The past three weekends have been a lot of fun. Zeppe came home from training at Gamekeepers Retrievers. I am very happy to have her back. Mitch White came down on October 14th to run the Golden Retriever Club of Greater Saint Louis WC tests with some of his dogs, including Zeppe. He successfully handled Zeppe to a pass in the WC. Because the club & the judges were gracious enough to setup under Toller rules for us, this qualifies her for her first field title!

Since she was running so well, I decided to take her out to the Southern IL HRC hunt tests the next weekend and run her in Started. I am pleased to say that she passed both days earning her first two legs.

And since we were on a roll, I opted to go down to Arkansas this past weekend and see if we could finish off her title at the L’Anguille River HRC tests. Zeppe did a great job and also passed both days. So, now she has her SHR title as well.

I am pleased as punch and Miss Zeppe did a fine job all three weekends. There were many people in Arkansas that had never even heard of the breed. Both Zeppe and Harley were great ambassadors. The judges this past weekend got a big kick out of watching Zeppe come back on the marks with her head high, and her Toller tail flowing, and just as happy as she could be that she got her bird. Harley had fun too as test dog and pick-up dog. His line manners are a bit rusty from retirement, but he was in heaven the whole time. I think his favorite part was the “tolling demonstration” by the judge’s young daughter.

That rounds out our field stuff for the year, and now I am eager to get Zeppe into obedience and working towards that CD.

Angel, aka Caliber’s Angioletto, flew into Toronto, Canada today to live with her new family, Frank Patten and Jennifer Brown. Frank and Jennifer are no strangers to Tollers. In fact, they own Angel’s Aunt Willow, a littersister to Zeppe. They have done well in agility with Willow and hope to do the same with Angel when she is old enough.

Frank has setup a special Flickr set where you can see photos of Angel in her new home.

If things looked a bit odd lately, I apologize. It seems the software I use to host the gallery had a bug in it that allowed a hacker to break in and take over my site. Those people were up to no good and I am appalled that my web site was temporarily hijacked in order to scam unsuspecting visitors. Thankfully, things seem back to normal now. I am sorry for any inconvenience.

Lesson learned: Always make sure your programs are up to date and have the latest security patches applied. This includes being up to date on anti-virus software. The number of people out there willing to do malicious things to your computer or web site is frighteningly alarming!!!

Left: Comox meets Auntie Willow
Right: Comox the Snuggle-bug

The girls, Apple and Angel from the A Litter, had their first bath tonight. Yesterday the family decided to grill outdoors for Easter. It was a delicious meal, but said family forgot to put a can under the grill to catch the grease drippings. The pups couldn’t help themselves and they were lapping up their own special Easter meal from the drippings. Of course, as they had their head down licking in delight, the grill continued to drip on them. Their heads and the whole back of their necks were thickly coated in smelly, greasy chicken fat. YUCK!
Earlier this evening I let them both play in the hose as I watered the yard. They had a great time and got very muddy. That was okay, because they went straight from doorway to sink!
Apple got her bath first. She didn’t care for it too much, but she was not overly squirmy and settled in once I started to soap her down. I think in hindsight the water was a bit cool for her bath. She dried off quickly and was very happy to go bury her face in the dog blanket on the floor when all was done.
Angel was wonderful. You never would have known it was her first bath. She just stood there like an old pro and let me rinse her off and soap her down. She did have a little puppy impatience com through towards the end, but it was still really easy to finish rinsing her off. I think she actually enjoyed her bath.

What’s it like to have a Toller around? Here’s a glimpse:

Nova Scotia Duck Toller and Kong

I have always said that all Tollers are a little OCD, and it just comes out in various ways - usually as maniac retrievers. Obviously this gal likes her kong!

On March 3rd, Erin was picked up at the DCA airport by her new family; Tanya, Brian, Connor and Cameron Hilleary. She is settling in very well, and the Hillearys are very excited to be new Toller owners. Pictures of Erin with the young boys are now online in her gallery album.

I am afraid I have been remiss with my updates and pictures lately. This past weekend found me in bed with the flu and I am still trying to get my energy back.

The big news this past week was Kyle coming to pick up Marlin on Friday. Kyle reports that Marlin is settling in just fine.

