Following Phoenix.......

Anyone that has been on the garden helpers thread knows that I have a new puppy... a German Shorthair/Lab mix... and her name is Phoenix. As I don't have children, my animals are my babies, and I am just like a mother with her new baby.......pictures like crazy.

I know that this is a "garden" forum, but decided that since most of my time with Phoenix is spent in the garden, this thread kind of qualifies. The biggest reason that I decided to start it is to give the people who have better things to do than look at picture after picture of my new baby an escape. It will prevent me from being tempted to post them on every thread under the sun!

So in short, this thread will be my attempt to confine my camera crazies regarding my new baby to one area.

So if you want a puppy fix....Enjoy like I am!!!

What's that you have in your hand Mom?

I wasn't chewin....just thought that the plants looked a little dry and was bringing it to your attention.

Boy has it been a long day...

Will you be my friend Bonnie? Look at that little tail go!

How about you Lexy...will you be my friend?

Really cute. Her face is so pretty.

I just have to show you my Tuck when he was a baby. This was his first job, taking care of my deaf and nearly blind Great Dane, Derf. They were the best of friends, Tuck became ears for him. Derf has been gone for several years now, size never mattered in this friendship.

One more. I'm done.

Thistle, Tuck is just adorable! What breed is he? Isn't it amazing how creatures react to each other and to their humans? I have always been astounded that when you introduce a new pup to your other dogs, they always know that it is a "puppy" and treat it as such? They may play with it, they may ignore it, but they never react the way they would around a strange "dog". And they intuitively "help" another dog, or try to cheer up their people when they know that they are sad. Such wonderful animals!

Please anyone, feel free to post such wonderful furry pictures and stories here! There is nothing that lightens a heart or brightens a day quite like a loving creature!

This is where I hang out under Mom's desk at work...when I am being a good pup that is....

We adjusted sprinklers at Mom 2's house tonight...I am hiding from the mean one that sprayed me right now....

I'm hangin with Hunter, trying to get him to notice me. How do you get a guy's attention? PS...Mom says don't look at the dry grass and the weedy driveway!

Another long day! Boy is it tough to be a working girl who has to do chores when she gets home too! Bedtime!

Oh, I'm getting a puppy yen again. I'll have to go play with the neighbors dog again!!

Thistle....I agree Tuck is adorable!!

Linda Tuck is so cute - what a special relationship.

Julie this is the PNW formu about all the other forum topic types right? So I think a thread about your new girl is very appropriate. And she is sooooo adorable!

Can I ask what's going on with Bonnie's back leg? Or is that just the photo angle?

Sally, When her teeth start getting a little bigger, I'll post pics of the chewed up stuff to counteract the puppy cuteness!

Kathy, I had forgoten to mention on the garden helpers thread that I feel you with the lingering puppy aftermath. I am still dealing with sectioned soaker hoses and leaking spiral hoses that seemed to be Mom's shorthairs favorite puppy toys in my garden two years ago. Didn't want to replace them until I knew for sure they would no longer be chew toys...and now I suppose I had better wait another season! I never noticed how funky Bonnie's leg looks in that picture...she has always been our "chubby" girl, but that is ridiculous! It is just a combo of the photo angle and her evacuating fur. She is half Rottwiler, and has the abnormally heavy fur that the Rotts do. She starts to shed her undercoat this time of year, and it adds an inch to her all the way around until I get it all pulled out. She looks like a bird going through molt at this time as well...not her prettiest time!

This message was edited Jun 5, 2009 5:57 AM

You can try, but I doubt it will help much. LOL I still remember chewing episodes and even the cats get in on the TP escapades!! I just need to go cuddle the neighbors dog, that'll make it better.

Julie, I think that Bonnie might have recently emerged from a swim in your big pond in that picture also. Looks like a bit of wet fur to me.

Sally, I go through the same thing with a "dog fix" when I am on vacation. If I have been away from my kids for a few days, I really miss them, and the chance to cuddle any canine makes it much better!

Lexy, Will you tell me a story?!?!

So is there anyone who has ever had a puppy that doesn't have at least one "sleeping belly up" shot?

Oh, good. Glad there's nothing wrong with Bonnie. It looked like she had a toomah or something.

Love that pink puppy belly - my dogs sleep like that still every now and then, which is funny because they'd tell you that it's very hard for dogs shaped like they are to even roll over.

Did you guys see the video of the dog who was trying to rescue his canine friend from the middle of a freeway? I think it took place in South America. And then there's the dog I saw at Marymoor Park, the huge offleash park here on the eastside. He/she was a herding dog and it was his/her job to keep track of her canine sibling who was old, blind, deaf and a little senile. The old dog had a harness with a short piece of rope connecting it to a tennis ball. Whenever the old dog got too far from the humans, the younger dog would go get the old dog and bring him/her back. The young dog was completely happy to have a purpose and a job.

