Jazz Hands

I was dying to hear about my little Bitsy and how she is doing with her big brother Buster from my first litter of pups. Her name is now Jazz and she is doing just great:

Buster and Jazz are doing are doing great together. She holds her own with him. We tried so hard to keep her on her puppy food but she and Buster traded bowls and that is that. Buster is not a great eater. His bowl will sit full all day and he will pick at it. Jazz on the other hand will not stop until every last bit is gone. We will have to watch her waist line...We call her Jazz because she has "Jazz hands". Vet says she is fine. I'll send pictures when I can
Tammy

I am not exactly sure what they mean about her "Jazz hands." I am guessing that they are referring to her great big TT paws and the fact that she is highly physically expressive. Perhaps she has a future in interpretive dance.

And then I heard from Mabel ( the darling itsy bitsy from my first litter) and she wants a sister from Deep Acres Farm's next litter. That will have to be from Roxie or Angus because I AM DONE!

Dear Suddie, We have been following your puppy blog with great interest. The puppies are so cute and they have all found wonderful homes. It must have been hard to let them go. Mabel wanted to inquire about the possibility of getting on a list for your next litter of pups. She seems to want to have a playmate, perhaps a sister? The cat is just not any fun to play with. We know you don't plan another litter for 2 years but we just wanted to let you know of our interest.
Sincerely, John, Sarah and Mabel

The Barefoot Dogtessa

Well. Let’s see. I heard from my friend Laura. Laura lives in the Hamptons and among many other things she is a fabulous pastry chef. She made all the pies for the movie Waitress. Did you see that movie? I loved it. Laura claims she has a dog but every time I visit, her pooch has been at the spa. Lucky dog! Well anyway Laura wrote to tell my dad he is a silly goose and while she was at it she let him know that she has an article in the January issue of Town & Country. Rather than rambling on, I‘m just going to show you dad’s email back to Laura:

Subject: T&A

Err…I mean T&C.
I love your article. Well done Ms. D.
Who would have thought Ina and I would share a love for whiskey sours?
I love your glamour shot. Hair extensions? ☺ You look great.
(Note from Suddie: Do you remember when I was considering Jacqueline Smith’s clip on hair pieces? Click here for a refresher.)
I paid a visit to our vet this morning and there was Town & Country right between Dog Fancy and Modern Dog in the magazine rack. Who would have thunk? So I couldn’t help myself, I had to snag it (along with Modern Dog and an issue of Outside with a hot babe on the cover). I was going to buy it. Really I was.
Suddie’s Dad

The article is a profile of Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa. It’s very good fun and it lists all the Contessa’s favorite things. In addition to whiskey sours (you may…or may not…remember that I shared my own recipe not that long ago), the shoeless one loves Fran’s dark-chocolate-covered caramels with sea salt. My parents love then too. Every Christmas Dara sends them a box and they inhale the entire box in like two seconds. Dara also sends me her famous homemade doggie treats in one of the beautiful silk bags that she has taken to making now that she has given up her tedious high-powered Wall Street career. That’s what Wall Street will do to you. Or so I hear. Well, anyway, Dara is none the worse for it. Last year she also sent my parents a jar each of Fran’s dark chocolate and caramel sauces, but not this year. I think they were a bit disappointed and figured their status on Dara’s Christmas gift list must have fallen. But then they received this note:

Howdy Pardners.
Where are you? In Texas?? That picture doesn't work for me. Do you have 10 Gallon Hats?? Pointy boots??
Anyhoo, I don't think I have a street address for you there. So, I need it to send the missing Fran's sauces. As my sister and I say, a jar of that stuff + a spoon = PARTY. We are simple people.
Chocolate Kisses,
Dara

And just so you know, the barefoot one actually wraps her tootsies in $500 Loro Piana cashmere slippers. She lists them as her most treasured article of clothing or accessory: “My Loro Piana cashmere slippers. I have them everywhere in the house! I wear them for cooking, for traveling, and for dinner parties at home.” Now me, I am the real barefoot contessa, I can’t stand to have anything on my feet. But, I must admit, I might make an exception for cashmere slippers.

