Oliver Is HUGE !

Does everyone remember big tubby Oliver of the Everything 8 Litter, belonging to our Missy Mercedes and Buddy boy?

Yes this was him after he had gone to his Forever Home ....

... and this is him now with his Forever Mom, Dad & GrandGirls.

His is bigger then both of  his doggie Mama and Poppa already I am sure and not even near a year old !  Wowsers !! can you believe it, as I barely can.

Here is what his Forever Home's daughter, Jewels, had to say about Oliver when she emailed me the up-to-date photos:

Hi Cindy!  Mom said she wanted me to send you a couple of new pictures.  
 
Last night they stopped by for a quick tea while they were out on their walk. I thought it would be nice to get a couple pictures of them with Oliver.  
 
He is a very handsome boy.  He has the manners of a billy goat most of the time but he is improving every day.  

He really loves my girls.  He follows Arizona with a toy in his mouth teasing her to play with him.  And Sonoma will always have clean toes because Oliver is always sneaking it a good few licks when he thinks nobody is watching!  He especially loves when the squirrels are in the back yard, he can run like the wind to chase them!
 
I'll be sure to take lots of pictures of Oliver at Christmas and I'll send you more.  I'm sure that Santa Paws will spoil him!
 
Have a good night!
 
Jewels

Truly I do not know if other Breeders appreciate hearing about their puppies from their Forever Homes, but I am one Breeder who certainly LOVES when I do.

Cindy, Owner/Breeder of the "Checkerboard Aussies" Australian Shepherd Dogs.

Sisters As They Grow

We were totally amazed, but most pleasantly surprised to have had received photos on the same day from two of our Fabulous Four 2013 Forever Homes.  

It truly makes me feel so good to see how much love and attention they are getting, these Sisters, Sprite, and Bindi.

Here is Sprite "chillaxing" with her Forever Mama, Sara, at the end of what I would think to be a very busy day for both of them. 

Sara's note to me in the email was this :  She is such a sweet girl, so friendly and a hound for attention! Her favorite thing is to sit on my lap when I watch TV or sit in front of the fire. I didn't know that Aussies were lap dogs!

As you can tell, Sprite looks like her real Mama, and .....

.... is obviously taking after her Papa in the Lap Dog department.

This here is Sister, Bindi, who has been reported by Forever Home Owner, Mike, now to be a whooping 50 lbs to date.  She is not only getting to be a big girl, she is also another very beautiful girl.

We could not be more proud or happy for our Checkerboard Aussie Pups and their Forever Homes.

Thank you Sara and Mike for always sharing with us, as truly it means much to us.

Cindy, Owner/Breeder of The "Checkerboard Aussies" Australian Shepherds.

Raised bowls and bloat: Ratcheting up the controversy on the risk of GDV in dogs

Not too certain where we stand on this one, as our own Dear Bandit eats from raised bowls, which really probably matter to him or us too much, other then they look nice in the kitchen.  However upon reading this article by Patty Khuly, VMD, MBA, it does give some "Food" for thought.

For those who also might be interested in such matters, we though we would share the link to where this article can be found as follows:

http://www.petmd.com/blogs/fullyvetted/2009/july/raised-bowls-and-bloat-ratcheting-controversy-risk-gdv-dogs#.UnpvePmsiSp

As with anything in Life, we can never have too much information, can we, Bandit?

Bandit ????? are you listening?

Cindy, Owner/Breeder of the Checkerboard Aussies, Australian Shepherd Dogs.

A Household "Tip" From The Checkerboard Aussies

Washing Dishes with Coldwater:

Can Cold Water Clean Dishes?

This is for all the germ conscious folks 
that worry about using cold water to clean. 
John went to visit his 90 year old

grandfather in a very secluded, rural area of Saskatchewan.

After spending a great evening chatting the night 
away, the next morning John's grandfather 
prepared breakfast of bacon, eggs and toast. 


However, John noticed a film like substance on his 
plate, and questioned his grandfather asking, 
'Are these plates clean?' 
His grandfather replied, 
'They're as clean as cold water can get em. 
Just you go ahead and finish your meal,

Sonny!

For lunch the old man made hamburgers. 

Again, John was concerned about the 
plates, as his appeared to have tiny specks

around the edge that looked like dried egg

and asked, 
'Are you sure these plates are clean?' 
Without looking up the old man said, 
'I told you before, Sonny, those dishes are

as clean as cold water can get them. Now don't 
you fret, I don't want to hear another word about 
it!' 
Later that afternoon, John was on his way to a 
nearby town and as he was leaving, his grandfather's

dog started to growl, and wouldn't let him pass. 

John yelled and said, 'Grandfather, your dog won't

let me get to my car'. 


Without diverting his attention from the football 
game he was watching on TV, the old man 
shouted! 
'Coldwater, go lay down now, yah hear me!' 


Meet Coldwater !

Bandit is the Checkerboard Aussies "Coldwater" (the dishes DO hit the Hotwater, so no fears if you come for Dinner)

Cindy, Owner/Breeder of The "Checkerboard Aussies", Australian Shepherd Dogs.