Cottage Doodles

Izzy the Brave

Thank you so much to the dozens of people who wanted to help Izzy!  I appreciate the outpouring of care towards this sweet girl, and I know that anyone of those potential homes would have been a happy place for her to grow and heal in.

When Izzy’s owner no longer wanted her, stating that she was belligerent and the puppy biting was not controllable, my good friend, Anette, and I both worked with the owner, helping her with tips and training information.

A week later, she contacted us again, saying, nope, no way, come get this dog.  Anette is the owner of Izzy’s father and Izzy had gone to her as pick of the litter.

And what a pick!  Lil Iz was a strong leader of the litter.  She was curious, smart, and outgoing.  Not to mention, as beautiful as she was silky soft and cuddly.

Anette jumped in her car and was on her way to central Nebraska to pick up that pup within minutes, she called me from the car for us to make a plan.  Legally, the puppy was hers to take in, I was hurting and so worried, I felt like I had to have her back in my arms.  Anette is a soft hearted breeder who understood that after raising this baby for 8 weeks, I loved it and also that if Izzy had problems, she might respond more to me.

I got busy making appointments for personal trainers and vets. The description of her behavior was troubling because I knew she had been good natured and learned commands when with me.  I though I’d have to work with her for weeks for obedience training.

 
Instead, I found a well behaved, non-nipping, sweet dog who was terrified.  She recognized me right away and came running across the yard to me.  

When I bent down to pet her, she literally screamed in fear.  It was a high, screeching yip, that did not let up.  We discovered that she was frightened of hands, doors, small enclosed areas, people, and loud noises.  But I also saw Anette’s little grandchild gently taking a stick out of Izzy’s mouth and her being happy for his attention.

While extremely skittish around my home and dogs all morning, she slowly opened up to our love.  I started calling her Izzy the Brave to give her some positive reinforcement for overcoming her issues.  She was being curious again, slowly approaching new things, looking to me to ask if it was okay, then bravely checking it out.

I knew then that what she truly needed was not just training but a lot of love.  If I were to be in charge of the process, she would bond with me, then have to go through it all again with the new family who eventually became her forever home.

I wanted to hold her close.

That was great for me, but not her.  I found a great couple who already had one of her siblings from two years ago.  They will bond with her and focus on the retraining themselves, so that she does not have to readjust to multiple families.  

While I hated having everything go so wrong for the poor girl, I was thrilled to have had her in my arms again, and to now know that she is in the arms of a family who will always treasure her.

And it meant a lot to see how many wonderful people reached out and offered to take this sad, scared baby into their own hearts.  Thank you.

Puppy Portrait Day

If I had known how beautifully the Sugarbabies were going to pose for me, I’d have given them a bath!


So far, I have been wiping them down with washcloths, but I think it’s time to give them a good soaking. 

The weather has been really nice, I might just wash them in the wading pool outside.

First I’ll have to line up some puppy snugglers to help dry and keep them warm.

The babies always  love that part.

It has been nice to have a lightbox to take the photos in.

They are outgrowing it, this will be my last time using it.

Since they are outside now, it shouldn’t be a problem, I’ll be able to take their pics in natural light.

And with talented models like these, it’s easy to get good photos.  

They are honestly very good at posing, and not just because they are as cute as the dickens.  They pretty much sit and let me take their pictures.

What good puppies!

Four cute little boys

For look a likes, these brothers are quite a bit different.  The one on the left seems to take after his poodle dad while the one on the right has more of a golden retriever shaped face.

Both are sweet as pie! 

As is this big boy.  Well, I call him the big boy, he is the largest of the litter, but he is just a little baby, not really big at all.

Isn’t he a handsome fella?

This little dumpling is growing into his looks.  He has lovely coloring, but wasn’t as photogenic as the other bros ( please don’t ever tell him I said that).  As he grows and fills out, he is becoming a gorgeous guy.

See what I mean?

These four boys are still available.  Please contact me for details if you’d like a sweetheart of a good looking guy to be a part of your family.