Ardmore

5/03/08: Hello to everybody from Wichita, KS!

Well the first leg, or maybe just an ankle, of the trip went very well. We left the farm around 1:30pm and stopped for a nap around 3pm, :D (early risings the past few days--once we finally got still, we got sleepy!) Pups were SO GOOD! They whined just a little, stayed awake for about 10 minutes, then went sound asleep, all six of them. We stopped for diesel and when we turned off the engine and the generator, they roused, but were quiet. Just watching us. Not scared, though; just taking it all in. Then back out on the road, fell back asleep. We didn't give them anything, like drugs; but, we had let them out in the "big" yard to run around for about an hour right before leaving.

We met with the very nice folks from Wichita and they met their new little girl. Very nice and very good to know that May is going to such a loving home.

Sorry this is going to be so short, but taking the puppies out when we got to the RV park turned into a real show-stopper, and dinner-delaying affair. These guys are a real magnet. They got lots of attention from everybody going by. I think people were coming over from the next county, as word spread.

All your puppies are fine; they've dined, drank, used the ladies' room, and are now sleeping again. They had a big time out in the exercise pen being the center of so many people's attention. We also practiced some leash walking; I definitely have to practice that more. I didn't seem to want to go the same direction that the puppy wanted to go. :)

I'll check in again, next time I have internet. It would be wonderful if I have it every night.

Goodnight, write again soon. Luanne, Faye, Rupert (ours) and yours

5/05/08: Good morning everybody,

I hope this finds all of you well and good. We are in Oakley, KS. We had hoped to make it further yesterday, but were pretty tired after a big day. No big events, we are just figuring it all out, finding things that work better than others, and in general, having a great time. Well, maybe not great every minute, but overall, things are going well. You know how they say that you never really know someone until you travel with them; we are finding the same to be true of the pups. Spending literally 24 hours a day with them, all of us enclosed in this 320 square foot rolling box, has given us the opportunity to really see all their little personalities. They all remain sweet; they are brave, adaptable puppies.

We have learned, for example, that they rest and sleep much better the cooler it is. We are riding down the road with our generator going and the house air conditioners going, and the puppies are sleeping like babies. Which they are. It feels like winter in here; Faye and I are wearing our sweatshirts and polartec shirts and I have a blanket over my lap for Rupert to sleep under, and I have to keep scraping frost off the windows, but, hey, it's the least we can do. :) And it makes for such a more pleasant drive!

We will head out making our way to Denver, and hopefully, beyond for the night.

Faye had a "scathingly brilliant" idea yesterday. (for those of you who remember "The Trouble With Angels") She wanted to make the morning potty and feeding easier than taking them out one by one while it was still dark. I wasn't comfortable taking more than one out when it was still dark. We placed a sheet of plastic down over the carpet in the living room, put those puppy pee pads down on top of that, set the exercise pen up over that--that was really a lot of fun, unfolding that in our little house--and put the kids over into there. It worked beautifully; I put two at a time in so they would have more room for their relieving of themselves, then took up used pads and put down new ones, and voila!, a dining room! Then all the puppies together ate and drank, then played some, all before daylight. Now it is 7:15, and they are back to sleep, with just the occasional sister-to-sister whine of "move over, you're hogging the bed".

One of our adoptee moms had another "scathingly brilliant" idea. She is wondering if any of you would be interested in forming and participating in an internet group, something along the lines of "The Puppy Express Group". She can do all the setting up of this, and thought it would be fun to share stories of the puppies with one another. If any of you are interested, let me know. I will then send her your email address and she will contact you. I think it sounds great, and am delighted that she thought of this.

I had better close for now. Need to do some chores. I'll check in again, internet gods willing, tonight or in the a.m.

