Page Title

Meet the Boys
(Click on the pictures to enlarge them)

April 11, 2009 {Newborn}

April 18, 2009 {One Week Old}

Dark Yellow Boy
Olive Green Collar

Fox Red Hip Boy
Periwinkle Blue Collar

Fox Red Shoulder Boy
Black Collar

This boy loves to cuddle, he
uses his nose to smell me, and
when cradled, he settles in with
little fuss.

This boy doesn't fuss when held,
but is very active and uses his
nose a lot. When cradling, he
fusses to start and then settles.

This boy doesn't fuss at all, uses
his nose to smell where he is
and loves to be held. He settles
in right away when cradled.

At one week old, our eyes are just beginning to open in the inside corner of our eyes. The color is
coming in on our nose and paws, and our newborn coat is turning into our fuzzy puppy coat. Toys
were introduced to the box for them to smell and crawl over or to cuddle up to. When you hold them,
you get to smell that wonderful "puppy breath"!

April 25, 2009 {Two Weeks Old}

At two weeks old, we still sleep a lot, but when we move, we move fast! We are more stable on our
feet when we walk, but still lose our balance and topple over once in a while. We have to use our
nose still, since we can't see, that's how we find our mom! Even with our eyes opening, it will be
awhile before we really can see. We love to snuggle and us boys have discovered we have a voice.
Every once in a while you'll hear a "bark" or a "grrrr"!

My eyes are just beginning to
open, and my coat ranges in
color from yellow to dark yellow,
with some red too. My nose and
paw pads are all black.

My eyes haven't started to open
yet, and my coat is fox red with
some dark yellow undertones.
My nose and paw pads are all
black.

My eyes haven't started to open
yet, and my coat is mainly fox
red with some very dark yellow
undertones. My nose and paw
pads are all black.

At three weeks old, we are now eating "puppy gruel", which is ground up puppy food mixed with warm water.
We all really took to eating right away, and we are now up to three meals a day. Mama Tasha is happy
about that! We still sleep a lot, but we have now started to play with each other and the toys. We like to
push the toys around and chew on them. We really love to wrestle with each other, and chew on each
other's ears or tails. Our teeth are just beginning to poke through, watch out, puppy teeth on the way!
When Mama Tasha comes into the box, we are all excited and rush to be fed. We're big enough now, she
can just stand there and we can stand up on our hind legs and reach to eat. We get excited when we hear
Donna say "Babies", we run to the edge of the box to greet her. Some of us will fight to be pet first. All of
us boys have gone over the edge of the box, trying to explore the world outside of it.

May 2, 2009 {Three Weeks Old}

I appear to be the more
laid-back boy, but I am curious
about the things around me and
will have to check them out. I'm
not the most demanding when it
comes to receiving attention, but
I love to be held and cradled. I
really like to put the toys in my
mouth and shake them or move
them around. I have climbed out
of the box, but I don't go too far.
My coat is still dark yellow with
some light yellow undertones,
and I even have a little bit of red
too. My nickname is "Little Man"
because I'm the smallest boy.

I'm the one in the litter that loves
to be held and spoiled. I love to
have my belly rubbed and just
lay there and take it all in. I am
always at the head of the line to
receive attention, and if I'm not
getting attention, I let out a bark.
I love to climb out of the box, if it
means I get attention, I'm over
the wall! My coat is still fox red
with dark yellow undertones.
Rick has decided that I am his
"pick", so I'm waiting to find out
what my name is! I'm told my
personality will fit with the rest of
the pack here at Antler Trails.

I am the out-going one in the
litter, I will push my way through
everyone else to get attention. I
love to lay on my back and be
cradled. I like to play with the
toys and hold them in my mouth,
or if a litter mate is right there, I'll
chew on their ear. I have gone
over the edge of the box the
most, I love to see what's out
there. I'm quick, when I want to
go somewhere, I go fast! I am
the darkest in the litter, mainly
red with some yellow undertones
on my chest and belly area. My
nickname is "Red" because of
my coat color.

May 9, 2009 {Four Weeks Old}

May 16, 2009 {Five Weeks Old}

Week Four: It was a very busy week, we made the big move from the bedroom to the great room. We went
from our 4' x 4' box to a large 4' x 8' box. We quickly learned that one side was our sleeping/eating area
and the other end was our "dirty" area. We were gradually weaned this week too, we learned to drink water
as we were eating our puppy food. A crate was introduced into the box, we like to go and play with our toys
in there or sleep in it. We are very active, we play hard and then sleep hard! Our small teeth are in, but
the big ones are still coming!
Week Five: This is the first full week that we are in our big box. Since we are such quick learners, we were
introduced to going "hurry" outside. We love being outside, running around in the grass and rolling down
the hill. Throughout the week we worked on our "hurry" command, we all know it pretty well. Donna says
it's much easier to clean our box if we hurry outside! Our personalities have really began to show this week.
We are now eating some puppy food nuggets in with the ground puppy food, we really make a mess now!
We also love to drink water, which is always available for us to drink. We have met all the other dogs in the
family, Misty and Camo love to visit us in our box, but Camo always tries to steal our toys! All our teeth are
in, and they are sharp! We are learning our manners about puppy biting.

