The Circus Seven – Week Nine in Review

Decisions have been made!

BUMBLEBEE – ZANIE, the clown, is going to join her biological father and half-sister in Simi Valley. For the Weim geeks, watch out for BARRETT AND STAR’S UNDER THE BIG TOP in the catalogs.LADYBUG – MOLLY, the itty bitty, is off to Winchester. She’ll also be making an appearance as BARRETT N STAR LYIN’ TAMER AT KIMPAWSIBLE in the months and years to come.

FROGGIE – JAEGER, the jumbo jet, joins his papa in Santa Clarita. Among other things, he will become a military assistance dog. The real kind, with a certificate and special privileges. You may also see him in the catalogs under BARRETT’S STAR ZIRKUSDIRECTOR.

PENGUIN – ANZE, the sleeper, is headed off to wine country and joins a gaggle of canine and equine mates. Utility articles and heel commands are definitely in his future. (D&G, remind me what Anze’s registered name is?!)

TEDDYBEAR – FINN, the social butterfly, is going to the land of the great big canyons. Being the “only child” in the house, there’s no doubt he’ll be doted on. He’s already dreaming about weave poles and chute tunnels. Nimble and quick, we already know he’s going to own it… under the name of BARRETT’S STAR RINGMASTER.

MONKEY – STARK, the fearless independent, is going to a home where he can hunt, for reals. When not hunting, for reals, he’ll also be working towards a career in the wide open spaces. If he “graduates from college,” we can expect to see him at hunt tests and field trials. Follow him in the catalogs under BARRETT AND TOUCHSTONE’S CIRCUS MONKEY.

And that leaves…

ELLIEPHANT – ELLIE, the little lady who will carry us on under BARRETT’S STAR ELLIEPHANT ACT. For now, she’s going to focus on being a rock-star puppy. She’s going to learn how to learn. Immediately, she’s being shipped out to friends so she can be in an environment without other dogs, get some independent human time in, and have her confidence encouraged. At some point, she’ll return home to Mamma Friday, Auntie Britta, and half-brother Boulder, and we’ll get her started with all sorts of fun stuff. The jury is still out on where her travels ultimately take her, but for now, we’ll just enjoy watching her grow up.

Congrats to all.

Photos from Week Nine…

Wednesday, December 3, 2014: Puppies turned EIGHT WEEKS OLD today! We started off the day with morning potty in the rain. The good news? Puppies are NOT afraid of the water!

Sloshing through the puddles.

Froggie. Not very amused.

Puppies about the unfinished deck.

The vet called with an opening, so we piled into the car and went in for our “Week Eight Exam!”

Little Miss LadyBug!

Exploring the exam room.

Penguin getting some love from one of the vet techs.

A bewildered LadyBug and Elliephant.

Going to the vet is exhausting…

Car ride home. Clean bill of health for EVERYONE!

The “we want to go out even though it’s raining” look.

Later that night, the first to leave the nest was LadyBug/Molly!! This was a special moment as Bill and Kim have waited a VERY LONG TIME to bring home one of Friday’s babies. 🙂

You might notice a random “big puppy” in this picture. This is Gracie (Lilac from 2014 Max x Friday litter). Gracie’s mamma dropped her off this evening for a week of “Camp Barrett” time. Waaaaay better than going to a boarding kennel for a week when the humans are out of town!

Thursday, December 4, 2014:

Little Miss Elliephant, passed out after a play session. Next to her, Penguin.

Left to right: Monkey, BumbleBee, and Penguin.

Friday, December 5, 2014:

Photo with TeddyBear.

Playtime under the (still unfinished) deck.

Friday (in front) and her kids. Notice the big kid in the back. That’s Gracie again. Totally looks like her mom.

The husband’s gonna hate me for posting this, but I can’t help myself. A rare moment when both girls are sharing the same bed… and Barry making a stupid face at them. 🙂

On a more serious note, I have to mention that we don’t leave the puppies outside unsupervised anymore. EVER. Either Barry or I are always outside with them. Consider it “lessons learned” from the coyote attack that occurred during the time we raised the previous litter.

Later this evening, Barry and I went out for a quick dinner, leaving the puppies loose in an xpen (as opposed to lock inside their crates).

Bad idea. Very, very bad idea.

Note: No puppies or brand new Crate and Barrel appetizer plates were harmed during this adventure, but we did lose a few houseplants.

Saturday, December 6, 2014:

Breakfast with the puppies! BumbleBee, Elliephant, Monkey, and TeddyBear.

Later that evening, Ellie took a nap on the sofa with the husband.

…and Friday snuck into the pen to be with her kids.

Later that night, I snuck BumbleBee into the bedroom with me. Britta, Friday and Gracie came along, too. This only lasted until Barry kicked them all out.

Sunday, December 7, 2014: This morning started at the dog shows (with Gracie!). Afterwards, we took the puppies out on birds for the first time. For puppy owners, please find the password for this post in your email.