Happy Holidays

As time flies by it is hard to believe another 7 months have passed since my last post.  The boys have grown into young men and have wonderful personalities.  Miss Ripley has passed over the rainbow bridge and out of our lives.  Summer ended, fall flew by and winter is upon us.  Christmas is in two days and nothing is wrapped, still have shopping to do, cookies to bake and candy to make.  LIFE IS GOOD!!!!! 


MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL AND WISHING YOU A WONDERFUL NEW YEAR

Back into the routine of everyday life with a twist.

Its been three weeks since we returned home from vacation.  The trip is becoming a distant memory except for the fact that we have two little toddlers at home now who have brought joy and laughter into our home.   Just as any 5 to 6 month old puppy these guys are cutting teeth and chewing on everything.  We are practicing attention diversion.  They are quickly diverted by something they can chew on and luckily they love little marrow bones.  After having shelties for so many years who did not play with toys and get into things, it is a real joy to have puppies that play and run through the house again.  I have missed the noise of running feet on the floors.  Missy is getting to the age where the only running she does is when I can get her excited which at her age (13) is not often anymore. 

The boys went to work yesterday and charmed everyone they saw.  Kelsey was totally fascinated by the sounds coming from the telephone and he quickly figured out how to make the buttons on the phone keypad make noises as well.   But they both thought it was not worth cookies to do my job for me.  They wanted more of the watermelon I gave them for being good boys.   If you do have a minute become their friend on Facebook.  They are pretty active and enjoy reading posts.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001203634337

We are finding that Kelsey is much more courageous and independent than Duncan who seems to be more needy.  Duncan has laid claim to me as his person and hates to have me out of his sight.  Both are loving puppies who love to cuddle and be held.  Kelsey is much finer boned that Duncan and will remain smaller.  Both will be tweener to standard size. They will be 5 months old on June 26 so still have plenty of time to grow.

Till next time.  We gotta tell ya doing moms job was just exhausting.  We just had to have a break and some watermelon.

Day in Lancaster County PA

Yesterday we visited the area flea market and picked up a couple of things we wanted for home.  The Green Dragon Flea Market in Ephrata is huge and has just about anything you could want, but is only open on Friday.  As we were waiting in line to get into the flea market this buggy came a long and couldn't resist a picture but made sure it was still far enough so as not to get the driver clearly as they do not like it when tourists take their pictures. It is totally against their religion and I always try to respect that.  From there we went to our favorite Amish market to stock up on my years supply of pickled beets and other bulk goods that I use for cooking.  Back to the campground (we are Staying at Circle M Resort).  Then out to dinner with my brother Tom and SIL Robin for Chinese Buffet.  Very good by the way. 

The boys are having a problem when I get out of their sight.  It seems that they are very female oriented having come from a home with 4 little girls and their mom how was home with them all day.  The couple said when we left them inside the camper yesterday they cried for about 40 minutes then got quiet.  When I go out the door they scratch and cry until I come back in.  Their personalities are coming out now and they are showing us some major differences.  Although Kelsey is smaller in stature he seems to be the most dominate and independent of the two and Duncan has to be near me all the time although he is by no means clingy.  When I sit he has to have his head on my foot or touching me in some way.  They love to play and wrestle then just crash for a nap where ever they are.  We did some one on one leash work today and they are doing well although they like to run their mouths a lot. It is not the high pitched sound that I have been used to with Shelties.  It is almost like the bay of a blood hound.  They have a very big bark for their size, good thing Miss Ripley is deaf and can not hear them.

Today was not a good day for Les so we just hung out here in the camper and will leave here tomorrow to head home.  COPD does make it hard to spend time outside here in the humidity so after working to breath yesterday he was exhausted today.  It has been low humidity, cooler air with a nice breeze but he just didn't have the energy to enjoy it.

Vacation is coming to an end and I am sad to see it, but I know how much work is waiting for me to do when I get back to work on Tues.  Take a week off and have to work twice as hard when I get back, but oh so worth it.

