I love bears!

I've had two great black bear sightings this week. First one was on Sunday night, when a very large one, maybe about 300 pounds came around the deck and Petey went toe to toe with him. The bear did NOTHING to Petey. He stood his ground and when Petey came when called, the bear retreated. Gentle as always. This morning I had errands so decided to take the dogs up to Cascade Lake Park early. On the way home we went past this little guy rummaging through a garbage can.

Back to normal

After the last two weeks of chaos, since adding Monty to our family, I cans say that today, I'm finally feeling almost back to normal. Monty is a very smart puppy and laid back, he is making it very easy for all of us to bond deeply with him. He and Petey have become good buddies already, which was my main concern. They play on and off all day long and seem to know when the other has had enough. Today they even laid on the same bed together. Biggest shock of all, I caught Petey licking his ears! It has been an amazing experience watching Petey begin to bond with Monty. Every day I've seen him open up to the experience of a puppy in his life and embrace having his very own playmate.

We head to the woods every day of the week, usually VERY EARLY in the morning. The one day I didn't run them....WAS INSANE here! They roughed housed for hours on end. The hiking has been glorious. I really love getting out earlier then ever before. We have run into many wood turtles because of the hours. I also love being ALONE up in the woods.

Meet Monty!

On Friday June 11, 2010 I picked up our new little Dobeboy, Monty. He is three months old. For six months now I thought about getting another puppy while Petey was still here with us. It was one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make. Male Dobes tend to like being the King of their castle and some don't tolerate sharing it with another Male. Because Peter is un-neutered we felt bringing a female into the house would be harder for him to deal with, because of the heats. With heart failure drawing ever closer, I know in my heart a female would have been a big mistake, causing Petey to be miserable. I wouldn't want to spay a female until she was full grown, as it can cause orthopedic issues. Right now Petey thinks Monty is a puppy, no gender. They play all day long. Monty is also very low dominance and drive. He is a sweet easy puppy, very easily worming his way into all of our hearts.

Every day since Monty joined our family, we have hiked together. Petey and Monty have become fast buddies during the hikes. The first morning we ran into a bear, thankfully Petey's recall was good. There have been lots of deer, turtles, and birds. It is fun watching Monty follow Petey and learn all about his new world.

Happy Summer Solstice!

Letchworth State Park