My Little Calendar Pups

Now I have to brag. The 2010 Tibetan Terrier Health and Welfare Foundation Calendar came out recently and my pups were chosen for not one but for two months. Angus and Sadie as pups are Mr. and Miss. April. Angus appears again as Mr. September with a tennis ball in his mouth. I am so proud of my pups. If you want to get a calendar yourself and support the Tibetan Terrier Health and Welfare Foundation, you can visit their website.

And do you remember the book Pet Projects: The Animal Knits Bible that I talked about months ago? Well Grammy Jill gave it to me as a Christmas present and then she asked my parents to knit Sadie a sweater. It wasn't really as self-serving as it sounds, but now Sadie has a beautiful red cable knit. I still don't have the little knit cap that I have been going on about for months now, but I did copy the instructions page and gave it to my Aunt Joyce and she promised to knit one each for Roxie, Angus, and me. I hope she does because we are going to need it this winter

Sherpa Meets Doris Duke

I received another update from Sherpa. Isn't he sweet!
Good morning Mom,
It's been a very quiet week, lots of naps and just taking it easy. Last night I met my new Vet Dr. Amy and she gave me a full exam and a shot. She thought I was in great shape and my dads asked lots of questions because they want me to grow up and be strong and healthy.
Today I met one of my 7 sisters "Doris". She is a Rhode Island Red named after Doris Duke who had a house in Newport R I..... you can just imagine the names of the other hens..... I'm sure I'll be meeting them soon.......Every morning I help gather the girls eggs and make sure they have fresh water and feed....It's time for another nap it's been a full morning....

I hope your having a great week and a very Happy New Year to all.....

Huge hugs-Sherpa

Elsa and Rufus

I received a note from my pups in Iowa. Here it is.
Dear Suddie,
Elsa and Rufus are amazing. They have been a wonderful addition to our family and have made this Christmas very special. On Christmas night, they watched movies with us while snuggled in our laps in front of the warm fireplace. It was great. Santa brought new toys for them too, and Mom ordered some stockings with their names on them to hang on the mantle for future Christmas’.
We have had snow and ice storms in Iowa making each walk a trail blazing challenge. They love to chew on the small branches that have fallen off the trees in the wind. Most of all they love to sniff and dig through the snow to find deer poop. Elsa always pees right away, but Rufus takes a little longer to do his business. They have had only a couple accidents in the house which makes Mom happy. The crate is a safe and comfy place to rest, and they have hardly whimpered at all since they arrived. Best of all, they give us lots of kisses when we sit and hold them.
Yesterday they had a visit to their new vet. She is a pretty young lady named Dr Anderson who said they were beautiful puppies. There is only one other Tibetan in the entire rest of the practice. The vet said we could take them in any time for treats so they get used to the place. Rufus stayed really still for his shot, but Elsa flinched so she needed to be stuck a couple times. Her leg was sore this morning so she took an extra nap in the crate, but this afternoon she is back to her rambunctious self.
Elsa and Rufus have been making friends in the neighborhood. Many of our friends have met the puppies. Jacob and Ella’s mommy was very impressed that the puppies did not bark during their visit. Everyone thinks the puppies are sweet, soft and cuddly. Dinky is a 7 year old beagle who lives up the street who came to visit yesterday as well when we were shoveling the driveway. The puppies were happy to see Dinky and established a friendship right away. Their arrival has become the talk of the neighborhood.
Time for us to feed the puppies and take them for a walk. By the way, the pups haven't had an accident in days which is pretty amazing for such small pups. You did a great job with them. Thank you again for being such a good mommy and taking care of these great puppies.
Keep in touch.

Love,
Ryan, Grace, and Sophia

Sherpa's First Christmas

Sherpa wrote and shared news of his first Christmas:
Dear Mommy-kins,
Wow, it's been very busy and lots of new people the past few days. Christmas Eve I met 16 relatives who came to our house for dinner. It was great meeting everyone and I loved all the attention and compliments but I'm just a little guy and it was exhausting.....After everyone went home, I thought okay that was fun but now we can get into a routine and I can get back to taking my naps and play when I want to....Oh no, up early the next morning into the car and off to the Berkshires to meet the other side of the family....This time there were 22 and again they all hugged me and told my dads they have never seen such a good natured well adjusted pup.... Man, am I glad that's over, it was fun but enough is enough......

