Love Hurts

And breaking up is hard to do.

I'm having another sing along, so join in.

This is a sad sing along, rather like a dirge, really, as we say good-bye to our puppy friends.

Love Hurts. The truth of it bears repeating.

All By Myself....don't wanna be...All By Myself...anymore.....(sound of wretche and heart-broken weeping)

But it's all good. Really. We have met some great dog people who will send us pictures EVERYDAY of their new best friend. (It's in your contract. Read it.)And if we hadn't had the puppies, we wouldn't have had the wonderous experience of seeing all these cute little guys every day for the past 7 weeks. We've enjoyed it all. It was so worth it.

No Puppy No Cry. (Hope Bob Marley doesn't mind me taking liberties)

We know that all of you are going to love the puppies even more (bah haha) than us. And we are looking forward to not having to clean up all the little messes that seem to get bigger every day.

I ain't missin' you at all....since you been gone....away.

See? We're fine. No problem. Buh-bye. These tears? Why they're nothing. Just...the tears of a clo-o-o-oww-w-wn...when there's no one around.

And remember, all of you. We'll be watching you...every step you take, every move you make, we'll be watching you.

So, go. Enjoy your lives.

I ain't missin you at all.

I ain't missin you.

Ain't missin you...

We're in for a Treat Now!

That's right, my dear puppy blog readers. Because today we have TWO BLOG POSTS! Hold on to your hats and get your box of Kleenex at the stand by. (No, the puppies didn't piddle again)

But you are going to be as choked up as me and Amy were when we opened the following email from Courtney and Jay, Kaz's people.

Now, Kaz, if you don't know, is Mercedes from Lila and Chopper's first litter, but she is ALL GROW'D UP! AND WE LOVE HER STILL!!

Okay, so maybe you won't get all sniffley, but maybe you might be mildly interested to see what this litter of puppies will grow up like, and how very much their owners LOVE them.

Here, then, is Courtney's letter:

"Dear Diane and Rod,

I’m so glad to hear that Lila and Chopper had another litter of pups. I’m sure it’s been a lot of work for you guys. They look just as adorable as the first round and I’ve passed on the word that you still have a few available.

We’ve been wanting to send you guys a thank-you note; I’m sorry it has taken so long. Thank you SO much for helping us pick out the best dog ever.

Kaz has turned out to be the perfect dog! She has been such a fun and easy going puppy. No chewing, easy to potty train, no barking, no aggressive behavior, and tons of personality. She loves going for walks, playing at the dog park, and napping on the cool grass outside. Her favorite food is potato chips and she still tries to sleep in bed with us every night.

The owners of my snowboard shop got nervous when they realized how big she was actually getting, so she no longer gets to greet everyone at the store. But she was able to come to work with me for the first two months we had her and all our customers loved her. I think it really helped her with human socialization, because she is a huge sweetheart to every person she meets. She’s a sucker for belly rubs.

Right now, she weighs about 90 pounds and is healthy and strong. She looks like the perfect mix between Lila and Chopper. Chopper’s face with Lila’s color. She’s beautiful and we absolutely adore her.

Good luck with the new puppies and let us know if we can help you out with anything. Maybe we can have a family reunion one of these days. Until then, take care and Happy Holidays.

Courtney, Jay, and Kaz

Puppies Big Day

Here we go, on our way to the vet! I don't know why we are so happy and bubbly, but we are!Finally made it to the vet's office in one piece and we are allowed to get out of those baskets and play! Hurray! We are still happy and bubbly!

We are starting to get nervous now. What are these people doing??

After awhile, we all started to relax. Time to go out for STARBUCKS in Sandy, OR and get a gingerbread latte! And canoodle with Jen, our favorite 'Bux manager . EVER.

Congrats Meyers Family!

Rockin Around the Christmas Tree

If you are singing along to that one, you and me can't be friends. Ever. I hate that song.
However....buckle in and get ready the crank up the cuteness meter, cuz here we go.
Christmas, kids and bullie puppies. Can anything possibly beat it? No. (I LOVE answering my own questions, don't I? Yes, apparently I do. I'm quirky and self absorbed like that)


Above we have my niece Chantry holding Dresden, Ginormous Puppy of the North. She has offered to take him off your hands, Adam and Tiffany, if you are unable to take him home next week. She was very adamant about letting you know. Just thought you should be aware.

Above is Rennick (please, Brenda, tell me if I misspelled her name). She is bonding here with Tyra, our biggest female with the most perfect face. In fact, she is probably the "Best Bull." (Just kidding, Brenda and everyone else who will argue endlessly about WHO is actually the Best Bull. It is obvious that CHOPPER is. This my MY BLOG and I get to pick. So there.


Did you ever see such a beautiful family portrait? No, me neither. (there I go again.) Brenda and the girls with Mistletoe,(aka Missile) their wonderful Christmas present for each other. May you have many, many happy Christmases together.

And below, are two pictures of Tyra, for the gentleman in Vernonia who just called and expressed interest in maybe coming to meet her. Here ya go, and we hope that your lives are back to normal soon after your flooding ordeals.



And the BEST BULL:



***Josiah Update*** (Sorry Ashley for the misinformation!!!)
The replacements will be arriving at Sharona and will be trained for a while, but it makes the light at the end of the tunnel a little bit brighter. This morning Josiah called to tell us he is receiving a medal (or nomination we're not sure) today for his part in the fire that took place a few days ago. We're so proud of you, Josiah!! Come home soon. Love you, Mom and Dad. And puppies.

