Fearsome Zombie Hunter (In Training)

We've survived the first few days. Other than tummy upset, he's been perfect! He slept through the night on Friday, and Saturday night he whined a little at around 3:30 a.m., but went right back to sleep. I took him out in the garage and ran the shop vac and made other noises, and after some fussing, he settled right down. And more importantly, he forgave me for making noises.


He's coming along nicely on the leash, and we've only had two "accidents" so far, both very minor. Of course, that's because I'm a total helicopter mom who doesn't let him out of her sight to have accidents, so that works fine. Mr. ShellHawk was caught snuggling the puppy on his lap, smiling in that delighted way new fathers have.


We are starting well. We'll see how things go when he's comfortable here!

Baby PicS!

At the breeders, waiting to come home.

Hell Hound Girl, wondering what just happened

Getting to knooooow you!

This Is It! -And Other Things

Sam at 1 week

Today is the day I've been waiting for for six months: the day Samhain comes home. (As if you weren't painfully aware of that!)


I'm heading out to the garage right now to put some Great Stuff in the gaps of the foam board insulation I installed a couple of days ago, so it's ready when the drywall guy comes this afternoon to install and mud the drywall. I find it hilarious that as long as I've been using joint compound, Great Stuff and foam board insulation, this will be the first time ever that I've used them for their intended purposes! 


After, I'm going to continue puppy-proofing, as I remembered in the middle of the night one area in which sharp, pointy things could seriously hurt him. I'm also trying to work out in my mind the best configuration for an outside containment area that he can play in and learn how to access through the dog doors, but won't restrict the other dogs. We may have to go back to playing doorman for a while.

In other great news, The Bloodshed Brothers are going pro! They have joined forces with The Field of Screams and will be haunting from The Haunted Stadium this Hallowe'en! Head over to this Blood Vlog for details. I'm so very excited and proud of these guys! They're great people and fabulous haunters, so I'm looking forward to seeing what they do in a pro forum.


O.K., gotta run! Will be back with pics of Sam's homecoming very soon!

The Great Puppy Saga of 2011-Samhain is Coming Home

Your days of peace and quiet are over, guys. Sorry!

Sam at 6 weeks

Tomorrow, Samhain, puppy Hell Hound, comes home to be with his family. The two dogs pictured above-the current Hell Hounds? Yeah. Their lives will be ruined.


At least, that's what they'll try to tell me. Well, maybe just the lab. The Shepherd will be ecstatic.


For the past week, Mr. ShellHawk, who originally wasn't 100% behind having another dog (except when he suggested it four times last year, after the lab tore the ligament in his knee and we thought we were going to have to put him down), has been asking, "Where's my puppy? Did you call her, yet? Did she say when you could pick him up?"

Sam at 5 weeks

I kept telling him, "It hasn't been eight weeks, yet. He'll be a better dog the longer he stays with his mama. After this long, another week won't matter."


But Sandy sent me an email yesterday and told me it would be o.k. to pick him up tomorrow, just shy of eight weeks. So after my hair appointment in the morning, it's off to Elk Grove to pick up the boy!


We're scrambling to finish puppy-proofing the house before he comes-although that phrase really seems like an oxymoron, now that I think about it. I need to pick up some puppy food and some bully sticks, but other than that, we're set to go! I'll post pics and vids very soon!

The Great Puppy Saga of 2011 Continues... Meet Sam!

I headed over to the breeder's house today for the final pick of the litter. It was so very hard to choose between blue and yellow. They're both great pups, and I know from the parents either one will be a fantastic dog. But, my instinct told me--

Yellow was the guy for us!

So--everyone, meet Sam. Sam, meet---everyone!

He comes home in about three and a half weeks. More disgustingly sappy blog entries to come!

The Great Puppy Saga of 2011 Continues... Puppy Cam, Part Deux!

If you're reading this, it probably means you missed the Rapture, too. I wrote this just for you guys, because I figured now that all the people who used to torture us about going to Hell because we loved Hallowe'en are gone, we'd need a form of entertainment other than annoying them to keep us occupied.

Yesterday dawned beautiful, clear and pleasantly warm. I had a pretty busy schedule, what with marking out my preferred looting spots and stocking up on my shotgun ammo, but I had scheduled time with Sandy at Sprague's German Shepherds to get my first look at the litter that has my Sam in it.

Again, we're looking for a low-energy, mellow dog, comparatively speaking, so it was important to us to see how they responded to new people, their mom being brought in, etc.

Click on the puppy pic for video. Not cute at all. Nope.

