Still settling

Quest has been a very good boy... But he's very much a young, enthusiastic male. Which means a bit heedless, and a bit rambunctious, and a bit out of line at times, too. Lucky boy, he's got me, and not one, but two! resident bitches to keep him in-check! :D

Dakota plays with him wonderfully, and if Suka still is hesitant to play, she's still been caught unbending now and again, ever-so-slightly. Heck, last night, I caught her napping back-to-bask with Quest. :) He plays in a bouncy Tigger-like mode, and it's a mark of how well Dakota likes him that she hasn't handed him his head for his exuberant "Death-from-above" suicide bounces onto her head!

He's fleshing-in nicely, and the vet is very pleased with his progress. He's also started blowing coat, and it's astonishing how much undercoat a smooth-coated Shiloh has!

He's sufficiently well-mannered on-lead that I will now chance taking him out in public, though I'm still quite watchful and careful where I take him. Due to his happy-go-lucky attitude, he greets and gets-on better with random strange dogs far better than either of The Girls, which is a giant bonus for us.

Settling in

Quest has been making himself at home. Slowly, slowly, we're bringing him into the full circle of things - he's not yet earned full run of the house, nor even earned the right to be off-lead, but he's working his way there. His good attitude and general willingness to get along is really appreciated. He's also more than a bit of a clown, and a happy one at that.

He's learned the basic morning and evening routines, and has come to understand his crate is his 'safe place.' He's also learning to come running to the nearest adult for support if something startles him, which happens kinda frequently, still.



Checking out the yard, and maybe gonna make a mark...









Greeting Suka. Hadn't planned on having the two of them in immediate contact this soon, but a fortuitous failure to communicate between my wife and I lead to a unexpected, but closely supervised meeting.

Quest and Suka got a long better than I'd hoped, so soon after his arrival - She doesn't play much with him, but she will indulge in a bounce or two - Sometimes.



This is NOT one of the times she's willing to play... Suka grandly ignores an offer to romp.







Sooo sad...
Rebuffed, Quest comes looking for a little comfort and reassurance.

Drag lead.

Until I know how to predict him, a drag lead is the order of the day, every day. He's quickly come to accept the lead as a condition of being out of his crate, and doesn't seem to resent it. I've had to correct him a couple times for mouthing the lead, but he seems to have gotten the concept.


Time to run now!

Meet Quest

Meet the newest addition to the Blue Rock Shilohs pack:

T'n'L's Eternal Quest for Zion, call name "Quest." Not the best possible picture, but will have to do until I get a better one uploaded.

Quest is a proven stud, rehomed from Tina and Lisa Barber's New Zion Kennels (hence the "T'n'L" in his name!), where they have an sufficiency of outstanding dogs, and needed to make room. He's modest in size (for a Shiloh!), but has really great features, and throws incredible puppies. He's also a bit of a snuggle bug, a confident-but-relaxed guy, and a total hit with everyone he meets (excepting Dakota - and the cat!).

So far, Dakota is less than impressed, but she's slowly coming around. Oddly enough, Suka, of all dogs, is taking the invasion in-stride. I guess her issues truly are only around bitches - she greeted Quest very well, and has even played a bit with him! Quest will need to learn to leave the cat alone, if he doesn't want to come away with battle scars. ;)


Jennifer has been gushing over him, but my son has all but claimed him for his own.

Go ahead and try to seperate those two... Not gonna happen. :)

Quest will remain "on duty," so-to-speak, under Lisa Barber's direction until such time as I can come up to speed as a breeder in my own right. Even then, Lisa will have unlimited access to his genetics - It would be churlish to deny New Zion his progeny after they've trusted me with this incredible dog.

Midnight Blues

Or, more accurately, 0130 Blues.

Storms rolled across the DelMarVa peninsula lasst night. Guess who lost her furry mind..? If you guessed the 7-stone walking carpet, you called it right!

So, once again, I woke to nigh-on 100 pounds of Shiloh Shepherd, standing on my face as she tried to climb to safety. It's a sign of something, not sure what, that I wasn't any more than mildly annoyed - Mostly just resigned. I mean, whattayagonnado..? At least she doesn't go wild and tear the house apart, nor does she make desperate attempts to escape teh house - No, she merely turns into an anxious mountain-climbing spelunker. Yup - Climb any high spot she can find, looking for a hole to crawl into. Would be entertaining if she weren't so distressed. And, of course, it never occurs to her, whilst in this state, to simply go to her crate. I have to herd her into it, instead. Once she's in, however, she's suddenly fine.

Go figure.

