UPDATE on Pscyho...err I mean Lada

Happy 4th of July

Sorry it's been awhile between updates, especially on the newest one of the pack.   Little Lada may be small in size, but has a gigantic personality to go with her gigantic jump.

Lada loves ...EVERYTHING.   Well, actually not everything...new dogs (especially hyper big dogs) can freak her out.  She loves people. She loves her siblings. She loves her neighbors (human and canine). She loves car rides, parks, playcare, her toys, her Daddy and most importantly her Mommy.

Hi there!

The dog that Hubby wanted is super attached to me.  Now all heelers tend to bond to one or two humans.   That was the first thing we were told.   Peryn loves us both, but favors me more.   Lada...no debate. It's all about Mommy.

Her biggest faults is her jumping.  We've tried and tried and we can't stop it.  She loves to jump and greet you. And she doesn't just jump up, she jumps and jumps and jumps and jumps and watch out...she's in your face.    Girl can jump a minimum of 5 feet from a dead stop.   She's jumped over the door at day care NUMEROUS times. They've gotten smart and keep her behind the high fence when waiting for me to pick them up. They've learned their lesson.

She is a FANTASTIC traveler.   She's been my co-pilot on 3 separate trips down to Tenn to visit her Grandparents.   She is the best travel companion I've ever had.  

She does have a strong prey drive and has taken off after some, but she immediately comes back.   She cannot stand being far from me.

She's 95% house broken.   She can be stubborn and if you don't respond to letting her out when she tries to tell you, she WILL go in the house.  

Things she loves:  She LOVES her Scooby slipper.  Story of the Scooby Slipper. I had my favorite slippers back in 1999.  In early 2000, after moving to Florida and adopting Galen--he loved my slippers too.   He used to carry it around in his mouth and I let him. Which unfortunately led to him pulling off the head from one of the slippers.  He then constantly played with the Scooby head for months!!

Eventually, I found the same pair of slippers on Ebay and bought them. Wore them for over ...10 years I'd say.   When we adopted Peryn, the bottoms had holes in them and there was no more cushion. I gave them to Peryn.  He destroyed the one slipper.   Never really played with them after.  Lada on the other hand LOVES the slipper.  It's her go to toy.

She loves to play fetch. She loves the herding ball we bought. She and Peryn go crazy with it in the back yard.   She loves Athena.  Her BFF is Peryn, but Athena is her other playmate.   She and Duchess have a weird thing, but it's theirs.

Lada & Scooby

If you don't keep an eye on her, she will take your shoes.  Peryn did the same thing, but she is so non-nonchalant about it.  Currently as I write, she and Peryn are going at it and it includes the zoomies.  

She's a nester. She gets frustrated if she can't get her bed in the right way. Her frustration makes us laugh. ANYTIME she gets frustrated she makes these noises and it's funny.      She's a funny thing.

And...she's not any bigger.  She's still around 22lbs.  I'm going to do a DNA test on her soon (like I do with all them) to verify she's completely an ACD.  She is--it's obvious. Everything about her (minus her size) is ACD.  

She definitely does not like sharing me.  If I dare call to any other pup, she either jumps on them trying to start something or she jumps on me in order to block them.

Again, except for the incessant jumping, she's a wonderful dog.  OH! Wait..the licking. Yeah...that's not a favorite of ours either. When she's jumping, she's licking you... and she does.not. stop!
Little package--lots of love.

Other things she loves : lying on the backs of the couch & chairs. She loves to swim (better at it than Peryn. She ACTUALLY swims).

She's still the only one in a crate when we're gone. She can't be trusted and it has NOTHING to do with going in the house and everything to do with getting into everything.   She's still a curious puppy and she loves to chew.

Crate! It's what's for dinner!

Another thing that she is really good at that none of the other dogs have ever been able to do is play by herself.   There are days when I'm working from home or on the PC and she's quietly playing in the room with one of her toys.   It's quite adorable and such a contrast to the absolute CRAZY she lets out when greeting people.

She's scared of her Grandpa, but adores her Grandma.  She even loves her Uncle Jack--who is way too old to play with a pup.  
My little girl is going to be 11 months this upcoming week.   That means 1 month away from a year!  They're growing too fast.  

best buddies

On the road again! 3 fighting for the front seat.

She's on the new dog bed

I wanna play too!

UPDATE on Peryn

His alligator

First, I feel bad that Athena's post /update wasn't that long.   Thing is, she's a pretty consistent and happy girl. She doesn't get into trouble and she just is.   So with that out of the way, let's get an update on Peryn!

Peryn. Peryn. Peryn.  What can I tell you about him?  First off, I love this guy with all my heart.  He's my little dude. There is just something about him that gets to you.  He's my little bully and my big sweetie.  

