Day 42

After a visit from Colemans and Jetty, the pups were loaded up into the van and headed off to a meeting of the Mid-Oregon Performance Clicker Club. The meeting was held at Debi's beautifully landscaped property.

Club members, dogs and puppies toured the gardens.

Cedar with Elim.
The puppy ears all turned out at the base today.

Willow appreciating the beauty.

New surface for the day - cast iron patio umbrella base.

11/17/09 Oz the Frenchy, has always been enamored with Cedar.

Oz with Nome. He seems a bit confused. "Could these be my pups?"

Vote for Jetty

Animal Planet, on the Discovery Network, is holding a "Battle of the Breeds". Chinook puppy Jetty has made it to the final bracket. He is neck and neck with a Salsa. The contest ends Monday and he needs votes.
Control + click to follow link http://animal.discovery.com/the-spot/battle-breeds/flower-power/ and cast your votes.

Jetty visited the BrownStone pups today.

Willow is distracting Jetty while Koyak and Kaltag check him out for milk.

Lonna gingerly walking through the mass of Chinooks underfoot.Cedar, Jetty and more pups looking for his nipples.
Jetty touring the yard with pups in tow.

Day 41

Another sunny day - yeah. I mowed the back lawn and scattered agility equipment about. My goal is to have confident, fearless pups for their forever homes. What I thought would be obstacles and puzzles for the pups turned out to be just speed bumps. If they were running from point A to point B and there was a loose pile of jump standard poles, or a tunnel, or teeter set with a one inch drop or a stack of broad jump boards, the pups just clambered over and continue on without a second glance.

Brunch in the X-pen.

Takotna in the tunnel with Cedar close behind.
Cedar and Willow taking a break.

Agility equipment once again litters the yard.

Kaltag got the toy he was carrying through the tire jump then quickly followed.

Broad jump hill.

Tonight I got a completely unexpected award. The SPYteam (Ski Patrol Youth) is a program that my husband and I started 7 years ago. SPYteam is about to become the model for a Jr. Ski Patrol program for the National Ski Patrol System.

Day 40 - Worn Out

Finally sunshine. All dogs got to spend their day outside.

X-pen - Play-pen

Freedom with 6 fearless puppies going in 6 directions.Nap time.

Lloyd was the first visitor of the day. His shoelaces became a favorite tug toy.

The pups did their best to win over this sworn black lab guy.

My toddler socializer, Anna, at work.

When not being held, the puppies entertained us in, on and through the agility equipment.Lupin, Willy's sister, Anna's dog, got so hot playing with the big dogs that she took a swim in the pond while Anna doted on the pups.

Anna making sure the pups can be handled in just about every way.

The Linds with new baby Klara, Grandmother from Germany and McKenzie making sure she gets her share of loving too.

The pups were totally wiped out by the time they went back inside for the day.

Anna trying to wake Takotna so she will eat.

Four adult humans tried but were woefully unsuccessful at getting a group picture of the four older Chinooks and six puppies. A sit-stay proved impossible with a toddler and 6 puppies running about. If only we had known how hard the puppies would crash, just maybe we couple have pulled it off. Nah..

Day 39 - Huge Day of Firsts

The day began with the first puppy free run of the house thanks to rain that started about the time I got everyone outside. I still needed to change the bedding in the whelping box. The pups took the opportunity to explore and put everything that would fit, into their mouths.

Cedar and McKenzie trying to corral the pups.

Nothing was exempt as a play thing, including my camera strap.
Elim discovered my slipper.
Soon Takotna and Willow were chomping on the other one.

The day was also the first trial with stairs.

"If I land on top of Koyuk, going down won't be so frightening." Six puppies and three big dogs on the loose was a bit like herding cats.

Future agility champs.

New texture: old stump.

New texture: bark-o-mulch.

The pups quickly figured out that they needed to go around the jump wing rather than through it.

The day ended with the best first of all: each pup got their own soup bone. No coaxing needed as much as the big dogs wanted to help out.

Day 38 - Back Home

Mindy left some pictures of Cedar and the pups on the camera. This picture shows how big they have become and a rare nursing moment. We got home in the early hours this morning from the sun and tranquility of Maui to the rain and reality of hungry puppies in Oregon. But, what fun to see the little heads sticking up over the top of the whelping box. We missed them while we were gone.

Dave gives Koltag a welcome home snuggle.

Tonight was Week 5, plus, picture night. Because it has been raining so hard all day, the pups have been confined indoors. Thus they were very active during the photo-op and weigh-in. We gave up on weighing them after the second pup. Getting them to hold still for pictures was difficult, though attacking their photo animal did occupy most of the girls long enough to get a shot. Balancing an excited pup in a tub on the scale was not possible.

Ms Willow

Ms Takotna
Mr Kaltag

Ms KoyukMs Elim

Mr Nome