Wesley

I got home from the CRC trials Thursday evening and headed out bright and early Friday morning for the long drive to ME. I spent Friday night in NH and then completed the drive to Sara Puyne's house Saturday morning to meet the newest addition to the family. I was already smitten with him from his pictures and from the emails Sara and Linda had sent about him but I was thrilled to see he was everything I had hoped for in a new pup. He has beautiful, intense black spotting and black eyes. His structure is wonderful and he is very sure about his place in the world. Wesley is by Kris and John Benoit's Gryffin and out of Sara Pruyne's and Linda McSherry's Violet.  Both parents are CH and CHIC. Violet has a TD and agility titles and is the litter sister to the phenomenal GRCH CT Corey and DCA BOS and Top 20 winner Daisy.

The trip back home was a breeze considering I was traveling with an 8 week old puppy. He whined a little when we first started but then settled into playing with a toy and fell asleep. He hadn't had a leash and collar on yet so I was wondering what we were going to do when we stopped for potty breaks. Not to worry! I slipped on the lead and collar, put him down in the grass, and he proceeded to trot right alongside me and take care of his business. He then greeted several people with his ever wagging tail and wet kisses. By the 3rd rest stop you would have thought he had been walking on lead all of hs life. We stopped in CT to spend the night and I had brought along an x-pen to keep him confined in the room. I took him for a long walk before bedtime hoping to tire him out. I put him in the x-pen and he began to voice his disapproval. This is something I might have not given in to at home but I wasn't sure people in neighboring rooms would want to hear his displeasure. So I picked him up and put him on the bed and he snuggled right up and fell asleep. He woke up at 5:30 and then woke me up by pouncing on me and biting my ears.

We had rain all of the way home but he was a real trooper about his potty breaks. When we got home he walked into the house like he owned it and proceeded to investigate everything. He is so bold and curious. The first time out in the yard he proceeded to check out all of the agility equipment and even walked up the baby dogwalk all by himself. I was picking up the yard and turned around to see him doing a very fast dogwalk.

He has been meeting some of my friends and everyone just loves him. Last night while my friends and I were talking I had to run over and grab him because he was headed up the full height a-frame. He is only going to be allowed on the agility field with supervision as he is so bold and inquisitive and I don't want him to get hurt.

The other three dogs are getting used to him. Nori thinks she has to protect him so she won't let Harry or Jamie go near his x-pen when he is in it. She is starting to relax about that. If the dogs aren't paying any attention to him he will bark at them and play bow until someone comes over to sniff him. He is staying in the x-pen in the family room when all 3 adult dogs are loose and then he gets to run around the house while they are outside.

He is responding to training really well. He wants to investigate everything and interact with new things so I think he is going to really like shaping. So far we have just worked on 101 things to do with a box and shake hands (as well as important things like sit, down, come, and stacking for the breed ring).

I am having internet connection problems and Verizon is supposed to come and check the phone lines this morning so I hope to have pictures up later today. Right now I can't stay connected long enough to upload a picture.

Thanks, Sara and Linda. I can't imagine a puppy could be a better fit for me. I have very high hopes for him.