02/11/05
I can't believe in June it will be two years since I picked Sierra up in Maple Valley.  She is such a joy in my life, and I just adore her.
She is doing great, and I thought I would just send some updated photos to WAMAL to let you folks know that she's doing very well.  The two emails I'm sending are a little outdated in text, but the pictures of Sierra (or "boo-boo" when she's being extra cute) are great.  The one attached to this email I find particularly funny.  The picture was taken at her doggy daycare for the fourth of July, and the photographer laughingly said that Sierra loved the camera, and having all eyes on her.  She really hammed it up!
The other email I'll send has pictures of me, my boyfriend, Erik, and his Siberian named Kobi.  It took some adjustment (Kobi is 8, and has been an only dog all his life), but things are fine with both of them.  At home, they just act like the other isn't there, but at the dog park they seem to "rediscover" one another, and have a wonderful time playing tag together.
I think WAMAL is a great organization, and it inspires me to someday want to have more resources so that I can adopt another mal., or even foster.

02/09/05
That is funny you emailed me, I was thinking about emailing everyone. Joshua is doing great. Had a few small issues at first; He ripped down my molding to my door and he likes to sneak off with food from the pantry, but that is so minor :-) Otherwise, all is great. I did take him to the groomer at the kennel and he freaked out! But I sat with him and he was a little calmer. Boy, he looks so handsome!!! He has been digging at himself to where he has patches of skin showing. Is this normal? He seems to leave our cat alone. He is interested at first when Zazu comes around, but never approaches him. We walk a lot and play all the time. He enjoys car rides and has done real well when other dogs are around. I did notice that he seems very protective of us. If he feels any one of us are in danger, he howls and barks. My son tells me everyday how much he loves his new puppy! I think it was well worth the wait to find Josh, he is truly a perfect fit for our family. Thank You!!! :-)

02/07/05
I know that it has been over my two-week trial period, and I wanted to say that....
Chobi (aka: Ty is the best dog ever. really. Ever, in the history of the world.... and you can never have him back. :)
Anyway, i really wanted to thank everyone that came out to centennial and helped me with my choice. Chobi (choe-bee) seems pretty happy here in the Tri-Cities. He has two good friends next door that he is always eager to play with. He is always quiet, unless he believes he's going to go on a run. He has a new doghouse that he never uses, but he is not keen on escaping or digging either - so everybody is happy. He seems to know most commands already and has even come with shaking hands and catching biscuits installed. :)
I ended up going went with a different name since he had only been named Ty for a week. I mulled over a few other names, including Tyger, but went with Chobi (Bengali for Photograph) in the end.

01/29/05
Cola is doing great. We haven't had any more snapping issues and she is really starting to relax. Her and Dawson are a lot happier since the weather has gotten warmer and they can stay out all day. We have started obedience class and she is doing well. She doesn't pull as hard on leash as she use to but on her Extend-a-lead she still pulls quite a bit. She should come around as the class progresses. How's Scout-does he have a new friend yet?
We are going to the park today so I'll try and get some more pics. Here are some pics of her doing one of the things she likes to do most.

01/01/05
    Cola's fit into the family very well. Her and Dawson, our other mal, adore each other. She also thinks our three cats are ok. And the horses-new best friends. Her favorite past time is chasing the horses from her side of the fence. She runs with them as run past the yard, she thinks she's part of the herd. Out of the yard, she only goes in the pasture if we are there then runs back into the yard so she can run with the horses. I think she knows they can't chase her when she's in the yard.
    Daily long walks help burn some of the abundant energy she has and boy she has lots. She is fascinated by all the wildlife scents (deer, moose, coyote) on our walks. 10 year old Dawson tries to keep up to her but in the end just lets her spin hoping one day he will finally catch her-no way!
    Xmas went great. We took them both to my mom's place in Calgary, about 7 hours away. Cola was very calm and comfortable away from home. She seems to know she has found Home.