10/20/01
Just wanted you to know that Samson is coming along very nicely. He has settled well, is much calmer, although we haven't tried him in the car this summer. He loves it here at our place in Montana and we even let him roam the yard when we are out and about. He still does growl a little now and then if he meets a strange bearded man wearing a baseball cap. Must be something from his mysterious past. But all in all has become a good friend and is loved by everyone in the family.

06/05/01
Just got back from a week of vacation at the beach. KC got to go on 35 miles of hikes. I think I have hiked over 75 miles with her so far. We can let her off-leash for about 1/2 hour at a time to run. She loves to chase seagulls. She also appears to be a good swimmer and is not afraid of the water. Her and Mika spent a lot of time splashing in the surf. She believes that everyone should share her joy of the surf and gets as close as she can before shaking it all off.
I also got the new kennel built - concrete floor, with 6' high chainlink fence. Now she can't dig out, which lets me sleep at night. Both dogs have their own igloo for sleeping and protection from the rain. 

05/17/01
Oh, we've been having our fun with this little stinker. We learned she loves to dig. When we went to the beach two weekends ago, she dug out of the kennel during the first night we were there. It was clear she had hung around most of the night, but was missing in the morning (sometime after 2 am when I last checked on her). I was out at 6:00 am looking for her and found her down the street at a neighbor's house. So, for the weekend she spent her nights "cabled" to the kennel.
If we put her inside the kennel on the cable, she dug out.
If we put her on the outside of the kennel, she dug back in!
So, instead of laying the foundation for a walkway to our front door that weekend, I spent the weekend laying forms for a concrete slab for the kennel. I think the people I contracted will pour the slab this week. Then we can put the kennel on the slab and I will be able to sleep at night without worry.
KC was not in top physical shape at the beginning of the weekend. The first 5 mile hike really wore her out, and she got cramps in her hind legs on and off the rest of the day. But, she has responded quickly and after a few more hikes is getting into shape. We've tried her off leash, but she will run off after a while. She loves to go swimming with Mika and it is quite a sight to see two mals running through the surf chasing a flock of birds. Fortunately, Mika is real good about "herding" her when she wants to run off, so when the two of them are together we can have some off-leash time for her (about 5-10 minutes at most for now).
Back at home I have been working with her every morning and night. She has learned that she won't get out of the kennel without sitting first and she is capable of walking calmly on leash. KC and Mika do travel well together in the truck; I don't think we will be needing a crate for her after all.
She isn't as hand-shy anymore and will come up to me to get her ears scratched, and she loves to have her tummy rubbed.
She only appears dominant with Mika, she and Mally seem to get along fine. Nor is she dominant to Alison or me, and will readily roll over into a submissive position on her back (probably because she knows she will get her tummy rubbed). I can take food (a bone or leather chew) from her mouth without her snarling or nipping. Unlike Mika, she does recognize that fingers are not an hors d'oeuvre.
We are going to enclose an area about 150' x 60' with fence to have a larger run as I would like to have more time for her off-leash. I hate to admit it, but this dog may never be completely trustworthy off-leash. It will probably take me through next month to get the fence finished.
I guess I can see why she might not have done well in other homes. She is wonderfully cute, can be very sweet and loving (she'll lick your face or offer a paw for shaking), but when her mischievous side comes out, it can try your patience. I think she is another dog that has received too much physical discipline. When she knows I am unhappy with something she has done, she ducks and cowers. We are using treat-training methods to work on the hand-shy problem and that is helping get her confidence up. I hope in a few months she will come to know that we take good care of our critters and that she is safe with us.
I'll send some pictures from my aol account when we get some decent ones. Usually we have forgotten the camera when a good opportunity for some cute pictures has come up so I don't have any good ones yet.

05/03/01
Sebastian just had a 7 lb tumor removed from his side and is acting like a puppy again, and is back with his original owners. He is in excellent health and happy again. We are so relieved. Thank you for your support and advise. Your mission here with this web site is greatly appreciated by people like us.

04/23/01
We took KC (the new name, not quite sure how it got chosen) out for a 5 mile hike with Mika. She does well on the leash but can't be trusted off-leash at this time. She has learned that we feed our pets well and that her home is safe. She gets lots of handling in the mornings and at night. She is now less hand-shy than last Saturday when we got her.
She's comfortable giving me heck whenever I let another dog out and not her; I didn't think mals learned to swear at such an early age. She got a new retractable 16'leash and a 6' leash, and a new name tag yesterday. She is eating well now and isn't gulping everything in sight as she did the first two days.