Action Packed

Hi Everett.
Today was action packed into a very short period of time. Action was not on the agenda, especially for Marshal after yesterday's romping with Martha.
And yet, Big Boy seemed ready for anything today, and I let him do as he pleased. Does this make me a bad parent? Probably, because I am supposed to know better.
8:05am and M is looking for the kong (that's Beanie behind him, perhaps sitting in order to consolidate body temperature) 2:30pm and Ansel leads us out into the south lawn.
It appears Paisle is not yet ready to play.And yet all Big Boy has to do is steal the kong, and the chase is on!2:32pm In just 2 minutes, the pups have gone from walking, sniffing, stretching, to acrobatic ballet. I think this might be my new all-time favorite photo of Marshal and Paisle, though on a small screen it is very hard to see the Bean. I encourage anyone reading to click on the photo to see how the two pups are going opposite directions, in almost perfect synchronization (with the kong in the middle, of course). 2:36pm Just four minutes later, M appears to be winding down.
2:37pm Looks, of course, can be deceiving.
2:38pm (the kong is that dark lump near Paisle's back feet)
2:39pm2:46pm M does not follow Paisle as she takes off for a few rotations.2:46 (again) Marshal looks on in disbelief as Paisle, his girlfriend, charges Ansel with the kong, instead of him!2:46 (still) Looking to catch up, Marshal hurries over, only to be intercepted by Ansel.2:46 (...) Now who is chasing whom?2:47pm As the boys bump and run, Beanie enters the frame (still, as ever, with kong).
2:47pm (again) Is Marshal herding Ansel?2:47pm (sigh) C'mon Ansel, play with me?
2:47 (still) PLAY...WITH...ME...!!!
2:47 (...) Everyone together, the Crew seems to reach consensus, that play time is over.And Beanie still has the kong....

Martha's Visit

Dear Everett,

For just a few hours, Marshal had yet another girlfriend. Her name is Martha, another foster with A Rotta Love Plus (the wonderful organization who brought Big Boy to us).

Martha is another pit bull. Unless we end up with a Rottweiler, all the pups we bring home from ARLP will be pibbles. She is all black with white accents, including a little white snip on her nose. She's slight--weighed yesterday at 42 lbs--and estimated age is 7 - 8 months. Her foster mama had to work today, so we picked up this little delight early, for some extra attention prior to the Adoption Day in the afternoon.

Martha has been in foster care since August. She is a treasure. Her foster mama, Marie, expects the same polite manners from Martha as her own two resident labs. The results are obvious! Martha is a very well behaved, confident, inquisitive young lady.

Did I already mention Martha is smallish?

But certainly not meek!

She knocked Big Boy over a few times.

Most of the early morning pics didn't turn out, due to lack of light.

So we headed back inside, to wait for the sun. Boy was it worth the wait!!

This is my favorite photo of Martha and Marshal. I've placed it in all the posts I've done of them, but I hope it is the only redundant photo in all of these. I took over 1000 pictures of M & M.

Martha completely wore Marshal out. That panting you see above was real--in 10 degree weather he is overheated! Later in the day he struggled to rise, so shame on me for letting him overextend himself. While I really hope Martha comes to visit us again, I will be more mindful of Big Boy's exersion. And maybe Paisle will come into the mix too? We'll see!

Pink Nose?

Dear Everett,
Does this look like much of a boyfriend, to you?It is so amazing to me how light influences photos. All four of these photos are taken within a 24 hr period, in the same location. And some of the photos don't even look like they are the same dog!
Miss you Eve.
P.S. Marshal's nose is turning pink. How funny is that going to be--a pink nose in the middle of a black mask.

Canine Good Citizen and Therapy Dogs International

Hi Eve,
Happy 2009! Well, our little Bean started out the new year on the right paw. She passed both the CGC and TDI tests this morning!We celebrated by having a play date with her boyfriend, formerly known as Biff...Biff, also formerly known as Gopher...has reached a handsome 83 lbs. and appears to still be growing which is wonderful! He has his first birthday next month.Today's high was 1 degree, so our playdates outside were short. They love a good game of Keep Away... Beanie isn't very good at sharing. But Ansel got into the game as well...can you see Paisle still has the kong in her mouth?It would seem here, that Marshal is chasing Ansel away. The chasing part is true enough, but more of the "catch me" type chasing...And had I not been there myself, I would have a hard time believing this next photo. Yes, Ansel, who is OVER 10 YRS OLDER THAN MARSHAL, managed to knock Big Boy over!Doesn't Ansel look spry? I am so proud of the Goofy Dog. Alas, neither boy was able to spring the kong from the Little Bean...And everyone headed for the door (she still has the kong).
Marshal did try one last scare tactic, to gain the kong from Paisle, but she was neither startled, nor impressed.Maybe next time, M!

Merry Christmas

Well wishes to all. Missing you, Everett.