Throw back Thursday

Yes, as promised and eagerly anticipated by tens of readers, it is Throwback Thursday. You will see hardly ever seen pictures of Chopper and Lila when they were wee little tykes, a well as pictures of their parents. (Your puppies grandparents)
Without further ado, I present: Throwback Thursday.
The picture at the top is our very own American Chopper, at eight weeks old when we brought him home. What a handsome boy, eh?
Next we have his father, Porkchop, a big and hefty bullmastiff, as his name implies.
And to round out the family, we have a photo of Pricilla, Chopper's very own Mama. He bears a striking resemblance to her, I think.



Below is the little princess. Honestly, have you ever seen such a dumpling? No, me neither.
Under that is Zena, Lila's mom with her litter of puppies. She was a terrific mom. Then there is the picture of our sweetheart coming home in the car. Oh, Amy is holding her. (Just kidding Amy! You're our REAL sweetheart!)
I am still looking for pictures of Thor, Lila's Dad. I'll post them later if I find them.
Enjoy!



Here is the picture of Thor I finally found. It is just a head shot, but still cute. (Do all these bullmastiffs have their own portfolios with headshots and commercial as well as editorial photos?)

Ohhh, Tidings of Puppies and Joy...

Go ahead and sing along. I know you want to.
Well we have surpassed all known realms of puppy cuteness. Some potential puppy buyers/blog readers came for a puppy visit on Sunday. They have some mad photography skillz, let me tell you. Actually, their pictures can tell you.



The two pictures above are Dresden (AKA Grizzly), the top one with his new mama, Tiffany. Does she not look like she is in love? Yes, she certainly is, and it is something to behold.
Below you can view Adam, kissing poor Kodiak good-bye. He was the puppy NOT CHOSEN.
It was kinda like watching the Final Rose Ceremony on the Bachelor. (Not that I've ever seen it. Really)
But there is Adam kissing the poor puppy goodbye and assuring him that it was nothing that Kodiak had done, it was Adam's(or Tiffany's) fault, and he had to go with his heart, and Kodiak would find the right person someday....
But Kodiak took like a brave little puppy and Dresden has only rubbed his nose in about a dozen times so far.

There is lots more to say about Adam and Tiffany, but I have a feeling that we'll be seeing quite a bit of them and have many chances to post mean and/or funny factoids about them and the newest member of their family.(Like the fact that they went against EVERYTHING THEY KNEW TO BE INTELLIGENT AND RIGHT AND BOUGHT A PUPPY THE SECOND THEY WALKED IN OUR DOOR) But we'll let that go for now....

Some of you will mock...

But keep in mind that no animals were harmed or injured in anyway in the making of this post. At least not physically. Josiah says that Chopper lost his manhood.
I beg to differ. I say it takes a big man, er a big DOG to wear funny hats and still stand firm in their masculinity.
Chopper is one such dog.
As for Lila, well, she will do anything for some pepperoni. Or a muffin. Or some cheese. The list goes on.
So do not weep for my dogs. They simply have an overabundance of Christmas spirit. Yes they do. And I do. And Rod does. You can tell from the pictures.
(Notice that we do not make the dogs do anything that we would not do ourselves.)
P.S. Please remember that all puppy deposits are NONREFUNDABLE no matter what a freaky wacko I am. I will try to keep my crazy toned down for the holidays.
Thank you. And Merry Christmas.

The Wonderful Scents of Christmas.

It is just ludicrous how cute these puppies are. I swear, I am about to implode from the fuzzy perfection. Oh, and from the odor of the puppy poo that wafts from the other end of the house each morning. That is not so adorable. And the puppy poo odor mingles with the Christmas smells around our house, like sugar cookies, grand fir, peppermint and chai.
I actually bought a Glade Plug-In for the Puppy Suite, hoping that the Linen Breeze scent will fight and eventually win dominance over puppy poo.
Are you tired or reading about and/or imagining puppy poo? Me too.
Here are pictures of Puppy Joy that should wipe it all away. (No pun intended.)

Bowl 'O' Joy and Happiness

I didn't know this soup would fill me with such satisfaction, as I am not a huge fan of squash, although I do love my curry. Maybe the lesson here is : Curried ANYTHING is Delicious...Always. Kind of like the "Deep Fried Rule." Or the "Chocolate Rule."
Anyway, we served this soup hot, not cold, like Emeril suggests, (although we tasted it cold and were shocked and awed that , yes, it was chilly perfection in a bowl as well. Who knew?)
Also, we added the almonds, and didn't add the cukes for the finish, because we were serving it warm, and warm cukes didn't sound very good. Please enjoy our humble offering.


Curried Squash Soup Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2002





3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
2 pounds summer squash, cut into 1-inch cubes
3 cups chicken stock
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup sliced or slivered almonds
1/4 cup finely chopped, seeded cucumbers
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro

In a large, heavy pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic, curry powder, salt, turmeric, cumin, and cayenne, and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 45 seconds. Add the squash and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the squash is soft, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the heat.
With a hand-held immersion blender, puree on high speed. Add the cream, stir, and adjust the seasoning, to taste.


Recipe Summary
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 3 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Yield: 4 to 6 servings

The Running of the Bulls

That's right; they escaped. Four of the bullie puppies running pell-mell down the hallway and towards the kitchen and freedom. They didn't get very far and were put into lock down immediately. For their own safety, and so puppy poo will not need to be scraped up from the carpet.
Here are the pups in the penitentiary.




Here is Mama visiting her bad babies in the pen.

Now this is a little backwards, but I need to post some pictures that will show, beyond any doubt what bad puppies we have. Yes, I know that I am risking the deposits that people have given us by showing these pictures. I know that people who have made appointments to come and meet puppies will undoubtedly call and cancel. Or just be so disgusted that they just don't show up. (I have your phone #'s, btw)
But the truth needs to be told. So I present the following:
***********************Puppies First Meal*************************






Oh, the horror.
Let me bring us back to adorable puppy world and attempt to save the deposits.