Saying Good-Bye

With Apple still being here and not placed, Lisa decided to keep her herself. She will make a great mommy dog for Lisa. Her playful personality, beautiful coloring and stunning eyes. She has a perfect bite and of course, a great addition to that line.

We have had here hear with us for almost six months. We have all bonded with her, humans and dogs. She is Dewey's bestest playmate and my daughters sleep buddy. It was a bittersweet goodbye. Luckily we will still get to visit with her but the house is very quite without her. I am sure it will take a bit for everyone to adjust.

Still in Solitude

And TOTALLY lovin life! Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that Apple would have become so content being separated from the rest of the pack. She is a whiner - big time actually. I expected her to be a non-stop cry machine being alone but she actually hasn't whined much at all. Even while she is still in her standing heat. I suspect she will be out if it by the end of next weekend, so we will have to see if this quieter version of Apple will remain after that.

Standing Heat

Apple is finally accepting - Watching her back into Cosmo was the sure sign that she is there. Once we quardened off the boys, her whining started followed by some actually cries. Looks like the next 12 to 14 days are going to be agonizing for ALL of us. Luckily she won't be throwing any of the other girls into heat. We are still a few months away for Cocoa and Baby - August/September for those two - that is of course if Baby and J.B.'s whoops didn't stick.

Can You Say STALKER??????

Dewey's bestest playmate is moving further along into her first heat and he is ALLLL over that! He has been following Apple's every step. We have another week at least before she is in standing heat so he still has some time to get some wrestling matches in but I am picturing a lot of whining and screeching in my near future - they are the best of friends but can NOT be the best of lovers!!!! They are both too young!!!! Lock and key for you girl - or at least a baby gate away

More Great-Grandma Brags

Look at Pebble's sweeties!!!! They are so cute. I see way more of their grandparents than their parents. The two black and white girls have the face our their grandpa Buddy and the sable has the coloring of her grandma Martini. Looks like they all are longcoats - perhaps the eye-patched sweetie is a medium coat. The runt (in the middle) is still slow on the weight gain. Once she reaches the six week mark Dr. Mario will be able to figure out if there is a need to worry.

And The Little Ones Have It!

Addington has found himself drawn to Dewey and Apple - our smallest and youngest two dogs in the house. Fitting I suppose - they too are the most playful in the bunch.

The three have spent the afternoon running around the entire living room, playing with toys and using each other as a jungle gym. This little guy is doing great with his lesson so far - and cute as ever!

Couch Killer

From the moment Apple walked in our door, she has been addicted to our couch. With as many dogs that we have in our home, never once have we had one of them damage or chew on it like her. Apple on the other hand has wreaked havoc!

She chewed the bottom layer off, chewing right through to the frame. I felt her head under my butt!!! I have since replaced the bottom lining with THREE layers! She has chewed on the center leg, the pillows and even the ottoman edge! Bottles of sour apple spray has taught her NO but her path of destruction is still evident.

This afternoon I couldn't help but chuckle when I found her laying and peeking out from under the couch. It's as if her passion for pummeling my furniture is met simply by laying under her obsession.

Unlikely Buds

Apple and Cosmo have become quite close with the rest of the girls out of the picture. Baby and Cocoa are still separated from the boys and of course, Ginny and Blue are with their pups.

She has been playing with the two biggest boys in the house - Dude and Cosmo and honestly, they are so sweet with her They let her chew and tug on their ears, instigate all kinds of play and of course, cuddle. Too cute!

She Can Be One Of The Boys

Apple is truly at the best advantage with this whole heat thing - she can still go from group to group. Dewey is stuck with the big boys because he CAN impregnate. Hard to imagine our 7 month old, 2 lb wonder has such power but he does. Now the creampuff on the other hand spends her days napping with the boys, in for a play session with the girls, and then back for a nap. Must be nice to be such a spoiled princess!

Great-Grandma's Brag Post

Here is Pebbles with her sweet pups. Lisa says they are all doing great but the runt is REALLY small and not gaining weight like the other two. She is She looks just like her grandpa Buddy and obviously takes after him is size too. I can't wait to see them all grow - lovin all those black and what splots!

If They Were Human...

... how old would they be?

Dewey and Apple are the youngest ones in the house and they have finally reached the 6 month mark. With all of the hormones floating around back in January, they weren't phased a bit. But now it seems that Cocoa and Baby are about to go into heat - which has brought those hormones back into the forefront. It's interesting to see how the little ones handle things this go-around. They are MUCH more aware!!! So I thought I would look up their human age to compare what we might expect.

To my surprise, they calculate to the human age of 7.5ish. I can say that 7 1/2 year old human children are not so sexually aware (thank GOD) so it's a VERY mature 7.5 at the least.

