Have I finally found my friends? (Palmer has crossed over the Bridge)

Okay-great news (I hope!) I will put the litter picture on the page where Palmer's pictures are. I don't think he'll mind.

Born yesterday, weighing in at ? ounces. Miss Spengler will reside in Delaware as of the end of March.

There’s one boy, the rest are girls. We have selected the one that has the most brown on her.

Updated pictures in 2 weeks.


The litter is 1 male and 5 females. They're all mostly black, so you won't be able to tell much in the picture. They all do have some brown on their feet, so I asked her to select the female with the most brown on it. Poor Palmer suffered when the sun hit his black coat.......but who knows? With our first two-the first puppy was completely black and when she got her first grooming she came back to us a gray doggie. With Palmer, he was this gorgeous brindle. He gradually turned totally black except for some white on his chin and a white spot on his chest.

I am so excited.:D:D Now we have to chart our trip to Alabama..a mere 19 hour drive, one way. On the way down, we're going to stop at several places and visit with friends we don't get to see. The trip back will be non-stop (just kidding.) I'm expecting the long ride home may be challenging. :confused::confused: I don't know if we'll be able to select a name before then. Maybe we'll pick something generic and then be more selective once she's been with us a few days.

This is so wonderful!

-Susan

Hi Marie-
I have been trying to steer clear of a dog whose coloring might remind me of Palmer. When we got Palmer, we tried not to pick one who looked like Peaches. Palmer's character and his coloring were sufficiently different that I didn't find myself comparing him to Peaches. I feel like I want to honor each one. I am not looking for a replacement. I am looking for a new family member.

This new little gal may wind up looking a lot like Palmer. They have all been poodle mixes. If I had had a choice, I would have preferred one with more brown or more white. As the mom is entirely black, I knew that was less likely. So now- here I am maybe with what I was trying to avoid. Each dog has its own individual personality. This little miss won't look like Peaches and it will help that she's a girl and Palmer was a boy. I will be home most of the time with this little gal and her own personality will emerge. If she reminds me of Palmer from time to time, I'm just going to take that to mean that Palmer is stopping by just to make sure everything is all right. (We need a little icon for a warm heart.)

My guess is it all comes back to-this will work out exactly as it is supposed to. I think that's true for all of us here.

-Susan

Hi Carole-

I am very sorry for your loss. It is indeed very painful. We cannot torture ourselves by going back over the last bit of time and try to figure out how we could have made it come out differently. We make the best decisions we can with the information we have in hand at that time. Oh that they would have longer lifespans.

I have put all my postings right here on this forum-and other forums that are here. You will find great support here and people who have been down the same road as yours'. There are tons of life experiences to be shared here. I am sure as we all get to know you that you will find the support you are looking for. :)

-Susan

Oh my, how will you wait? Can they send you pictures every day?

Puppies, Susan, I am so happy for you.

Hugs,
Addy

Yeah Susan,

I hope they video tape the puppies. I was on one website and they did that with each one in the beginning and then said it was going to be hard to do when they all started moving around--haha!!!

You know it really doesn't matter what they look like in the end because they will have a special place in your heart no matter what--just like Marianne said Love at first sight!!!!:)

I am so happy for you!!!! ((((HUGS)))) This did turn out to be a wonderful day!!!!:D:p

Hi for Tuesday-

There are two other litters that will be born in Mid March. I think there's a chance that some of the puppies will have white/tan and or gray. The mother is a wonderful looking gray schnauzer. The father is supposedly a poodle....but he looks like a poodle mix. He actually looks a lot like Palmer in his expression and color. So I emailed them and said.....tell me what you think those puppies will look like. Meanwhile I discussed it with hubby. He left it up to me. I've now emailed them back and told them final, final, final decision. We will go with the little gal we chose yesterday. I didn't want to wait an extra two months and I just figured....well I've checked all this stuff out to the nth degree. I made my pick yesterday. That's how it was supposed to go.

They do take pictures....but not daily. 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 6 weeks, a temperament evaluation @ 7 weeks (that should be a video). I will post anything I get as soon as I can.

Thanks for sharing in my joy! :):D:):D

-Susan

Susan, I am so very happy for you! I know what you mean about trying to avoid picking a pup that bears a resemblance to Palmer. I was not looking for a Harley "clone", but that first girl I was going to take bore a pretty striking resemblance to the little demon dog. In a way, I'm glad that didn't work out. I admire you for taking on the trials & tribulations of "puppyhood", & wish you the best with your new little one.

Debbie

Well-the "birth announcement" went out from the kennel. :) Now we are working on a name, which is very hard to do not having seen the personality. The front runner at this point is "Bailey." Another name on the list is "Ember" as she is black with rusty brown paws. This has to go through a 3 person approval...but I have declared veto rights. :D

We have decided to let miss stay for 2 extra weeks in Alabama. That will allow for individual training with a certified trainer 24/7 and is supposed to give us one big step up on the training process. That makes pick-up/take home to April 8th. :( In the meantime I am going to try to catch up and all I can and, if I accomplish that, to get a few things more taken care of.

It's pouring here. That's okay because I put down some grass seed. The freeze/thaw pattern of winter buries the seed for you. Plus-there aren't many birds around now to dine on my seed. The temperature has started to fall. (That's my horticultural report for today.);)

-Susan

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Palmer's Mom

We have decided to let miss stay for 2 extra weeks in Alabama. That will allow for individual training with a certified trainer 24/7 and is supposed to give us one big step up on the training process. That makes pick-up/take home to April 8th. :( In the meantime I am going to try to catch up and all I can and, if I accomplish that, to get a few things more taken care of.

-Susan

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OK, I am being a Nervous Nellie and also a big Buttinski here...:o :o

But does this mean that Little Miss is going to live elsewhere with a trainer for those two weeks, or is it the breeder/s themselves who are doing the training on site? I shouldn't open my mouth without being able to cite references, but my feeble memory seems to recall that the 8 - 12 week time period is a critical one for bonding and socialization. And so I'm just wondering whether you really want to turn over the initial training/bonding experience to somebody else? If this is a procedure that you followed with your other pups and it worked out well for you, then I will be quiet. But if not, I'm being brazen enough to ask a bit more about the arrangement.

I know that puppy training can be exasperating at times. But during those first weeks, you also are developing a lifelong connection and learning style. Plus, if the trainer is somebody whom you haven't even met, I'd worry whether the approach is one with which you'd be comfortable. When I went with Peg to our first set of puppy obedience/socialization classes (to an instructor who was "highly recommended"), I was horrified at how physically severe and demanding he was with a little puppy. I left after the first class and never looked back. I found another group which offered a training style with which I felt much more comfortable. And even though it probably took us three times longer to master certain behaviors due to my own inexperience, it felt really good that Peg and I were learning the techniques together.

Those early weeks are so important and so formative. As I say, I hestitate to throw a monkeywrench into the machinery. And others who are more knowledgeable about training may offer a totally different opinion. But I just want to make sure that this is an arrangement with which you are really comfortable.

Marianne

The trainer is on the staff, but the puppy goes to the home of the trainer. They only take max two at a time.
I'll continue to listen to what others have to say before I change my mind. :confused: They have their own forum and I will read further there.
Thanks for speaking your mind.........all help is welcome. I'll take what I want and leave the rest. :)
-Susan