Luanne, Faye, Rupert, Zoe, Li'l Sis, Rusty, Callie, and Jack

5/06/08: Well we finally made it out of Kansas. We had to stop first thing off the bat at Colby, KS, after leaving Oakley, for the Cummins Diesel shop to look at a drip from our generator. We had noticed it the afternoon before; we also had just had everything serviced last week. Some of you know that a couple of summers ago we spent five days in Colby waiting on a part for the engine of the motorhome, when we had problems on I-70 on a Sunday afternoon that was the day before July 4th. Right in the middle of a three-day weekend. We had played a lot of golf at Colby's very nice little 9-hole course, and all in all, we had made the most of it. But we didn't want to do that this time. And, luckily, the problem was easy to find, and easy to fix. We were back on our way within less than two hours. It just never fails, but as long as we can get back on the road that quickly, it is OK.

The kids are all fine; they are the BEST puppies. Of course, we have never traveled with 5 big puppies before, so we have nothing to compare it to. But, they are so good; they are patient, (most of the time), calm, and seem very content to travel down the road sleeping in heaps of puppies, or quietly chewing on a sibling's ear or tail. By 7am this morning they had all done their morning bathroom routine, eaten, drank water, done some more bathroom routine-ing, and are all now back in their kennels, most sleeping, but I do see two who are doing the "mouth-to-mouth" little quarreling that is really very sweet to watch. But, do not fear, these guys may miss their brother and sisters at first, for a little bit, but they will quickly come to love being the only one. They do when I take each one out by themselves. I've heard from one of our moms, who drove up Friday to get her new one, and "April" is doing great. The pictures showed a very happy little girl. Thanks so much, Kerri.

We will head out today for Cheyenne, WY and on up. We have changed our planned route, and will now continue up I-25, then merge onto I-90 into Billings, MT. Only about 20 miles difference in the two routes--we had been going to go across the bottom of WY into Salt Lake City--and we will see new country where we haven't been before. The puppies are seeing lots and lots of new sights, all along the way. Yesterday, at a rest stop, they each saw a completely different looking building than the barn they lived in. (the visitor's center) Then two of them saw a semi pull in and were spellbound. They just seem like they are really smart.

I have to go now to do the morning getting-away-from-camp chores. There just doesn't seem to be time in the evening to spend much time on the computer; we have been so lucky to find places with WIFI. I guess that's becoming much more common now. I'm glad.

Puppy Express out for now; y'all have a great day today. And THANK YOU all of you who are interested in the Puppy Express group; I think that sounds just great, and appreciate everybody wanting to participate. Thanks Kathleen, for thinking of this. OK, Puppy Express clear.

5/07/08: We spent the night in Sheridan, WY. Nice KOA campground; we have stayed in KOA's the past 2 nights, and it works well. They all have WIFI, and, since I went off and left our big Trailer Life Campground Directory at the house, the KOA directory is all we have. Thanks, Linda, for helping us out with finding a campground in Fort Collins.

Everybody is well, and doing great. Thank goodness that three of the eight of us are housetrained! But the five who aren't are doing really really well with being in their kennels and not going. The day begins around 5am; I get up a little before that to have a few minutes of "me" time; then I get the pups out and put them in the exercise pen that we set up the night before (works MUCH better to do it the night before), with puppy pee pads down over the plastic over the carpet. They all go number 1, I pick up the pads, which is a real treat for me as all the pups are right where I'm trying to reach over and pick up wet papers. They are very people-focused, and want to be right where you are trying to do something.

Then, they eat, and drink water. They like water, especially Li'l Sis who likes to drink for a little bit with the rest of them and then move the pan by picking it up by an edge and dragging it around the pen. A toy water dish, you might say. The pee pads are also great toys, though I bet the makers of them didn't know that. Li'l Sis is smarter than they are! Everything is a toy. :)

Callie is the singer of the group. When we talk to them, telling them how good they are and how smart, she tilts her head back just a little, still making eye contact, and just chortles the sweetest little sound.
Rusty, now Anya,--beautiful name, Caryl--is the feisty little princess who very clearly communicates when she needs, really really needs, to go "outside". That's for number 2. She is so frisky and is going to absolutely love playing with her new big brother.

