More Christmas Pics

All the Dals in front of the Christmas tree.

Christmas is all fun and games until Mom makes someone wear the silly reindeer antlers!

Tess commisserates with Indy over having to wear the antlers.

Ha, ha, Tess...now look who has to wear the funny antlers!

Later on Christmas Day, we went to my sister's, where Indy tried to convince his Golden Retriever cousin Dancer to play with him. The Dals all had fun playing with the Goldens, and we got to enjoy a great meal and some wonderful company!

Indy's First Christmas

I would say that Indy enjoyed his first Christmas!

Indy "under" the Christmas tree, which had to be placed on a table to avoid puppy curiosity!

What's this?? Did somebody say we put COOKIES under the tree for Santa??!!!

On Christmas morning, it took Tess and Jazz no time at all to teach Indy all about unwrapping Christmas gifts.

Of course, once you get them unwrapped, you have to play with all the new toys!

This Christmas stuff can really tire a guy out! More pictures later from Indy's first Christmas adventure.

Hope you all enjoyed a wonderful holiday!

Merry Christmas!

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas! Indy is gearing up for his first Christmas tomorrow...presents at home in the morning and then a trip to visit his Golden cousins Dancer and Caleigh for some fun and a yummy Christmas dinner. The little guy has been very good about leaving the presents under the tree. Of course, the tree itself was moved out of his reach this year because we thought that might be a bit too tempting for a puppy ;) Otherwise, I think he will definitely be on Santa's "good dog" list, along with Tess and Jazz.

Happy Holidays!

Puppy Therapy

Today we joined five of Indy's siblings for pet therapy in Latrobe. For some of the puppies, this was the first time they had seen their littermates since going home. It was so much fun to see the puppies and how each has fit in with their new families.

Here's Indy and Emily. Since Indy was the last to be picked up from the breeder, these two spent a lot of time together and are always happy to see each other. Indy and Emily entertained the residents with one of their wrestling matches and enjoyed the company of their other siblings.

Indy did a fabulous job today, both in his interactions with the other puppies and in his interactions with the residents. If today was any indication, I think he will be a kind, compassionate therapy dog, much like Jazz. He seemed quite comfortable in these new surroundings and made his rounds and greeted everyone individually.


For those of you who followed this litter when they were with Barb, Indy was the puppy known as Dalton. Since the puppies were born on LaDonna's birthday, they were named after her and her family. Here's Indy with his namesake, LaDonna's adorable grandson Dalton. If Indy is anything like Dalton the boy, I'm a very lucky owner!

Here's the whole gang who did pet therapy today. From left to right, it's Deb with Gabe, Millie with Jewel, Mary Ann with Willie, Barb with Emily, me and Indy, and Marian with Andi. We were also joined by several Dal Club friends who helped wrangle puppies and take pictures!

Indy and I had a great time today. I always like to visit this facility. The people there are so nice and appreciative of our visits. It was a special treat to see Indy's siblings again and watch them bring some holiday cheer to the residents.

Agility Trial Photos...A Little Late!

Two weekends ago, we were at a CPE agility trial at B&D Creekside Activity Center in Latrobe. Between the holidays, the puppy, and work, I've been falling behind on blog posts!

This is a rather busy photo of all three dogs in the exercise pen at the trial with their heads in a bowl of water. I don't think this bowl was ever meant to accommodate three dogs at once, but it seems they all needed a drink at the same time!

Indy and one of his favorite buddies, Toby the Labradoodle.



It was chilly that weekend, so Indy was sporting his new blue camo hoodie!


Indy's sister Emily came to visit us at the trial again, so he had lots of play time with his sister.

This was also Indy's very first hotel stay. As you can see, he thought the accommodations were quite comfortable! He did very well at the hotel and seems to settle in nicely wherever we go.

Believe it or not, we actually ran some agility, too! Both girls did really well, qualifying in eight out of nine runs each. Indy got lots of attention from folks at the trial and got to play with many of the dogs. It's a great group of people and dogs and a fantastic socialization opportunity for Indy.

Trading Places

For some reason, Tess decided to squeeze herself into Indy's puppy bed inside his playpen. I'm not sure how she squished herself in there, but she was happy to trade beds with Indy.

