It’s been raining for 48 hours straight and I have had enough ….Zues on the other hand thinks this is great ,we have a large (very large) puddle/pond that has formed in the front yard….Zues and the other labs think the pond /puddle is for them ……but the pond /puddle is getting stagnant and the labs are encouraged to use the dog pool to cool off (see pic) …..Zues knows that this pool is for him, the other labs are not sure yet but if warmer weather comes around I know they will be in it having a ball …..the pond in a work in progress and as time and weather permits it will be finished ,with grass etc…Yesterday I took Zues and Brandy for a walk in the pouring rain ,and with the “chuckit” tennis ball thrower ,I can really make a tennis ball fly a long distance…..Zues takes off and hits mach-2 real fast and then when the brakes come on the water would fly about ten feet in the air ,and totally ingulf Zues to the point you couldn’t see him until the water /spray settled …..after about 200 throws, I “kinda” wore him out ….Zues in now 18 months old ,he is now completely house trained (no accidents) and instead of the wound up coil spring puppy first thing in the morning we get a “feed me and I’m going back to bed look” so he is maturing and we LIKE THAT !!He is currently under the computer desk taking his morning nap as I type this …..he stays rather close to me .

He is still a joy to have,and he keeps us motivated for the walks and ball throwing …..most visitors are astonished at how well he returns a tennis ball and how he passes it to the visitor without a tug-off-war…..and their first response is “I wish my dog would retrieve like Zues”….and then their second statement is “how long does he keep this up???” and I can then state “Until he wears YOU out !!!”

So here is a picture of three labs in my dog pool ,Zues of course is in it, Brandy to the left ,and we were dog sitting Amber ,the yellow lab on the right.

Again thank-you NEARR for giving us the chance to adopt Zues …..

So, Jake has been here for two weeks…or has it been two years? The transition from two to three dogs has been much easier than from one to two; I don’t know if this is true for everyone, or if it is the particular pack we have living here. Jake gets along so well with his new siblings and they all play so well; its really fun to watch them interact. We hardly know there is a third dog in the house.

Jake went for his first visit to his “grandparents” house this week and made a grand entrance. He plowed through the back door at top speed and ran and slid (hardwood floors) around the whole house nearly taking out my mother and several pieces of furniture; it was hysterical. Thank goodness Mom wasn’t one step further into his path. Jake went back to the vet this week for his first Lyme shot; he has lost 2 lbs already. The 2lbs has made a big difference in his activity level; he plays more actively in the yard (some running and fetching), and he is more likely to jump into the truck and onto the bed. He is still stiff when he’s been resting for a long time, or if he does a lot of playing, but it doesn’t seem to last very long now. Hopefully as the weight keeps melting off, the stiffness and outdoor activity will continue to improve.

It actually feels funny writing an update for Jake because it seems like he’s been here with all of us forever. We all love him (except the cats) – that is a whole different issue. The cats frighten him, so he jumps when they come too close and that usually causes an interesting chain of events that involves some scrambling, hissing, jumping and hiding from both sides.

We’re having a such great time with Jake and we’re so excited that he’s part of our family. You’ll notice that only Dallas & Jake are in the attached photos – Lucy’s usually on the move, so she doesn’t like to take as much time to relax as the boys (she’s usually the blur in most photos). ;-)

(Jake’s siblings are Dallas (pictured with Jake) and Lucy (the “blur” not pictured) )

Well, I can’t believe that Jake has been an official family member for one week – seems like he’s been here forever.

Jake is a fantastic addition to our family – he, Dallas and Lucy get along so well and have so much fun together. Jake has been eating his new “slim-down” diet and is starting to sport a nice waist. In a few months, with good food and exercise, he’ll be a svelte labbie machine. ;) Jake has one huge fear – the vacuum cleaner! He will run clear to the opposite end of the house to escape the wrath of the villainous vacuum. Over the past few days, Jake has become much more active outside with the dogs, joining in when they are playing with the balls; before he would just find an out of the way spot and watch. In the house, Jake has been an active wrestler since the moment he arrived – he plays tug and wrestles with Dallas and Lucy all the time. Actually, Dallas and Jake have created the lazy-dog method of tug – its head wrestling; they lie down head to head on the floor and mouth each other with (and sometimes without) the toys in their mouths – its very cute .

The three dogs all eat together, play together and have full run of the house. Jake is a perfect new family member. He has made fast friends at the vet as well as the Medway EFP (I think he may be the favorite there – but please don’t tell Dallas and Lucy). Jake is starting to figure out the routine around here, but the first few days, he needed to be woken up every morning. I don’t think Jake has a favorite human – I think he just likes to be close to whoever has a free hand to pat him, or enough room next to them on the furniture.

Hope you enjoy the attached photos – they are just the beginning of a whole new section in our memories.

I can’t believe it has been two months. Duke is wonderful! Duke and Otis are playing more and more. If it’s not the kids running around the house it’s Duke and Otis! If one dog barks at something the other comes running to bark too! Duke and Otis definitely look out for each other. Duke did make a doggie door for himself with our screen door. One day he just stuck his head through the screen and walked in! LOL. We have since fixed the screen. We had a big Memorial Day cook out. Duke was wonderful. Everyone loved him and he was very well behaved. After everyone left both dogs were exhausted!

Duke isn’t constantly at my side anymore. He is now comfortable laying where he can see me. If he doesn’t know where I am he does come looking for me. I love it! Sometimes when Duke plays he reminds me of a puppy! He gets this puppy look and before I know it he will jump into my lap! LOL. I give him some loving then I tell him down because he is way to big to be a lap dog!! I haven’t had him weighed lately but he does look like he his trimming down. We still do our daily walks (Duke doesn’t let me forget them). I can’t say enough about Duke, he is just wonderful! Thank you again for letting Duke be a part of our family!

Thanks for everything!!

Here are the latest pictures of Baxter and Taylor (NEARR dogs) and their little sister, Paris, including a birthday party for Paris!

I want you all to know that Jazzmin has been a wonderful addtion to our family. We love her so much and cannot possibly understand how someone could give her up - but WE are greatful to have her. She gets along so well with all members of the family, including our first dog, Boo…who seems thrilled to have a companion! They are like two old ladies, very funny together; they are both about 9 years old…but very much full of life.

I was browsing the web today and for some reason ended up back on the NEARR website, and realized an update about Sox was long overdue. I adopted Sox from NEARR back in October of 2001. When we first met, Sox was 8.5 years old and came from a history of abuse and a great fear of men. Our first year together was one of major behavior issues and separation anxiety, but fortunately those behaviors have been minor since then.

These days, Sox is doing very well! He turned 13 years old this May but he doesn’t know it! He’s frisky, playful, loves to walk, canoe, swim and play with other dogs when he gets the chance. Sox has no health problems, except a very minor touch of arthritis he runs and jumps and doesn’t miss a step. We have another fun summer of camping and canoeing ahead of us.

Sox does best when living with other people and other dogs, and when I had moved in to this apartment, my room mate at the time had a 13 year old lab as well. Unfortunately, my room mates dog was far less healthy and had to be put down. So Sox is an only dog once again and I get very tempted to adopt a senior dog to be his pal. I’m in grad school and working full time, so it’s something I contemplate the practicality of all the time. It seems that lately I meet more and more people with dogs living much longer, 15 and 16 and I recently met a lady with an 18 year old dog! Who knew? I’m hoping that Sox will stay healthy and be with me for a few more years to come. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

Thanks again for bringing Sox and I together, I couldn’t imagine life without him!