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It's time to leave Songdog on Pup Creek and move away from
our Mom and start our new lives. We'll miss our brothers and sisters but
our new families have been waiting a long time for us. We know we'll be
loved and cared for...
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It was a lovely day at
Moraine View State Park near Bloomington, IL. Full sun and
gently warm temps made for a perfect rendezvous to deliver
two more puppies to their new families. We spotted Tracy
Danby as we drove in, walking Tillie, the new big “sister”,
along the park road. Big Red (Songdog's
Claddagh at Mocha, also known as "Cork")
took to his new Mom with great enthusiasm, and is now
settled in well with Tillie in Maplewood, MN. We think Cork
has a great future in store for him.
Cork
thinks his new family is great, and is becoming good buddies
with his new older “sister” Tillie.
News from Cork's family:
Cork has
spent his first week here and has charmed
everyone he has encountered. It was a full
week, for in addition to settling in to a new
family and new location, he met lots of people:
throughout the week he has met some of the
neighbors, on Monday four people came to see
him, Thursday he went to the pet food store
where everyone (patrons and staff) just had to
pick him up, he also went to handbell practice
where he put smiles on everyone's faces and
they
were
thanking
me
for bringing him and
letting them pet him (and I was thanking them
for allowing me to force him on them!), Saturday
he went to the beauty shop to meet his mom's
haircut lady and today he went to church where
he again was a big hit after the service. A
teenaged girl who usually walks around with her
head down, looking over her glasses and not
saying much of anything was transformed into a
chatty, animated, smiling girl. (It'll be
interesting to see how she is next time when I
don't have Cork along!) Ah, the power of
puppies! And Cork himself is quite charming.
Cork at Halloween
Although it was Tillie who competed at the agility trial,
Cork seems to have been the one needing to relax afterward.
Although
born in the summer and having lived in a warmer climate,
Cork is enjoying the snow and isn't bothered by the sub-zero
temperatures. Recently I have noticed him enjoying little
chunks of snow, guarding them as if they were treats and
then eating them. Silly little man!
A couple
of photos of Cork enjoying the snow -- one was taken shortly
before Christmas; the other was on a much colder day when
his feet were starting to get cold. Apparently the solution
to that is to lay down in the snow and get even more of your
body cold!
Cork is
maturing. He has lost his boyish looks
and looks more like an adult now.
Cork’s so darned cute and so sweet, it’s
hard to refrain from showing off his
pictures! He’s also turning out to be
very smart. Very easy to work with most
of the time. I’m loving it!
DATELINE: April 7, 2009, Lake
Elmo, Minnesota
Graduation ceremonies were held
at Animal Inn Training School
where approximately 15 survivors
of the Spring beginners’
obedience class were put through
their paces in a mock obedience
trial. Students were scored
similar to an AKC obedience
competition, sans a few
exercises not yet learned at
this level. All dogs passed,
receiving a diploma and a green
qualifying ribbon. In addition,
the four top scoring dogs were
awarded placement ribbons. In
first place this evening was
Songdog’s Claddagh at Mocha
(Cork), an 8 month old
Flat-coated Retriever, scoring a
151 out of a possible 155.
Coming in a very close second
was an 8 month old yellow Lab
named Tucker. The most notable
placement, however, was Jake, an
obese 7 year old yellow Lab who
muddled through the exercises as
if he were out for a Sunday
stroll and whose parents only
enrolled him in class so that he
would not have to stay home
while they brought their young
border collie to classes.
The honored graduate Cork, along
with his handler/mom and his
beloved instructor.
In
the excitement of graduation
ceremonies and picture taking, I
forgot to give Cork his
graduation gift until
yesterday. Once he saw it, it
was difficult to capture a
decent image. In case you can’t
tell, it’s a loofa dog wearing
mortarboard and gown. Within
thirty seconds, the tassel was
sucked off by you know who.
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After a short break, Freddi
Greenberg and Dan Pinkert arrived to pick up the Songdog Megawatt
Hours AKA Meg
(formerly Pink Rosebud). It
didn’t take her anytime at all to fall in love with her new parents,
and didn’t blink an eyelash when she climbed into Freddi’s lap for
the trip home. She is currently preparing to host some company for
dinner this week. We suspect Miss Rosebud will be great at parties,
as she always did enjoy being the center of attention. Another
Flatcoat social butterfly to entertain Evanston’s finest.
In typical Flatcoat fashion, Meg enjoys the fall foliage.
Attentive!
A "Tail" of Two Generations
Lulu Mahaffey and Meg Greenburg-Pinkert recently
enjoyed a family reunion in the Chicago area. Lulu is a
Songdog from our Doc X Konza litter and a sister to Gusty. Meg
is Gusty's daughter from our recent Wally C Gusty litter. Meg
and her Aunt Lulu enjoyed a romp at a dog park while their parents
Freddi, Dan, and Michel discussed the joys and challenges of
Flatcoat parenthood. Just a typical summer weekend when family
members get together - the only thing missing was the potato salad!
Meg - October 2009
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| On October 12, Jazz made the trip from Indianapolis to
join his new family in Michigan. On his arrival, his Uncle
Magic (Gusty's brother) was overjoyed to meet him as were his
parents Mel and June. He used his moves to plant smooches on
his new mom and made the acquaintance of Uncle Magic, stoically
accepting kisses until he was well slimed!
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| The last to leave her mom, Tess finally joined her new
family in Minnesota. She moved from her Mom's house to her
Dad's! Wally is clearly proud of his new little companion.
Tess is doing great and Wally is stepping
into his role as father and mentor. Well, maybe not that much of a
mentor but a great wrestling partner. Her training is coming along
well and she followed Wally on the trail of a Grouse this weekend.
We were walking down the road at the cabin, I didn’t have a gun with
me, Wally picked up the scent, tracked it and Tess followed right
along. She loves the snow and has a wonderful temperament.
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