tag:www.tracywessel.com,2007:/Savannah//2 2007-08-08T23:04:26Z On an auspicious Easter night, April 8th, just after Midnight, a very special puppy was born. She and her brothers and sisters had very big shoes to fill as her father was Brenner, a famous Search and Rescue dog, and her mother the beautiful world-traveled Iserah. These are the stories and adventures of Savannah and some of her friends and family... Movable Type 3.35 tag:www.tracywessel.com,2007:/Savannah//2.6 2007-07-31T03:00:05Z 2007-08-08T23:04:26Z

This is the story of a social outing for 3 Belgian Tervuren puppies and their humans.

Tracy Wessel http://www.tracywessel.com Mysterious Inter Species Co-Existence Seen in Dundee Dundee, OR – Today marked the appearance of a mysterious group of life forms in the little town of Dundee...had it been Dundee Scotland, it might have fit into the lore of mythical creatures roaming the planet, but in the case of Dundee, OR, it made for quite the spectacle. First seen on Maple Street were a grey wolf cub and a rare masked coyote pup playing in a domestic yard.... They seemed to have familiarity with wading pools and the intelligence to cool themselves after rough play... ]]> Things took a sordid and grotesque turn after the wolf cub bit off the tail of the coyote pup, who through up her head in agony... Okay that was gross, and I just made that up! The coyote pup seemed to fear for the safety of her tail when being pursued by the grey wolf pup. Later the 2 young predators were joined by a second coyote pup... And it appeared some domestic dogs and human women were overseeing the peaceful coexistence of the rare pups... Eventually the odd group headed into town to the Dundee Farmer's Market where they were greeted and socialized with amazed vendors and shoppers. After an hour of entertaining the market goers, the group visited the celtic/folk musician on site and danced a jig to his lively music... The dancing was followed by lunch at the Dundee Bistro which once again brought proprietors and patrons over to investigate the pups... The pups however, seemed exhausted by their adventures and were in child-like slumber... There was Percie the wolf cub, Savannah, the coyote pup, and Honey the other coyote pup. Finally the group headed back to Maple Street, walking down the street like any domestic dog-handler teams. No further information is available about the source or whereabouts of these pups, but some believe they were sent from God and are angels. Investigation is underway, and is being conducted by the Vatican. Others believe they are just children in canine clothing... p.s. we hope for more photos of Honey next time! ©2007 Tracy Wessel ]]> tag:www.tracywessel.com,2007:/Savannah//2.7 2007-07-25T00:55:59Z 2007-08-09T01:09:48Z

It was a Tuesday, and what appeared to be a regular sort of day for Savannah. Tracy had to head off to work, and it was a hot day, so Savannah and Nanny Kylie had to stay home in the cool space of the house. But as she was leaving, Tracy turned to Savannah and said "Tonight you're going to meet your nephew Percie for playtime."

Tracy Wessel http://www.tracywessel.com In no time, the two puppies were intertwined in the most violent play they could muster. Savannah soon had to learn to keep her tail tucked because one Percie Dumbledore kept biting it! They took turns being the winner... ]]> And seeing who was fastest and most cunning, cutting each other off "at the pass..." At one point, Savannah sneaked away a chewy bone and displayed it proudly with a firm air of ownership... But finally Uncle Harry returned the world to it's proper order... Finally after more than 2 hours of play, the younger Percie grew tired. Savannah was tired too, but didn't show it until the ride home. She went to sleep knowing she had met a lifelong friend. ©2007 Tracy Wessel ]]> tag:www.tracywessel.com,2007:/Savannah//2.11 2007-07-05T03:46:08Z 2007-08-10T03:55:53Z

After a fairly quiet Tuesday, Baby Padma woke to find her human leader NOT rushing off to work. They went for their walk down the block to the play field and once having walked to the other side, greeted a neighbor with a Chocolate Lab named Chip.

