02-21-2010

Hi Deb! Well, it was a little more of an adventure than we expected or planned for, but we're all finally home! I must say, I was absolutely amazed at how well Kimber behaved, how calm she was, and how she just took everything in stride! Even all the attention. I cannot tell you (but I'm sure you know) how much attention she got. It was completely unanimous that Kimber is cute and adorable. And she didn't whine or cry or yip at all while in her crate or during the flights, even during take off and landing. Our flight from Omaha to Phoenix was more than half empty and I put her crate on the seat beside me. I peaked in and found her sleeping most of the time. While we were waiting at the gate for our connection in Phoenix to Reno, the airline cancelled it due to weather in reno. And they said there weren't any other available flights to Reno until Monday! Well that obviously wouldn't work... My husband had gotten us a room in Reno and I was so looking forward to seeing him so he could finally meet Kimber too, needless to say we were both pretty disappointed when I called to let him know. The best the airline could do was reschedule us for a flight to Sacramento this morning. In the meantime, the airline provided a discount gor a room in a pet-friendly hotel as well as transportation to and from for Kimber and I. When we got to the room, they had a dog bed, dish, and some treats and toys already waiting for her! She was so funny. The mirror in the bathroom went all the way to the floor. She got a look at herself in the mirror and started trying to play with her image. We played for a bit and went outside to the grass but she didn't quite know what to make of it. She only cried a little bit but was soon snuggling (and snoring) away. We left Phoenix a little before 9 this morning. My husband woke up around 3 am and couldn't believe how much snow was on the ground, at least over a foot in one night! I cleared the car of snow and hit the road. He said it took him over 2 hours to get out of Reno doing less than 30 mi/hr and he said he saw several spin outs and empty cars. Luckily we have a all-wheel drive and he was okayed at the checkpoint to continue over the pass and he was there to meet us when we finally arrived in Sacramento! So far, it seems like Kimber is going to like her new home. We absolutely love her personality, and you're right she sure is smart. We see how she likes to check things out before going all in. She is such a little cuddle bug! And she loves to play and can even fetch a toy and bring it back. Also, the cats seem to be adjusting a lot better than we expected too. Luna (our second oldest) has been exposed to dogs before we adopted her and she has taken it all in stride and hasn't been afraid of Kimber from the beginning. Loki (the oldest and the only boy) and Squishy (the youngest) don't have much experience with dogs and they are a little more wary, but they are both checking her out and even hanging out in the same room. Kimber has been checking them out too. She tried playing with the Luna, the only one who gets that close so far, but she wasn't interested in Kimber during puppy play mode. Kimber's getting used to the house and she's even peed and pooped outside a couple of times so far. All things considered, it seems like we're off to a pretty good start (especially now that we're home!). Despite some of our setbacks this weekend, Gary and I are both totally happy she is finally here and completely in love with her. And not to mention what a story the whole thing makes too! Ha! Kimber is an absolute joy. We cannot thank you enough, for her and for the crate and everything you sent with her. And also for meeting me at the airport, it was great to finally get to meet you in person! I was so happy to see you had included some things for her that were familiar. I think it helped comfort her and helped make all the new things not so scary. It might sound silly, but it almost seems like somehow my husband and I were meant to find her. Again, thank you, thank you, thank you!!! And don't worry, we will definitely keep you updated with emails and pics. Best Wishes, Synnea & Gary                                                                                                                                                                                             

    03-05-2010

Hi Deb. I can honestly say, Gary and I are more in love with Kimber than we even thought we could be. She is absolutely wonderful! So cute, cuddly, and most definitely smart. She is truly a joy. She absolutely loves running around on the grass and trying to eat all the new smells, from leaves to branches to rocks, she loves trying to get a taste of it all. Between that and potty training and trying to learn to not chew on fingers and clothes, she is definitely keeping us busy. But we are all doing really well. The cats are even warming to her more too. We went to the vet last week and got her checked out. Everything was great except for a little yeast infection in her ear which a few rounds of drops cleared right up. And next week she will get her third round of shots. We can hardly wait to take her out and about! My side of the family came over last weekend to meet her, and of course, they are all in love. I took her on quick visit to work and everyone there fell in love with her too! Gary's family is dying to meet her, but it looks like it may have to be after she gets all her shots. In the meantime, we are doing well and having lots of fun. We already have a ton of pics of her. I attached a few I thought you might like. :) Synnea