Zoe would rather you pet and love on her than eat when she's hungry; she loves to go outside and loves to flop down on the grass, wet or not. Maybe even especially if it's wet. She dearly loves to be talked to and loved on.

I don't do them justice describing them. They may not be the smartest, sweetest, most lovable puppies on earth, but then again, maybe they are.

We aren't making miles as fast as I thought we might. I apologize for this, but we may not reach Poulsbo until sometime Friday. We underestimated the extra time it takes to travel with additional passengers. Our days start at about 4:40 or so, and end around 10pm, and I really don't know where the time goes. Our pit stops take a little longer too, which we don't mind at all, but we feel bad about not getting down the road faster. I'll have a better idea when I see where we get to tonight.

It's going to be sort of rainy today; we're driving on I-90 through Montana; should be beautiful. Faye and I have dug out our hats and gloves , as we are still keeping the air conditioners working full-time, but the puppies remain nice and cool and sleep very well. They rouse when they hear the engine noise change, when we pull into a diesel stop or pit stop, but for the most part, they sleep. They were, however, ready to stop about 30 minutes before we got to our campground last evening. I finally went back and sat on the couch by their kennels, and that quieted them. Puppy Express clear.

5/11/08: We are here in Poulsbo, WA. Took us about one and a half days longer than we expected, but considering that we lost one entire day of travel due to the windshield wipers on the motorhome striking for better pay and more days off, we didn't miss it by much.

All is well, with puppies, vehicles, humans. I will write in more detail in the morning of our last two days, but I wanted to let you all know that we are fine, well-fed, getting some rest and exercise, and happy as can be.

I will just say that we are meeting some of the nicest people we've ever met, in the puppies' new families. We could not be more pleased than we are with Ernest and Courtney, and Jan and Phil. Thanks guys, for wanting to adopt these babies. And thank you Carol, and Kathy, and Gayle, of the Great Pyrenees rescue groups, who have helped match us all up.

More to follow. Puppy Express clear.
P.M.:

We all are fine, here in Eagle Tree RV Park in Poulsbo, WA. It is quiet here, with the tallest trees I've ever seen. Tall trees with huge trunks. It's a beautiful place, this Kitsap peninsula.

It is nice to be still for a couple of days. Yesterday I took the pups, one by one, walking around the campground; they each saw new things and even met a couple of new people. They do very well with new experiences; as you might expect, they are cautious and watchful; but not afraid and trying to get away. Usually they each just stand or sit and watch intently whatever the "new thing" is. Yesterday it was a motorcycle going right by us. With new people they are immediately friendly, especially if the new person talks to them.

We have met two of the adoptive families over the past two days. Friday evening we were to meet with Ernest and Courtney. The plan was for us to meet somewhere in the Tacoma area. Faye and I were driving along looking for a good spot, which for us means "big parking area for us to get in and get out of", and a grassy area to set up the exercise pen for the puppies. Before we knew it we were on Highway 16 and on our way to Poulsbo; as we drove further and further from Tacoma we became more intent on finding that "good spot", and finally in a panic, dove off the highway onto the exit for Gig Harbor. We began to drive down the Main street, feeling sure we would spot a city park or a Walmart or something like that. The roads were narrow, the traffic was heavy, and we felt like we were being carried along straight to the water, without any hope of turning around. Faye suddenly took a turn onto a different road; we had glimpsed the marina area ahead and it looked very congested. We had visions of tying up traffic for days, with emergency road crews cutting down trees, and demolishing houses to create an exit strategy for us.

Eventually we did find a great spot, at the Tacoma Community College, which must have been closed for the evening. We let Ernest know where we were, set up the exercise pen and carried the (at that time) five pups out. They were playing vigorously, and then, all five of them reared up on the same side of the pen, wanting pats from Faye. The pen fell down, pups went everywhere, and we were horrified and scrambling to grab them. But, the good pups that they are, did not go far from us, and mostly just wanted to stay near. We set the pen back up and got all pups back in without further ado. It was a good lesson in physics.

