I Love Luther Day!

Call me lucky. This morning as I grabbed some extra shut-eye, Jimmy went down through the garage and out to his car to get something. The problem was when he came back, Luther didn't make it into the garage before the door went down. I woke up and missed seeing Luther at the foot of the bed. I walked around and called him. No response. I asked Jimmy if he'd seen him and the answer was "No". I checked the guest room where the door closes him in occasionally, no Luther. I opened the porch sliding door and checked it and the back yard. No Luther. By the time I opened the front door, Jimmy was there. He grabbed the whistle and blew it 3 short times LOUDLY for a "Here" command. A minute or two later, Luther came flying through the house. He'd come in through the sliding door and was really wet. It had been a quiet rainy morning. I guess he'd been outside by himself over an hour or more. He was happy to see me. I toweled him off and gave him a treat. What a scare. Maybe I'm not near as lucky as Jimmy was! I cannot even conceive life without Luther. My buddy. This photo of Luther sitting near me was taken later this morning. As a good friend described him--a Magnificent Beast!

Java at 6 Months

Are you believing it? Java is 6 months old. Actually she was 6 months old on the 4th of July! I took this picture of her last Friday and I think it captures her personality. She is always so alert and doesn't want to miss a thing. She sits while I open her crate in the morning and when I give her permission to come out, she bounds out and runs in reverse down the hallway on the way to the Kitchen. She's focused on me and making sure Luther is coming, too. Like Ginger Rogers, she does it backwards and in heels!!! She's quite the young lady.

Luther & Me---Selfie!

Move over Hollywood--I figured we follow the trend and take a selfie, too.

Soft Spot

The text reads: We have a new soft spot in our hearts... We brought you home on 22 Feb 14. You were the first pup of the litter to leave home. You are very much your own self, very determined and fearless. You run until you drop! Luther is good to you but a little wrestling goes a long way. Thank goodness for the folding fence. You’re a true lab--loving food more than anything. Right away you were sitting on command and wanting to go outside to do you thing. Smart girl! Stop growing and stay a puppy for a while!!! You are just too cute for words.

Birthday Boy is FOUR!

Happy Birthday, Luther! It's hard to believe that you are such a big boy--four years old. You've matured into a great dog--so easy to live with in the house, a good father, a powerhouse in the field, and a dog with so much heart! Happy Birthday and many, many more.

Like Father--Like Daughter

There are times it is great to have the camera at hand. You just can't stage a photo like this. Luther was lying in his comfy bed when Java thought she might like that, too. I admit the camera settings were not optimal but who has the time to change the f/stop--not and capture the moment! Luther has been very tolerant to the whirlwind that has changed our everyday life. Java has arrived and she'll let you know it every waking minute. She has her active times and times when she is very centered and calm. Or she is asleep. She likes being in the same room with her "people". Jimmy has been very attentive and watches both dogs from around 5 a.m. till about 7:30. ;-) That gives me a little extra nap time that comes in handy as the day goes on. I take the night duty. We make numerous visits outside which are paying off. Luther doesn't mind because when we come in, it's "Treat" time. This isn't so bad after all! (Java-8 weeks, Luther-his 4th birthday a week from Sunday on 3/16)

Java's First Bird

Brad Slaybaugh called today and they were training not too far from home. The only problem was getting there. Packing for a new puppy and dog is like having a new baby and all the stuff you need to have. You know, everything is in the other car, etc. By the time we'd gotten there, they were leaving. Brad was in the driveway and I took out Java to show him. He went and got a pigeon out and proceeded to entice Java into retrieving the bird. Java loved it and proved that she knew her granddaddy was a Master Pointing Retriever. I was impressed at how "Birdie" she was. That was so good to see. Boy am I lucky to have Brad as a friend. He is SOOOO good with the puppies. In fact, he has a gorgeous new yellow lab puppy named Callie that was born on the same day. This should be fun training them together.