Our Kayla/X-Box pups turned 4 weeks old yesterday. They enjoyed a great visit with Dr. Linda! I think they were thrilled to be getting attention from someone other than me. Dr. Linda has a great way with animals. Garbo, Kayla and the pups all acted like they’ve known her for a very long time.
Larisa:
Leonora:
Lex:
Louie:
Lille:
Carole, I was floating on a cloud the entire trip to my mom and dads following our visit. It was such a pleasure meeting Garbo and Kayla. You are an amazing mighty mom to these beautiful four-legged angels on earth. I did not want to leave but figured you did not need one more critter to take care of…..who am I kidding, you’d have put me to real work in a minute-at least second shift and I would have loved it. FYI I know you kept asking what my gut was telling me…if a picture is worth a thousand words both louie’s expression and mine says it all. I’m putting my trust and both you and Julie AND I cannot stop thinking about the connection I felt with him. If you are open to it, I would like to move in that direction…I think I have fallen in love and I would be honored to be his human companion no matter the cost. So I guess I found my gut. Look forward to your feedback. Again it was wonderful to meet you and spend time with you, it was an unforgettable experience. Dr Linda
Linda, you are very welcome!
By the way, if your phone has quit working it is probably because you have too many L pictures on it. 🙂
I love that last picture! Too cute! Was the plastic surgeon able to replace the tip of Lynda’s nose after Larisa was done with it?
I was quite surprised at how gentle Larisa was when she took hold of Linda’s nose! She was not giving her the piranha bite—just taking a little taste. Oh, don’t get me wrong, these pups have shown the piranha instinct. They are starting to “kill” their toys and are rough with each other. Usually, they are pretty gentle with me. It is not the blood-dripping antics of those terrible G pups. At least not yet! 😉
Julie, my nose survived but my heart was left behind, with Lillie. But we are so excited that after she makes her road trip with Carole and crew up to MI we’ll be bringing her home to Ft. Lauderdale. I’m busy preparing the house and yard for Lillie and Bach, my 8 yr old German Shepherd listens to stories about what a sweet and loving sister he is going to have. He likes the sound of her name and looks forward to having a best friend. He also wants to show off his swimming and retrieving skills. We walked down to the edge of our lake yesterday and sometimes Bach doesn’t care to go on the water so I took his tennis ball to throw, he played catch with it on the grass and then took the tennis ball and dropped it in the lake and started pushing it out into the water with his nose. OK I got the message, threw the ball out into the lake and out he goes, gets the ball and brings it to me for a few good rounds. I notice that with Lillie, whenever there is a water bowl around she seems to love to get her paws in to it, she and Bach should have a lot of fun with the water when she is old enough.
Linda, are you CERTAIN that there are no gators?
Since you are a native, you would know better than me. From what I’ve read and my experience, any body of water in FL either has gators and/or sharks. The Cape area has brackish water and I have seen gators in it. I wouldn’t want something to happen to either of your dogs. If for no other reason than to make me feel better, please check with whoever maintains your lake about the gators.
Carole, I will absolutely check with the president of Poinsietta Heights which maintains Lake Melva regarding the concerns you have. Regardless of my past experience with Bach and Hans and the Lake the well being of Lillie and Bach supersede everything. Truth be told, it is probably a year since Bach last went swimming in Lake Melva primarily because he is so “iffy” about swimming anyway.
At Central Bark, where he goes to his playgroup, they have a kiddie swimming pool and Bach is a big hog wanting to dominate that little body of water- I think they should name it Lake Bach and be done with it, it’s similar to the pool you have for the welping box.
Please rest assured that I will exercise my due dilligence regarding this matter and let you know what the association says. Regardless – my inclination is to err on the side of caution and walk Bach and eventually Lillie to an area that does not have access to the lake. I will let you know what the neighborhood association tells me, but frankly I am a little nervous now even if they say its clear. I am so easily influenced, argh! So just out of curiosity then, since these dogs love water so much, how do you make sure they get to have that experience? Is it playing with the hose, or a small pool like the one at Central Bark? Thanks for your feedback on this. Please give Lillie a big kiss for me.
Linda, I have no doubt that you will take every precaution! I will be very curious to hear what the association has to say about it and how they manage to keep such a large lake gator-free.
