3 1/2 Months

Well, it has been an eventful month since our last post. Cooper has been very ill with some sort of virus infection and his owners have been very concerned, as have I. He had a very high fever, diarrhea, and poor appetite. I am told other dogs and pups out there have had an unidentified virus, also. McKenzie also has been on antibiotics for a UTI after a bout of diarrhea. Cricket has escaped "it" so far, whatever it is, but it sure doesn't sound like much fun.

I have been busy as Show Chair for our local breed club show again this year, and so am running a bit behind on my training schedule, but somebody has to do the job, I guess. It has been a lot of work, but a lot of fun, also. You only get out of anything what you put into it, I think. It's nice to have a 3-day weekend to catch up on a few things now, though. On a positive note, Granny Flojo's brother Tony actually won the Specialty Show on Friday with a Best of Breed from the Veteran's class. It was to be his last show, and he won it in style. I don't believe he has been in the show ring for years. I also don't believe I can remember another dog having won a show like this at the age of almost 12. Since Flojo and Tony's mom Jackie is 16 years old now, it should bode well for the health and longevity of Skookum's litter. Let's hope so. Wow, what an achievement! I am glad I was there to see it. Bonnie Rose, Granny Flojo's breeder, has posted a win photo of Uncle Tony on her website. You can look at it by going to Seaspecs Dalmatians website home page, and then clicking on the link to On The Spot Dalmatians. On the same page is a picture of Great Granny Jackie, Flojo's mom, celebrating her birthday. Jackie was nicknamed after Jackie Onassis because of a circle of spots she has on her flank. Flojo has the same circle in the same place.

Skookum is slowly regaining her prenatal fitness, but is still a bit portly and much slower than before on the agility course. Two weeks ago, I finally got her back up to her full 20 inch jump height with no problems, and last week we ran all but the first course at the full jump height. We are starting to work as a team again, but our timing is not perfect. Maybe since she is a bit slower now, I should try entering a trial and I might actually be able to keep up with her!

Here is a pre-pregnancy photo of Skookum and I hanging around the bleachers, waiting for our turn in the agility ring. I have actually entered a trial for a couple of weeks from now. It will be interesting to see how Skookum does. She has shed a couple of pounds- down to 44 from 47 since the puppies were weaned, and is getting faster and stronger, but is still not back in competition form. Her normal weight is 40 lbs, but she would really excel at 37 lbs. Maybe we should shed a few together. I am going to an outdoor show, and am planning on camping on the grounds. So, it should be a good socialization experience for little Cricket. Plus, I should have time to do some training during our down time. I can hardly wait!

3 Months Old

These puppies are all living separate lives now, but still have lots in common. We have had carsickness issues, but at least Cricket's seems to have gone away this last week as we took her to two fun matches over the last two weekends to socialize her. Now, when riding in the car, she pretty much sleeps comfortably in her oversized crate. Finally, at least two of the puppies can make it through the night without a trip outside to do their business, but the third puppy has had a urinary tract infection, so will hopefully work through housebreaking issues when that is resolved. Cricket and Cooper both weighed the same at 10 1/2 weeks - 19.5 lbs and McKenzie is about 16.5 lbs. Those all seemed like too much because of mom Skookum's small size. Little Cricket has now started obedience training and we have lots of homework to do. On August 14th, the 3 month anniversary date for this litter, we took Skookum to an obedience fun match and entered Cricket in conformation just for fun. She won the nonsporting group! That means she stood still and let me show her bite to the judge- small but important steps in her career training.

Twelve Weeks

As of August 6th, the puppies are now 12 weeks old. The remaining puppy, "Cricket" is now a work in progress. Follow our training and socialization adventures on her page: Red Girl aka "Cricket", as we work our way from puppyhood to adulthood. I will post photos of the other puppies on their pages if and when they come. This is a photo of Grannie Flojo and her granddaugher Cricket snuggled up in an undersized dog bed. It's amazing how fast she is growing.