Today Marc had a visit at the office from our granddaughter, Alyssa, who started kindergarten today. She was very excited about being a big girl!

Marc asked her, "How old are you now?"
Alyssa responded, "5."
Marc asked, "How old is your Mommy?"
Alyssa responds, "26."
Marc asks, "How old is your Daddy?"
Alyssa responds, "27."

Now he gets himself in trouble.

"Alyssa, how old do you think Grampa Marc is?"

She thinks hard about this, looks at him, and thinks some more."117!!" she exclaims.

"Well, not until next year," says Marc. "How old do you think Grandma Lonny is?"

Alyssa thinks again. "28!!"

What a smart little girl she is!!

Dixie on the move.

Nemo came home from his "business trip" with a few more reserves; I think he needs some practice in learning how to bait properly to show off that lovely head, so that will be my project until he 'gets it.' He's a bit out of his mind here right now, with Paula and Stormy in standing heat, so I may wait a couple of days until he's more able to concentrate.

He was so excited to see Mandisa last night that he took a flying leap and body slammed her, knocking her to the ground...when she got up, of course she was limping. Off to the vet tomorrow to get that checked out! I hope its nothing serious - she just went in for her shots last week and Dr. Joe was thrilled with her tight knees - I'll be pretty upset if something got ruptured in there because of Nemo being an idiot!

Last night the giant toad made another appearance, and Phoebe was stalking it. She wasn't sure what to do, she put her head down and gave some low woofs and just looked at it - would take a step forward and then a step back - not quite the mighty hunter! I had Marc chase Mr. Toad under the fence, and I didn't want her to grab it. This morning I saw him lurking along the fence in the back, and I also encouraged him to duck under the fence. Now I know why the dogs have been digging back there!

Wheezer looks like he's losing weight again, but so far he's still eating well and is in good spirits. Sigh. I hate seeing them fade away like this. I've been giving him some of the dry Merrick's Grandma's Pot Pie mixed in with his normal kibble and he seems to like it - whatever I can do to get him to eat more and increase his calories is good.

I heard from Kathy, and Parker (Peter) is doing great. Kathy writes, "Parker is a really good boy he stays in his yard, yes we are out with him but he stays in his space,, and he loves to ride and is very good at it. Thank you very much again we love him the dogs and cats like him so all is well,,(Love will come later for them):) Kathy, ps he loves the water and boat rides, its really cool cuz we have never had a swimming Akita, And his a great frizbee dog, and he brings it back, he is growing will send pictures soon."

I guess he's a Japanese-American Water Dog just like his father, Dylan!

Bubba went to his first dog show today, and did very well! I got this email from Paivi late this morning.

<We have been in our first dogshow today :0)
Bubba was Best puppy in breed :0) and I was very proud of him!
His critic: Typical 7 months old puppy. Enough lenght of body. Head proportions correct enough. Good neck, topline. Broad, deep ghest long enough. Exc. angulation. Correct movement. Exc.temperament.
Judge was Ligita Zake from Latvia.
Hanna has taken some pictures in show. She send them to you.
A big hug from Bubba and Päivi :0)>>

And here is our pretty white boy! He looks a lot like his sire, Smiley.

Thirteen things I love about our Akitas.

1. I love their thick furry necks, which are perfect for hugging.

2. I love their intelligence.

3. I love their sense of humor.

4. I love those thick little furry ears that feel like silk when I squish them and pet them.

5. I love their strength and beauty.

6. I love their dignity.

7. I love feeling safe with them in the car or in the house, knowing that they would protect me if they had to.

8. I love those thick curly tails! Some have tails so tight they won't uncurl, others let them drop sometimes and they look like big fat wooly bear caterpillars.

9. I love that they are not needy dogs; they aren't always begging for attention and are perfectly content to lay in their spot and not be constantly underfoot.

10. I love how they are always thinking and trying to outsmart us so they can get their way.

11. I love how you can see their eyes laughing when they DO pull one over on us!

12. I love how they don't have a strong doggy odor.

13. I know this is not the breed for everyone, but I love their personalities, the way they are always a bit of a challenge, and how devoted and loyal they are to their families. I can't see myself ever being without at least one.