Tracy Wessel http://www.tracywessel.com ]]> Then with its mother... Then Tracy took Padma and Grandpa Jay Jay over to a small pool for a cooling off. It was very hot for Oregon. Over 90 degrees outside. After the farm chores, all the dogs were loaded back in the truck along with a giant, shiny new pool! It was filled just for Padma and Grandpa Jay Jay within minutes of arriving home! Complete with a floating toy! Which Padma wasted no time in retrieving... And carrying out to the yard to bite on... Nanny Kylie watched over, protectively as always. Several groups of children came to see Padma and to play with her. Finally Tracy made all the dogs go inside because of loud noises outside. They were fireworks and people were shooting them in the street. Padma didn't mind the noise, but it was starting to scare Grandpa...it has to be REALLY loud for Grandpa to hear it. So Tracy closed all the windows and turned on the air condition and some music. It made Grandpa fall asleep. Then Tracy went to her computer to begin working on some stuff ... she told Padma she was "behind" and had to work. Padma didn't like it when Tracy worked. She liked it when everybody played with her. So she set off around the house to see what she could chew on and attack... ©2007 Tracy Wessel.]]> tag:www.tracywessel.com,2007:/Savannah//2.10 2007-07-03T06:30:05Z 2007-08-09T06:41:15Z

Today was a beautiful day. The well mannered little Belgian puppy woke with a long stretch and a yawn. She had no idea what the day beheld. Only that something wonderful must be in store...she was certain because her pack leader had that "wait 'til you see" smile on her face.

Tracy Wessel http://www.tracywessel.com ]]> When Hannah stood up, Frieda stood higher... Frieda and Hanna decided to play "you jump first". First the face-off.. And ATTACK! That's when the principle came over. Nanny Kylie that is...she said Hannah was playing rough and to knock it off. Frieda and Hannah just couldn't help themselves. As soon as Nanny Kylie went back to watching for the fence runners next store, they were at it again... Oh Crap here comes Nanny Kylie again! And this time she meant business! Finally the leader told Nanny Kylie to "That'll Do," (whatever that means). But then Hannah did start to play a little rough and the leader had to calm everyone down. Everything was fine after that. Frieda got to ride on the ATV back to the yard to feed the rest of the horses. There Kip and Shasta, two of the farm Aussies came to say "hi" to Frieda and the leader. There were chickens there. That excited Frieda. She wanted to run at them because it made the move fast. But she didn't. She just watched like a lady. Frieda didn't like when her leader went in with the horses and left her behind. She didn't like to be excluded. She noticed the other dogs didn't mind, except for one named Kip. But Frieda didn't care what the other dogs were doing. She wanted to go everywhere with the leader. Soon the leader had put the ATV back in the barn and loaded it with hay. She then went in to let the horses out. She carried Frieda so she would be safe from the horses. Normally the dogs don't go in the barn with the horses, but since Frieda was so small, she could squeeze in through the gate. She liked the horses. They seemed like big dogs. They seemed cozy and like good leaders. Then Frieda was put back in the truck in the crate. She didn't mind this time. She was tired and ready for a rest. When they got back home, the leader put a pink bucket on the porch along with her drink and keys. Some other fun thing must be going on! The leader began to water the plants. Frieda loved water and began to play in the shower made by the hose. Then she became curious about the pink bucket...hmmmm what are these things...She began to take them one by one and play with them in the yard...she didn't know they were eggs from the leaders chickens and ducks. (okay I tried to get the photo as she was coming down the stairs with the egg, but my camera was too slow) Pretty soon there were 7 or 8 of these things in the yard. Later, Frieda had her breakfast and had to go in an xpen so the leader could leave for what seemed like a long time. But when the leader returned it was so wonderful. All the dogs went in the yard to potty and Frieda ran and jumped into the water bucket that stays in the garden...she put both feet and her face in. It felt so good to her. Her coat was so wooly, like a sheep and the water felt like nectar. She heard the leader say she was bringing a pool home. Frieda couldn't wait! Then they went for their walk. They walked down the block, Frieda playing with all the leashes, pulling and tugging here and there. There was a man washing his truck. The leader asked him if he would feed the puppy. Why did she always say "the puppy". DIdn't she know Frieda had a NAME? Then they went through the field and ran off leash, circling back around to where they started. Then they went back in the street and down several blocks to a house with a yard. They rang the doorbell and out came a funny looking dog with a really long back and tiny short legs. He was shorter than Frieda, but old like Grandpa Jay Jay, who incidentally, barely made it there. A nice lady came out of the house with her little girl. Frieda was glad because they both fed her. And she was hungry! Then they played in the yard for a long time, Frieda, Tippy the Dachshund/Jack Russel dog, and Grandpa Jay Jay. Grandpa made the ball very slimy. And how could he and that other dog just do the same thing over and over when there was so much to explore and such nice people to lick and visit with! There was even an empty flower container in the garden! Finally it was time to go. Frieda loved going home, as much as she loved going out on adventures. On the way home, another man came out of his garage and fed Frieda. Frieda ate and thanked the man, but she wasn't sad to leave because at home she had a toy box, and she new she could pull all the toys out one by one, just like with the eggs. And tonight she was going to try something different, that she'd dreamed of all day...she was going to run and JUMP into that basket of toys! Then she was going to run and JUMP into the leaders lap! What fun and mischief she could cause! Finally Frieda had a small meal with the adult dogs, and then she was sent outside to potty before she finally fell asleep on Grandpa Jay Jay's bed. He grumbled a little, but relented in the end. ©2007 Tracy Wessel]]> tag:www.tracywessel.com,2007:/Savannah//2.9 2007-07-03T06:14:25Z 2007-08-09T06:27:09Z