Today was easy, we had our friend Bobbie over for breakfast to celebrate her birthday and we took a hike in the woods. I'm now taking it easy, I wanted to give a quick update, I'm off to the soft wool rug in the living room to sleep for a few days:).........

Love-Sherpa

Roscoe's Letter Home

Roscoe sent me a fabulous update:

Dear Mommy...

Sorry it’s taken me a couple of days to write. I’ve been real busy getting to know my new family. Plus, there’s been a lot of excitement here about some kind of holiday that involves pretty paper, ribbons and a big bush INSIDE the house. Very exciting! It’s feeling a little calmer today, so my new Dad (his name is Jim) said I could use his computer to write you a note.

First, let me tell you that I DID NOT like the car ride at all! My new crate was just fine...comfortable and all...but the feeling of motion made me nuts! I yelped, howled, whined and barked...anything I could do to get my new family’s attention. Finally, after about an hour, my new friend Molly let me out to sit on her lap and cuddle. It was a lot better, but I still did not like the other cars that were passing by us. I was very happy when it was finally over.

After my car ride (yuck), I was very excited to explore my new house. It’s a little like yours, with wood floors and cozy rugs and lots of nooks and corners to stick my nose into. Molly introduced me right away to her litter-mate, Eliza, and we spent some time getting to know each other. They are both real friendly and like to play with me all the time. They’re both doing something called “Christmas break,” so I think they’re going to be around a lot for the next week or so to keep me company. I also was able to get to know Kelly, my new Mom. Everyone here is super nice (but none of them smell like you).

I did have a couple of oopsies on my first day. I was just so excited...plus the doors are in different places and the yard is not the same. The next day I only had one accident in the morning because I think my new Dad is still learning how to care for a pup. He’s getting better though, and we’re becoming a pretty good team. He thinks he’s training me, but it’s really me who’s doing the training. Don’t let on about this. Let’s just keep it between you and me.

The first night in my new crate was a little scary. Your Dads gave me a towel from our pen to bring to my new house, and Jim put that into my crate to help make me feel secure. Even with the towel, I got myself worked up with missing you and the rest of the pups. Jim sat with me a real long time to keep me company. That helped a lot and I was able to finally sleep through the night in my crate. The past two nights have been much better. I sleep in Jim and Kelly’s bedroom, but they bring my crate down to the kitchen for the daytime. I like to go inside and take naps when I get tired.

The food and water bowls that I have here are the same shiny metal like at home, but they’re a little different shape. I thought maybe they were not really mine at first, so I didn’t want to eat someone else’s food. Jim and Kelly assured me that the bowls were really for me (plus, I have discovered that I am the only dog that lives here), so I’m eating really well now and I don’t have to share.

My new family have a lot of friends that have come over to see me since I arrived, so I’m beginning to feel a little like a celebrity (I promise to not let it go to my head). Some of them brought me gifts like a really great gingerbread-man chew toy from Eliza’s friend Nick and a neat stuffed lobster that squeaks when I bite down...that came from Jim’s sister in New Jersey. They both have dogs, so they know the good stuff. I’m told that Jim’s sister has a really sweet Black Lab named Bailey that I hope to meet someday soon on a field trip. Jim and Kelly got me some squeaky tennis balls, a chew rope and some Nylabones to make my teeth feel better. I chew on the Nylabones a lot. I like to sit on a special rug by the front door and play with all my new toys.

My paws are getting a little tired, so I think I’m going to sign off now. Please tell Roxie and Angus that I miss them very much and be sure to give your Dads (my grand-dads?) a big lick and a nuzzle for me. I know that they worked really hard to take care of me and the other pups and to find us all really good homes. I’m going to try to keep in touch and make you proud of me. Just know that I can tell my new family loves me very much and I’m feeling very much at home already.

Yours Always,

Roscoe