Oh well, I must admit I'd missed having a dog around, and with us home for the summer we have a lot more time to devote to them. Yes, them - he felt that the twins needed puppies for their birthday, and that it would be better to have two instead of just one.
They are purebred Australian shepherds. Some of the cutest puppies you've ever seen. Daniel and Abigail got to have the most input in their names, and I think it will show.
Here's a link to the different types of colorations, my two pups are of the first two - the black tricolor and the blue merle.
First, the puppy Daniel named is a black tricolor female, who is almost solid black just a little white on the chest and some tan points on the face and feet. Her name is Shadow.
The next puppy is a blue merle female, with black and gray spots and white on her face, chest, and white and tan points on her feet. Abigail wanted to name her a "Princess name."
I had absolutely nothing to do with it, promise. I did not suggest the name and tried to argue against it but lost.
Yes, the puppy's name is Belle.
They are doing wonderfully, we're working on the housetraining. The breeder was wonderful, they were well socialized, they were healthy and happy. He gave us plenty of advice and paperwork and has called several times to check on them. I took them to my vet and he pronounced them wonderful pups. I'll never get a dog from anything other than a reputable breeder again.
We have a fenced in kennel where they can stay safely when we aren't able to watch them. We just got it up, and right now our crate is in there for shelter but Wes wants to build them a dog house in the next week or so. The kids adore them.
Shadow is more laid back, and much much bigger than Belle. She weighs in at 3 pounds heavier! They're littermates, so I was surprised there was such a big difference. I asked the vet if Belle was just a runt and he said no, she was normal, Shadow was just a chunk.
Belle doesn't let her lack of size slow her down she is a little fireball. Very active and playful. Shadow is content just to sit in my lap and be petted. Belle is a squirmer, she wants to be on the go all the time. When we're outside playing with them, they both chase us and try to "herd" the kids - biting at their heels. The breeder said his dogs liked to try and herd the neighbor's cats!
The pups come from good stock, not conformation show stock, but they have parents and grandparents that won titles in flyball and agility. They're absolutely beautiful. The breeder said Shadow kept getting passed over because she was the only black tri female, the merles are more popular. I admit Belle with all her spots is adorable, but Shadow is pretty in her own right. Both have brown eyes, Australian shepherds can have blue, green, or brown eyes and the blue eyed pups always go first, the breeder said.
I'll get pics up soon.
Posts: 14428 | Registered: Aug 2001
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I love Aussies! Feyd has them as well, I bet he can tell you a lot about what to expect from them. Posts: 1225 | Registered: Feb 2002
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ohhhhh - how neat! Congratulations - I love the picture I get of them herding children and cats . . . Did you ever read "Lad" when you were growing up, Belle?
Posts: 5609 | Registered: Jan 2003
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I love Aussies myself. My first dog was a blue merle Aussie. They are handfuls though, until the are 2 they are exorbitantly high energy, and thereafter they are still high energy.
Definitely get them into obedience classes asap for your own sanity. If the twins can handle them in a puppy class so much the better.
lol, as far as "Belle" goes one of my new Cardigan Corgi owners decided to register her puppy as Lowryder Belle (her kennel name) She happily goes to me "Yes I'm calling her Isabelle!" I kind of paused... "Do you realize my last name is Isbell?" SHe went oooooooohhh. I told her that I didn't have a problem with it, but it's going to totally confuse people in the show ring!
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Aussies have the most adorable puppies! Hehe, it's pretty near impossible to say no when your husband brings them home...
Posts: 973 | Registered: Apr 2005
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Our next door neighbors had Australian shepherds. They were incredibly energetic, and would herd anything that came into thier space. Like stray chickens, birds, people standing around talking in the lawn.
Posts: 516 | Registered: Aug 2004
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My father is a sucker for puppies and kittens. If we found one and brought it home, the FIRST thing our mother would say was, "Don't show it to your father."
Whereupon we'd immediately go searching for Dad. Posts: 14745 | Registered: Dec 1999
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