Ernest and Courtney were just as nice as we expected. They have already been doing their research and reading up on Great Pyrenees and we had a nice visit. Zoe is going to a very loving, safe, and responsible home, and we are so happy for her.

We then proceeded on up the road to our campground. We finally found it, (missed our exit the first time), got checked in, and then went to our assigned spot. Faye did a masterful job of backing "Betty Amelia" (the motorhome) into the rather tight spot, only to find out that it did not have the right hookups for what we had asked for. Called management, moved to a different spot, got all set up in about 10 minutes.

Jan and Phil came for Li'l Sis yesterday afternoon, and what a good time we had visiting with them and watching the pups play. Jan brought us some wonderful enchiladas, cinnamon rolls, and lemon bars that she had made the night before. Delicious!! We look forward to having the enchiladas our next night out on the road.

They are wonderful people, as all of you have been. Li'l Sis, now Frankie for Ol' Blue Eyes himself, Frank Sinatra, is going to have a terrific life with them and her new brother, Hogarth. We are as happy for her as we could possibly be.

We will head out again in the morning. We've enjoyed being still for a little bit, but will be ready to get rolling again. Down to three pups now; a little more room for everybody. Callie and Anya can't wait to meet their new families, and neither can we.

Heading to the laundry room now. These puppies need some fresh bedding, and we need some fresh jeans and towels. We humans are still outnumbered, 4 to 2, but we are still maintaining the illusion that we are in charge. :) Puppy Express clear.

5/14/08: Hope everyone is well. We all are and the puppies are doing great. They are growing, and get heavier, it seems, each day. But they sleep well, play hard, eat and drink eagerly, and are still sweet. We are in Butte, Montana, at a KOA. We spent last night in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. I don't have internet access tonight, and didn't last night either. I'm going to go ahead and write an update, and send it hopefully tomorrow.

We had an interesting learning experience yesterday evening. We had just pulled into our campsite for the night, gotten all hooked up, the slides out--the puppies are really funny to watch when the slide goes out. Our kitchen/living room slides out for more room when we are stopped, and the pups just stare at it with the most fascinated look on their faces. Anyway, back to our "learning" experience. The pups had all just had a bathroom break about 20 minutes before we stopped for the night. They had been telling us that they needed to stop, so we did, even though we were almost home for the night. So, since they had just been out, somebody had the bright idea of just letting them out loose in the RV. They were really excited about that and were running around and around, up and down, having a ball. I went outside to set up their exercise pen, to feed them in, and heard Faye calling me. Calling me loudly. I went back in and they had decided that they hadn't finished up their bathroom routine earlier. We were trying to catch poop and puppies, and Rupert was barking up a storm. I think he was telling them, HEY, HEY, WHAT ARE YOU DOING? I WANT TO DO THAT SOMETIMES BUT THEY WON'T LET ME. But I have to tell you, they each one went to where we had the plastic sheet we put down under their pen, when we open it up inside. It was folded up against a couch, and they each one tried to get on it. They were trying to go where they thought they were supposed to; they are really smart pups. So, we decided that letting them out loose before they've had a chance to do everything isn't the best idea after all.

Callie and Anya share a room, and they are really sweet together. But, like sisters everywhere, they have their spats. Never serious, just "get OFF me", "she's touching me", and "stop it, I'm trying to sleep". They usually sleep using each other for a pillow.

I really miss having internet. I've been wanting to visit the Leap Day Puppies website, and haven't been able to since signing up. I have some pictures of them I'd like to post.

It's pretty chilly here, at least to this Okie; 55 degrees with a strong north wind. The puppies love it.

I'll close for now; pretty tired and ready for a shower and sleep. We set the pen up in the living room before bed, with the plastic and the puppy pads; then when they cry during the night it's easy to just get up and put them in there for a few quick minutes, then toss the papers, and back to bed. A lot easier than taking each one out one at a time in the dark. And feels safer too. We'll get that ready, then turn in. Striving for an early start in the a.m.

