Happy New Year!

The puppies are growing so fast! They are done with their vaccinations and rabies shots. That means they are ready for puppy classes! My camera takes video and we are in the process of trying to convert those so we can post the video here. They're pretty funny. In six weeks or so, we will be taking them to get spayed and neutered. We are hoping that Leo will calm down cause he's outta control! Just look! That's Gabe's shoe!


















P.S. Bella is such a princess and is so sleepy all the time. She must be held and rocked like a baby at least twice a day....by Gabe...and he does it. Sucker!



































And one more pic of them sleeping.

Puppies First Snow

Scary Bella (4m 1d)

My friend, Jamie, stopped by today and quickly took a liking to Bella. Here is a picture of Bella especially for Jamie :)




And here is the pic edited without the glowing eyes!

Fun in the Yard (4 Months Old!)

They are seriously having so much fun in their yard. They tear through the property like the wind and love to hide from each other and then pounce. I love it that they are getting to know their surroundings and loving this huge open space. They stalk each other about every 5 minutes. They spy one another across the property or even 5 feet away and both STOP dead in their tracks and one or both crouch down as low as possible then are still like statues. Leo is the one who usually breaks the spell and starts running to her. That always makes me laugh cause he's pudgy and not very, well, stealthy.

Here are some more pics. I got a new Nikon the other day and am bound and determined to use it to its full potential. I am reading the book a little bit each night and learning all these cool things about photography. There are some really great shots and a couple of funky ones.

Stalking from about 5 feet away:

Sweet Bella:


Snarling Bella:


Sleeping Angels:





King Leonidas

Okokokokook, one more. Very blurry but this is typical for them: Bella seeking what little refuge there is to be had under the chair and Leo bugging her with a toy (that he's not going to give her).

Thanksgiving Weekend

A family friend built a fence that spans the back 40 for the dogs. They are still being supervised when playing back there but they are having so much fun. Here are some recent photos:

Bubba

Don't worry, Leo. Bella will protect you.

The puppies usually see something new everyday: A new person, car, bug, cat, squirrel. Usually they just tilt their head to one side or trot over and examine it. This morning, our bug-guy, Robert, came to spray. He had on sunglasses, a hat, gloves, and a pack on his back carrying the bug spray. His uniform reminded me of what Bill Murray wore in Ghostbusters.

The dogs sleep in the little sun room, which has big, glass doors leading out to the pool and a fabulous view of the back property. Bella saw Robert spraying and she immediately ran to the door and started barking. Leo ran up to see what the commotion was all about and when he spotted Robert, his perked-up ears dropped down and he fast-trotted to the back of the room behind the chair. When he saw that Bella was standing her ground, he went back up to the door to stand next to Bella and attempted to bark a couple barks. He barked twice then ran back to the chair.

After it was all over, Bella walked to Leo and licked him on the face (or maybe she nipped him - don't know). Then Leo tackled Bella and sat on her head for about five seconds.

Nap Time

Soooo Cute! (13w4d)

So today was their first real day being in their yard (sort of) unsupervised. We have two windows overlooking their yard so we opened the window and were able to see and hear them. They had a couple of little scuffles that they settled themselves but other than that, they were great. Bella is going to dig to China one day and Leo splashes all of the water out of their water pot with his big paw. I think me and Gabe are going to get them a kiddie pool. They are both loving the water pot and when I turn the hose on to fill up their pot, it's a big deal.

That cuteness is nothing compared to what I saw when they laid down to take naps, though. They huddled close together and their heads were butted up against each other. It was unbelievably sweet. Then Bella heard us giggling and whispering at the window (Come look! Where's the camera?!!!) and she got up. Leo was still passed out. We hid so Bella wouldn't see us anymore then she went and laid down next to Leo and rested her head on top of his neck.

They loves each other. They are going to be great pals.













After the entire afternoon in their yard, we brought them in so they could get good rest.

Sweet Pics of Leo and Bella

Figuring out who will end up being the dominant one...