I am sure that Les will be glad to be home as well.  I have a feeling this will be our last long trip together so we will stick close to home from now on just taking long weekends.

Have a good night

Moment to rest and relax.

Have been to tired to post as the past few days have been full of excitement and the wonder of having new puppies in the family.  Duncan and Kelsey have joined our family and are more than we dreamed of.  They are full of energy and love to cuddle.  They have made the trip from their place of birth in the mountains of NC to the farm land of PA without a whimper.  We picked up the boys Duncan on the left and Kelsey on the right on Tues the 18th and took them back to the campground where they were a hit with everyone.  They love everyone they meet.

On Wed the 19th we left the mountains and traveled to Durham for a night with Julio and Terry then started the to wind our way home with a layover in Lancaster, PA.  We arrived at about 6PM last night and will take a break here for a few days before heading home on Sunday the 23rd.

It has been a wonderful trip and I can be sure that my souvenirs from NC this year will definitely not sit around collecting dust.  Our old lady Miss Ripley has not decided whether or not we should keep them and is putting them in their place when they do something she does not think is appropriate.  She will teach them  what she will tolerate from them and what she will not.  She is the leader of the pack under me so it is as it should be. 

Pictures for today of Cherokee Bears

These bears are all over town painted by the Cherokee artists  That's me!  Yup I stand a little less than the height of the bear.  Click on the picture and you can see more detail.  They are really amazing.  We had a wonderful day just checking out the bears and touring the Cherokee Museum with our Son and Daughter-in-law.  They headed home and we just relaxed, napped and listened to the sounds of nature here in the campground.

The letters on this bear are from the Cherokee Alphabet - don't ask I have no idea what the words are.

 

Three generations of Laliberte's  Grand daughter got Grampa's genes,  She definitely has his sense of humor. 













Just a little over 14 hours and we pick up  Duncan and Kelsey from the breeder.  Just so excited to go and get them.    We are taking Miss Ripley with us to get them with the hope that she does better than if we just drop them in her domain.  At least this way she will be with us when we take them to the truck to bring them home.  Our camper is not overly large so running space will be minimal for the puppies and I can see Miss Ripley trying to get away from them.  More pictures tomorrow after we get back to the campground.

More Pictures of Smokey Mountains

Great Smokey Mountain National Park

Amazing views with mountains that seem to go on and on and on.  The haze over the mountains is what gives them their name.  It is absolutely beautiful here.  We have spent two wonderful days here so far and had some special time with our children and grand daughter. Today we plan to visit the Cherokee Indian Museum and Culture Center and also to see the Cherokee painted life size bears around town.  Might even go to the casino for a look see and maybe play the slots for a bit. 

Introducing Duncan II and Kelsey

Our newest fur children Duncan II on the left and Kelsey on the right are long haired Dachshunds and brothers.  They are expected to be about 15 pounds when full grown so will be considered tweeners or small standards.  They join our family in just nine days. 

We are so excited about having puppies in the house again.  We had been searching since January to add just one more to our family until we saw these two together and then the new Papa said, "see if we can get them both", and that was that.  I have a major thing for long hair and long noses.  These boys will be the second and third long haired Doxies I personally will have.  It will be interesting to see how our old lady Miss Ripley, 13 years old, will deal the two active babies.  She has been the leader of a pack for so long that now she is alone she clings to us so I think she will welcome having babies to teach again.  She has been an amazing teacher to all of our little ones so it will be interesting to see what she does.

My first dog as an adult was a LHD that I purchased from a breeder in Germany and brought back to the states.  Mike was a standard size red. What he lacked in size he more than made up for in ego.  He thought he was as big as a great dane and never met a stranger.  My only hope is that these two have the self confidence that he had. 

