Meet the boys!

These are my two new Granddogs, Huck (l) and Zeke (r). Cait and Mike welcomed the furry twins home yesterday. They are a mix of Golden Retriever and Australian Sheep dog and are 9 weeks old. Here's how she describes them.

Let me tell you about these fabulous new boys who have moved into our home:

Zeke: He's the one who is mostly grey and white, with some black freckles across his nose and black raccoon eyes. He looks significantly larger than his brother, but when you pick him up you realize it's all hair. Speaking of his hair--he has LOTS of it! It is very wavy, thick, and incredibly soft--like downy baby hair or cotton candy. He's a "talker" and likes to carry on a barking conversation if you are willing to bark back. He's also very cuddly, and loves nothing more than to come barreling toward anyone who is sitting on the ground and curl up into a "lap dog". He has HUGE paws and a sweet loping gait. He weighs a whopping 21 pounds (at 9 weeks) and the vet anticipates he will be a 80+ pound full grown dog, given the size of his paws and heft of his bones and joints (yikes!). He seems to have quite a bit of his Mama's retriever heritage, as he seems to be a very quick learner when it comes to retrieving. As I type this, I can see Mike tossing the tennis ball for Zeke, who seems quite pleased to go get it. We're still working on bringing it back...

Huck: He's the visually smaller of the two, though weighs about the same. He has much more black on him, and his fur is more of a "flat" coat and not so fluffy. He definitely got the "australian shepherd/blue heeler" part of the genetics because he will walk right beside you and nip at your ankles and knees to "keep you in line with the herd". He spends a lot of time and energy corralling every one and doesn't much like it when his "herd" is in different parts of the house. He, too, is very sweet and cuddly and loves to talk.

The both of them: They had never been in a car, been in a crate, or been on a leash when we picked them up. The didn't make a peep when we drove them home, drove them to the river, drove them to the airport to meet my Delta people, or drove them to the vet. This could be good! The first night we crated them up for bedtime was quite an experience--whining and crying about every two hours. The second night, Mike and I were prepared for the every-two-hour wake up, but they slept a SOLID 8 hours with out a fuss or an accident. Sweet!! Day One on a leash resulted in stubborn puppies who wanted to go one direction and when they could only go so far, they would sit down in protest and NOT BUDGE. Day Two brought the realization that this was the new way of life, and we were able to take them on a walk around our block without incident.

They seem very smart--have the "sit!" command down pat, and respond to their names. They have taken to Ike's old beds and toys with gusto, and seem very content chewing on the "dog" things and not the "people" things (though we are watching this CLOSELY!) They like to be outside, sleeping in the sunshine, and gravitate to whatever tiny morsel of snow remains in order to stomp on it and eat it. They sleep curled up like sweet dog angels, and then wake up and fight/play like vicious monsters. They play games with each other, chasing each other around the couch until the "chaser" hangs back and goes the other way to sneak up and attack the "chasee" as he rounds the corner. Better than TV!

All in all, a good beginning! Stay tuned.....

Get a load of the size of the paws on these two little fur balls!

This is the beautiful Mom of the twins. She had only two pups. Well, they had to take them both, didn't they?