I'm A Great-Grandma

Lisa has our Pebbles (aka Ice house) from our Martini and Buddy litter. She grew into a stunning black and white long coat and is now a new mommies! She gave birth to three little girls - all with the most unique markings!!! Two are black and white and one appears to be a blue fawn with white. Mom and pups are doing fine - the girls are on the very small side - 2 1/2 oz to 3 3/4 oz - and should all be long coats.

As a great-grandma I will be watching them grow with excitement and pride - too cool!

Unique Sleeping Arrangements

In this house, you never know how you will find the dogs napping. They are usually huddled and cuddled together in some form or fashion. I have found them all crowded into one bed, laying on their back exposing their bellies and even all laying on one of us on the couch.

Today's find was one of the most unique. Apple was napping very nicely by herself and then Baby decided to lay right across her to chew on a leaf from outside. Apple didn't flinch - she actually seemed to appreciate the extra body-warmth. Baby would lean over and clean Apple's ears between chomps on her coveted find. It was rather adorable to watch - between the giggles.

I Must Say....

...it's been a nice treat to have little Apple here for longer than expected - MUCH longer. Dewey has totally loved the size appropriate play buddy and she has had the chance to get tons of puppy lessons from the other dogs.

I get several inquiries on her but nothing ever seems to follow through. Mostly it is her age - she is almost 6 months old now. A pup of this age comes with so many perks - and Apple has a huge list of them!

She has already gotten through her destructive stage as well as her fearful one. Her submissive ways have lessens big time (we have worked so hard with her on that). She has all of her puppy shots completed - a huge financial savings in the long run - plus her dewclaws removed AND by no means has outgrown the chance to truly bond and learn from her new forever family. If anything, she is MORE ready than a younger pup.

So as much as Dewey - and the rest of us - will be sad to see her go, we will be even happier to see her go home with her new forever family where she can be a spoiled princess - like she deserves.

Homeschool Helper

The longer Apple remains with us, the more she becomes accustom to the daily activities in our home. Today during our homeschool lessons, she jumped right up on the the couch with the kids to listen to us read our books for our snakes and reptile studies. She eventually cuddled right up under the blankets and actually appeared to look at the pictures in the books! Too cute!

Chew Buddies

Dewey and little Apple love to play together. They are the right size to play together. Today the two of them chased each other for ever in the back yard and took naps in-between to chew on sticks. I am not sure what he will do after we find her a new forever home! I suppose he will be the permanent puppy playmate with future litter.

Apple's On Her Own

Dorado went to his new home yesterday. Dorothy and her family came by to see him and she fell in love with him. Now he is a king of his new castle and totally lovin life!

That means that little Apple is now the final pup still here at the house. She has done SO great with her puppy skills and has turned into such a sweet little girl. She is pretty much done growing now as she approaches her 6 month mark on the 18th - so she is going to be a rather small dog, weighing in at 4lbs. She is a bit submissive but very loyal. She loves to give kisses and be on your lap - or shoulder. With all of the extra work we have put into her puppy skills, finding the perfect home for her will be bitter sweet - but I just know that family is out there somewhere!

Apple Is Coming Into Her Own

This sweetie has truly come a long way since she came to us and has become a very special girl. She started out quite the pistol - like our Cocoa. Barking at everything and everyone - a total instigator with all the dogs and the pups and a defender of the food bowl.

With a lot of TLC mixed with tough love, we have shown her the way to a much happier puppy life! She gets along so well with the other dogs, nuzzling and cuddling all of us humans and lets others eat from the food bowl with her. HUGE improvements. The only negative quirk is when she is woken up by another dogs - she gets a bit cranky. Not such a bad thing - she loves to be woken by people! She gives kisses!

The Pups Caught On Quickly

As with all of our camping trips, the dogs truly enjoy the fact that they get a full couch to nap on. With Lisa's three pups along for the adventure this time and it didn't take long for them catch on to the trip's bonus. They too enjoyed the large napping space and of course joined the rest of our dogs and slept with the kids on their bunk. So for those future families that bring home one of these pups - there were no accidents on the bed - Blue Bayou actually got down in the middle of the night to potty on the pee pad! What a good boy!

Oh My Word!

It is often said that small breed dogs are extremely finicky but I personally have never dealt with that with any of my pups and dogs. They eat what I put down with out a pause. I have been coming into the kitchen to find dog food spread out everywhere. I assumed my kids were playing with it. They will sometimes toss pieces for the dogs to chase and eat. But these piles were different I just couldn't put my finger on the why....That was until I walked in and saw this!

Apple a la Mode was picking through the food and dumping the Natural Balance pieces onto the floor and only eating the Royal Canin. The pile got bigger and bigger the longer I watched - until she picked out each individual piece. Little Shit!