Anya and Callie sent their love to their families. We are thinking of May, Zoe, Frankie, and Koda, and send our hellos. We know they are having a great time with their families. Puppy Express clear.

5/15/08:

We arrived in Buffalo, Wyoming around 5:30 last evening. Tired, and hungry, and ready to stop. The kids have learned something new. As we are slowing down, getting off the interstate, and making our slow way to the campground (usually not far off the interstate) they begin yapping, barking, and howling. They don't do this during the day when we make a rest stop or a diesel stop. We think they have learned that at this time of the day, when we are slowing down, they are only a few minutes away from food and play. It's cute, and it really adds to the getting-into-the-campsite routine. Adds a sense of "hurry-up-ness".

We let them out in the motor home last night, after all had used the restroom outside. They played very hard, and were dead tired afterwards. They sleep well at night, waking about every 4 hours or so; I just use the inside pen at night, and they go back to sleep.

Not a lot to report today; we are only a couple of days away from meeting Anya's new family, and are really looking forward to it. Talk to y'all again soon, tonight if we have wifi. Puppy Express clear.

5/16/08:

We spent the night in Mitchell, SD, at a nice little roadside campground. Not one we're likely to come back to, but fine for the night. Anya, Callie, Jack, and Rupert all are fine, and doing well. We had another mechanical problem yesterday, the generator wouldn't run. We went on down the road without it, with some windows open for the pups comfort. We really need the genset, as it is the only way to run the house AC as we're driving, and we need the AC to keep the pups cool and us frozen. We've gotten used to that, and to ride along in shirt sleeves just doesn't seem normal somehow.

We had been on the road for about 3 hours when we passed a motorhome dealership; we pulled in and they got right to work on it, stopping what they were working on. Found a fuel pump not working, had one in stock, and replaced it and had us back on our way in about 2 hours. We were very thankful; they were all very nice, and saw the pups when I took them out. Those guys were really taken with the pups, and thought they were "great looking pups". The pups got to meet some more new people, which is always good. They do very well with that.

We are looking forward very much to meeting with Anya's new mom later today. We will push on into Minnesota, and then Wisconsin, and meet up later in the day. Anya will be ready for some room to run!

Now, they have eaten, drank water, played some and relieved themselves, and are in their kennels while we get ready to roll. They are mostly playing quietly with their toys, and quarreling softly with one another.

We will check in again, when we next find wifi. Puppy Express clear.

5/17/08: We made it to Wisconsin Dells, WI yesterday about 4:30; was glad to get here. Anya's new mom arrived shortly thereafter, and we had a nice visit and a lot of laughs watching Anya meet her new big brother. They are going to get along great, I think. Thanks, Caryl, for the Wisconsin edibles!!

Our puppy express is down now to 2 pups and our dog Rupert. This makes for much quicker puppy-care-taking, quieter puppy-care-taking, and easier puppy-care-taking. We are surprised to find that while we miss the rest of the bunch, we are not sad at all; I am sure this is because all of the people who have adopted these pups are extraordinary folks who love dogs and make their dogs part of the family. We feel SO GOOD about the homes these puppies are going to, it's impossible to really feel sad. Thank you to all of you who wanted to adopt one of these guys; and a huge "thank you" to the Houston Great Pyrenees Rescue Society and especially to Carol, of Ozark Dogs, who paved the way for these puppies to find their ways to their new families!

We will head down to Illinois this morning for a couple of days visiting with my sister and her family. We will head down to Memphis later in the week to meet with Callie's family. We can't wait to meet them, and I know that Callie is going to love them!

She and Jack have had their morning romp, meal, and all else that puppies do, and are now quietly chewing on their Nylabones in their crates. All is well with the world.

That's all for now; hope everybody has a great day today. Puppy Express clear.

5/21/08: How wonderful wifi is at campgrounds! I know there was a time when I never even traveled with a computer, never even gave internet access "on the road" a passing thought. Now, I feel lost and at loose ends without it; isn't progress great. :)

We are settled in for the night in Sikeston, MO. We will get to Memphis tomorrow, and await Callie's family's arrival on Saturday. We are excited and so pleased for Callie. We've been telling her all about Kathleen and Allen, and that she's going to live in Mississippi and be a true Southern belle. I am pretty sure that she understands every word we say, and it sounds as if she is practicing her drawl.

