Celebrating 60 Years!

Happy Anniversary to my grandparents!  Nana and Papa celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary this weekend.  What a wonderful model of love!

Graduation

Morgan and Madison graduated from their puppy class on Monday!  We were so happy with the experience as well as the results!  During the 6 week course they learned to sit, stay, down, shake, roll over, watch me, leave it, and walk on a loose leash.  They also learned some invaluable socialization with other puppies and people.

 Our class at PetSmart

 They received certificates, treats, and a toy as graduation "gifts" from the store.

 Morgan showing off his skills!

The pups with their trainer, Mary (they loved her and so did we)

Overall, we loved the experience and would recommend puppy classes to new dog owners.  It is a great way to get them started on their manners and get some valuable socialization.

No longer a dance studio!

Our dining room is no longer a big empty space.  We finally filled it with furniture this week! I have been going back and forth over the perfect dining room table that could seat 10.  I've looked all over the internet and in many furniture stores.

I decided on (what I felt like) was a traditional style that I will (hopefully) like for many years to come.  To give it a little more character, we are planning to use a pew bench from my grandfather's church on one side of the table.  The pew is around 80 years old and is from a Primitive Baptist Church.

And the kitchen has some new furniture, too! 

Before and After

 

No more dance parties...time for dinner parties!

The Duck's Demise

Madi may be a duck huntin' dog, but she is also pretty destructive.  The duck and his quacker were disemboweled today.

Any suggestions on some tough, long lasting toys that can stand up to these guys?!  They love to chew

Bath Time

The pups got their first bath this week.  We had a moment of insanity and thought it was a good idea to bathe them at the same time in the kitchen sink.  This was the only decent picture I got before they started leaping out onto the counter.  They didn't love it, but we loved having clean dogs!

Back to School

...puppy school that is!  Madison and Morgan start their second puppy class on Monday at Petsmart.  We are looking forward to some improvements on last week's lessons and mastering this week's lesson.

Last week focused on sitting and getting the pups to pay attention.  No easy task since that was the first time the little monsters had been out in public.  They were like kids in a candy store...or puppies in a pet market.  Every corner held a new smell to sniff, new toy to grab, or new dog to try and meet.

 I've been working on sitting with hand commands, and they are both catching on...if they don't get distracted.  As our instructor said, they have the attention span of a gnat at this age, so anything and everything is a distraction.  It is a work in progress.

 "Sit"

 "Down"

 "Good Boy!"

Meet the additions to our family

Madison and Morgan--Madison (~10 wks old) is a female black lab mix and Morgan (~14 wks old) is a male golden retriever mix

These cute little puppies were adopted in Madison, GA and were originally rescued from Morgan County Animal Control.  We decided to give a little nod to their roots with their names.

 We are just in love with these little monsters.  They are into everything and love exploring the back yard.

 Morgan especially loves the kiddie pool, and it is a great way for them to cool off on these hot summer days.  Of course, he tends to be pretty dirty and wet most of the day.

Madison is full of energy and a little younger than her "brother."  She is very attentive, and you can almost see the little wheels turning in her head.

Cary is teaching them to sit and fetch, and we are both trying to teach them simple manners like no biting or jumping.  All of which is an on-going process to say the least!  Having 2 allows them to learn from each other...the good and bad. 

We know it is going to be an ongoing process and a lot of work, but we are looking forward to this new chapter in our lives.