10/19/04
Kokanee is doing great and she and Toby are inseparable.  She is generally more obedient than Toby which works out nicely for him because he gets to be off leash more often since we can trust her to come back (with him tagging along behind).  She is still a jumper and we've had no success breaking her of that habit but other than that, things are all going well here and we're thrilled to have Kokanee as part of our family.   She's a great camper and travels well in the car.  She and Toby are outside 90% of the time (cause they take up a lot of room when they have to be everywhere together...and they always have to be together!) but they seem to have adjusted just fine to that (that was new for Toby as well).  All in all, I think she's a great fit for our family and she seems happy.  Toby thinks it's great to have a playmate.

09/17/04
Things are working out very well with Kokanee.  We got her as a play mate and companion for our big grey Toby.  We were hoping for a great match because she'd bonded with a big grey brother and then they were separated. It's worked out very well.  There's some jealousy still, almost a year later from Toby, but they love to play (rough!) and both dogs are a handsome hit when I walk them down the street.  Kokanee is more aggressive with other dogs than Toby and she just about ate one of our two cats when he wandered aimlessly into our dog zone (fenced in back yard).  An emergency rescue saved him and all must be forgiven because the cat is still interested in Kokanee (either that or he's just very, very stupid).
Here's pictures... thanks for asking about her.

08/27/04
Cindy & Matt,
Things got delayed from last night and we got together this morning. We ran Dutch around for a while to get him relaxed, and when Kodiak got there we put Dutch in the house. We got Kodiak and his leash cleaned up (he had an accident in the truck, I think he needed to go before he got put in the truck), got to know him a bit and his HIGH energy level, and he pulled me around our yard. We then took him for a walk/run, during which he ran in front of me and I crashed so I didn't step on him but no harm done. :) So he is a little less hyper at this point, so we let Dutch out of the house on his leash, and Kodiak went kind of nuts!! He appeared to be happy and want to play but he is so big he had Dutch intimidated big time! I held him back, and we took them both for a walk, during which we let them walk side-by-side, and touch noses briefly with no incident. All signs were positive! Back to the house, close the gate and after a couple of nervous minutes (the people, not the dogs!) and more interaction, off came the leashes. They couldn't have gotten along better!! There were NO squabbles, only minor assertions of something that bothered one or the other of them. We were all VERY pleased, and Naomi was so happy for him that she didn't even cry when she left him. Then I had to come to WORK!! I should be home brushing my new buddy! But I have all day tomorrow....
Thank you both for all your time and work, we have some training to do but all in all he is a much happier dog with all our 5 acres to play on than he could ever be in the city. He is one very happy dog. Pictures taken but not downloaded, I'll send as soon as I get them, likely Monday.
Sincerest Thanks,
Alan B.

Excellent! Try to not let your guard down completely yet... it takes >these guys a bit to figure out "wait, your STAYING?!" and things can change then. Typically for the better, but just something to watch out for. Sounds like your off to a great start tho! Please keep us up to date, and if there are any problems or even just a note to say "Things are still going great" please let us know. :)
Congrats on the new fur kid!

07/08/04
I just wanted to pass along an update on Kenai.  What a wonderful boy!  He is settling right into his new environment.  We spent the long weekend up at our cabin in the Canadian mountains north of Pemberton and we all had a blast.  Kenai loved hiking through the woods and sloshing along the lakes shore. He was most intrigued with the moose and bear droppings and would love to have been able to climb the trees after the squirrels.  We all sat on the dock while Nicky fished for some small sculpins and Kenai eventually realized that the little flopping creatures were being pulled out of the water and began watching them swim around the hooked worm.  He was really very funny to watch.
We went for a walk up around Lake Padden this evening and Kenai was calm and kind with all the “locals" in the dog area and friendly with all the walkers around the lake.
I hope it brings at least a little comfort to know that Kenai is fitting in quite well and that he will truly be loved in his new home.
Thanks for trusting us with such a wonderful spirit.

07/06/04
Things are going great with Kia and us.  Everybody is getting along just fine.  We take her almost everywhere we go.  Everybody in our neighborhood knows her because she is the prettiest dog on the block.  She struts and wags her tail to show off her grace and beauty.  Once we took her to Ilahee park and there was a group of people at a party.  Instantly, she became the center of attention.  Someone yelled and told us we had a very pretty dog.  Kia gave them a short bark to say hi and everybody laughed.  We would like to thank you for giving us the opportunity to take care of Kia and making her a part of our lives.  We will always love our newest addition to the family.