JR's 4 mth Birthday photos

 We spent the day having fun with the boy today. First we went to L&G in Walla Walla where he met lots of excited people, then to handling class (JR is enrolled into an obedience handling class for socialization) and then we went to the park where we snapped these photos while he was having a good time hunting rabbits. It was a fun and long day for a 4 month old.

Photos arrived

 Our photos from January 20th arrived today. These are of Bow after winning his final point for his Champion title and Romeo won Best of Breed the same day. Bow is one of Romeo's sons and is 1 1/2 years old. We're very proud of both of these boys!

Jewel and Cinder having a good time.

Bow heads back down The Gorge

January 20th Bow won his final point at the Portland Rose Classic and became a Champion at 1 1/2 years of age. Today he started the second faze of his life by heading back down The Gorge to Vancouver, WA where he'll get to have a wonderfully active life with his new parents. His family has had Dals in the past and enjoy jogging and hiking with their spotted partners. Bow holds a very special spot in my heart, and with a little time I'm sure he'll work his way into that same spot with his new mom Cynthia and dad Roch. Take care my sweet, sweet boy.

Little Lexie - OUR PILLOW girl

Okay-so I am busy in the bedroom and I come out to find this-rotflmao.

THIS IS "OUR" blanket and pillow girl.

I was getting ready to get this back in the store bag

and take it back b/c it washed up horribly.

Lori

Bow's reward

Now that Bow's a Champion, he got to get neutered today. Everything went well and he seems to be recovering very well. Once Bow is completely recovered he will be ready to head to a new pet home, so if you are one of the homes that has had an eye on him waiting until we were ready to let him leave, contact us now so we can make a decision as to which home he'll be heading to.

Mini Me

Bow and his little brother Jr had a nice nap together today. Jr is really enjoying being part of the pack of big dogs. He's only had one accident in the house (in his whole life) and that was today, I didn't believe him when he told me he needed to go and by time I got to him (through the pack of dogs) he had sprung a leak. Poor baby.
His big brother Bow has been a great sport about playing ball with him, sharing the dog bed and just being his big bro. They are so much alike in personality and looks, Jr is a very fitting name for Bow's "mini-me". (Although Bow's blue eye is on the left and Jr's is on his right).

Yesterday the show ring... today the muddy creek!

Romeo (who was Best Of Breed on Thursday)

Bow (in the creek - who became a new Champion on Thursday) and Romeo heading back in.

Quick dip

On our way home from the Portland Rose Classic we stopped to let the dogs run and play some. I never imagined they would go swimming in the Columbia River today seeing it was in the 40's. The cold water didn't seem to bother them at all and they had a great time.

Bow's a Champion!!

For Adrian's birthday today, Bow won Winners Dog for his final point needed to complete his Champion Title. He's now Ch. Black Diamond He's Bonafide and Romeo's 2nd son to become a champion. To top the day off, Romeo won Best of Breed and Willow was Select Bitch. We couldn't ask for much better! Once the show photos arrive I'll get them posted, but that usually takes a couple of weeks to arrive.

Sky's first go with a Pro

Today was Sky's very first time in the ring with a Pro Handler, she won Best Senior in Sweeps, then went back in for Best of Winners. Scott Price is doing a great job with her, she looks very happy and almost looks like a 'show dog'!  Sky will be shown by Scott all week, through Sunday the 23rd, then she'll be catching a ride home with our friend Pam and her Whippets as we are heading home Friday morning.

Our Keno Girl Izza

 I was SOOOO EXCITED to open my e-mail today and see these photos of Izza. These are the posters that are going to print today. Oregon Lottery said they will be putting these posters everywhere across the whole state - anywhere lotto is sold. So look for Izza "in a store near you" sometime in the near future (I have no idea how long it will be before they are actually in stores).

