Hank Learning to Jump

Hank is an Agility Dog I!

Hank is an Agility Dog II!

Spring Days in the Park

Memorial Park

Handsome Hank the Puppy!

Dagny monitoring the water fowl situation
We were glad to find out that neither Hank nor Dagny were scared of the water. They didn’t seem quite ready to plunge in yet, but the mud and gook along the bank was fun to splash and dig around in!

Previously, Hank and Dagny have been pretty uninterested in other animals (other than dogs, of course). They had been to this park before, but this time they noticed the ducks and geese. They were quite interested but didn’t seem to know exactly what to do beyond staring intently.

The Green @ UGA

Hank and Dagny LOVE going to UGA to play until they are ready to pass out! There are so many people and other doggies to meet, so much grass to run around on, and so many new smells to smell.

Dagny is now completely OBSESSED with playing fetch. Hank doesn’t really like the running aspect of that game, but he does like waiting for Dagny to return and then ambushing her and attempting to steal the retrieved item.

Things That Scare Us

Both Hank and Dagny are terrified beyond words of the new vacuum cleaner. Here is Hank hiding from the MONSTER in the corner of the bedroom. Today, Dagny got "trapped" in the living room without a “way-out” during vacuuming, and she was so scared that she had a little accident on the floor. Poor baby!

You can’t see very well, but here Dagny is desperately pulling on the least, trying to escape from what is before her. What is she scared of? Scroll down . . .

That would be a blue, painted statue of Uga the Bulldog. She barks at the giant black Labs next door as if she could tear them apart, but an immobile blue statue, now that is scary!

Hank didn’t seem concerned . . .

Uga

Puppy Puke, New Friends, and a Little Bit of Herding in Jacksonville

This weekend Hank, Dagny, and I spent the weekend visiting Auntie Allison in Jacksonville. It was a very big weekend, and everyone had a great time!

The green polka-dot ottoman was a prized seat for Hank. He retreated there with Sheepy II until he lost focus and Dagny stole it away (over and over again).

On Sunday, after playing all morning at Allison’s house, we went to visit Mommy and Daddy Cox and their two doggies, Mr. Whiskers and Maggie. At first, Dagny and Hank were not good visitors. Hank barked and barked while Dagny just kind of cowered, but after some booty-sniffing, both puppies eventually calmed down, started to be nice, and made friends.

Hank was quite protective of Dagny. It was pretty cute. Dagny was a little bit of a wimp all weekend. She was very shy around her new friends, was scared of the car window being rolled down, and was even scared of the sound of waves. Here she is safe and sound under Auntie Allison.


Here are Hank, Dagny, Mr. Whiskers, and Maggie playing in the yard. I just wonder what Mr. Whiskers and Maggie and thought of these two young pups invading their space and stealing attention from their Mommy and Daddy.


Dagny got pretty thirsty and stole a drink from the Cox’s new fountain. Clever girl!


Here are Hank and Dagny getting a drink from a more acceptable source. The water dish was a lot of fun, especially the shadows in it!


Hank and Dagny’s new friends were very generous and shared all of their toys. Here is Hank looking through their toy box.

You’re never gonna guess what toy Dagny chose . . . Seriously . . . this is one smart puppy.

Here are Dagny and her new friend saying hi in the kitchen.

For most of the visit, Mr. Whiskers and Maggie made it clear that this was their turf; however, after lunch, we heard Hank barking at the new friends in the kitchen. I went to look, and Hank had herded them into a corner. I would not have believed it if I hadn’t seen it myself, but it was just about the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen. Think about it. You’ve basically got a 2 year-old telling a 14 year-old and a 21 year-old to get in the corner, and then them doing so. I guess Hank may not be as dumb as we’d feared.

Here are Hank, Dagny, and their new friends with Allison and I. We were quite a bunch!

On the drive down to Florida, things were a little rough for everyone. The winding country roads of South Georgia did not agree with Hank’s “sensitive” tummy, so we can add that to his list of special traits. We drove back home on the interstate, however, which made the trip go a lot more smoothly. They slept almost the whole way,

No More Make-Up Brushes

On a note not (really) related to the puppies, we were given a table that is great but needed a little work. We sanded off the old finish (not an easy thing to do by hand) and then painted it. Patrick was not totally confident in my color choice, but now that it is finally done, we both agree that it looks great! It is in the second bedroom and goes very well with my grandmother’s quilt. The puppies stayed outside with me all weekend while I sanded and painted, and we were all very tired by the end! Little did they know that the real reason for the table is so that my make-up now has a place where they can’t get to it. Hank loves make-up brushes more than anything, but he’s dealing with the loss.

Blast from the Past

Courtesy of Uncle Bobby, a baby picture of Dagny. She was so tiny!

Growing Up

The puppies are growing up very fast! Hank is now over 20 pounds and Dagny is over 15! Dagny will probably only get twice as big as she is now, but the vet thinks Hank could be as big as 55 pounds! That is about 15 pounds heavier than a normal male Border Collie. Oh well, we all already knew Hank was “special,” right?

Dagny and Hank are starting to act much more grown-up too. Fewer accidents, less chewing, and less napping. Plus, they are now more than happy to help out around the house. They love to help clean the kitchen floor of crumbs, and here is Dagny helping with the dishes . . .

They are also becoming more fashion conscience as they grow. Well, Hank is, at least. Here is Hank trying on the pink sweater that fit just a few weeks ago. It is a little tight now, as you can see.

After trying it on Hank, we put it on Dagny. It just barely still fits her.

Surprisingly, Hank was very upset at the sweater being taken off him and put on Dagny and tried to pull it off her.

Hank is crazy for pink!

Since Hank was so into the sweater, we let him wear it to play outside. Unfortunately, Hank’s new figure caused it to pop off. He didn’t seem to mind, however, as it made a very cute cape.