End of Christmas Break

Well, to Doug's delight and the girls' sorrow, Christmas break officially ended at 6 am this morning when we flipped their bedrooms lights on and prodded them into getting dressed for school. It's been nice all five of us getting to be home together through Christmas break! I'm counting down now until Spring break!!!

I took Sunday off from walking the three furry back yard inhabitants, but this evening as I watched Ransom and Rivie obsessing over the squirrel that goes through our backyard tree to tree without ever touching the ground, I decided it was time to give them a change of scenery again. I remember how, as a pup, Rivie would go absolutely nuts over squirrels and try her hardest to CLIMB the trees after them. Now it is Ransom's turn. She looks, for all the world, like she is trying to climb the tree while the wiser, now older Rivie, sits like a tense, rigid little statue with her gaze frozen upward. Thinking it would be easier to just walk the two hyperactive dogs, I quietly opened the door and whispered both of them in. Gloria was in the back recesses of the dog house where she couch potatoes away the majority of her day. I thought I had slipped the other two dogs in unnoticed. Wrong. As I was putting their leashes on I head a single, deep bark in the back yard. There was Gloria sitting at attention peering in through the patio door. She NEVER barks. I mean NEVER. I think she has barked three times in the whole nine years we have had her. Sometimes she yodels happily to us, but that is only when we are standing next to her and it isn't a bark at all. Well, how could I leave her behind when she was waiting with such expectancy that it actually illicited a BARK out of our silent giant. Besides, she is the most well mannered of the three on our walks, anyway.

It amazes me how much the dogs look forward to our daily walk. We've only had four, so far (in the past five days)...but I guess I will have to keep it up!

Ransom (6 month old shepherd pup) was being a total idiot today...pulling ahead, jumping over the other two dogs, whining, gasping for air, totally ignoring every correction...arrrg! Finally, I had just had enough so we doubled back home and I put a pincher collar on her. Whoa! Immediately her IQ shot up 100 points! I didn't have to correct her a SINGLE time after putting the prong (pincher) collar on her. She knew it was on and suddenly she was a master of self-control, maturity, and calm submissiveness. Irritating pup! She is smart as a whip and stubborn as a mule.


GERMAN SHEPHERD PUP IN NEED OF A NEW HOME:

A recently made acquaintance of mine is needing to re-home her beautiful registered German Shepherd pup, Dexter. He is 2 weeks older than Ransom (he is 7 months old). The photos below show Dexter. One of the photos show Dexter and Ransom together. He has not had much socialization or training yet. He would need a home where the new owner has plenty of time to invest in his training and socialization, especially the first year. He is very energetic (what 7 month old pup, isn't?) and he is a big boy. I think he is one of the most gorgeous shepherds I have ever seen, though. he is black and light cream colored...just gorgeous. He is timid now, but I think he would socialize out of that. He just hasn't had much exposure to unfamiliar people and unfamiliar dogs prior to now. He does not seem to be a fear-biter yet and I think with the right handling and socialization now, he will never become one. He settled down fairly readily when I took him for a walk with only a couple of quick corrections. He seems eager to please and is sweet spirited. If you know of anyone in the Ozarks area with a serious interest in Dexter, let me know and I will give them the contact information for his present owner. (His present owner just didn't realize how much exercise and time taking care of him would require. She doesn't really have the space for him. She is deeply attached to him, but she wants what is best for him and has come to the painful decision that she cannot give him what he needs and that another home would be better for him. She wants to find a new home for him while he is still young enough to be trained and socialized more easily by the new owner. She loves him deeply and wants what is best for him. He is extremely attached to her.)