Lilly and the holidays

Lilly has been doing great and settling into her new home. She met ALL of the family including the dogs over the holiday's and enjoyed all the new sites and smells the holiday season had to offer. She has been welcome by all and has been super sweet even with the kids, laying in bed with them while we read books (of course, we have to take turns).
Jeff has been taking her to work with him and she is really bonding with us all. She has gotten to play at the dog park as well as meet several of the neighbor dogs on walks as well had a few play dates in the back yard. She has finally explored her entire back yard and knows all the places to run like the wind when she is excited and feeling playful, including around and under the pool deck, around the boat, behind the shed, etc. Although I am sure she can't wait until the rainy season is over as she is very particular at times with NOT wanting to walk in muddy wet grass (or in the rain in general). Several times on our morning walks, she has put her foot down (or more literally her butt) and stopped to say, "I don't want to walk in the rain anymore", looking up at me with her puppy dog eyes. She has a new purple rain coat that has helped with this situation but thinking a hat is in order or something as she doesn't like her velvety ears to get wet. ;-)
The kids continue to be reminded that she is still a puppy. We have had a few shoe and toy casualties but it is a good lesson for them to learn to keep their things put away or doors closed to their bedrooms while we are out of the house. Lilly really enjoys breakfast and dinner time, as well as playing with her new toys. She has been very inquisitive with all food in the house but has been getting better with her counter surfing.
Holiday photo of our family with Lilly, attached. She still is a nibble kisser but we love that about her. We are looking forward to starting obedience class with her next week with the whole family but overall she is doing great and we are so happy to have found her!
Maybe we'll see you next weekend at the dog show in Portland.
Cheers,
Shelly, Jeff, Rylie, and Logan Mix

Update from "Black"

We named him Jasper. He is growing like a weed. Tonight he managed to find a roll of paper towels I had apparently left down too low. Needless to say we had a huge snow storm in our formal dining and living room. He was having a blast shredding all the paper. He and our Siamese cat play together a lot. Jasper’s favorite toy right now belongs to the cat. It’s a scratching pad with the little ball that goes around the outside in a track. Needless to say our cat watches real close when Jasper is playing with his toy. It is such a joy to have a Dal in the house again. He does play with Sophie our other dog, but right now he likes playing with Ossie. I had it so that he wouldn’t chase the cats, then I noticed that the cat was going and getting Jasper to play with him. Ossie has never thought he was a cat though. He has always played with the dogs. Ann

Jack and his new toy

JR joins the pack

JR, as well as his entire litter have been around our entire pack since they were a couple of weeks old, but they've always been 'behind bars' so they couldn't get hurt is someone panicked about the puppies. Once they got older we moved them to their box in our dinning room, so all the big dogs could reach in and lick the faces of the pups and vice versa, but they were still protected. Once they were 8 weeks old we allowed them to be loose in the house with certain big dogs while being supervised. First their mom, then big brother Bow, then daddy Romeo. Now that we are down to just JR, he no longer has a dog to play with so I decided tonight was the night. Adrian was at the neighbor's house watching a football game, so I could control the energy in the room without his influence. It went great! Everyone was excellent with JR. Bow, Sky and Izza took turns playing with him. Anytime he needed to go potty he would run over to his box and try to jump in (which he's not capable of yet), so I would place him back in his box, he would go potty in his litter box, get a drink of water, then ask to get back out for more play. It was a fun evening and everyone is sleeping soundly now. I took lots of photos so I could show Adrian how great everyone was with him. Tomorrow night we might allow him to be present for playtime. ;)

Hunter heads to Pomeroy

"Brown", who we called "Chubs" is now going to be "Hunter" and has headed off to his new mommy Deanna. He'll be sharing his home with an 11 year old beautiful female Dalmatian, a 1 year old Shepherd, a couple of Manchester Terriers and a Jack Russel. Hunter will be hitting the dog show ring in April with his new mommy, which we are really looking forward to seeing!

SHOW ME THE MONEY!

Once again I sent Izza's photos to a dog talent agent, this time 6 dog's photos were sent to the Oregon Lottery and they chose Izza! At 10:30am we started our photo shoot in Portland, OR and didn't finish until 4:30pm. It was a long hard day, but it was fun too! Fun because Izza did a great job. She didn't mind all the flashes going off and sounding like gun shots, having to be manipulated by me as well as strangers, the having to be 'on' for hours and hours or being asked to do things no normal dog would ever do! She was an amazing trooper and by this summer will be on posters and billboards across the entire state of Oregon. These photos are a couple that the talent agent took on my camera while the photographer was reviewing photos that he had taken. The photo above is of us on the $3,000 of real money they had Izza rolling around in.

