Alaskan Marmaduke!

Every time we turn around, Juneau has outgrown another crate. She was 35 lbs. when she arrived here a little over 6 weeks ago (and she had grown quite a bit during the weeks she spent in her previous foster home too) and she is WAY over that now. So big we can't weigh her on the home scale anymore, so we will need to run by a vet on our way home from an outing sometime to check. We have her in a 36" crate now.

Anyway, her constant growing and large size (not to mention a-typical appearance) make everyone (including us!) wonder if she is a mix rather than a double-merle Aussie (though she does look a bit like the homozygous merle dog shown here). And we have taken to giving her little nicknames as well. When she is hanging out with our foster dog, Hugo, we like to call them Hugo and Huge-O. And Jason has taken to calling her our "Alaskan Marmaduke". We think she is about 6 months old now, so she is getting closer to being full-grown. Any guesses on what the scale will show this week?

Doggie Day Care

It had been a while since we have taken the dogs to doggie day care for a playdate. Ever since we lost our own deaf Aussie, Luci, shortly before Juneau's arrival we haven't really felt motivated to take them to her favorite places for some fun and exercise. But we could tell that Juneau was the kind of pup who was going to LOVE day care, so we decided to take her and our dogs for some playdates. Turns out, we were right!

Jessica at Romp N' Run said she was a natural and had a total blast playing with the other dogs. And she must have played hard, because she came home and *crashed out*!

She got to play twice last week at Romp N' Run and then went to meet our good friends at Taurus Training today. It is so great for her to keep meeting and playing with other people and dogs, plus she gets some much needed exercise! (Remember: a tired puppy is a good puppy!) And being deaf didn't get in her way AT ALL. She made tons of friends and a lot of fans too.

Bull Creek Park

Ben & I went to meet some friends at Bull Creek and we took Juneau with us for a little R & R away from home and all of the puppies. We had no idea what a wonderful day we had in store for us!!!

Juneau had a blast playing in the water. She ran and galloped and jumped all through it. She wasn't as sure about the swimming part-- but she would wade out to her chest over and over and over.

But the water is only half of the fun at Boggy Creek. All of the other dogs-- big and small, young and old-- were the real attraction for our social butterfly. Plus kids and all kinds of other people to smile and toss a ball or stick for her.

And we had a lovely hike too. It was a magical morning that none of use wanted to end. I know we say it every time, but this is a super special dog!

Big Sister Juneau

Juneau has been the best babysitter and big sister that any foster home could hope for. Since she has been with us no fewer than 15 (!) puppies have marched through here on their way to new homes or new foster homes. And she has loved each and every one. She keeps them in line and well entertained and exercised. She is a doll.

Summer Days

Juneau is really enjoying having Ben and I home more of the time! Great summer days for sure. Check out her photo album for lots more new photos!

Gentle Juneau

Juneau has continued to be a wonderful girl for us. She spent the Memorial Day weekend with some special dog lovers who found her to be a great pup-- and taught her to use a doggy door! Then last weekend she went on a quick run with Flurry's new mama and had a fun morning in the park... proving once again that she loves everyone.

She has grown about 6 pounds since she arrived, we think she will probably be about 50 ponds full-grown. Not too big, not too small.

We plan to start her at puppy playday at Taurus Training this week. And we will continue to work on her hand signs. And we might give her a bit of a try in the kiddie pool this week!

Juneau will be at our group's Meet and Greet this Saturday (06/07) from 11 AM - 2 PM at the Pet Supplies Plus in Northwest Austin. Come meet this very special girl!!!