In the meantime, here's Indy smooshed into the corner of Tess' big bed. The girls seem to be attracted to the puppy stuff and Indy tries out the big dog stuff every chance he gets!

12 Weeks

Nothing like a puppy to inspire blog posts! Indy turned 12 weeks old today, so here are some pictures of his day.

What a face, huh? Upon meeting Indy, everyone always comments on how much they love his black ears. As Barb says, she couldn't have done a better job if she had painted them on herself!

Indy has mastered the fine art of the play bow. Here he is trying to entice Tess into playing with him. Doesn't take much. Both girls love to romp with Indy.

Here's Indy with Jazz's birdie toy. Barb bought Jazz this toy for her first birthday and it's been one of her absolute favorites, and now it's one of Indy's favorites, too. Believe it or not, this little birdie just turned three years old and still chirps!!


Jim likes this photo of Indy because it makes his legs look so long and his feet look so big. Actually, he does have pretty big feet. Puppies grow in spurts. Last week, Indy looked real leggy. This week it seems like his body has grown so long. Who knows what's in store for this week coming up!



We continue to be amazed at what a good puppy Indy is. We've put away his puppy pen and he's earned a little more freedom in the house. He's learned sit, down, "watch me," spin, twist, and leave it, and we're working on stay. This afternoon the girls were playing what we call the "on-off" game where they use their paw to turn music on and off on a gadget that looks like a Staples easy button. In no time, Indy was using his paw to turn that thing on and off, although he wasn't waiting for us to tell him what to do. He just kept turning it on and off because, well, he could!

Where's the Remote?

When Indy was a baby playing with his siblings, Barb and LaDonna noticed that he would take a coveted toy and stash it away for his own personal use. Since he's been with us, I've seen the same thing. Just the other day, Indy waited for Jazz to finish playing with a toy that we often fill with treats. When Jazz finished with it, Indy snatched it up and stuck it in the pile of dog toys in his special hiding place. He's also done this with bones and antlers. He never takes the coveted object away from one of the other dogs. He just waits until they walk away and then he quietly stashes it.

Well, this morning, Jim noticed that the TV remote was missing. Although there is an end table right next to the couch where Jim sits, he often leaves the remote on the arm of the couch. Tess and Jazz know that is Dad's prized possession, so they don't touch it. This morning, though, it was nowhere to be found! After searching in the couch cushions, on the floor, and under the couch, I suggested that we look in Indy's favorite hiding place in the pile of dog toys...and there was the remote!!

The remote is sticking out of the dog toys a little more than halfway down the photo on the right side. There wasn't a mark on it, so Indy didn't chew on it or play with it. He just knew that this was a coveted item and he stashed it away for himself!! Clever little boy, huh?

Happy 4th Birthday!

Today we are celebrating Jazz's fourth birthday. I'm not sure where the years went, because it seems like she was a wee puppy just yesterday, but Jazz has spent her time on this earth wiggling her way deeper and deeper into my heart.

Here's Jazz sampling her birthday cake. Now, I don't think I've ever baked a cake for my husband's birthday, but Betty Crocker would have been proud of this cake! It's made with natural peanut butter and carrots and has a cream cheese frosting. The "chocolate" icing was made with carob powder, so it's all safe for the dogs.

Jazz got a chance to take a couple of licks on her own without the other dogs interrupting her birthday treat.

After Jazz had a good taste, it was everybody's turn!

Indy thought that this birthday business was seriously yummy and wants to know when he can have one of his own!!

So, another wonderful year has gone by with Jazz. This year, she's earned two AKC agility titles, two USDAA agility titles, six CPE agility titles, the AKC Therapy Dog certificate, her AKC Companion Dog title, and, the one I'm most proud of, her DCA Road Dog title. Jazz is so much fun to work with and train, and I look forward to many more years together.

Just Chillin'

Here's a few pictures of the dogs relaxing over the Thanksgiving holiday!

Indy's big Thanksgiving accomplishment is that he's now able to get on the couch by himself! It's no longer a safe haven for the girls, and Indy has proven that he likes to be as comfortable as the next dog!