So after her busy day Friday, puppy had an even BIGGER day on Saturday. In the morning she went for a good once over at the vet's office. She was a champion despite a very thorough poking and prodding. It was maybe too thorough, but the vet wanted to be certain. I had forgotten the rash story since the litter took a stroll in the alfalfa...anyway. All was well and puppy recovered instantly from any discomfort. We then went to the farm for duck and chicken chores. Puppy first said "hi" to a chicken with matching colors...

Tracy Wessel http://www.tracywessel.com ]]> Then we went into the duck field to change waters. We LOVE water... (and are willing to jump in the nastiest muck!) We did also say "hi" to the ducks...plenty of drive there. The ducks ran.. There was also some water biting. This was fun...except maybe not so much when it goes in your ears... Before leaving, the little princess made sure she could make the chickens move away from the fence with a good sheepdog charge! We then went off to the USDAA Regional Agility trial (our first ever agility trial) to watch some friends. Puppy was a champion. She greeted DOZENS of people during our walk through the fairgrounds. We headed over to Dave and Joan's car to have a puppy meet and play with their 10 week old Heart. We went in the x-pen and Joan sat down in her chair. Puppy was completely disinterested in Heart. She only wanted to talk to Joan. Heart kept jumping on her back "play with me" Finally I snapped a photo which seemed like the start to a great play session... In fact it turned into a real puppy fight. They were serious. I never saw puppies get into it like that. We stopped the sparring match, and they immediately forgot about it and hung out together, but weren't interested in play. There was some mild play between puppy and a juvenile Groen...I think she was 1 year old. She was FASCINATED with the puppies...a future nanny for sure. So we headed off to our ring-side seat with Auntie Marla. Dozens of people and dogs strolling by, most of them stopping to say hi to the baby. And the steeplechase going on in front of us. Puppy didn't back away from anybody. She was completely in her element it seemed, and often watched with great attention... When she got bored with just watching the arena, she invented toys... and continued to play with great focus even during greetings... At one point, a woman sitting beside me was relaying the story of her old dog's passing. Just as she started to cry, puppy got up and went over to her and put her paws in her lab, completely seeming concerned "are you okay...I'm here". The woman thought this was soooo sweet...well I did too. What a sensitive, strong girl. After a nice nap in the truck while I ate supper with Marla, we went back to the fairgrounds to deliver Marla and Sage to their car...and what did we behold, but a baby Gordon Setter...exactly the same age as puppy...and Zelda's mom asked if puppy could play with Zelda. Those two played for 30 minutes or more in fine puppy fashion. Zelda outweighed puppy by a couple of pounds, but seemed slightly out witted (but of course I am biased). You'd think after a day like this, there'd be one tired puppy. But on arrival at home, there was of course much toy play and racing around the den. Sunday took us to SAR training with Kylie. I thought we'd have a more immediate settling down in the vehicle since I carpooled and could have puppy on my lap instead of in a crate, but no...still took 10-15 minutes. We finally turned on some jazz music. Calmed her a lot...Ray says name her Tempo. Then we stopped for a potty break after a smelly deployment. No potty but a sleeping puppy for the remainder of the drive. And much better on the ride home. All I got from the SAR day was this picture... People thought she was cute, but she seemed a bit put off compared to yesterday. With Deb, the training director, she was what Deb branded shy. I said "well she just woke up, and I can assure you she isn't shy." Well she just didn't warm up to Deb. Don't know what to say. Deb even hand-fed her lunch, but she just seemed to not be trusting of Deb. She liked another woman there. Was kissing her face and so I let her stay with that lady when Kylie and I went off into the woods. After we got home and had a break, we went to the farm for duck chores and a play date with the resident Boxer, an older pup - I think less than a year, maybe 6-8 months. At first I had to hold puppy because