One Smart Cookie

Here are some observations in an email that Lauren shared with us about Luther. Maybe now you can understand why Lauren is the perfect trainer for Luther...she sees EVERYTHING! And Luther knows it! Luther can't get by with any mischief.

Luther is doing well. We are going to work on steadiness drills now. I wish that Tryg could be here once during the daylight to video!! You know how you said that Luther might be too smart for his own good? I thought about that, and I know he is extremely smart, but I thought, maybe because you are his mom that you think he is THAT smart. Well, Bonnie, you were totally right, he is THAT smart. Some of the things he does just blow me away. Like for example, he has done this numerous amounts of times, but tonight it was SO clear what he was doing..... I gave him a press rawhide bone and he is gnawing on it behind me in the hallway, I can't see him, I can hear him. So I call him, and he doesn't know that I am looking at him, so he takes his bone, places it in the bedroom right by the door, so I can't see it, and then casually comes in and greets me. Why did he do this? Because he knows that everytime I call him when he is chewing the bone, I usually take it away from him so that he doesn't eat the entire thing in one sitting! I can't believe that a dog has that much thought put into a dang bone!! I can't cure his sneakiness but he has stopped taking things off the table, he hasn't done that in a long time. I just think that until he is old enough you and Jim are going to have to keep him in check or in a crate because he is a smart boy! He can get into a lot of trouble. He has really matured around the older dogs here though, he isn't doing any of that puppy stuff with the toilet paper etc. He is either sleeping, eating or chewing the rawhide when he is in the house. Have fun down in Florida!! Lauren

The Right Stuff!

When I chose this kit for our Digi Crop Club a couple months ago, I immediately knew who I'd feature using the wordart "Kindness" included in the collection...Lauren! Not only does Lauren breed exceptional labs, but her kindness is second to none. The dogs can sense it. They respond to her voice and direction. Sometimes when you create a layout, you might have to struggle until it all comes together. Not with this. The layout, photos and journaling all went together magically--Lauren--it was meant to be!

Walking Luther

Here's an "Out of Bounds" layout I did for our Digi Crop Club a couple months ago that I just finished up. Luther LOVED having Barton and Reagan here visiting for the week. I'll bet they walked him 6 to 8 times a day!

Happy 6 Month Birthday

I just had to celebrate and create something querky! Lauren sent me a photo to fix (take out Denali's owner) and I carried it a bit further. What's a birthday without a celebration! HAPPY BIRTHDAY DENALI, GRACE & LUTHER!!!

Family Foto

Lauren sent this wonderful family foto of the labs taken about a week ago. From left to right - Denali (full brother), Tess (mother), Grace (full sister), Luther, Shelby (grandmother). I had no problem identifying each dog without reading who was who. Luther looks like he's laid back and ready to climb under a front porch. Denali on the other hand wouldn't sit and stay and had to be tied to the fence. You can sure see Lauren's teaching lessons here in the photo.

Good looking group, isn't it! Oh, tomorrow is Luther, Grace and Denali's 6 month birthday. Happy Birthday, pups!

Luther's Great Adventure

The last month has been a blurrrrr. We were fortunate enough to have Lauren Koch accept Luther as a Gun Dog student. Our initial problem was getting him to Montana in August. The airlines won't ship dogs unless it is less than 85 degrees and this has been a firecracker of a summer! I mentioned to Jimmy that we could drive him there and the rest is history. Jimmy had never driven across this country so this was something on his bucket list! We left Petersburg, VA on Aug. 15th and arrived at Lauren's in Montana late on the 22nd via Omaha, NE (business mtg. with DesignBasics), the Badlands and Mount Rushmore, SD, Buffalo, WY and Yellowstone Natl. Park. Luther was a trooper the whole trip. Never whined, barked or was a problem at any time! We stayed mostly in Best Western motels that were animal friendly. The people we met on this journey were wonderful! Luther is quite an animal magnet and met new friends everywhere we went. I've got a pile of photos but will post just a few about our adventure in days to come. Needless to say, Luther has settled in and Lauren is dutifully training Luther to be the best dog he can be. She'll have a big challenge training Jimmy and me when we go to pick him up. :-) If you're looking for an excellent trainer, you can't do better than Lauren!!!

Okay, I know there are some terrific trainers nearby. It all boils down to a "trust" issue. Judge Cuddihy (Jimmy's dad) had a big black lab named Bo. When he went unannounced to the trainer's to check on his progress, he found Bo being beaten with a chain--at which time he put him in the car and never looked back. Handing over your baby to someone else is purely a trust issue! We know he is in the right place with the perfect person. Boy do we miss our buddy Luther!

Stay tuned for a few highlights of the trip....