Sad news. :+(

 On Monday, August 23, I had to make the agonizing decision to lay Gabriel to rest.  It was a very difficult day but Gabe was not doing well over the weekend and I took him to my vet on Monday morning.  Thankfully, they got me in right away and upon examination by Dr. Kelleher, he thought maybe the abcess in his mouth might have been the reason for his lack of appetite. However blood work showed his kidneys were actually shutting down and he was in a lot of pain.  With lots of tears and hugs from my vet and staff, Gabriel was brought home to rest in our garden.

Gabriel was a delightful little man who was so stoic and loving.  We knew from the onset that his life would be short but I never expected it to only last six months.  We were lucky that his time with us was full of love and care.  Four grand-daughters lavished him with pats and giggles all summer.  He swam in our pool, took obedience classes and entertained Clary's litter.  Be at peace little one.  

Just have to post this.

 Diego's daddy emailed me this pic of Diego and 'friend' meeting each other and really getting along well.

Diego's dad said a bunch of people gathered round taking pictures and videos of the two of them 
playing with each other.  It was like Samson and Goliath!!  Diego is so tiny!!!  :+)

Lucie.

 Hopefully, all the pups are settling in and enjoying being the new member of the family.  I just received this cute pic from Lucie and her guardians and would like to share it.  They tell me she is smart!  Hmmm... I new that!  :+)

Pick Ups have begun and will finish this afternoon.

Yesterday, we had three puppies go home. This morning our 'Guardian Home' girl, Lucie, went to her family and late this afternoon, I will post the last of the crew. It has been wonderful to see the excitement and eagerness to start their new lives with their families. 

ZELDA, so appropriately named (one of the definitions means 'strong woman').  Cute as a button and full of herself!  Get ready Johnson's!

FINNIGAN RIVER WEBB will grace his new home with lots of snuggles as well as bring a sense of adventure.  I can't wait to hear about his shenanigans with Maybelline!

Marisa and John named their sweet girl BRUCE.  Lots of raised eyebrows with that choice!  Bruce is a sweetheart and will simply shout out her feminism with her pink toned clothing!

Thank you John for being willing to create a platform where all of this litter's owners can participate in sharing the highs and lows of being new puppy owners!  I am sure he will be contacting all 

once things are set up.

This morning, my guardian home girl, LUCIE, was picked up!  Lucie will live in the city for a few months before moving to the countryside.  The best of both worlds awaits this girl with 

lots of adventures for sure.  :+)

The Mannos did it again with BENTLEY!  Another ADNE addition to cuddle, play and

enjoy.  Brewster is anxiously awaiting the arrival of a new furry friend. :+)

Matt was so excited to come today to pick up his new buddy, DIEGO.  After experiencing the loss of 

his last companion, he knew another was the only way to go.  Enjoy. :+)

Two boys are waiting to finally have PEPPER in their arms tomorrow.  I can just imagine the hoots and hollers of finally bringing a GIRL into the family!  

PICK UP DAYS HAVE ARRIVED!

I can tell you that the puppies are all doing very, very well. Eating, drinking, wrestling and enjoying the air conditioning today! Tomorrow, three will be picked up at 11 am which include Zelda, Finnigan and Bruce. Their bags are very nearly packed for the new adventures that await them. The incisions are healing very well and they are ready to 'rock and roll'. Our meeting starts at 11 am promptly, so don't be tardy!! :+) Joyce

BATHS!

Last night after dinner, myself and two of our grand-daughters got down on our knees to give the pups a bath. I always bathe them the night before their surgeries. Once they go home you must NOT bathe them before August 19th to be sure the incision is fully healed. Please make a note of that. :+) They were all rather stoic as I put them in our tub in two sessions. The first with three and the second round with four pups. Yes, a couple tried to climb out but the girls were right there to keep them in the tub. I sprayed the water and gave them the shampoo on their hands to scrub - a - dub the babes, I rinsed and then placed wet, clean pups in their arms for initial drying. Then I put them on my counter for a bit of light 'hair drying' before each one went into their cleaned pen. This morning, they were still clean, fluffy and happy. It seems they forgave me for the 'car wash'. Ha, ha. They were at my vet at 8 am this morning and I will be picking them up early this evening. Pick ups are all scheduled, bags are almost packed up - still some paperwork to do but all will be ready for this Thursday & Friday.

Today was hot, humid and sunny - a perfect day for a puppy swim!

I have been waiting and waiting for the perfect weather combo to introduce the pups to our pool.  It appears we have a litter that likes the water!!  Some really got 'into it' as you will see below.  Our son, Josh, was with his four daughters (our grand-daughters) as the pups were slowly let into the water.  At one point, Teal Collar (ZELDA) just forged ahead into the pool and got a head dunk!  She recovered quickly and was good to go!

Enjoy the pics and I hope you enjoyed this summer day as much as I did.  :+)

The first set of pups included Brown Collar (DIEGO), Black Collar (PEPPER), Teal Collar (ZELDA) and Pink Collar (BRUCE, yes we all know she is a girl) :+)

First our grand-daughters held them on the first step.  BRUCE was ready to get going.  She loved the water.  PEPPER & DIEGO were a bit reluctant but caught on quickly!

Soon the children lowered them so their feet touched the water.

Here is where Zelda took the plunge!

Her siblings soon joined in the cooling fun.

 

The second group consisted of Red Collar (LUCIE), Blue Collar (BENTLEY) and Green Collar (FINNIGAN).  These three loved being in the water!

 

Look at those boys go! FINNIGAN & BENTLEY.

LUCIE was like a duck!

FINNIGAN guided by our son.  BENTLEY is right in front of LUCIE.  They were swimming like champs!

The intro to water with these three were 'Let's go already!'

So glad I was able to get them in the pool before their surgeries.  The weather has not been great lately but today was PERFECT!  :+)

Eye Exams yesterday!

I am happy to report that the eye exams with my Canine Ophthalmologist went extremely well yesterday with all of them receiving a 'Normal'!  I am so pleased.  :+)

The ride there was uneventful with both Blue and Brown Collar boys having a great time playing 'peek a boo' with drivers behind me.  I am sure it made their day.

As always, the pups draw people wherever I go and today was no exception.  Thought I would post a pick of them in my car.  How could you NOT want to stop by and say 'Hello'??

Today, we go for another ride to get our Health Certificates at my vets.  The pups will get another dose of willing hands to hold them to enjoy puppy breathe.  :+)

I will also begin assignments today so stay close!  I don't know how many I will get done prior to going to their appointment but let's hope all of them!  :+). Have your names ready!!