My dogs do not get to swim in Florida unless it is in their baby pool. I have spent too much time in or around our natural waters to take the chance. Gators hate dogs—actually, they find dogs to be quite tasty. I have seen gators climb fences to get to water. I have been surf fishing and have seen 6 ft sharks swim by in a channel that was only a few feet from shore.
Playing with the hose or sprinklers or a small pool is the way to go!
Linda, hi. My name is Cindy and I too am fortunate enough to be getting an Alta-Tollhaus pup next month!! I am confused if it is Louie or Lille who stole your heart? In the first post it sounds like it was Louie the rest sound like it was Lille. I get to meet the L litter Monday!!! 🙂
I just want to try not to fall in love with a puppy that is promised to you or anyone else!! Who am I kidding though. I am in love with 11 of them already!!! We are very fortunate to have a 3 acre fenced in yard and a place on a lake (in Michigan so no gators!) so I feel our new puppy will be as happy with us as I am sure we will be with him!!!
Hi Cindy, Aren’t we lucky! Well you read the posts correctly, and like you I am in love with all of them. When I first started looking for my next GSD I was looking for a female as I already have a male shepher who is turning 8 yo in Sept. When Carole and I first spoke she encouraged me to keep an open mind as the males in the litter would be very well suited for the work they would be trained to do (animal assisted therapy/service animal). So my mind was open when I met the pups last Saturday. The two boys were as sweet as pie- Lex slept most of my visit so I didn’t get much of a chance to get a sense of his personality although when I held him he was gentle, loving and made direct eye contact with me…awww. Lillie was the welcoming committee and is sweet, affectionate, outgoing and extremely interactive in a lively way. When I picked Louie up and looked in his face and held him close, I got butterflies in my heart. I don’t know what it is about that fella but I was mush. Carole and I talked at length about my needs for a dog in my therapy practice as well as the needs of my current German Shepherd whose name is Bach. After 2 days of deliberation and discussion what became clear is that Lillie will be the best match for our home. I could not be happier, she is truely the best temperment to minimize power struggles with my male as well as having the affection and attention I feel will help my patients. Well that was a long long answer on long dangerous tails but I wanted you to have the whole story so when you adopt one of Lillie’s siblings we will be well on our way to a family reunion. Please let me know if I can offer any more info and please keep me posted on your new family member, sounds like you are going to provide him/her a little piece of heaven on earth and vice versa. Dr. Linda
Dr. Linda,
Thanks so much for your reply. I don’t mind the long version at all!! I am so addicted to this site!! Not only is it great for me because of my love for the GSD I am also in love with photography. I use to think I was a decent photographer until I met Julie & Carol. Now I realize I am a mere young Skywalker to their Yoda!!
I’m not sure if I will be getting a pup from “your” L litter or from the M or K litter. I am in love with many if not all of the M & K litter pups!! (Due to having seen those ones in person) I will be so excited to get the one Julie picks for me but also a little sad to be saying goodbye to the rest of them!!! Actually I think no matter what litter I get one from they will be related in some way or another to your Lillie. Either way I look forward to hearing about Lillie’s journey here on the blog! Will she be keeping the name Lillie?
Cindy
Cindy, sorry it took so long to get back to you, by now I guess you have met with the pups, whoo hoo! Yummy aren’t they? I wanted to respond to your question about keeping the name Lillie. When I first thought about getting a female pup I had a different name in mind. but when i met the pups and Lillie in particular it seemed she was already responding to the sound of her own name. So as I was thinking about this last week, I was reading one of the books i like to read for spiritual food and this is the page I turned to….” Who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? And why are you worried about what you shall wear? See how the Lillie’s of the field grow. They do not toil or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was arrayed as one of these.” Well that sealed the deal for me and my Lillie of the field!
Thank you, Linda, for keeping Lille’s name. I name my puppies by the time their eyes are open. The puppy’s name is used each time it is handled and quickly learns its name. I think it helps with the adjustment period of going to a new home. It gives the puppy one familiar thing to take along—its name. Don’t you feel better with a group of people that you really don’t know when someone uses your name?
Besides, she truly is a Lille of the field!
Carole, wow I had no idea of the process you have of naming these pups and how before their eyes are open they are named. When i read this I got tears in my eyes, what a mush I am. And yes I want, more than anything for Lillie to have the familiarity and the love that accompanies her name. Actually if i had my druthers not only would she come to her new home with her name, we’d bring you along as well! And I agree she is a Lillie of the field.
Are you enjoying your time in Michigan? We miss you here in Florida. Hope all is well.