Litters

Happy 2nd Birthday, pups!

/ Cassie

Today the pups turn two years old, holy moly! Where does time go?! I remember when they were tiny little furry potatoes:

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Fur Potatoes

Now they’re adults, although they all act like teenagers still — I’ve always said that Borders aren’t really adults until they’re 3 years old 😉

Rory earned her AKC CH title and will soon be working on her Canadian CH title. She’s getting ready to begin trialing in agility and has started attending Earthdog practices. Here she is playing in the ocean for the first time:

 

Chaser has retired from the showring to focus on competing in Rally, and he has a blast! He’s also prepping for obedience, and I suspect he’ll be making his entre into Nosework in the near future. 🙂

 

One year ago Ava had surgery for her liver shunt and since then she’s gained about 5lb, losing the floppiness that earned her the nickname “Noodle”. It’s shocking to look back on those photos and see what a difference a year made! Since I was back in school full-time this past year we didn’t do a whole lot in the way of dog sports, and instead we’ve just been enjoying our time with her as a healthy, happy dog. Here she is popping her birthday balloons this morning:

 

Tig! I don’t have an update yet on this boy, but I expect to hear about him playing with the grandkids and taking rides on the scooter with his elderly neighbor, on top of untold mischievousness. 😉

Happy birthday, kids, I love you guys! It brings me so much joy to see you so happy with your families.

Pups with points!

/ Cassie

We got some exciting news recently…

Rory and Leanne picked up their first major and BOS at the Olympic Kennel Club.

Chaser and Judy went to the Santa Cruz show where they pick up two points and BOW.

Congratulations teams!

Happy birthday to the Gaelic litter!

/ Cassie / 1 Comment

These kids were born June 3, 2016 and time has flown by — now they’re one year old!

Ava started agility training this year, and she loves it. The agility ring is her giant playground and she’s fearless. She also competed in her first Barn Hunt trial earlier this year and attended ClickerExpo 2017 in Portland, OR. She has a knack for finding socks and has been known to leave them scattered about the house. One of her favorite games is to grab a hoof (or piece of broccoli) and toss it in the air before rolling vigorously on it. She also loves to play tag with me, where we chase each other back and forth as we both “growl” fiercely.

 

Rory has also been training in agility and competed in a couple AKC conformation shows this year. So far she’s earned one point and was BOS at the PDFC show in March. Her most beloved toy is an empty milk jug and she puts herself to bed by 10pm. Her big brother is a Belgian Tervuren and one of her favorite games is attempting to steal his toys; she also pretends that the floor is lava by leaping from couch to Tervuren to ottoman.

 

Chaser has been training in obedience and Nosework, as well as learning how to skateboard. He’s also attending conformation handling classes and entered a couple of shows with handler Danielle Green. He loves to steal breakfast bagels and play keep away with them, as well as “killing” his dog bed and “making it rain” by shredding dollar bills.

 

Tig is a neighborhood favorite and has a special connection with children and the elderly. He ferociously guards the backyard from squirrels and has been known to pull vents out of the floor to attempt tunneling through the ducting. The bitter Idaho winter was no problem for this adventurer and by 8pm you can find him in bed, dreaming of what tomorrow brings.

Rory at the SKC 2017 Show

/ Cassie

Rory (in WA) and Chaser (in CA) have both debuted in the puppy classes and done a pretty good job for wiggly little puppies! I don’t believe either has picked up points yet but they’re learning the ropes and looking good doing it. Ava will hopefully be showing this summer. She’s a late bloomer physically and uncomfortable with strangers examining her, so we’re in no hurry.

Since Rory is local we met up with her and her owner at the Seattle Kennel Club a couple weeks ago, and they did an awesome job! Rory is maturing beautifully and is a total sweetheart. Leanne has done a wonderful job with her.

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Ava stayed home and pouted about having to wear panties

Better late than never

/ Cassie

​We’ve been so busy that I never got around to posting the final goodbyes, but don’t let that fool you into thinking they were easy goodbyes! Each farewell is bittersweet but they’re mostly sweet because the pups went home with such wonderful families.

Purple girl, now named Rory, went home with three generations of dedicated dog women right here in Washington. She’s going to get more attention and training then she could imagine! They’re a perfect fit for her rambunctious and adventurous attitude, not to mention that she gets to see a mini donkey in her own backyard.

Green boy has moved down too sunny California and got to meet his sire, Scout, along the way (pictured). His owner is still working on the perfect name but he’s having a great time making new friends and rooting through the toy box. He’s probably had his first obedience class by now!

Our own red girl, Ava, is loving life as the only puppy in the house. She keeps us entertained as she tries to crawl into sneakers and pounces on dirt piles. Wally and Fiona enjoy playing with her and Ava begins puppy classes this Sun in Seattle.

Tig is loving life in Idaho and has taken to sitting in dad’s shoulder while relaxing in the evening.
We’re excited to watch these kids grow up!

8 weeks & Our First Farewell

/ Cassie
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The Walter family grew by one! Tig (blue boy) went home with them on Friday morning and is doing wonderfully. He’s already learning loose-leash walking, is killing it at potty training, and loves blasting through the doggie door at warp speed.

We can’t believe the puppies are 8 weeks old already, where did the time go?! This week we did our evaluation and were blown away by the overall quality of this litter. See the headshots for some glamour! Another milestone was their first vet visit and vaccinations, which went extremely well. We used the homeopathic remedy Thuja as a preventative and didn’t have any issues with vaccine reactions. With the heat wave we tried out a kiddie pool, which everybody dipped their toes into.

Blue boy, now named Tig, went home with his new family in beautiful Idaho. We hated to see him go but we sure have loved getting photos and updates all weekend! He’s already settled in and living like the prince that he is.

Headshots from our 8 week evaluation
Red girl
Tig
First vet visit was a success!
Tig is ho-hum about this
Last photo of the whole litter together!
Green boy

Seven weeks

/ Cassie
Rory

Luckily we’ve had great weather (plus a beautiful new cedar fence!) so the puppies have been able to spend most of their playtime outdoors. They love chasing each other up and down the hills, digging in the dirt, and fighting over sticks. They had their first bath, which Blue loved, and have been spending lots of time playing with Wally and Fiona. Vocal experimentation seems to be their new thing as we now hear the occasional howl floating up the stairs when we first get home from work, and they’re also barking more.

Six weeks

/ Cassie
Tig

Wow, what a busy week it’s been! The puppies are growing more and more adventurous, putting everything in their mouths and trying to play with everything in their environment. They’ve taken a real liking to shoes and love to play with the apples that drop off the tree in our yard. They got to experience a mini “pool”, which brought out the waterdog in Blue. Wally finally warmed up to them and has been playing with them in the most gentle way. It’s adorable to watch!