Well, we've finally made our pick and it's Big Blue. I will not say that the decision has been easy nor will I say that we don't have second thoughts, but, in the end we weighed factors such as how they look now compared to each other, how we believe they will look at 2 or 3 years of age, their temperaments both in terms of how solid they are (and all 5 puppies are wonderfully stable) but also how well they handle change and stress and, finally, how well the pup we chose would fit into our household and how well the other puppies would fit into our other buyers' households. In the end, it was Big Blue for us and that decision was only solidified on Wednesday when we were paid a visit by our friend Cindy and her 4-month-old son, Cooper, and his older sister, Kailey.

In this picture, you can see the pure joy of a child with a pile of puppies in her lap.



Later, we watched in amazement as Lt. Blue Girl met her new owner's grandchild, Cooper, for the first time. At first, total curiosity.



And then the baby's first puppy kiss.



Meanwhile, Kailey had picked Big Blue as a playmate and he was more than up to the task . And then of course, there was that ponytail.



But, at the end of the day, Kailey demonstrated why Big Blue is our new guy.



We also really love the Red Rascal and finally decided his calm, incredibly sweet demeanor was ideal for our buyer family with two small girls and 2 very chubby male Pugs. Nothing ruffles Mr. Red. He'll make a great pet and, if he turns out, will make a great show dog for one of the little girls in Jr. Showmanship. Regardless, he'll be living 10 minutes from us here in Orlando and I foresee lots of play dates for the boys.

The Plumster is heading to another wonderful home in KY where he'll show if he's worthy but will be this family's only dog and will have acres to roam. This particular family owned one of our puppies from Annie's first litter and that puppy became a champion and mothered 2 outstanding litters.

The girls are going to the best homes ever: Pinkie is going to VA to live with a woman who owns a girl from Annie's second litter who is now 10 years old, has earned 41 working titles and is still active in Herding. Pinkie will be living on a horse farm. Lt. Blue will be called CocoBear and she's going to a home in our old neighborhood to a family that owned an Annie daughter and currently own a Rowdy son. We expect to see a lot of her since we usually take care of the kids when these owners travel. And, of course, she'll get to grow up with Cooper.

So, the decision is finally made. We think . Actually, the girls go to their new homes today and Red Rascal will be going to his new home on Sunday. We are just now trying to figure out how to get the Plumster to KY in the next week or so. Hope you enjoyed our journey. But don't think Big Blue will stop being the subject of my camera. Nope. He has to learn to be my next best model. Just like his granddad. And, yes, we're thinking of calling him RJ -- for Rowdy Jr.

Jim

Ohhhh - I'll miss the Plumster.

Me too, Don .

Jim

Congrats on your decision! Even though you posted a very detailed post, sometimes there are things that tip the scale that we just cannot put into words, when deciding which baby to keep.

Marie,
I'm a great believer in whatever is meant to be will be. If he's meant to be a wonderful show dog and a great producer, then so be it. But if "all" he's meant to be is a wonderful companion, a good worker and an excellent ambassador of this breed, then we'll be truly delighted. Healthy & happy. That's the primary objective. All the other stuff can't happen unless that happens.

Jim

Hey Jim,

This was just wonderful...and the photos with the children say it all.

James

Jim,

I've enjoyed the pictorial journey you've shared with us. I'll miss the Plumster, too. It's been a joy just watching them grow.

Doug

Doug,
The Plumster is still here!! We're trying to work out the logistics of getting him up to his new home in KY. Hate flying puppies so we're hoping to come up with a reasonable alternative. Meanwhile, we have the two juvenile delinquents -- Plummy and Big Blue -- and they now have the pleasure of having to walk outside on their own because they are now too heavy for carrying. Well, for me anyway . So, they have to reconnoiter the big step up from the LR to the DR, then 2 steps down onto the back porch, then out the door to FREEDOM!! After that, Linda and I have to round them up and try to put them in the pen which they, of course, are much too mature to be in . Plummy is definitely the more confident of the two. He just follows me wherever I go and if I ask him to go up or down a stair, he does it. No problem.

Big Blue is a little more leery. He's willing to follow but just as often, he goes off on his own explorations. And he needs to be convinced about those stairs. But, while Plummy clings a bit, Big Blue is perfectly happy to walk out into the yard and find some adventure. They are adorable together and equally cute individually. Do we have second thoughts? Yup. But whether it's curbing Big Blue's independence or getting The Plumster to curb his enthusiasm a bit, each puppy will take some individual training and specific bond-building without the comfort of the rest of the litter.

Reports from the new owners are very positive and everyone seems very happy with their new additions. Which is, after all, the objective of breeding. Finding wonderful families that can enjoy these 20 lb. piles of puppy and help them grow into the types of dogs we need more of in our breed. At this moment, I have no doubt these kids will be great dogs. And our responsibility is to make sure not only of our own but of each of the puppies as they grow up and their families need advice and counsel.

So, stay tuned for a few more Plummy/Big Blue photos.

Jim

Jim,
Thanks for the update. Lookin' forward to reports of their shenanigans. (Who uses that word anymore. God help me!)

Doug

Doug,
"Shenanigans"? How old are you?

More stuff to come. The two boys still here -- Plummy and Big Blue -- are now learning all the things they should be learning if both were in their new homes (and Blue IS). Today, it was collar and leash walking. Plummy was wonderful. Blue was a total PIA. Remind me again of why we picked Big Blue. The major difference is that Plummy wants to please us and Big Blue could care less. He's off to see the world and would prefer it if we didn't do anything to hold him back. We love them both but they are very different both physically and in terms of attitude. Both are very sweet and very loving so it's not a temperament thing. It's a matter of what they need. Plummy needs us and Big Blue needs more space to find himself . They are so unbelievably cute! Looks like I'm going to have to sell myself to Big Blue. Plummy is going to KY as soon as we figure out how to get him there.

Jim