        06-20-2010

Hi Deb and Jim, We wanted to say hi and let you know how things are going. More than ever, Gary and I are absolutely in love with Kimber. Things have been working out well here so far. Gary and I have learned to put anything we don't want chewed out of reach, including paper towels, napkins, dish rags, books, shoes, computer cords, and even eye glasses! LOL! If there's anything she's taught us so far, it's to always be on our toes! She makes messes sometimes, but we clean up and move on. The cats are pretty much ambivalent about her, that is until she starts trying to play with them, then they get a little hissy. All things considered though, I'd say they're getting along pretty well. We take Kimber for a walk or hike just about every day. We have a wildlife preserve not too far from us that she likes (lots of fun smells and she can run off her leash). We also take her to the dog park now and again. The one that is closest to us is clear on the other side of town, but we try to get out there now and again and she is getting more and more used to other dogs. Gary's parents have watched Kimber for us a couple days when we couldn't have her with us. She seems to be getting along with their dogs too. But whatever she's doing, she absolutely loves being outside, for hikes and walks, but even just for hanging out in the backyard too. She still loves to play with her blue bunny and some other toys we've gotten her. But what most holds her attention are slippers (the novelty kind, we just so happened to have a pair of wolf and panther slippers) and plain old wood sticks! She's a hoot and we have such a good time with her. We try to take her with us whenever we can. We've learned she doesn't much like the back seat and tends to get a little car sick. But she seems to do okay on the boat. We've taken her out a few times and she didn't seem to mind it. She also didn't seem to mind the life jacket we made her wear. It's probably ridiculous and overkill, but we figure you never can be too careful. Besides, she just a little mite. Anyway, she loves getting out to go explore the shores though. And recently we had the opportunity to find out she a camp-lovin' kinda dog too. Around Memorial Day weekend we went to Dillon Beach in the Bodega Bay area off the coast. She LOVED it! She loved everything about it, the smells, the sand, the freedom of running off her leash, meeting new people and new dogs. She really had a blast, and so did we. A couple weeks later, we got to take her to the forest. We went to the Moaning Caverns and the Big Trees National Forest for Gary's Aunt's 60th birthday. Kimber didn't get to go on the zipline but had a good time hanging out with the rest of the family while we went. And she had a blast checking things out and exploring while we picnicked by the river in the forest. We try to keep her as busy as she keeps us! Kimber's all current with her shots. We had a bit of worry on her last round when she had a bad reaction. We got them done midmorning and by the later afternoon we noticed she had spots everywhere! We took her in and they gave her some cortizone right away and gave us a prescription. She started to get better even before we left the vet. Next time we do shots, we're going to space them out instead of all at once and see if that doesn't help, or at least help us figure out what she's allergic to. Otherwise everything else is a-ok. Next up on the agenda is getting her fixed which we'll be doing later this month. Once she's healed, we're looking forward to getting out there and having many more adventures. In the meantime, I attached some pics I thought you might like. And I want to say thanks again for such a wonderful dog. We couldn't have picked one better suited to us if we had tried. :) Best Wishes, Synnea, Gary, and Kimber

Hi Deb & Jim, How are you doing? I'm so sorry it's taken so long to update you on how Kimber's doing. Our computer died around Christmas and we had to pay off some bills before we could get another one. But anyway, I just wanted to take a moment to say hi and let you know Kimber is doing well. She is a MOST welcome addition to our family. She is so much fun, she keeps us motivated to get outside, and she makes us laugh everyday. She is a very good girl. Once we got out of the very young puppy stage, she picked up on the potty training and not chewing important things. Still, we make sure everything's picked up just in case.... Her and the cats get along, as well as most cats and dogs do I suppose. They aren't really much for playing with her, but every now and then they have a good romp together. Thank you so much for breeding such a wonderful dog. We are very happy, and still, definitely in love with her. Best Wishes, Suny & Gary The first three pics we took in front of the Christmas tree on her birthday, December 14th. The second two are are the christmas presents santa brought her for being such a good girl. The next two are some pics of her at the dog park playing with some buddies. The next two pics show her and her Dad out "hunting" quail (but no luck). The next one is of sleepy Kimber who gets back in bed and cuddles up on the covers while I'm getting ready for work (she makes it so hard to resist lying down with her!). And last ones are of a hike we took to Fairy Falls last month. As you can tell we love her to pieces  Kimber has the best temperament ever. She's so sweet & loves to cuddle, but she has a good bark on her and has enough weight that she's a great protect dog too. She hardly ever barks except in warning. We love, love, love our little Roo to pieces. :) ~ Best Wishes Synnea & Gary