 We brought along friend and house/dog sitter, Stephanie, so that she could give us her impressions and so the puppy would know her from the very start. We talked about how we needed to be "calm-assertive" when we visited the pups, but were not very hopeful that we could maintain Cesar-Millan-like chill-ness in the face of extreme puppy cuteness. We sure tried, though!

 The one that friend Stephanie is holding is likely the guy we'll be taking home. "Yellow boy," from the color of the yarn around his neck, seemed, both on video and in person, a very cool, mellow little guy. So did dark blue boy. Yellow boy just laid on her lap and looked around, not whining or crying, just observing the goings-on around him. I'm really leaning towards him at this point, but I'll give it another visit before I decide...

The rare and adorable puppy conga line.

 After we left we headed to lunch and compared notes. All three of us agreed that both yellow and blue boys seemed to display the most quiet calm and would likely fit in best with our current kids. It was good to know that my choices were backed up by Mr. ShellHawk and Stephanie, because I know they are both very observant people and not likely to allow cuteness to overwhelm their good judgment.

Next Thursday or the following Tuesday, I'll head over and make the final decision as to who the real Sam is. Their personalities will have developed more and they'll be more active by then, too. I just can't wait!

Puppy Pile!

All ten of the little cuties are in there. Can't wait to meet them tomorrow, 'cause you can't beat puppy kisses!

The Great Puppy Saga of 2011 Continues... Puppy Cam!

Small bundles of furry cuteness are bouncing clumsily through my head these days. The "coming home" countdown has begun, and I've started to look at my house through the eyes of a puppy to see what needs to be put away, taped down or otherwise made inaccessible.
Sandy, the breeder over at Sprague's German Shepherds, has been very gracious and helpful in answering my questions about the pups, and has been posting pics and videos of the little critters on her website and on Facebook.

Shelby and the kids at three weeks. Sorry, couldn't get the video to play.

Sandy was also open to doing a little experiment a la Cesar Millan when I come for my first visit next week. In his book, How to Raise the Perfect Dog: Through Puppyhood and Beyond, Cesar had the breeder of the dog he wanted for his experiment on raising balanced dogs from puppyhood put all the pups in one room, then bring the mama in to feed them. By watching the order in which the puppies went for mom and fed, Cesar was able to figure out which dogs had the highest, middle and lowest energy.
Since he was looking for a middle energy dog for his experiment (and is an expert at this stuff, which I am not!), he was able to avoid getting what the breeder felt was "pick of the litter," a much higher-energy level dog than he wanted. I'd like a middle-to-lower-energy dog, because I'm not going to be training little Sam for schutzhund, agility (though I might get a couple of agility toys for the backyard), flyball or any high-energy sport- though I am thinking about taking him for herding lessons once he gets old enough. I think it's important for a smart dog like a German Shepherd to have something to do, since they're a working breed and not having a job makes for a dumb, bored, frustrated dog, and chewed carpets.

Mr. ShellHawk is tolerating my obsessive reading (great info from Dr. Sophia Yin here, btw) and subsequent information sharing with grace and the occasional glass of scotch. (I think there may be some eye-rolling when I'm not looking, but I can't prove anything.) I think it was helpful for him to be away at a conference this week, just for a break from my obsession! ;o) Even so, I asked him to start puppy proofing the garage even though I don't plan to have the little one out of my sight for the first few months. During a yard inspection, I found a space under our side gate that will easily be large enough for the little guy to squeeze under, so that went on Mr. ShellHawk's honey-do list, too.

His crate for crate-training is here, plus another, more open crate to put in the living room, so he can watch everyone from a safe, out of the way place. (I'd hate to squash his little toes because I didn't know he was right behind me!) It's good training for them to know they don't have to be in the middle of everything when activity is going on, but learn to be a quiet observer.

And before someone leaves me a nasty comment about how crate-training is mean, consider that a dog's natural instinct is to be in a den, which is far less posh than a crate with his favorite toy and a soft pad and blanket to lie on. It prevents you from stressing out because you don't know if your pup has left you a "present" while you answered the phone or went to bed (which stresses him out because your body language is freaking him out), and it also keeps him safe when you can't watch him. After all, you wouldn't let your toddler wander around when you couldn't watch her, would you? (BTW: playpen=crate for children.)

Bowls, leashes, and collars are standing by, and observing some local trainers is on my to-do list this week. I talked to my veterinarian this week about other stuff I need to have ready for his homecoming and how I need to feed him (large breed puppy food, she said). I think I'm almost ready.

Can't wait for Friday and the results of the little experiment! I'll keep you posted.