Bella has been here for a little more than 24 hours. It feels like Leo thought he was going to be able to push her around and be the dominant one of the two, but Bella is giving him a run for his money. We had never seen Leo bare his teeth before yesterday and today, he is fully baring his teeth at Bella. Bella taught him that. She has been baring her teeth at him since yesterday. She is adorably sweet to us humans, but kicks Leo's ass every chance she gets. I would post pictures but they didn't stay still long enough for me to get any good shots.

Cousin Sparky!

Our cousin, Jim, just rescued this little gem, Sparky, last Saturday. Jim says she's a sweety and very affectionate. Now Leo and Bella have a playmate in SoCal! Well, maybe Bella - Leo needs a mastiff for a playmate!

Queen Bella (13w 1d)

Andie and I drove to Red Bluff to pick up Bella this afternoon. She is as sweet as can be, very happy, well adjusted and socialized. Bella and Leo's introduction was interesting. They did the obligatory sniffing and circling, then their behavior progressed to playing, followed by a bout of snarling and growling. By the time we left and got them outside to a patch of grass, they were playing like puppies should. Andie sat in the back seat with one on either side of her. As the drive progressed, they eventually ended up on the same side of the seat. They played, swatted, and gnawed on each other the whole way home. It was sweet.

Then we got home.

We put them both in the play yard and stayed there with them the whole time. They played HARD, chased each other, bit each other, etc. She is mellow while Leo is a total spaz. Leo just won't give her a break...so she let him know that she wasn't going to be bullied. There were some snarls and bared teeth tossed around, along with tackles and shoulder pushes into the fence. There will be an adjustment period for sure.

Here are some first photos:

Pic of Leo's Twin Sister (13w today)

This is a pic of Leo's sister I got off of the Petfinder website. We will be picking her up tomorrow around 1pm - we are all very excited!

Yesterday we bought her a pink collar and leash, her own toys, and her own water and food dish. No doubt Leo will try to take over everything! I really have no idea but he seems like he would.

They both were born on August 12. They are exactly 13 weeks old today. I will post pics of them together tomorrow night.

Update: We get her Wednesday! (12w6d)

Andie and I are going to pick her up on Wednesday. We already have a name picked out for her but you will have to wait for her introductory post to find out what it is. Shirl and I are going to the pet store to get her toys, a collar and leash, and her own bed.

On the Leo front, he is just being a little monster this morning. Puppy classes start soon (thank goodness). He needs a ton of exercise and he is getting really good at playing ball. After we get the fencing done we can take him - him? Uh, I mean both of them - omg I just lost my train of thought. Two of them!

Oh what have we done....?!!

We contacted the gal who sold us Leo and wanted to know if his twin sister was still available for adoption. She is still awaiting adoption and has found a new home...OURS. We go pick her up in a couple of days.

We are all soooo excited!

More Leonidas Fun

Forget that the pic is all blurry and gives you a headache when you look at it. Just look at Leo's ears...when he runs as fast as he can his ears flap and it's hilarious. Gabe can barely keep a straight face. He runs so hard and can do that about 1.5 laps around the yard. Then he skids into the grass and rests. He is very entertaining.

The Past Couple of Weeks... (11w6d)

...have been ... well, interesting. Leo has been more energetic than ever and is happy and healthy. We are all having lots of fun with him. Below are some recent pictures. I am still learning to use the camera and do not take action photos very well yet. We recently started taking him off of his leash in the big yard, about 6 acres total, so he can really run and play hard. There are too many spots he can squeeze through and get completely lost so he is fully supervised with at least two people on the ready to grab him if he goes too far. The property's fence repair project will be underway shortly! So far, we keep him occupied in the front and he hasn't wanted to venture out beyond that. Probably because Gabe keeps his attention so well.

We are all having a lot of fun with him and he is developing a fun personality. We will be enrolling him in puppy classes very soon and have started our own training for SIT. He responds well to the command and sits right away now. He also knows NO but doesn't always stop when we say it. I do have to say that this post sounds like he is the sweetest puppy on the planet. He's not! He can be a little devil...just look at the last picture where his eyes are wild and snarling. THAT'S the Leo we know and love!

This is how Leo woke up a few days ago... (9w4d)

ENOUGH SAID.