Sara and Patrick have been having fun with Comox. They took him and Marcello to a field training day with Linda Moran and Krista Wendland. While they were there, they snapped this great 3 generation picture of Comox, daddy Marcello, grandma Mia.

Now it is just myself and the girls. Both girls are staying here with me for now. Miss Orange is now Caliber’s Apple of My Eye, or Apple, for short. Miss Green is going by Angel, and I have yet to decide on a registered name for her. Her call name was pretty easy. I just had to look into that sweet angelic face, and she named herself. Apple went to her first puppy class on Tuesday. Angel & I were supposed to go to her first class yesterday, but unfortunately I locked my keys in the truck and we were stranded for the evening. It was just as well as I was still pretty tired from being sick. Instead, I handed out chewies all around, and we all sat down in front of the TV for a relaxing evening.

This past week has flown by. The puppies are 8.5 weeks old now. Tuesday I got home a little early as the pups had an appointment with the vet for their final checkup. We finally got a break from the cold weather here in Missouri - it got up into the 40’s! All the puppies got to go outside for the first time for a few minutes before we had to leave. There is a step down going from the kitchen to the outside, and three of them flew out the door like it was nothing. Only one pup was concerned about the steps, so I picked him up and placed him outside, and he ran off to join his siblings. Soon it was off to the vet. This was their first ride in the truck without momma Zep along for company. They all did great - not a single peep. Everything was fine at the vets too. My vet gave them all a thorough exam and they all passed with flying colors. The technicians in the office all had to come over and play with the puppies. They loved it.

Wednesday was supposed to be the structural exam, but it was rescheduled to Friday. That’s ok, it gave me a unexpected breather and I was able to catch up on some of my Membership duties for the NSDTRC(USA).

Thursday, the pups were packed up once more and we headed out to a friend’s house for a puppy visit. They also got their first set of shots while we were there. Miss Green let us know she didn’t like this needle-business at all, but the rest were really good about it.

Friday was a really big day for the puppies. After work, Karen Martin of Danemark Danes, and a Labrador breeder friend, Terry, came over to do the structural evaluation. I was busy scribing notes and found the session to be very informative. A little later in the evening, Patrick and Sara Skillings got in after their flight from Seattle. They were very excited to see the puppies their boy Marcello produced with Zeppe, especially Red, who they are keeping for themselves. Afterwards, we all went out to grab a bite to eat.

Saturday, the puppies were so worn out from the activities of the day before that I got to sleep in until 6 am! OK, so that doesn’t seem real late to many of you, but I thought it was a treasure. The puppies got to play outside quite a bit on Saturday. After a little sight-seeing at the Arch, Patrick and Sara came back over to see the pups once more. This time when they left they took Red with them. It was a little sad to see him go, but I know he could not be going to a better home.

Sunday, the weather cooperated again and the puppies spent most of the day outside. Now there are only three, and I have to keep reminding myself that Red is gone as I tally up my puppies. The good news is he arrived safe and sound in Washington state along with Patrick and Sara. From their report, it sounds like he and Marcello are already getting along wonderfully. They have also decided on a name, and Red is now officially known as Comox, or “Moxie” for short. It is a good name for him, as Moxie is something he can be full of!

Patrick and Sara have already posted up pictures of their weekend on their Webshots. I also have pictures from this busy week to share and will get them posted in the Gallery as soon as I can.

New Best Buds - Comox and Patrick

It is hard to believe they are 7 1/2 weeks old already! Time flies when you are having fun. The pups are demanding a lot more time now as they require a lot more exercise and individual attention. I am afraid I haven’t gotten very many pictures taken during this week. Last weekend I had preliminary evaluation pictures taken at 6.5 weeks. I am still working on getting those posted to the Gallery. Yesterday the pups were taken to a friend’s house and had their temperament test done. They have a big week ahead of them as they get their vet checks on Tuesday and then the 8 week structural evaluation will be given on Wednesday. Thursday they will get their first set of shots. Patrick and Sara, who own Marcello, will be flying in on Friday to look over the puppies and they will be taking Red home with them on Sunday. It will be sad to see him go, but I am sure he will love living the good life with his daddy Marcello.