Spoiled Lexi

Looks like Miss Lexi is really living the rough life!

This beautiful girl is from our first litter of puppies and is now 3 years old.

Here is the photo right before I ran to get my camera to video tape but she was already gone from the pillows. and on to the blanket. Spoiled, loved little girl.  Lori

Puppy play

More fun with their holiday toy that the boys picked up at Petco last Thursday.

New Years Day Run

 We had a nice run today, it was very sunny and blue skys the whole time we were out. It was almost a beautiful day for a run, almost... it was a high of 20 degrees today, so we only managed to do 14 miles before Izza was cold and wanted to head home. I had to admit, my toes got cold too (and I wasn't running barefoot in the snow the whole time like she was!)

We also saw a record number of pheasants today, as well as a couple of deer.

Breaking in the new toy

 

Today the two boys got to go to Walla Walla with us. While Adrian talked with the boat repair guy, the boys and I walked around their parking lot checking out everything we could in the 10 degree weather. Then we headed over to Petco which was supposed to have a Puppy Playtime at 5:00pm to 5:30pm.  Well our boys were the only two puppies who showed up, but we made the best of it. We walked the whole store, checked out each isle and met all every stranger who walked in. They also got to meet two older dogs who were in the store shopping. The toy in the photo is the one both boys agreed on and felt they Had to have - luckily it was on the after Christmas sale rack, so they proved themselves to be excellent bargain shoppers too!

Puppy play

We currently have two boy puppies still at our home, Brown and Blue. Brown will be going to his new show home soon, but meanwhile he's here to play with Blue. This morning we woke up to blizzard like conditions, which luckily only lasted until mid-morning. The boys found the fresh snow to be very fun this afternoon once the sun came out.

Jack and his girls

 So we went to my in-laws for Christmas. While we were there Jack played with an English Bulldog, a Pomeranian and a Springer Spaniel. He also got lots of love from 11 children and a bunch of adults. He was fantastic and everyone just loved him! Oh and he also met the horses in which he was not to sure what they were. We have 3 minis and 1 Arabian. Well just have to say that Santa was good to Jack as well, new toys and a yummy bone. The girls also dressed him up in some doll clothes, that did not last long but he was a good sport. Well just had to send you a little note on how he is doing. He starts puppy class on the 6th and we have been teaching him sit, stay, down and off. We are still working on him coming when called and actually paying attention when you say his name, a little selective hearing.  Stephanie

Post Christmas Run

Today was sunny and warm at our house, right up until the dogs and I headed out for our run anyhow! It ended up raining, hailing, windy and cold. Luckily my mother gave me a wonderful set of water proof, insulated coveralls which I had worn despite the weather being so nice before we left. The only bad part was the hail on my nose and in my eyes - I'll start wearing a hat with a visor from here on out! :)

Olive all ready for Christmas

Olive has started some training with the clicker and treats. I think the clicker helps reinforce when she does well because of her left-sided deafness. She already knows watch me, sit, jump, to go in her travel crate and hand touch. We're still working on laying down and not biting me as much (work in progress).


Mom bought her a little Christmas collar with jingle bells on it (which, while cute, also helps us keep track of where she is running around to).

Hope you and the rest of the dals had a great holiday.    Samantha and Olive

Black gets a home

"Black" (Black Diamond Sleepy Hollow) got to go to his home today. Black will be living in Tillamook, OR with his new mom Ann. Hopefully he doesn't ever lock her out of their home like he did their vehicle! Another lucky boy off to a fantastic home.

Santa knows Jack!

Jack had a chance to give Santa his wish list before Christmas. We've heard he's been a good boy, so hopefully all his holiday wishes will come true.