Happy Birthday and Happy Birth Day

Can you say, "Happy Birthday" to a spirit? I guess so, 'cause fellow Scream Team member Revenant's birthday is today! (He doesn't look a day over 250, does he?) So Happy Birthday, dear friend! Try not to get mugged while you're staggering back home from getting lit! ;o)

In other news, German Shepherd mom, Shelby, began to have her pups last night. At last count, there were no less than five males in the litter, though she was still giving birth when the breeder sent me the e-mail. So, a big welcome to the world to the newest member of our Hell Hound pack, Samhain! (I'm sure Mr. ShellHawk will be giving out cigars at work today, right?)

I know Rev will be so honored that he shares a birthday with my dog. (Ha! Ha!)

Puppy Shower 2011

I know all the guys who read my blog are about to execute a huge yawn and move right on to the Hearse Ning Page they've been meaning to post on, but, well, that's o.k. We girls can rub shoulders and babble about how cute and charming everything at the Puppy Shower was. Tthhpt! to you boys!

Neighbor Jeanette really went all out to organize this, in spite of her own busy schedule. Those who were able to make it, made it a really fun time. (And we all know a puppy shower is just a great excuse to get together with the girls and drink lots of good wine!)



Jeanette set up a beautiful table!



I have no idea where she found the dog bone candies, but aren't they cute on the cupcakes?





Most of the goodies were served in little dog dishes, a nice, creative touch!







Mini-hot dogs and sliders, along with a nice sun-dried tomato pesto dip, made up a part of the eats. I really loved the plates and the napkins she found, too!

Neighbor V was in charge of the games. We had a race to see who could finish the dog word-search first so we could win a prize. There was a dog trivia contest-do you know who the first dog in the dog hall of fame is without checking?-to win some gourmet chocolates. (CalHaunter Stacy won those, and was gracious enough to share!)

Neighbor V with bone-shaped animal crackers-we had to guess how many were in
the jar for the big win of wine-themed chocolates.



Dog toy or marital aid, we wondered...



Stacy, Jeanette and Leena, sharing a glass of wine.



Even Jack, neighbor dog, joined in the fun, along with neighbor V's son.



 So great to have friends to toast the new Hellhound's imminent arrival. Now, if only we had confirmation that the dam is pregnant! Another week or two to wait before that news comes!

The Great Puppy Saga of 2011 Continues...

Well, it seems that the Universe is urging me to practice patience just a little bit more.

Hutch

If you'll recall, I'm waiting for a male German Shepherd. I'm fourth on the waiting list. The first litter I had been waiting for was the pairing of Lotus and Hutch. There were four pups altogether, but only two males in this litter.

Not to worry! There was another litter expected within days of the first one, from Mona (a black Shepherd) and Jacob, and surely that one would yield a little male for us. No dice. Not only did poor Mona have to have an emergency C-section, but out of five pups, only one male was born. Bummer! (Mona is doing great now, BTW. For puppy videos, click here if you're on Facebook. I swear, there are few things cuter than newborn puppies!)



Shelby



So Mr. ShellHawk and I have settled in for another wait. The latest wait is to find out if the newest "surrogate mother," Shelby, is pregnant. She was bred around Valentine's day, and it will take about five weeks to know with any accuracy if she "took." That puts it around March 21st or so before we find out, and mid-June before he comes home. If she doesn't have an entire litter of females, that is!



I had done a little research into another breeder, just to compare dogs, and came up with a woman who had lived in the Sacramento area (but recently moved into Oregon) Salhaus German Shepherds.  Like Sprague's, she breeds for the large, straight-backed GSDs, and was very friendly and informative when I spoke with her on the phone. Her male is bigger than Hutch, and we almost went ahead with Salhaus because we do want a larger male. We discovered that Shelby is descended from the Salhaus line anyway, so we opted to stay with our current breeder and wait. 

I realize how strangely obsessive this must sound. I mean, how hard is it to pick a puppy? Well, here's the thing: I will fall head over heels for whatever puppy is placed in my arms, regardless of any glaringly obvious faults the pup may have, because I am:

1) a soft touch, and

2) a self-admitted suicidally optimistic person. 

Seriously. The dog could be Cujo and I would probably say something like, "Oh, he's just tired and probably having some growing pains. He'll be fine!" Or, "Sure, he ripped your arm off! You clearly weren't in a calm-assertive state when you grabbed his tail! It's your fault, really. Isn't he cute, gnawing on your ulna like that? Awww."

So the point of all this overthinking is that I want to make as much of an intellectual decision before I even lay eyes on my new companion, because I will be totally sucked in by those puppy eyes. It's a given. I will gird myself, and I will fall irrationally in love, in spite of it.

Maybe I need a calming circle.

Is it the 21st, yet? *sigh*