We can learn so much about work and service from dogs.

Julie, please share the chewing episodes on this thread. I think it'll be good for you and for us. :-)

Oh, and please take a whiff of those little puppy feet for me.

Guess who came to visit at work today......it's my sister Sage!

A reunion full of puppy teeth!

And yes Kathy, I will share the bad stuff too.....you need to keep in in perspective after all! Fortunately right now, our teeth are too small to do much damage. Next week however.....look out!!!

Those teeth are small but sharp. Thank goodness for sibling puppy play dates - although Nick didn't like his sibling at all. Looks like the girls are having a great time.

I know y'all are cooing over cute puppy pictures, but I love those pictures of Lexi, your sweet old girl. I guess I have a thing for old dogs.

Well, of course you're right, Holly. There's nothing better to look at than a puppy, but nothing better to live with than someone who knows your heart.

It's amazing when I get a young dog and have to teach them all the ways of the human household. I'm always reminded how much my older dogs know about our species and the rules we live by. It's not hard to take for granted how much our old dogs know about us.

RJ Do you know how big she will be? She seems to have big bones and feet. I think you have a real special girl there.

Holly, Don't get me wrong...I have tons of pictures of all of my dogs, especially Lexy. As a mater of fact, it is very rare that I get a picture of my garden without one of my pups in it. The fun thing about puppies is that they are too young to care if they are acting goofy, so the photo ops are always there. As they grow older, they grow wiser (thus the caption "Lexy will you tell me a story") and more "refined" and simply "wouldn't be caught dead doing something so silly".

Kathy, you are right. There is nothing better than a friend who has been with you for years...who knows you...who will give you puppy hugs when they can tell that you are sad...who knows that it's time to play in the garden just by the clothes that you have on...who knows the sound of your car coming up the hill and will always be at the top of the driveway to greet you when you come home.

I think it's like any relationship.....Infatuation is the beginning, and if you are lucky, true love is the outcome. Infatuation with the newness of the puppy grows into the true love of a real partner as the pup becomes a dog and shares your life adventures with you.

Lexy was walking the garden on slug patrol with me this morning....

That's a pretty walkway.

Willow, Her Mom (funny....Mom's name is Willow!) is kind of a chunk-a-munk. She is around 85 pounds and is only two and a half. Dad is purebread German Shorthair, and is very slight..probably 45 pounds or so. At the rate she is eating, I am guessing that Phoenix will take after mom.

When sister Sage came to visit today, I was surprised to see that Phoenix was taller and bigger than Sage was. Sage was the biggest of the females in the litter for the first several weeks.

I can already tell that she is going to be a wonderful dog, but she does have a mischievious streak as well, so I know that she will be keeping me on my toes!

She doesn't want you to be bored!! Puppy tangle is precious, so is the chat with Lexy. Beautiful pathway, good luck with the slugs. Belly up shows a really contented pup or cat. My cats do it regular when it's hot especially.

O do love puppy pictures too, and she definitely is adorable. I just had to admire Lexi too. She is an elegant dog.

OMG what a cute puppy......can't wait to meet her. I hear she is your constant companion at work and where ever you go! Good job Julie!

Thanks all for your nice comments on my new baby. I am still totally in love, even after we got our first real butt slap this weekend after we heard no four times and didn't quit pulling our garden cover off while stomping Moma's peas. She is such a good puppy though, that one or two things like that are nothing.

Maury, Your description of Lexy as elegant is perfect. She is the best dog that I have ever had, and there is absolutely no way that any creature big or small will ever take her place in my heart. I am so hoping that the puppy picks up her habits this summer...

We all worked our backsides off this weekend. Puppy was not used to so much activity either, so we were all ready to crash last night. Phoenix and Daddy burned out last night while Mom finished some stuff up.

I was laughing so hard when I saw her cottonwood beard this am that she had most of it off by the time I got the camera out. She really looked like Abe Lincoln before she managed to rub most of it off.

We had a serious power nap this afternoon while Mom and Mom 2 shared lunch.

Oh yeah. That looks SO comfortable (not).

Kathy, I haven't figured out her version of "comfortable" yet. She sleeps on her bed on the floor and night, but she still wakes me up at 6 on the weekend mornings (I get to wake HER up when I have to work!). I really like to sleep until at least seven on weekends if I can, so I get up and walk her, and then we go lay down on the couch where she plays a little bit, and then goes back to sleep.....ON MY HEAD. I just don't get it, but that's where she wants to sleep in the morning..........you would think that she could find a much softer surface!!

I forgot to include our vampire bat impression.......