Hannah was too rambunxious. Puppy wasn't scared, in fact she gave Hannah what-for. But I didn't want things to get out of hand. Once Hannah settled down, there was wonderful play - Hannah learned to tone it down, and puppy played with everyone...there were all the farm dogs (3 Aussies, 2 Boston Terriers, the Boxer, and my Grandpa Jay Jay) and the puppy. Jay Jay who was snarffy and growly all day was suddenly protective of his baby. She started hiding under his legs in between darting around in circles with Hannah. Whenever anybody would come close to the baby he would growl. He was very concerned for his baby. The play time was great...the Aussies were all gentle and well behaved as always, and the Bostons rather stayed out of it after a good sniffing. Sorry no pictures. Tomorrow I go to feed the horses there, as I do every Monday. We'll see how it goes. If puppy is afraid of the ATV noise, she'll have to go in a crate while I run hay out to the pasture. If she isn't afraid, then she'll ride on my lap while I got to the pasture. Then she can "help" me drop hay for the horses and feed the ducks and chickens. Monday night we are supposed to start puppy kindergarten, but I heard a bad report about the class. I emailed the instructor to express my concern and our attendance will be dependent on her reply. If I don't go, then I will contact an agility trainer that was highly recommended for her patience and kindness. She apparently has a puppy foundation class that would be a like substitute for puppy kindergarten. Also Mary Stiles (Groenendaels, Belg-L) recommended someone in Vancouver for handling classes, and suggested I would start that soon. I will play that by ear, but for sure want to have a social setting for a class in foundational exercises. Haven't done any scent work, and probably need to come up with a name first. There are some GREAT names on the table...just haven't found that one the FEELS like THIS puppy. The latest name polls in order of popularity (perhaps): BasqueLaine's Private Eye (call name Wink) - reg name compliments of Sonja, call name compliments of Kelley additional call names for above: winkie, winsome, winkeriffic....wincy, winsy, whimsy... compliments of Denise Schryver BasqueLaine's Subject Found (call name Moxy (which she has LOTS of) - Tracy Wessel additional call names for above: Signal, Finder, Hunter (Kelley) BasqueLaine's Finders Keepers (call names keeper, keeps, findy, finni) - compliments of Denise Schryver BasqueLaine's Lost & Found (call name gotcha) - compliments of Denise Schryver BasqueLaine's Sheep N' Seek (call name Padma) - Tracy Wessel BasqueLaine's Three Sisters Sleuth (for the three sisters mountains here in OR, Call name Sis...but what happens to "sit"?) - Lynn Foss Basquelaine's Agent Starling "Star" (call name courtesy of Granny Kim) Additional call names Clarice or Jody (Kelley and Rick) BasqueLaine's Honey West (Honey) - Marla Friedler BasqueLaine's Miss Marple? (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miss_Marple ) Sonja Straub Basquelaine's Erin Brokovich "Erin" (Call name courtesy of Granny Kim) BasqueLaine's Agatha Christy (call names gata, risk, risty, riste) - compliments of Denise Schryver BasqueLaine's Sunday Sleuth (call name Sunny?) - Tracy Wessel Other call names: Tara, Panna, Gypsy, Ruby, Jewel, Honey, Grace, Sonja (Belgian) Well...these are some great names. I love the cleverness of Private Eye/Wink and the strength of Subject Found. She showed a ton of Moxy with other dogs today...she is fearless and will demand play from anybody. Don't know about the shy moment, but I'm not going to give it another thought...she's just showing too much consistency in general so we'll just keep feeding that. I know I need to pick a name...I guess I haven't arrived yet. I put a lot of weight in names, so it's important to me. My other two showed reactions to their names...puppy ain't talkin'. (About that anyway). I guess she'll either let me know, or she just doesn't feel she needs a name to identify her...hey I could name her Chanel, or Coco (as in Chanel). Enjoy! -Tracy ©2007 Tracy Wessel]]> tag:www.tracywessel.com,2007:/Savannah//2.8 2007-06-30T05:55:28Z 2007-08-09T06:11:16Z

So I picked up my little girl at the airport today. The gals at the cargo counter asked me if she was a red fox...hmmm could call her Vixen. She has a "V" shaped tan mark in her mask. They were moving bodies at the cargo bay...bring in the cadaver puppy.

