New puppies at my house :-)

The puppies' breeder had to go out of town for a while, so they came to me for a week or so. What a sacrifice!

In the first 48 hours, they experienced six new environments (my house, my basement, front yard, back yard, clinic, Maryann's yard); went on six car rides (two of them an hour long), walked on 8 different surfaces, met 14 new people, 3 cats, and about a dozen friendly dogs. It was a busy couple of days! When we had to do a long day at work on Thursday and they had to sleep in the expen all day, they were VERY disappointed that nothing exciting was going on!

The video is of their first introduction to the kitties, the basement training room, and Wednesday agility at Maryann's.

My Dog: An Unconditional Love Story

I just finished watching a documentary I rented on Itunes called "My Dog: An Unconditional Love Story". It consisted of interviews with various celebrities and their dogs. It was quite interesting (and touching) that all of these people of various backgrounds and lifestyles had the same emotional response when talking about their pets...I think all of us are a little goofy about our animals. I was struck by Isaac Mizrahi talking about how he thought every day about losing his dog, but he never thought about losing his human partner. Having a dog in many ways is like having a child that you know you will outlive- it is a constant shadow in the back of your mind.

Look for it- you might enjoy it. In the meantime, here is a poem from one of the artists featured in the movie, poet Billy Adams. I really liked this one.

A DOG ON HIS MASTER

As young as I look,

I am growing old faster than he,

seven to one

is the ratio they tend to say.

Whatever the number,

I will pass him one day

and take the lead

the way I do on our walks in the woods.

And if this ever manages

to cross his mind,

it would be the sweetest

shadow I have ever cast on snow or grass.