Cherie ONWEY: One Became Two & Two Became Three

When I was a little girl we had a dog named Lady. We loved Lady. She was a best friend to all of us. Lady was very smart. She was a guard dog and a playmate.She was a good sport letting us play dress up and dance with her too. My favorite was her version of hide and go seek. She was a cheater with her keen sense of smell she could find us in a second or two and with her size she could hide anywhere.

Fast forward to about two years ago. I have five brothers. The one I grew up with (long story) got two puppies. They got two because the girls didn't seem to want to be separated and were both so cute it was too hard to chose just one. They looked a lot like our Lady did. When he showed me his new dogs I asked if he had planned to breed them. He said they were thinking about it. Some experts say female dogs will have a better temperament if she has been bred. I took dibs then and there.

This is Maggie

& Mandie

They decided to breed and at the time promised one to Mom, one to her mom, one to her brother and one to me. They purchased a male because the cost of the male was half of the fee to breed the girls twice. They got Buddy.

I was so excited to get a puppy like the one I had as a kid but I wasn't sure how that would work after coming to care for my mom.

Both dogs became pregnant not long af ter having become Mom's caregiver. They were only about six weeks apart. This was an exciting time. I decided it would be a good thing because my puppy and Mom's puppy would have each other to play with. After all dogs are pack animals and tend do better in groups anyway. So my one dog became our two dogs.
The first litter came for Thanksgiving. There was one girl and three boys. Mom wanted a girl.

The girl was a shaded blond with a fairly good disposition. Mom named her Lucy after her mother but kept calling her Lady. Now she is officially Lady Lucy.

I chose the red. He was loving and calm. The kids named him Jasper. We got to bring them home around the first of the year shortly after the second litter arrived. In that litter there were two white and three black. They looked like a double stuff Oreo cookie.

Well sort of anyway.

Until they had their shots they were confined to the house. We put a 4x4 pen in the living room but during the day when people could watch them they were let out to have the run of the house most of the day. They have a variety of toys and love a good rawhide bone. They would "bury" their toys and rawhide bones under furniture.

One day in February I had some time to kill when I was picking my son up for work. I went to see the puppies that were days away from going to their new homes. I had seen them the day they were born but hadn't seen them since. They were so cute. One particular black one crawled up into my lap and cuddled. She was so little and so sweet. I told my brother I wanted her. He said if I was serious I could have her but to make sure Mom was okay with a third dog. At that point at home we had her dog and my dog so bringing in the third dog was a good thing and they all became our dogs.

Once all three were given their parvo shots they were able to begin going out some. They learned how leashes worked. They get too excited and still get tangled up too easily to really go with one person. I always wondered how the dog walkers do it.

Now that they have had their rabies shots we pulled the back yard together. The jungle is now cleared and there is a portion fenced off for the turtle.

There is a dog door so they can come in and out when they want. Ironically ever since then they have had access to the yard there has been drizzle and rain and they stay in the kitchen. We have gated them into into the kitchen at this point. I'm sure once they are a little older we will give them full access to the house. Right now they tend to chew cords... phone charger cords, computer cords, game cords, light cords... any cords they can find. They have occasional accidents so until they catch on they need to be contained in the kitchen and yard.

Lady is beautiful. Her coat is a rich looking dark blond with shaded swirls through her back and tail. She has a regal look about her. She wants attention all the time and is a bit of a whiny girl. She is less likely to go run around outside and prefers to lay around more than the other two.

Jasper is our protector. He barks at not just new people but all the new unfamiliar or unexpected sounds or shadows. His coat is a deep red and so very soft. He holds his rawhide with both paws like a baby would hold a bottle and it is comical to watch. He is still the calm one.

Huni Bear is the alpha dog. From moment one she wanted those big dogs to know she was in charge. Her coat is soft black with reddish tan markings. She is the one who is most accepting of visitors. She is a little hyperactive and easily distracted. She growls like a bear but is sweet like honey.