition dog. She is also very, very social and loves to come out and say hello to visitors.

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Week 5

Red merle c/w - female, mostly blue eyes

Tara Firma

She is going to Iowa to be a stock and agility dog!

Firma is also a busy little gal, usually playing with Fie; she's an alpha female in our little pack at this point. You'll find her on top of whomever she's challenging. She's sweet and cuddly, but is also very focused and active. She's consistently showing stockdog savvy in her play patterns - wide working, watching eyes, even heeling. I am excited to see how she keeps turning out. She should be a major handful.

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Week 5

Red merle c/w - female, mostly brown eyes

Tara Fie

She is available.

One of the other girls that is always playing, she's the physically active one. Climbing, jumping, running, there she is, always. One of the first to figure out how to jump out of the pen. Sweet and people-centered, she also enjoys hanging out with the other dogs, always smiling. Just a well-rounded little beastie.

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Week 5

Red merle c/w - female, mostly blue eyes

Tara Reid

He is available.

Reid tends to be everyone's favorite when you meet him. The sitting photo is classic - this is how you'll usually find him: sitting there, taking it all in. He's very sweet, very much a thinker. He likes handling a great deal - wouldn't mind being with people all day long if you let him. Very tough little guy, too, very consistently "buffs" at me in the mornings and new people if he's not expecting them to show up - a natural guardian, but not inappropriate - just a few and then he goes, "Oh, you." Just carries himself like a mature man-dog. Might be a nice stockdog for a beginner with that thinking attitude (I wish I'd started with one like that!).

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Week 5

Red bi - male, brown eyes