Turn In

**No pictures yet, I have to get some from Max and maybe Sheila**

Comet was turned in 5 days ago, on July 15, 2011. She was spayed and got the bordetella on the 5th so she could go down for training. Little Miss weighed all of 35 pounds, by far my smallest pup, without a doubt! We drove down after I got off work and met Sandy and Sheila at the kennels. Sandy had to go so we said hi and talked about baby Carter for a little bit then she left. Then we talked with Sheila about the going ons of CAST, dogs we knew and new pups coming up. After about an hour we took some pictures with Max, Comet and I on the bench outside the kennels and went and put Comet in her kennel. She had a name tag and got a big kennel for the night. She looked so little in the kennel! As we were leaving and saying goodbye to Sheila and talking about when we were going to make it down to let them meet Carter and future raising plans (Max told her when Carter turns 2 and she said it was going on her calendar!) Comet started barking. Was a little sad to leave her all alone in the kennel but we know she's well taken care of and settling in well.

If Comet is career changed, she won't be coming home. She is just too much dog for us and especially with the baby coming in less then 6 weeks. I have faith that she will end up in a great home just for her, either as a service dog, a PAL (similar to a K9 Buddy through GDB) or a loving pet.

Puppy Plans

http://bellas3rdlitter.blogspot.com/






Our next puppy is not going to be one of these gorgeous crosses! As much as I wishs I could raise one, I don't at the same time. I'm happy to watch them grow up though and hopefully get a chance to puppy sit one at some point.

On a serious note, since Loden came into our lives, Max and I have longed to have a keeper dog who was a male yellow lab. Max has requested that I take a break from puppy raising for a couple years but he wants to get a new pet dog in around a year. Who knows for sure what the future will hold but at this point in time, it looks like we'll be getting a yellow lab puppy and raising him for a year or two for ourselves and then jump back into puppy raising! A happy compromise and gives me the yellow boy I've always wanted!

3 to 1

I can't believe all the changes happening in our house. In about 5 weeks we will have gone from a 3 dog household to a 1 dog household. I'm not sure how to feel about it, honestly. Part of me is greatly relieved. The other part is dreading it. No worries, Eva is doing well for Eva at this point in time. Comet has been recalled! Well, in a couple more weeks we'll be taking her down. We were given the option of the end of June/early July or September. Out of convenience for me, I chose the end of June/early July. I think Ally and I will take her down on July 1. Then I'll really come home to a quiet house!

I can't even tell you how hard it is to not be filling the empty spot in our house. There's no little dancing dog or the annoying barking or clicking of nails (I could never get hers short enough for them to not click for more then a day or two!) and the house seems so quiet. I see ads for puppies, I know there is a litter on the way I could raise a puppy from, I see ads for free dogs who need a home, etc. and it breaks my heart to not get one. On the other hand, I have this little human in my who kicks my ribs and makes it hard to walk some days and I can't imagine potty training a new puppy now or after Carter gets here.

As for the future for our household for dogs, we'll see what happens. Max doesn't want to raise for awhile but Ally and I might co-raise a puppy next year sometime. That or Max is open to fostering for CAST, dogs that are in advanced training and need a break from the kennels or dogs waiting for placement as service dogs or pets or any other reason. I have to remind myself that even though I'm going to be staying at home with our little boy, that I have no idea what I'm in for. I have no idea what to expect and how my life is going to change.

My fear is that once Eva dies (I'm not making any more predictions on that one! This dog could live until she's 30 and it wouldn't surprise me at this point!) we will run out and grab the first puppy we see to fill the quiet and it's not a good fit for our family. I want to do things right the next time we get a pet dog, I want to know that the dog will be a good match for us and that we will be a good match for him. Who knows, maybe I'll put some bugs in some ears of people who know us and what kind of dog would fit our family and keep an eye out for us. All I know is that, for the time being, I have to remind myself that what is best for our family right now is to keep things as simple as possible as we adjust to parenthood and lets face it, Eva is an easy dog to live with, especially without a puppy in the house. All she does is eat, drink, pee and sleep! My husband, on the other hand, sometimes does something without thinking about it so I can't guarantee that I won't have a post in the future at some point introducing you to a new doggy for us! ;-)