Once I had Dakota settled, I was allowed to go back to sleep - I found a muddy paw print on my face this morning though, when I went to brush my teeth.

Yeah - That much dog, all perched on my face in the wee hours of the morning.

Surprise!

Dakota doesn't like the basement

New washer and drier delivered and set up yesterday.

Suka spent the afternoon announcing the arrivals and departures of workers and equipment in various levels of anxiety. Clearly, removing stuff was bad, but bringing stuff in, while not bad per se, still needed an announcement. Ah, and disassembling bits of the house (popping a door off its hinges) falls under the heading of HIGHLY suspicious activity.

Dakota watched things quietly, and was generally a very good girl, though she did cause the workers sore necks as they swiveled their heads to keep an eye on her. They should've been watching Suka, instead!

Suka suspiciously eyeballed the new appliances once they were set up, but Dakota simply would NOT come down into the basement. She lay at the top of the stairs, paws over the edge, and moaned at me as I made adjustments and test-ran the new hardware (all under Suka's watchful eye), but she would not take even a single step down the stairs. Even the cat supervised a bit, lurking in the rafters and playing 'Basement Cat.'

Dakota was simply having none of it.

I guess Suka's found a Dakota-refuge, if she wants one. Too bad, too, 'cause the basement is the coolest place in the house, come summer (even with central air!).

Ressurection

This has been lying dormant. I haven't forgotten, just haven't had much to say that wasn't already being said over at Suka's Place.

Dakota has long settled into the family as a beloved member. She's got her odd little quirks and behaviors, and is known as a consummate Toast Thief. She's also been known to solve rather complicated problems to get her schnozz into a can of bacon grease. :)

Generally, my wife claims Dakota as 'her' dog - Jenn has the 'calm down a distressed dog' magic, and she loves Dakota to the point of distraction. Lin also has a serious love-on for Dakota, but Ian is a bit intimidated still - Not that he actually fears her intent, but rather that he fears her enthusiasm and occasional clumsy moment. When Dakota gets heedlessly excited, she can knock poor Ian ass-over-teakettle with a single mis-placed tail wag.

Dakota still doesn't really 'do' long stairs. She sits on the step, backwards, then walks her front paws up to the step she's sitting on. Then she'll stand up, and sit back down on the next higher step. Repeat as-needed until stairs are scaled. It's silly-looking as hell, but faster than you'd think. Whatever - She manages the stairs in her own way, and that's that. Short stairs, OTOH, she generally has no issues with, though she sometimes forgets which hind foot to put where.

Suka and Dakota have a complicated relationship. Suka doesn't really approve of Dakota, but generally tollerates her well, excepting when Dakota crosses one of Suka's numerous invisible rules. Then, Suka will get all huffy, and make faces, and generally throw her (fairly minor) weight around. Dakota will turn away, sit down, groom, or otherwise engage in distance-increasing behaviors until Suka gets bored, or decides that she's got her message across. Once Suka runs out of steam (or, more usually, gets called on being a rude little punk by one of the humans), Dakota goes back to doing what she'd started. Dakota generally yields dominance to Suka, and follows her about (especially when stressed). However, she doesn't let Suka go too far in being pushy - When Suka crosses one of Dakota's lines, Dakota will thump her a good one. Then it's back to business as usual. Dakota definately relies on Suka outside and off our land, and at the same time, is highly protective of Suka.

Case in point: Last night, I had The Girls at the vet for checkup and immunization updates. Suka was generally being a stress-puppy; whining, squeaking, and panting heavily. When Suka was taken to the back for a blood draw, Dakota hit the door to the treatment area HARD. Dakota normally doesn't jump up, but last night, her head was six feet off the ground as she took a run at that door! Deciding that she couldn't batter the door open, she was reduced to sniffing and nudging at the cracks until her Suka was brought back to her. Once Suka was back, all was well again.


Speaking of Vets, Dakota is still doing very well, though the doc did notice some loosness developing in her hips from last examination. Considering that over this last winter, she also gained a bit of weight, I suspect it's from not getting enough exercise, or is at least exacerbated by that lack. What with the weather and all, she's not the only one needing a bit of toning up! We'll be taking action on that, now that the weather has started to turn.

Such a life...

Dakota is doing well. Very well. :)

I'm not doing entirely so well, though... Family issues (no, no one is getting divorced!), and work... I'm responsible for items that could literally cost my company a billion US Dollars, if I were to fail. Plus my job. ;) Family comes first, but clearly, the job is running a close second. :p

When I have time, I'll add more. Until then, just know that I have my nose to the grindstone and, to a degree, my back to the wall.