Summer is waning and so will this blog as I shift gears to school where I will be writing a separate daily blog for parents and children.  With all the puppies gone, we’re down to our three Griffs plus Reine who will depart for her Flagstaff home in a week and a half.  Life for the big dogs has been good since the puppies left as they have more couch time with us in the evening and more running time with us outside.  They love having humans with them when they’re playing outside, even if we’re not doing anything specific with them.

Chev and Xupe in the shade (above) and all four cruising (below)

Below is the garden in the back yard that was untended to all summer.  We harvested a few spears of asparagus in spring and then I barely looked at it again while we were busy with puppies. Oh well, there’s always next year.

We’ve heard from Walter’s family who recently vacationed in Duluth and on Minnesota’s North Shore.  His family wrote, “The campground we stayed at was off the St. Louis River and he suprised us by jumping right in the water following Gus and went for a swim! He’s a pure natural and didn’t skip a beat, he was a little champ. He still amazes us everyday day at how comfortable, confident, easy going and smart he is! We love him to pieces!”

We absolutely love getting updates, photos and stories from puppy families.  We’ll post the further adventures of the “B” litter when we receive news and photos from you.  (I’ll always ask permission first before posting.)

Here’s the roster of the summer of 2015 litter, with their AKC “registered” names along with their call names.  This was our “B” litter and Biff wanted them to be named for berries. Thanks to friend Ann who did a lot of the brainstorming for names.  We’re loving the call names that families chose for their puppies.

In order from Puppy Number One through Twelve:

Norling Rise’s Elderberry – “Remmie”

Norling Rise’s Gooseberry Falls – “Mavis”

Norling Rise’s Huckleberry – “Axl”

Norling Rise’s Thimbleberry – “Griz”

Norling Rise’s Caperberry – “Kruger”

Norling Rise’s Mulberry – “Remmy”

Norling Rise’s Loganberry – “Edgar”

Norling Rise’s Boysenberry – “Gus”

Norling Rise’s Hawthorn Berry – “Walter”

Norling Rise’s Juniper Berry – “Forest”

Norling Rise’s Lingonberry – “Ruby”

Norling Rise’s Saskatoon Berry – “Croix”

The last of Chev and Reine’s twelve puppies left Norling Rise today.  Ruby’s family picked her up midday, a happy day for all of them but a slightly sad day for us. We know Ruby will have a terrific life (in the metro Twin Cities) and has a great family who will love, play with and care for her. It was fortunate for us that we had this last week with just her, easing our transition from twelve to zero puppies.

Cue the bittersweet music… Today was Ruby’s (Number Eleven’s) last full day at Norling Rise.  Biff worked with her out in the field (first time on a check cord) and I had some snuggle time with her this evening in the barn.  Her departure will leave us without the pleasure of puppies but it will allow us to turn all our attention back to our big dogs.  They, we are certain, will be happy to have more of us.

We received a couple of charming nap photos from puppy families – Kruger and Remmie with their peeps. Is anything sweeter than snoozing with a puppy?

Ruby had dinner with the big dogs tonight.  She’s also had her first experiences wearing a collar and we even tried walking between the barn and the house on leash.  She behaved as if the leash was a chew toy that became annoying when she realized it limited her running.  Alll in all, she’s easing into the ways of dogs quite well.  It’s been fun for Biff and I to have her with us for this week, feeling what the new puppy families are experiencing as they incorporate a puppy into their families’ lives and routines.

This evening is rainy and we’re mostly hunkered inside. I spent all day in town, back at work, so these two photos were from last night when Ruby noticed and watched the pigeons pecking in the grass (their loft is a stone’s throw from the dogs’ kennel space.) Then, suddenly, they all took off.  It was good visual entertainment for Ruby.

“It’s just another ordinary miracle today.”  These Sarah McLachlan lyrics came to mind as I watched Ruby this evening and thought about her and her littermates.  I go back to work tomorrow, following what felt like a short summer, and was reflecting on the last 9 weeks. There was Ruby, chewing on the snap of my pants pocket, with her wide-awake exuberance and gorgeous features.  She romps around, snuggles up, chews everything she can get her mouth on and finally zonks out belly-up when it’s time to sleep.  What a miracle!

Ruby (Number 11) found her way under the fence into the backyard this evening, joining the big dogs for some running.  Ruby and Reine hung with each other for a while, exploring a green space that Ruby had not yet experienced.