Tracy Wessel http://www.tracywessel.com Well I don't have a name for her yet...but I have a few ideas...suggestions welcome! So I picked up my little girl at the airport today. The gals at the cargo counter asked me if she was a red fox...hmmm could call her Vixen. She has a "V" shaped tan mark in her mask. They were moving bodies at the cargo bay...bring in the cadaver puppy. She spent the day with me at work. I went out to the truck about every hour or two to walk her, feed her from my hand (some of my coworkers also fed her) and just reassure her. Took her awhile to pee. She managed to attack some pine cones in the parking lot. I'm thinking, "what a darling Honey Bear." Got her home and in the crate in the yard (she complained bitterly) while I fetched Grandpa Jay Jay (Okay Chris, Grandpa Edgar) and Nanny Kylie. They weren't overly impressed, though Jay Jay seemed to think she was quite cute. Kylie was not her usual snarffy self. Probably because puppy appeared to have good dog manners and didn't jump in Kylie's face. Kylie is pretty cool with dogs if they stay out of her face. Otherwise they get a snarfing. Puppy actually barked at Kylie for lack of interest and a curled lip. Hmmm... "Vixen". So off we go for our walk and puppy on my heels... Kelley says she liked one of my name choices, Padma (Sanskrit for Lotus), but she pronounced it Pahd-May instead of Pud-Mu, for the character from Star Wars. Both sound nice. That was one of my original choices. The truth be told, I'd like to call her Kali, but it's too close to Kylie. So in the yard and neighborhood, she was a bit reactive to sound, but there was a lot going on...cars, firecrackers (4th of July), the gun club down the road. WIll have to work on that, but maybe it's a product of the day and the new environment. She was otherwise engaged in some big decisions and strategizing... Should I take the ball from that old guy or not? Must exercise caution when walking pass bitchy dog... Must stand for inspection... Come on, one of you black dogs play with me! Once inside, she was exploring. I banged the pots and pans when I unloaded the dishwasher. She left the room, but kept watching from behind a chair. She took notice that certain dishes and banking noises (mortar and pestul) brought even the sleeping old dog to the kitchen door...must mean something. Well I served dinner. I had intended to ONLY feed her by hand for now. But I realized that I have always had happy crate dogs because they often eat in their crates. So I prepared her a bowl of food and decided she will at least get a small meal in a bowl in her crate (along with the Kong stuffed with food) so that she comes to enjoy her crate, which she so far doesn't so much... It was her first homemade meal...she rather liked it. She checked in with me and the other dogs...they were eating it so it must be okay. Then she went outside and "finally" pooped. (You all wanted to know that didn't you?). When she came back inside, she was transformed into an attack puppy. What she did to this stuffy was only the beginning. My pajama pants will now look like Chris Libs pajamas. My sweater sleeve (yes it's only in the 60's here) was also fair game.... I kept trying to substitute her new bite toys. I'll have to also try a NOISY plastic bottle. Man she plays rough. I like that. I always like dogs that would play rough. Kylie will wrestle with me. It always amazes me because she'll grab my legs with her legs/paws, but her bite is so gentle. Not puppy. OUCH! Puppy also watched Dog Whisperer on T.V. I always wanted a dog to watch T.V. with me. Pepper, the foster puppy, God Bless her, she liked Animal Planet and Dog Whisperer too. I will anticipate some strange behaviors from puppy as well, given the oddities she must now come to know... (Belgian with Doggles) (Belgian wiht haircut who chews up tennis balls) Marla suggests the name Glory, after the name of the author of the Honey West detective novels. She could also of course be Honey, for Honey West. Other names on the table: Sonja (Belgian friend of a friend and also a friend of mine!) Shivani Vixen Honey Glory Angel Registered names include: Basquelaine's Sheep N' Seek Basquelaine's Sunday Slueth Basquelaine's Subject Found Basquelaine's Super Slueth Basquelaine's Timber Slueth Basquelaine's Precious Ramotswe (lady detective from novel series) Basquelaine's Agent Starling Basquelaine's Nancy Drew Basquelaine's Miss Marple (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miss_Marple) Basquelaine's Nothing's Sacred Basquelaine's Erin Brokovich Enjoy! Send ideas. I'll have to start a blog on my site. ©2007 Tracy Wessel]]>