On May 13th we start the trek to North Carolina to enjoy some time camping with our Son and Daughter-in-law and grand daughters in the Great Smoky Mountains and also to pick up the little ones, so come back and follow us on our trip.  I will try to post pictures and insightful commentaries throughout the trip. 

Until then...............

Another Baby Waiting at the Rainbow Bridge

Three weeks ago we lost our Tinkerbelle to Cushing's Disease.  We spent many years training in agility and then competing as a team.  She was a dog that followed direction to the letter even when I could tell she knew I was wrong.  And believe me I was wrong more than once.   She was amazing until she got to hot or tired then nothing on earth could move her.  She loved the obstacles in the courses except for the teter.  She did not like the loud bang when it came down, but she hated any loud sounds no matter where they came from. She was a dog who could be such a girl and run her mouth until she got what she wanted.  Nothing could dissuade her from the course she was on.  I was with her when she passed over and I will always be grateful   that I had the courage to be there.  She was my partner, an amazing part of a team that could not have been without her.  In the past year and nine months we have lost three of the dearest shelties anyone could ask for.  It has been heart breaking to lose them and although they are gone they will never be forgotten.

In my next post I will introduce you to the new fur children who will be joining our family on May 18, 2010. 

The Rainbow Bridge

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge. When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.
All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind. They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.
You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.
Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together.... 
Author unknown...

This is where my two boys have been waiting.  We lost Fidget in July of 2008 and then in July of 2009 we lost Duncan.  Almost two years have past since I last posted on this blog, but every time I came to do just that the picture of my precious boys made me cry and I could not do it.  It is time to pay tribute to them.

Fidget came to us from a young girl on the brink of adulthood who could not take him with her.  We knew him from our agility club and did not hesitate to take him into our lives and make him part of our family.  I started training with him to learn how to work with him on an agility course.  It was not an easy task as he had been working with another handler for his first three years of life.  I even talked to an animal communicator who asked him what the problem was.  His answer was that I was stupid and didn't know how to tell him what I wanted him to do.  After that we really worked on relearning signals and commands.  Things actually clicked and we started winning ribbons at trials.  Our last run together was actually freaky.  I sat with him on my lap waiting for our turn to run a course.  I kept going over and over, in my head, the course as I wanted to run it.  When our turn came I put him on the start line and led out before I released him to start the course.  On my command of OK he took off like a rocket and I didn't have time to even get a command out of my mouth.  He ran that course just as I pictured it in my mind without a fault and in amazing time.  It made me a firm believer in our ability to communicate with our furbabies.  I have rheumatoid arthritis which prevented us from doing agility after that, but it is a memory I will carry with me all the days of my life.

Duncan was the little man who was afraid of everything and everyone unless he chose to make you his friend.  His personality was of a loving little Dark Warrior which is why I named him that.  He totally lived up to his name.  In his almost 6 years with us he never made friends with any of our children or grandchildren, but would go up to a complete stranger and let them pat him.  It was never predicable and always a surprise.   He was a complete wonder to us and we never figured out what was going on in his little head.  I tried to put him in classes when he was a puppy, but he was so afraid of being around others that I just didn't have the heart to make him do it.  We trained at home and he knew basic commands and also that I was the alpha dog (so to speak) in the pack.

Duncan and Fidget had some major fights during the time they shared space in the pack, It started the day I brought Duncan home.  Fidget marked  Duncan on his nose and he carried a white cross the rest of his life.  I think it was a testosterone thing even though they had both been neutered as puppies.  But one could not do a thing unless the other was there.  It took a long time after Fidget left us before Duncan and the girls could go outside without waiting for him to come with them.

I loved them both beyond measure, but Duncan was the light of my life where Fidget was the one I was able to work through the trials of communicating with him and to work as a team.  He was a treasure I will never forget and always remember what a remarkable fur child he was.

I only hope that the when the day comes that I will be good enough to make it to the rainbow bridge and be with my boys again. 

May God Bless You my precious boys,
I Love You. Both