Avita Whippets

The puppies had some very nice visitors who just got a chance to send their pictures.  The puppies are six weeks old in these pics.

I finally broke down and bought a new camera since I had looked everywhere for my camera with no luck.

As predicted by Joye, I found my camera within hours of buying a new one.  Should have done that the first day.

The Hampton Hooligans are now 10 weeks but I still think the pictures that I took the morning they turned 8 weeks are fun to look at.  Here's a sample.  More when you click here

Today while the homies were doing this:

Taser woke up early to celebrate their ten week birthday and demonstrated his new maturity by climbing over the ex-pen and joining us in the big room.  They have all learned to look for opportunities to slip under or through but this is the first out and out climb.

And thanks to Burt for bring the Big Lebowski Fest to our attention.  The Dude demurred actually attending due to his fear of flying but just in case you would enjoy reading about or looking at the party, here's the url:  <http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Movies/07/24/lebowski.fest/index.html>

Every evening and now afternoons as well, I'm treated to a sort of rolling thunder performance.  While Cosmo may still be a biggie piggie, I think the group as a whole can now be referred to as the Hampton Hooligans.

My attempts to get some 8 week pictures have been cursed.  I took some candids on their actual 8 week anniversary, came in to take care of some doggie pressing situation and now cannot find the camera.  Our plans to take stacked pictures last Monday were foiled when we returned from lunch only to find that Uncle Tucker had gone on the lam about 5 minutes before we came home.  He was lured in by a neighbor a block or so away but for the first couple of hours, finding him was the only focus and the pictures were forgotten.
Luckily, some visitors took some pictures last weekend and I've uploaded some to an album that you can access here:

BigPigs 8 wk

Every evening after supper time, a wild scrimage explodes in the back yard.  It's a free for all with everyone tackling everyone and everyone periodically running for the goal line.  These guys are getting fast.  My back yard is a bit of a natural agility course so they are all getting prepared for lure coursing and/or agility careers

It's been very hot here the last couple of days.  There isn't really room in the puppy pen for nine pups to play.  It's just a sleeping/necessaries room and play has been outside.  This afternoon, facing another couple of hours of watching the puppies pant, I realized the lawn was mostly in shade and I could turn on the sprinklers!

I wish I had had a video camera.  They were so darned funny.  They have never seen water come out of the sky or out of anything except a hose or a pitcher.  So seeing water in the air was a totally new experience for them. 

Mr P took to running under the spray, then going over to the hot patio surface and drying off and then over again.  Tazer walked right up behind one of the sprays and, leaning over, put his open mouth right in front for a refreshing mouthful.  Most of the other pups did the same after watching him.  The Dude, though had a different approach using his paw for his experiment. 

First he put is paw just over the spray nozzle so that he was getting a light spray.  He pulled the paw back and since he had neither melted nor been injured, he went back and did the same except a little further each time until finally he put his whole paw over the spray head and stopped the water altogether.

Cosmo gave the water a good look, backed up and bounced over to it in a charge.  Very cute.  And RaRa acted like a kitten.  She bounced in that unpredictable kitten way and put little paws into the water tentatively from the side of the spray.

Me, I just found the spot where two sprays over lapped and got a good drenching.  Very cool.  Well worth getting wet.

It's hard to know where to start with all the busy-ness of the last week.

Momo did us all proud on Saturday by going BOB over three very nice specials.  What a thrill for Emily & Russell.  I'm so proud of that lovely girl.  I'll post a picture as soon as I get one.

Also this weekend, Tucker, Big Mo's litter brother and so uncle to the pups, came to visit for a few days.  The puppies adore him and he adores them - in limited numbers and for limited time.  Mr P dropped granny like a hot potato for this handsome guy.  All the pups seem to find Uncle Tucker fascinating.

The pups had lots of company over the weekend and just had a blast playing with each other and with their human playmates.

Finally, I took the camera out and took a lot of candid pictures one morning.   There was some sort of free for all going on as I came in and I just put the camera down somewhere while I dealt with the issue.  And now I cannot find the camera anywhere.  I sure hope it shows up so I can show you how cute they are in play and how handsome they've all become as they approach their two month mark.

I've been noticing for some time that Mr P and Corky seem to have a special connection.  He adores her;  his tail wags when he sees her and one often sees him walking under her chest & chin, looking up with admiration and devotion, as they walk along. 

That she allows him to do this tells me the feeling is mutual.   Won't be long - probably just days - before he is too tall to walk under her as she walks.  Perhaps he'll learn how to walk by her side.