I am a fairly quiet boy compared
to the other boys, but I have
really learned to love to be held
and cradled in the last week. I
love food, that's why I weigh
more, but I also have a stocky
build. I'm somewhat cautious
with new things, but I quickly
adjust. I'm independent, I don't
need your attention all the time.
I love to play tough!

I have been named finally! My
name is Rage! My official name
will be "Rick's Raging Wildfire of
Antler Trails". I'm the most
talkative in the group, and I live
for attention. I am independent,
but I always know where you are.
I have a trim build, and I play
hard, but then I really sleep hard
too! I'm adventurous when
outside, I love to eat grass.

I am told that Rage and I are
twins! We are a lot alike. I love
to be the center of attention, but
I'm not as talkative about it as he
is. I am independent, but always
know where you are. I have a
trim build too. I am confident
around new things and love to
explore when outside. I have a
fun-loving personality. I love to
pull on the dandelions outside!

May 23, 2009 {Six Weeks Old}

My personality has blossomed
and I am a lovable "little man".
I'm a curious boy, who will go off
and explore on his own. I listen
quite well, probably because I
know I'm being called. I love
people of all ages and love to be
pet and cuddled, but I don't have
to be the center of attention.
When on birds, I like to chase
and try to retrieve the bird.

I'm still the lovable boy who will
tell you that I need attention. I
listen pretty well, I respond to my
name "Rage". I think I belong in
this home, all the big dogs are
my friends and I follow them
around. I have a "this is my
home" attitude. Of course I love
all people. When on birds, I love
both the chase and the retrieve.
My dad has big plans for me!

I still love to get as much
attention as possible, but am
content by myself too. I love to
explore and am pretty confident
in myself. I love all people and
other dogs too, I fit right in. I
listen well, when called, I
respond. When on birds, I love
the chase and when I catch up
to it, I figured out how to carry
that big bird in my mouth.

Week Six: It has been a very eventful and busy week for all of us. We started our "hurry" routine this week,
each time we wake up, we go outside into the fenced area to do our duty. The beginning of the week we
were carried out to that area, because of all the big dogs. By the end of the week, we were lifted out of our
box (some of us climb out) and followed Donna or Rick to go outside. The big dogs learned to let us walk
by them, and sometimes one or two of them would go with us outside. We are learning our proper puppy
manners from the big dogs, they gently correct us if we are doing something they don't like (like biting
them). We are eating regular puppy food nuggets now, we make quite a mess, but we try and clean it up
ourselves. Some of us have bigger appetites than the others. We went for a ride in the truck in some
crates, we didn't fuss too much about it. We were visited by so many people this past week. Two of the
families stopped to visit with us and get to know us a little better. We climbed all over everyone. We also
had visits from both Donna and Rick's families, kids, adults, and even grandma held some of us. We were
getting a lot of socialization in a few days time! All of us loved the attention and no one was afraid of
anyone. We were introduced to birds this week too. We chased a chuckar around the fence area, those
birds were pretty big though. A couple of us figured out how to carry one in our mouth. Everyone
responded very well to it, no one was cautious or afraid, and all loved the smell!

Week Seven: We will be very busy this week, getting ready to go to our new homes. Wednesday we will be
going to the vet for our wellness check and to get our first round of shots. We will also receive worm
medication if it's needed. We will be micro-chipped that day also. It's a fairly long drive (50 miles one way)
to go to the vet, so we'll be experiencing more riding in a truck and crate. We will be continuing our "hurry"
routine, along with crating at bedtime. We will be sleeping two to a crate. The night before we go to our
new home, we will have a bath and have our nails clipped. We'll be fresh smelling for our new families! We
will be exposed to birds some more, we'll see if we've changed in a weeks time! When our families pick us
up, they will also get a care package to take with us. It will include: a 16.5 # bag of our puppy food, a
couple of toys, a chewy bone, one of the blankets we are used to sleeping on, and all our necessary
paperwork.

May 30, 2009 {Seven Weeks Old}

Time To Go With Our New Family!

"Reno"
North Dakota
Larry & Cindy

"Rage"
Minnesota
Rick's @ Antler Trails

"Phoenix"
Nevada
Paul