He has an OBSESSION with his toys: Anything that can be thrown or tugged.   His desire to play with other dogs comes way down the list of things he likes to do.  Well, that's not entirely true. He's content to chase after other dogs if he's got his ball in his mouth.    If there is a rope or it's long in nature, tug is his game of choice.   

herding ball

A new thing that has come into his and Lada's lives is the "herding ball".  It's just a big ole hard plastic Jolly Ball that they can't get their teeth around due to the size and material.  He and Lada go BEZERK running around the yard with that ball "herding" it.   When he's in the mood, he'll push it towards the neighbor, MC, to allow him to play along.  When he isn't, he's content to just play by himself.  

EVERY time the 2 of them go out, they're running towards their ball.   They're nutts!!

We've discovered recently that he's very "sensitive" to some things. He cannot stand getting yelled at.  He cannot stand disruption.  We have been in remodel mode for the past 2 weeks. It involved moving all the furniture on the first floor around from room to room. First to paint the living room and then to accommodate the flooring guys as we got new flooring throughout. 

Just prior to this, he attended a new day care* without Lada and regular day care without her.  He's lost without her.

BALL!!

So for those days he was hiding upstairs-even when we were downstairs.  Dude was not happy about the disruption.   Good news is that we're all done and he's mostly regained his equilibrium.

*The reason they were trying a new daycare & without Lada is this one is open on the weekends. I need a place to take them occasionally on the weekend and their regular playground is not open on the weekends.  Lada was unable to join them because they do not allow dogs over 6 months that are not spayed.    


Peryn is doing well otherwise.  He's a healthy 42 lbs and is just a great companion with a major obsession with FETCH.

He and Lada are still besties and he cannot stand doing stuff without her.  He's mopey when he has to do things without her.    He's been without her several times over the last 5 months or so.  She's come with me on my road trips to Tenn and unfortunately he's been unable to join us.    He's a great travel companion, but the dog at the other end of the trip isn't very hospitable.  Two males trying to show who's boss? Yeah not a great idea.

He really is a wonderful dog that I love so very much.   I'll admit, he's my favorite. It's hard not to love him with his personality--even when he annoys you.

His tug

Gramma loves him to death.  She is one of the few people who actually love to play fetch with him.   Too bad she can't visit more or that he can't visit her.    

He still has his tether tug outside which he LOVES.  Let's just face it, he loves all his toys.   His tether tug is great when he's in a frustrated mood to just yank and shake around things.  It's great when he's by himself.  If you have a Heeler and want one, get the XL size.  He broke the one for his "size" within 2 mins of getting his teeth on it.   

When we take him to dog parks or dog gatherings, he's all about the ball/toy/fetch.  He's pretty non-reactive to other dogs and that makes his a great companion.  He is the chillest passenger in the car-just happy to be along for the ride.    He's going to get to come with us on our next vacation & I"m excited about that!

He loves his Tether Tug

Peryn really is a joy to have in our lives. He was the best quick decision we ever made and don't regret it one bit.   He really helped put this breed on our radar more (we knew of them prior, just never considered them).   He is a big teddy bear and best bud in one furry package.   
He still gets along great with his other sisters, Duchess & Athena.  They really all interact more as a foursome than they did as a two-some and three-some.  I think the four of them are at where the Old Guard were as a pack.   They're fiercely protective of one another and love to play together.  Not to mention, only they can pick on each other--no other dog can!

Tug. Tug. Tug.

after Playcare----tired.

Whatcha doing?

So Very Handsome!

UPDATE on Athena

at play-care

Athena, like Duchess, has changed a bit since bringing in the little ones. She plays a lot with Lada. They seem to have this sweet bond and I love watching them play.   Athena loves to go over with the Cattle dogs to play with MC or Bridger.   

She's also very clingy as of late.  She really lets it be known when she wants affection and does not shy away from DEMANDING it.   She really loves play-care as well.  She's still a sweet girl and couldn't hurt a fly.

She's still a barker and that really comes out when any of the dogs OTHER THAN her are playing.  

Physically she's doing OK. If she plays too much she ends up overdoing it.   Her hind legs/hips still bother her.  In fact when I picked her up from play-care I was told she started limping and was forced to rest for a bit. Sounds totally Athena.   

Mommy & Athena

She has problems getting in and out of the car and we often have to help her. She still hates going on car rides (or I should say she still whines and barks).

She definitely is a dog who is loving their second chance at life.  Whatever bad stuff or horrors she may have had prior to us, haven't effected her emotionally -- that we can tell.   

She LOVES being outdoors. She loves to just watch and chase squirrels.  She absolutely hates gunfire and barks whenever the shots from the gun range sound.

She loves her pack. She loves to sleep and will NOT get up once she's down for the night. She has a bladder of steel.  She loves going to dog parks and you will always find her zipping around looking for some fun. She enjoys jumping in the water with the other dogs, but doesn't swim or play with them once in. 

Resting at play-care

She loves our neighbors and she loves us.  
Her physical pains are going to be the thing that most slows her down, but she is a very happy girl.

Her visible injuries from her previous life are barely noticeable these days. Again, the only real reminder is the problem with her back legs and hips.     She really is a doll and we're so happy she's with us. 

Nature watching

Running at the park