Something Special

Rizzo was Max's dog. He wanted a doxie and he loved her so much. It breaks my heart to see how much he is hurting from losing her. Remembering the way he reacted when we found her and fought to keep her alive before we realized she had a broken neck. The way I wake up to him crying in the middle of the night because he moves his foot and doesn't feel her there. The way he was telling me about all the dreams he had for her and watching her grow old while our son grows up. I love that little doxie so much, I love all her annoying habits and cute quirks. I love how, no matter what, she will never be replaced. But, I want to do something special for my husband. He's trying so hard to keep his head up and move forward, to look at the positive and remember the good in life and the good times with that little doggie. I need some ideas as for something special to do for him to remember Riz. We are going to get her a monument for her grave and plant flowers, she's buried at Max's mom's house. In a spot where the dogs who live there don't have access and a private place where we can go to mourn and remember her. I want something for him here and I don't know what would be best for him. I was thinking of getting a blanket made for him with a picture of her on it so he can still sleep with her at night and cuddle with her, in a way. Or ordering a shadow box for him, a painting or figurine. I don't know. I don't know what to do for him, but I want, have to do something! Anyone have any ideas on what to do for him, that would be special and amazing? I've never lost a dog before, certainly not like this, and I don't know what would be best.

Goodbye Dapple Girl

You will forever be missed!

Rizzo:

8/13/2007-5/28/2011

Passed away from a broken neck.

Charlie Update, Again!

GREAT NEWS! Charlie is in team training and is doing great! I'm so proud of my spaz-a-doodle! Thinking of you and your new partner Charlie-bear, hope you have a long working life ahead of you and maybe I can find a way down to see your graduation in January!

General Updates

Eva ~ Is doing ok. Her urinating has increased dramatically over the past week but she is still eating and drinking normal for her. We're hoping it's just a phase and she will get better soon. She's made it all the way to 2 years 5 months! Something we never thought we'd see, so we're happy with everyday with the little spitfire.

Comet ~ Is a tiny little thing and 10 months old now. She still has her quirks but we love her. Not sure when she'll turn-in, it will be before her siblings, but I'm not sure when. I'm going to work with her a lot so she can start coming to work with me everyday, it'd be a great way to socialize her to other dogs and people!

Rizzo ~ Is Rizzo. She loves Eva and Comet so much. I'm a little worried about how she'll be once she's the only dog but it will be that way for quite awhile since no new dogs or puppies are in our foreseeable future.

Elijah ~ Is adjusting well. He is an indoor cat here since there are other cats on the property and we live right next to a highway. He spends most of his time in our bed but has starting acting more like a kitten then we've ever seen. I think being in side all day makes him have energy to expend and he plays with cat toys, hangers, string, all sorts of things!

Mowgli ~ Is with Ally. Elijah was very depressed with Mowgli and so Mowgli went to where he's loved and the other animals have all adjusted well to him. I see him often and still love the little kitten and wish it could have worked out for him to be here.

The Humans ~ We're doing well, too! I've been at my job for about a month and a half and I love the work. It's fun to see different dogs everyday but it's hard to see how some people treat their dogs out of love. It really makes me appreciate everything we teach our pups! Max is hopefully starting a new job on Monday!

AND! We found about 2 weeks ago we're having a little baby girl! August can't get here quick enough!

Silly Eva

We moved about a week ago to a more affordable place with more room. It doesn't have a fenced yard yet but is on 4 acres in my home town (2-ish miles from Ally, my Mom and Max's Mom). The owner's also live on the property and they rent out two pastures for horses. One of the pastures is right outside our backdoor and is so muddy right now there isn't a horse in it.

Eva has an upset stomach today from eating something she shouldn't have and so was tied out with access to inside to prevent accidents. Apparently she decided she wanted to drink out of the horse's water because this is how we found her....

Charlie Update

I heard an update on Charlie! He is being considered for team training for April! I'm not sure when I'll hear if he is chosen or not but it's still exciting that he's made it this far!

Time for Change

Sometimes we make mistakes with puppies, ok, with every puppy we make at least one mistake. With Comet I made the mistake of too much freedom too soon. I got her as a 6.5 month old who'd been in training since birth but I ignored one small factoid, she wasn't with me. She wasn't in my home, I didn't know her habits (beyond what I was told), I didn't trust her and she didn't know or trust me.

So we've run into some annoying habits. We start tomorrow with no priviledges that an 8-week-old puppy wouldn't have. No sleeping loose, no being loose during the day, spending time in the yard unsupervised, etc. Our tie-down will be utilized and potty breaks will be done on leash in the front yard.