Here's Indy relaxing with his Uncle Ray and Uncle Harry at my sister's house on Thanksgiving. Harry is blind, and Indy seems to have a good sense for who could use some puppy lovin'. He was very good about keeping his sharp puppy teeth in his mouth and snuggled right in with Harry for a nap. Indy was a very good Thankgiving house guest, and this was the first time that many in my family got to meet him. I think he made a good impression ;)


Indy and Jazz sharing the afghan on the couch

Tess and Jazz snuggled together on the couch, which is rare. Tess seems to prefer to cuddle with people and not with other dogs, so it was a surprise when I caught her and Jazz snoozing together.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. The girls and I joined our friends Mariann, Jim, and Sammie for a walk in the park in the morning, and then we headed out to my sister's for a fantastic Thanksgiving meal and lots of good company. This evening, we're meeting up with friends for pizza and some agility practice. We are blessed with a loving family, good friends, and three wonderful Dalmatians. Who could ask for more?

Weekend Brags

It was a great weekend at the CPE agility trial in Latrobe. Two of our friends got their CPE Agility Trial Champion (C-ATCH) titles! On Saturday, Shaina finished her C-ATCH with a joint effort by her owner Lois and Lois' grandson CJ. Lois got the Jackpot run they needed and CJ finished the title with a very nice Standard run. Congratulations, Lois, CJ, and Shaina!

On Sunday, we had another championship day when Mariann and our adopted Border Collie Sammie got their C-ATCH with a great Snooker run. Mariann has had many setbacks with her health, but her goal was always to get back to running Sammie, and she didn't let him down!

On a smaller scale, Jazz finished her Level 4 Fun Games title this weekend. She's now in Level 5 in everything but Standard, where she's still working on the 8 required Level 4 legs. Tess also had a good weekend, coming within seconds of another perfect weekend. She was just a few seconds over time in the last run of the day, but all her other runs were qualifiers in the Championship level.

Jazz flying over a jump

Indy also had a good weekend. Here he is opening a puppy gift from Lois, George, CJ, Toby, and Shaina. They got him a wonderful BLUE fleece coat and a BLUE dog toy. At least now the boy has some things that aren't pink!!


Indy was really good at the trial. He behaved well in the ex pen with the girls and did plenty of socializing with people and dogs. He got to see his sister Emily again when she and Barb stopped by on Sunday for some more socialization. Here's Indy and Tess napping in the ex pen.


Congratulations again to Lois, CJ, and Shaina and Mariann and Sammie! We're proud of you all!

Good Therapy

My brother-in-law Jack had a knee replaced last week and has been in a rehab/nursing facility for therapy, so Indy and I went to visit him yesterday. This was actually Indy's second pet therapy visit, because he went to a local assisted living facility with his litter when he was just 5 weeks old! Indy was an instant hit with everyone yesterday. In fact, we were starting to wonder if we'd ever get to visit Jack, as we had to travel down a long hallway to get to his room and we were stopped every two feet by someone who wanted to visit with the puppy!

Indy did a fabulous job. He was friendly with everyone he met and did well with the sights and sounds of a place like this. He visited the therapy department and took his first elevator ride. When we finally made it to my brother-in-law's room, he settled in nicely and played and then took a nap.

Indy's favorite part of the visit was playing with Jack's socks! He loved the blue non-skid socks he was wearing, and Jack would wiggle his toes and Indy would play with his feet. Doesn't take much to entertain a puppy!

I was thrilled with how well Indy did yesterday. I was a little apprehensive that he'd get mouthy with those puppy teeth, but he didn't do that at all. The folks there were so impressed with him and couldn't believe he was just 9-1/2 weeks old. So many people commented that they just wanted to take Indy home that we were telling them to take a number! I hope this was the beginning of a long pet therapy career for Indy. Tess and Jazz are both therapy dogs and it's such a rewarding experience to see how much joy they bring to people.

As for Jack, well, he promised Indy that he'd wear the blue slipper socks on Thanksgiving when Indy comes to visit their house for the holiday ;)

Creature Comforts

I do much of my work at home, and as you might imagine, getting anything done with a puppy around can be tough! So that I could work on some transcripts, I set up a small pen in my office (along with the two dog beds already in there for the girls) and put a little bed in it for Indy. As you can see below, he thought that was a fabulous idea!

