Dieter 2838

When Simon [formerly Dieter] first joined the family, he was not a swimmer.  Now he loves to jump in the pool and retrieve his favorite toy - a squeaky ball with feet. He also loves boat rides with the family in the Gulf or on Pamlico Sound.

Simon is a distant cousin of Houdini as he can open doors, manipulate locks, and escape a metal crate!

When he first joined the family, Heidi[who sadly has passed] said, ‘Get him out of here’, but after a couple weeks she accepted him and they became great pals. While she was in charge, Simonstill teased her in his version of “I’m not touching you”.  Heidi let him tease her for a bit, then she would play at nipping him.  They always looked out for one another. 

Simon is now 9 years old and we can’t believe that he is entering his senior years and showing signs of slowing down. It seems like we got him yesterday. He brought us joy and new challenges and so much pride, since he is always a subject of admiration for his good looks.

Dakota 4325

Two weeks ago today we added a family member to our home and we STILL can't get over how well he has molded into our lives!! Jeff and I discuss all the time that I don't even think there was really a transition period!! It's completely amazing to us!! Koda (aka "Dakota") has brought us so much joy!! You may have seen pictures, etc. on Facebook Terri but I thought I'd send a quick note to let you know how well he's doing! With the exception of one windy night where he was a little anxious, sleeping in the crate in our room at night has gone perfectly! As is typical for cats, they aren't really interested in Koda and consequently he doesn't run after them either. Our older cat has been around large dogs in the past and he and Koda go nose-to-nose all the time. Koda is eating every bit of his 4 cups of food a day -- we split that between his breakfast and dinner -- and we can see him filling out a bit more just in 2 weeks. We found a wet food he loves and tolerates very well and he gobbles up the food as soon as we put it down for him!! Leash walking has been perfect!! When he wants something, he's got some strength behind his tug, but we're still using only the Martingale collar and it's working just fine. I'm an "ok second" in his book but Jeff is definitely his go-to human!! He howls in the mornings when Jeff leaves for work... so funny!! He's getting about 3-4 descent walks a day which work well for him!! He parks himself beside me or under my desk during the day and he's right where we are in the evenings! The counter surfing has been minimal and we definitely wouldn't even consider it an issue. He has met quite a few of our neighbors, adults and kids both, and has done well with all of them across the board!! Honestly, we couldn't have hoped for things to go more perfectly with him!! I thought it would be hard to find a dog with the same temperament as the one we lost back in Nov, but we've definitely hit the jackpot with Koda!! He's quite a gem! He has an appointment with our vet next Monday afternoon -- just to get him acquainted with the staff. They're going to attempt a nail trim at the same time!! Wish us (and them!) luck!! We obtained a nice pet health insurance policy with USAA for him as well. Hopefully this will help with wellness care as well as any unfortunate accidents or injuries. I added a short video of Koda and Jeff last night. He gets so excited when Jeff gets home from work!! He knows a walk is in his future when he sees the shoes going on but he also is that happy when Jeff comes in!! I guess you could say he's won our hearts rather quickly!! We can't thank the two of you enough for matching us up so perfectly!! We hope you have a wonderful last couple of days of 2015 and welcome in a fabulous 2016!! Happy New Year! Blessings to you and yours... Stacy, Jeff and Koda