My Dogs

New pups! April 20, 2004

Ginger was born December 4, 2000. I bought her to be a pet and a hunting companion. I found a breeder in NW Arkansas, looked at her mother Charlie and the rest of the litter and decided that Ginger was just too cute to pass up.

Click on the pictures with outlines to see more pictures!

She was 52 days old when we brought her home. She learned her name at 9 weeks old and we began her training that day. She was a quick learner and was able to SIT, STAY and COME by 11 weeks. We started playing fetch and haven't stopped playing since. She'll wear your arm out before she gets tired! By the time 5 months had gone by, she was retrieving training ducks and learning to use her nose to find them in tall grass.

		I took her hunting for the first time in September... just 10 months old. She never marked a bird going down, but if I gave her a hint as to where the bird was, she'd go find it and bring it back. I was even able to take her duck hunting in December where she got a glimpse of what that was all about. It'll be fun to see what she can do this next season.
Ginger is now a beautiful puppy dog (technically they're puppies until 24 months or so). I enjoy spending time with her.

Shelby we took from a neighbor who was moving to a place that would not allow dogs. Ginger needed someone to play with and we obliged. We aren't sure when Shelby was born or who her parents were... the neighbor found her at a construction site.Little did we know that Shelby was a mischievous handful!

Before a month was out we had holes under our fence, board eaten through the fence, holes in the side of the house where she'd chewed and plants dug up. She got out so many times that the neighbor kids knew who we were! Luckily, she knew she was in trouble when I would call for her and I'd see her run back down the street and back into the yard the way she came out... so I was able to plug up the new hole without having to look for it! Often as not, she'd bring back booty from her excursions. Shoes and boots are a favorite cost us a bit of money. After an electric fence she stopped getting out so much and now... 1 year after we got her... I think she's cured. Now if only I could get her to stop digging up the vegetation!

Ginger and Shelby are pretty good together. Ginger, though younger, is definitely the dominant of the two. Shelby is sweet as can be and would rather put her head in your lap and let you scratch her neck than doing silly things like, oh, say chasing the ball or eating! She cranes her head back as far as she can... often losing her balance in the process... so you can scratch her neck.

Since they're outdoor dogs, they hang out mostly on the porch. It offers some shelter from the heat, some cool cement to spread out on, or...when the cement is a little too chilly, there's always the bench. (If you look in that picture, you can see where Shelby likes to chew on the house! Grrr!) Of course, when it gets too nasty cold or rainy outside, I bring em in the house and put em in the kitchen. The poor neighbor kids, though... 3 boys live next door and 3 boys from across the street all play in the backyard next to us. If (er... When) toys come soaring over the fence, it's chew toy (as you can see in the background of the porch picture).