Snow babies

At about 4pm today it started snowing. All four boys headed outback to check it out. I had hoped to get video but was unsuccessful; they were leaping in the air biting the snowflakes as the snow was coming down. They chased each other around and had a great time playing in the snow. They were even more happy to come back into the house to take a nice long nap by the heater.

Angels

Our four remaining angles looked so sweet I couldn't resist taking this shot. Too bad that when they wake up they are a rowdy obnoxious bunch of boys!

Lap Dogs

Mozart's dad would like all of our newest puppy owners to see what their future looks like. Those cute little bundles sitting in your lap tonight will be turning into 40-60lb lap dogs very soon!!

Black Diamond Autumn Harvest - "Orange"

Tonight's blog are photos of the four boys we still have at our house. Orange will be heading to Florida on the 22nd, but the rest of the boys are still looking for homes. These photos were taken last night and the boys are now 9 weeks old.

Black Diamond Full Moon - "Brown"

Black Diamond Foggy Night - "Blue"

Black Diamond Sleepy Hollow - "Black"

Cinder update

Cinder is doing great - she is the most inquisitive puppy I have ever had - nothing is scary to her - I have a built in vacuum system and I hit the switch and she stuck her nose in the opening in the wall while it was running - our other dogs always run from it when it is running.

She is also Miss Queen Bee in the house - my Mother In Law's dogs are terrified of her - the moment she heads for them they are heading away from her. My old black lab is being pretty tolerant of her when she climbs all over her except she has informed the puppy that her tail is off limits. All in all the four dogs are doing great.

We have her pretty well house broken except when I let my husband and son watch her then all bets are off. But she is starting to whine when she needs to go (once) and out the door we go.

She is sleeping in her crate in our room at night from about 10:30 pm to about 3 am when she whines - I take her out and then back in the crate she goes - she then sleeps until about 4:30 am when my husband and I get up to get ready for work. Then my Mother In Law takes over.

We also use a playpen for when we want to confine her for a short period of time during the day - cleaning up things we don't want her in, if she is getting out of control (rambuctious) and it is easier for my Mother In Law to put her in the playpen instead of the crate.

She is very smart - she always shows us where her food is kept when it is time to eat.

We have had so much fun with her and yes her little needle sharp teeth are out in force. We are working on getting her to quit using us as chew toys.

She is getting her next series of shots on Monday and everyone at the vet office just loves her. She has met both of our neighbors and all of Riley's friends and girlfriend. They are always coming over and trying to steal her.

I brought out Spooky's tunnel and oh boy have we had fun with that - she races thru it then races around the house to race back through it again. She does it about 4 times before she flops down exhausted. Tonight we were in hysterics. My 6 ft 2 in son crawled in the tunnel and Cinder shot in it after him - then he starts yelling for help because she is all over him and he is trapped - the tunnel is rolling through the living room with all of us laughing so hard.

Cinder is such a love bug (when she isn't trying to chew us to death) - every since the first day we brought her home she is a couch dog - when she wants to nap she goes over to the couch and puts her front feet up on it then turns and looks at us - yips once and waits for us to boost her up - she loves sleeping next to our black lab who is also napping.

My husband is particularly happy with her - he loved our other dalmation and he has spent alot of time with her. Our partner in our Christmas tree farm asked Jim why he would want to raise another puppy and he answered because she is a Dal and we love her. It was too cold last weekend to take her down to our little tree house to do tree sales but this weekend the weather looks pretty good so the playpen, toys and Cinder will hopefully be going down to help sell trees.

I think she is going to fit in just fine with us. As soon as she has had all her shots - I am going to sign her up for the puppy social group I found.

Take care and thank you again for allowing us to get Cinder from you.

Uncle Mozart

Photo of Mozart and Ringo enjoying some down time together. Their family wrote and said "They are getting along so well, and Mozart really enjoys having a buddy to play with." Adding a new puppy to your home when your first dog is 3 to 5 years of age is almost perfect; they are young enough to actually play with and tolerate the puppy, yet old enough that they can actually help you train the pup to be the dog you want them to be. I think this family is going to be very happy together for many years to come.