We will get far quickly, I hope, with this new strict earning trust regimen. She is far too much work at this point for me to take to work with me and trust her in the store while I work on the other dogs. We will get her there, to the point where she can be in the store and lay quietly at my feet while I groom customers' dogs and take care of the store on my shifts.

We have to get this under control! We only have 6 months at the most left with the crazy girl and I need to be able to trust her and control her before too much more time goes by and I'll be too big and exhausted to control her crazies!

Lesson learned. Especially when she reminds me so much of Iverson, complete with the way she tosses bones in the air, who never had freedom in the house!

So Sweet

I can't get over just how sweet Comet is! She def. has her quirks and issues but she loves to lay at our feet chewing on bones and cuddling. She will not be coming home if career changed, no matter how much we love her but she sure has wiggled her way into our hearts!

New "Life" Blog

cocosjourney.blogspot.com

Pictures of Comet

Ally and I took Tiki and Comet to the park Friday. My big goal with Comet was to get her to play in her equipment and loosen up. It didn't take long at all, hooked the long line up to her and ran around a little and she did good!

Little Miss

Comet is such a little pup! Growing and gaining at a normal rate but she's just tiny! She is almost 8 months old and weighed 5 pounds less then Ally's Tiki (5 months old now) last week. She's just a short little thing who has all the energy in the world to make up for it!

She's a jumper, can clear the 32" baby gate like she's walking over a dog bone. She loves to run and is a power chewer major! She loves to give kisses and play with Eva and the cats.

She is of course, not perfect but she is so much fun! She doesn't like her harness or jacket so we are working on it. She didn't use a harness at the other organization and that weirdness could be transferring to the jacket for her. She is improving as we work with her, short walks down the street wearing her gear wtith lots of kibble and working on the "dress" command.

We couldn't be happier with Little Miss. She adds a challenge and a personality we haven't had in the house in a long time! She reminds me of Iverson in some ways but has a bit more freedom in the house and of course has her own quirks and what not.

I haven't taken any pictures of her really, I need to get better at it!

Good news is that plans with Comet don't change at all since we're pregnant, the only thing that may change is when we get our next puppy. Max is really in love with her and if she doesn't make it already has plans for agility with her.

Cell phone picture of Comet at the Mall.

I have a secret!

I have a secret and I've actually kept it for over four weeks! I would like to introduce you all to our baby!

(S)he is 8 weeks 2 days old and about 2/3 of an inch in length. Due date is August 25 :-)

We actually found out the day after my year in review post where I said 2011 would be the year we have our baby. I promise I didn't know! As far as the two little girls go, well, that's still up in the air but I'm content with whatever role I have in their lives!

Carnival - One Big Decision

Instead of talking about all the choices I've had to make while raising, I'll tell you about the choice I had to make that affects my life everyday! It makes it fuller, brighter and so much more fun! I made the decision to bring Eva home and get over the fear of losing her one day and instead, enjoy today and enjoy what love and enthusiasm for life she does have.

Eva has not had an easy life. She was a very sick puppy and now, as a gorgeous two-year-old still has a bad prognosis. When she was career changed I was scared out of my mind. Would I take her back? Would I be able to handle the emotional strain of living with a terminally ill dog day in and day out? Would I be able to be strong enough to make the choice that we all knew would have to be made in the not-to-distant-future for her sake? I didn't know when I said yes but I knew I couldn't let her live her life with people she didn't know, who didn't know her and who I had no idea if they would listen to her the way I knew I could.

Eva has this way about her that just makes everything okay. She's loving, caring, loyal, sweet, adorable, determined, enthusiastic and a whole host of other things. She is my forever puppy, the one that was meant to come home and I'm thankful everyday that I have her soft golden ears to rub and her sweet eyes knowing just when I need her and knowing that we can communicate. She knows what I need and I know what she needs, when she's having an off day or just needs some extra loving.

We don't know what the future will hold for Eva or how long her life will last. What we do know is that we are so thankful we made the choice to bring her home and to love her as much as we can for as long as we can.

News on Charlie

Not good news and not the career changed news we always dread.

Charlie is sick. I'm not sure what is wrong with him exactly, he was throwing up and not passing any thing through his bowels and now he's on antibiotics and not eating. My heart is breaking for the sweet boy and I hope he pulls through this. I'll update when I know more.

Puppy Charlie the night we picked him up.

Charlie a couple weeks ago from the prison.