She and Jack had 3 good romps in the exercise pen today. Once before we got on the road, and twice since we've been here tonight. They are pretty tired out now, and are both napping quietly. Or pretending to, in hopes we will carelessly let a sock or paper towel or some other goody fall into their crates. I cannot tell you how many times I have had to fish out something that got just a little bit too close to the walls of the kennel and was half-dragged in, with a happy puppy chewing away on the sleeve of a jacket, a pillow, or the map. All your furbabies have been guilty of this, from the beginning of the trip, and it has been pretty funny each time! Of course, we forgave each and every one. :)

We spent 3 nights in Rockford, IL, where our sister lives with her family. They very kindly let the puppies come over one afternoon and run, run, run, all over the yard. They had a fantastic time! The yard suffered minor damage, with flower beds being the primary playground of choice. (How do they know?) They were very tired and happy that night, and slept in the next morning, until 5:30. Instead of 5:00. It was great.

We've now had two different vets state that these pups appear to be more of a Malamute/Great Pyr mix, than Husky. Anya's vet, in Wisconsin, thought that because of her "'massive front legs and feet". Then also, the vet in Rockford that we used for Callie's and Jack's shots basically said the same thing; that based on size (Jack weighed 26 pounds and Callie weighed 23) that she leaned more to the Malamute. So, thought you should all know that; your vets may agree or not, let us all know what they each say.

Well, the pups are working on getting Faye's jacket into their rooms; they are very intent and focused. It's so good to have a hobby.

Hope all of you and yours are well and happy. Puppy Express clear.

5/24/08: Good Morning from the Mighty Mississippi!

Hope this finds everyone well and happy. We arrived in West Memphis yesterday afternoon, finding our campground without any trouble. Though we wondered for a moment or two if we were going the right way, as we went further and further out of town. It's really nice here, at Tom Sawyer's Mississippi River RV Park. We face east, and are very close to the river; we can sit outside and watch the barges go by. It's out away from the city, and is very quiet. When we first arrived we set out the exercise pen and let Jack and Callie play, eat, drink water (although they have discovered a really fun new game which involves picking up the water pan by its edge and dragging it around, spilling all the water I've usually just poured in--but they do so enjoy it.) We sat outside with them for about an hour and a half, watching barges float by. We had a pleasant surprise when a woman walked up and said "I think we were at the park in Arlington with you back in January". Sure enough, it was a couple we had parked next to at the Treetops RV Park in Arlington, TX. This has happened to us once before, running into folks we had met up with in another place. Small world.

The pups seem to like it here, although it is warmer than anywhere else we've been. Several people came by and stopped to pet and talk to them. They are always happy to see someone new. And they win everyone over with their happy and friendly personalities.

We humans must be getting tired. Night before last, while we were in Sikeston, MO, my alarm went off, and right away I heard the pups, asking for a potty break. I got up, got them each out and over into the X-pen, and while they were doing their thing, I got their food dish ready and set it down for them. They went to gobbling food and I stepped over to get their water dish, glancing at the clock as I did so, and it was 2:05 am!

I set one alarm for the middle of the night, and one for "getting up" time; I didn't realize that this was the "middle of the night" alarm. So, after they ate a little bit, I put them back to bed, put myself back to bed, and we did it again at 5:30; the pups weren't quite as hungry as they usually are first thing of the morning; they really enjoyed their midnight snack. A lot more than I did.

We will finally meet Callie's family this afternoon. They will drive up from their home in Mississippi and meet us here at the river. We are looking forward to it, and Callie will be so happy to finally "get home".

Ah, our electricity just popped off, just as I heard the "boom" of a transformer. With all the little misadventures we've had on this trip, with mechanical failures and the like, I wonder if I should tell them that it's probably our fault, somehow. Nah, think I'll just keep quiet.

