Update 10/08/05
Hi Ann!
Killian is doing great! He's our special little man and still amazes us with how smart he is. He's my little snuggler and loves to curl up with me on the couch or in bed before he goes to his own bed. He's completely obsessed with chasing balls, and will accept pine cones as an alternative when on walks. In fact, he can find his pine cone no matter where it lands in the tall weeds... he doesn't give up until he sniffs out his particular pine cone that we've thrown for him. I think sometimes that his abilities are wasted as our family guy... maybe he should be a working dog because his focus is really something. He is still the skinniest boy in the world... he got longer and taller, but not much heavier. The enclosed picture is from May or June of this year (we'll have to work on getting more current ones) showing him doing one of his favorite things; sitting at the window seat.
Take care!
LisaMarie
Update 11/08/04
Hi Ann!
Just a quick note to let you know that everything is still going great with Killian! He continues to impress us with his intelligence and his energy! I tell people he's wicked smart and John says our days are filled with Killian TV, where it's all Killian-all the time... we just like to make up silly expressions. Everyone he meets is very taken with how friendly and how attentive he is. He's definitely still growing... he weighs 47.9 lbs as of today, but he's still the skinniest shepherd you could want to meet. He's lost most of his puppy teeth, but he's still got a baby canine sitting behind the adult canine that's coming in. He is completely obsessed with chasing balls, so we spend a lot of time playing fetch. I think he just recently entered a new developmental stage where he's not as interested in treat rewards as he was previously... he just looks at me sometimes like, "I don't need that... I know what I'm doing." He gave himself a bit of an injury this morning... he took off after a ball, but didn't watch where he was turning and hit the rear bumper of our parked car (so much for his great intelligence!). It definitely hurt his right rear leg, as he was whining and didn't want to weight bear on that leg for several minutes, and then was limping. So, we took him to see the veterinarian, who said nothing major is wrong, but he is on an anti-imflammatory this week along with exercise restriction. But he's already moving around better than a little while ago, so this shouldn't be more than a slight bump in the road.
Hope things are going well by you and your crew!
Take care,
LisaMarie
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Update 10/12/04
Hello Ann!
My apologies for not updating you sooner... As I'm sure you can imagine, young Mister Killian has been keeping us quite busy. He is both a big love and a rascally pistol, and we love him dearly! He has learned so much in the 4 weeks since I updated you last... it's amazing! We are so impressed with how smart he is and how quickly he picks things up. Where to start?
He continues to do a wonderful, composed sit. He is excellent at sitting, staying and watching whatever is going on. He's an amazing watcher... very patient, very curious, very thoughtful. He understands wait, whether it's to go out the door, or if he's too far ahead and needs to wait for us to catch up. He's got down figured out from a sit (we're still working on it from standing), and is understanding down-stay. He's also got a great, delightful recall. House training continues to be super... he definitely goes to the door when he needs to go out, and has never messed in his crate. He loves going to Grandma's house, and no matter how worked up and sassy he may be at home, when he's at Grandma's, he's an angel! He doesn't appear to be afraid of anything (with the possible exception of the vacuum cleaner, which he doesn't like too much), and loves to see new things, people or places. He loves to fetch the ball... he loves the chase, the capture and is excellent at bringing it back. He even loves to fetch pine cones when we're out walking. Actually this is an understatement, because when you see the intensity with which he goes after these things, you realize that he doesn't just love it, he lives for it! I don't think a herd of elephants could even distract him from his ball drive! We just introduced him to a couple of agility things (the tunnel and weave poles), and it took him about all of 5 minutes to figure each one out. He's a very, very quick study and his focus and intensity are amazing... we are very proud of him!
He's also very loving and very playful! He is always looking for someone to play with, and though his energy level can be exhausting at times, he has really been settling into a routine. He goes for a 1 1/2 hour walk every morning, and in the late afternoon/evening we play/walk for another 3 hours. In between he naps or does quieter, in the house toy chewing. He likes to stick pretty close to one of us at all times. When I have to get ready to go somewhere, he's taken to following me into the bathroom and laying at my feet while I get ready. He loves to nap on the couch, and likes to snuggle right up next to you. He's always happy to give kisses, unless he's extremely tired, at which point he dramatically turns his head, plops it down, and closes his eyes to sleep. He loves his new dog pack and also any new dogs he meets. He loves the cats, and is trying very hard to remember that they don't like to play like dogs, but sometimes his enthusiasm gets the best of him.
He's growing taller, longer, faster, stronger and more coordinated every day. He weighed 43.8 pounds of lean muscle on October 9, and our veterinarian thinks he's going to be a long, tall, lanky dog. His ear still often flops in, but it also oftenHey there, Ann!
It was a week ago last night that we brought our little man home, and it has been a lively week! He is doing great!! He is very smart, very playful, and also very earnest and loving. He's been doing great with housetraining, and is definitely starting to go to the door when he needs to go out. He loves playing in the yard, and can chase down a ball like nobody's business. He loves going next door to Grandma's house, and rides quietly in the car going anywhere else. We go on long walks every morning around the lake, where he enjoys bounding through the tall grass chasing bugs. He's already learning a good recall, and lots of other everyday vocabulary. Everyone who meets him thinks he is wonderful. Basically, we just love him!
We just wanted to get you a couple of pictures sent right away... we'll have more coming as soon as they're developed. Isn't he quite the photogenic, handsome little man? The goofy tug picture is with our boy Argo, who is now Killian's big brother/favorite play buddy!
Take care,
LisaMarie & John