It's amazing how many different positions puppies think are comfortable. In just a short time, Indy went from lying in the bed normally to lying with his head out of the bed to lying upside down in the bed and then lying upside down and half out of the bed with front feet straight in the air!!

So, after all the effort to set up the pen so I could work, I didn't get much done anyway because I was too busy snapping pictures of Indy in the little dog bed ;)

Bonding

Indy is doing well and is fitting nicely into our family. He's doing a fantastic job at housebreaking and he's been a very good boy at night. The pet sitters came for the first time yesterday, and they are in love with him! Tess and Jazz continue to do very well with their puppy brother. In fact, Jazz is totally smitten with Indy and plays with him endlessly.

Here's Tess and Indy soaking up some rays this past weekend.

Jazz and Indy napping on the couch this morning.

Not only has Indy bonded well with the girls, but there's been a fair amount of male bonding going on between Jim and Indy, too! Here they are sacked out on the couch after the agility trial on Sunday. I think Jim is just enjoying having another boy in the house! We're now even in the battle of the sexes...me, Tess, and Jazz and Jim, Indy, and Jim's parrott, Billy. Of course, we all know that girls rule and boys drool!!!

Out of the Blue

Well, folks, I have a lot of explaining to do and I don't know quite where to start! Our friend Barb at Rim Rock Dalmatians bred a lovely litter of Dalmatian puppies whose Daddy is one of only 8 Dalmatians in the world who have two copies of the gene for low uric acid (LUA). Every puppy he produces will have at least one copy of the gene and therefore also have low uric acid. We have always been impressed with Barb's efforts to improve the health of the Dalmatian breed, even though it is not always popular with many long-time breeders. As if that weren't enough, the puppies were also lucky to have Bizzi for their mother! She's got an International Championship, and both AKC and UKC Championships and Grand Championships, but most importantly to us, she is a wonderful, sweet girl. Check out the puppies' blog at http://www.maks-bizzi.blogspot.com/.

Let me first say that Jim and I did NOT plan on taking a puppy from this litter. Although a third dog was probably in our future, we were planning on it in perhaps another two or three years. As you can see below, all our planning went out the window on Friday evening when we picked up the sweetest little boy puppy!! There were several circumstances that led up to this, but since he really wasn't planned for, we named the puppy Rim Rock's Out of the Blue! His call name is Indigo, but we mostly call him "Indy." Our blog friend Kim has a wonderful Dal named Indy, so we already knew it was a special name.

So although the timing wasn't quite what we had planned on, Indy became a part of our family Friday evening and has spent the weekend wiggling his way into our hearts. He's sweet, funny, smart, and cute as can be!

Like all puppies, he's an angel....when he's sleeping!

Who could resist this little guy? He jumps into the pile of dog toys and pulls out the biggest stuffed critter he can find and shakes and tosses it. Here he is napping on a toy duck!

Indy at 9 weeks

Here's Indy with Tess and Jazz at his very first agility trial. He was awesome! He was very comfortable in the building with all the noises and sounds of an agility trial, and he was incredibly well behaved in the ex pen with the girls.


Indy's sister Emily joined him for some socialization at the trial today. She also did very well in the trial environment and became more and more comfortable while she was there. Here they are snuggled in the ex pen together. By the way, Indy wants me to let you all know that he's terribly embarrassed that all his hand-me-downs are pink!!! He's the first boy puppy we've ever had and he has to suffer through some pink beds and blankets before he can get some decidedly more masculine accessories!



Tess and Jazz have done phenomenally well with Indy, and I think they're going to love having a little brother. His temperament is fantastic. He's the right mix of loving, curious, smart, and eager to please. Even if the timing wasn't quite perfect, he was just too good to pass up! We have known Barb since 1988 when we got our first Dalmatian, and she played a big part in us getting three of the four we've owned, so it's a real privilege for us to welcome a Rim Rock Dalmatian into our home. Thanks, Barb, for trusting us with this special little boy. We look forward to many years of adventures with him!!