Ok, it's about an hour and a half later and the power is back on. Good. Maybe it wasn't us after all.

I don't have wifi here at our site, though supposedly they do have it here in the park. Guess I'll drive over to the laundry and see if I can send this out.

Warm wishes for a good day to all, Luanne, Faye, Rupert, Jack, and, for a little bit longer, Callie. Puppy Express clear.

5/25/08: Good Morning everybody!

It is a beautiful morning here on the Mississippi river. Jack and I have been for a long walk along the river; he found a real treasure--a dead fish. We were both so glad that he found it; he was ecstatic, and I was slightly less so. Especially having to actually touch the thing to get it out of his mouth. He got sopping wet from the dew, but I don't think he minded at all. He would run along licking the grass as he went. I took that to mean that a good long drink of water was in order when we got back to the motor home.

We met Callie's mom and dad yesterday evening. Kathleen and Allen, we so enjoyed meeting and visiting with you; as all of you have been, they are the perfect people to adopt Callie. We wish for her and them, and for all of you, many happy and delightful times with your new babies. Your new BIG babies. Thanks too, Kathleen and Allen, for the terrific cookies and beans and rice; absolutely delicious.

This may be the end of this phase of the "Puppy Express", but it is far from over. For us, the memories of life on the road in a rolling itty bitty home with one small "this-is-my-home" dachsie boy, and six, then five (then four, three, two, one) puppies will give us pleasure for the rest of our lives; for all of you, we hope that these furbabies will give you many years of devoted companionship, unconditional love, and many belly laughs.

We will not forget the challenges of wanting to cover miles to get to our rendezvous points and stopping every 2-3 hours to take five can't-wait-me-first-gotta-go-now pups out to "express" themselves. Nor will we forget going through bags of Puppy Chow and puppy pee pads like wildfire. Where did they go, we just bought some yesterday; the singing, whining, crying, barking (little puppy barks) that accompanied us down the road in the early days; and the delight that they gave us while we watched them play in their pen, and all the multiple strangers that admired, petted, and marveled at them all along the way.

I really hope that all of you will find some time to email us with updates and photos. In fact, we insist! :) I also hope that each of you will be inclined to participate on the Leap Day Puppies webpage, sharing pics and stories and letting us all compare their temperaments, behaviors, and progress. We can all help each other a lot through the "puppy raising period", by sharing what works and what doesn't. Your babes have been a part of our lives since that morning on February 29, 2008, when we went out to check on Lady and heard little mewing sounds as we approached her shed. We looked at each other and said "she's having them!" Now they are a part of your lives, and we are so thankful. You are all just the "dog people" kind of folks that we wanted for them.

This has been a lot of fun. And we got a great little new family member too. Rupert and Jack actually played together last night for the first time; Rupert got in the bow-wow position and everything. He mostly ran back to the bedroom, back up to the living room to give Jack a nudge with his nose, pause a minute, then turn and run back to the bedroom at full speed. Sort of like a running fit with a little play break in between trips to the back. It was great to see, and a big relief for us.

I'd like to plant a seed of an idea in all of your minds. Just something to think about. It's mostly one of those "wouldn't it be nice" kind of things, but sometimes those actually happen. The next Leap Day is 4 years away; "wouldn't it be nice" if we could have a reunion of some kind. I certainly don't have it planned out; but let me know how the idea strikes you all.

That's all for now. Hope you all have a great day. Give your babies a hug from all of us at the farm, where they were born. We love them all, and are so glad they found their forever homes. We can never thank Carol Sacher of Ozark Dogs, or Kathy Penney and Gayle Drucker of Great Pyrenees Rescue Society of Houston, and Nancy Hinds of SPIN, enough. A special thank you to Carol, for posting these updates on your website for others to share. Puppy Express clear.

April/ Koda		May/ Macy click for update		June/ Zoe
Rusty/ Anya		Lil' Sister/ Frankie		Jumper/ Callie