Thursday, January 6, 2011

Time To Move On

Mariah & Patrick


Today I need to get things ready so that Patrick can fly out tomorrow.  Check up and health certificate done, as well as his first vaccination.  His new mom Michelle will take him back to Arizona with her, where he will meet Lucy, a Josie daughter and also an ear patch.  Patrick is a sweetheart, with beautiful black eyes and handsome spotting.  We had hoped he could go as carry on, but is just too large for that now and will have to ride in cargo as excess baggage.  Sounds so demeaning!  He will be last on, first off though, and pups handle shipping very well.  Patrick and Eddie are currently playing in the shipping crate, running in and out with toys, so he will be quite comfortable when confined.

Then we have to decide where Eddie goes for camp.  Will he go to Iowa and stay with my friend Lisen who is recovering from a broken ankle, or will he go up to Canada with Lucy's  family (this is another Lucy) when they go home from the dog shows this weekend.  Depends on whether or not Lisen is up to managing a puppy right now.  Stay tuned!

The pups have been really good in their pen in the basement.  They had a great time running around the basement several times a day, and coming up to play with Mariah and terrorize the adults.  They're no longer chubby little doughballs and have run off their pudginess.

Eddie continues to look good.  Quite a handsome little dude who actually looks more like grandpa Watson than he does like Argus.

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

We're Going!

Well, at least we have plane tickets.  Made reservations to fly to Westminster next month to attend Westminster.  Argus is entered, tickets are purchased for Madison Square Garden, airline tickets are purchased, and we have a hotel.  So far, so good.  Ginger & Mark are flying out a few days earlier, Laurie will arrive by train about the same time we arrive by plane, and we got great ticket prices.  It will cost a great deal more for Argus's round trip than for mine, and he doesn't get a seat.  On the other hand, he will have room to sit, stand, lay down and turn around in his 500# Vari Kennel, which is a lot more than I will have in my airline seat!

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Dog Names

Dog Fort

Someone asked how I picked dog names.  They come to me in a variety of ways.  Watson was from a litter of three known as Peter, Paul & Mary.  He was Paul, not a name I wanted to keep.  When I was at PetSmart one day, there was an ad for a lost black & white cat named "Watson".  Good name!  Hope they eventually found Watson the cat.

Argus was named after a dog in mythology, a faithful dog who waited 20 years for his master to return from battle.  Not the Argus camera.  I first used it though when I did a litter that got camera names.  The only boy in that litter was called Argus, but his new owners changed his name to Mojo (ugh) so Argus was still available, and got used again when my Argie boy arrived from California.  Two of Mojo's littermates kept their camera names though.  Nikon went to Laurie, got registered as Paisley Shutterbug, and her kids Penny & Charlie are Paisley Photo Finish and Paisley Photo Op.  Appropriate when your parents are Argus & Nikon.  Leica went to Meg H and kept her name as well. 

More to write, but no more time.