Life: Puppies!

Just in case you were waiting for word on our progress towards getting a Black Russian Terrier pup, wait no more! The litter was born March 19th.

We'll be getting a female pup from a breeder in Sweden hopefully the middle of May.

You can see puppy pictures on Aerin's blog. We won't know which of the girls will be ours for a few more weeks.

Our parents will have to be content with the "granddog" instead of a grandchild.

Life: A Dog's Life

So Aerin and I talking seriously about getting a dog - financials, care, training, breed, grooming, feeding, etc. The breed we have zeroed in on is the Black Russian Terrier. This is not a small breed by any measure. They are a cross between Rotteweilers, Giant Schnauzer, Airedales and Newfoundlands. After much reading about Blackies, we've been very impressed with their list of attributes: intelligence, sociable, great strength and endurance, even temperment, protective, and loyal.

We wanted a dog that could do a number of things. One of the first things was a dog that we could take backcountry without worrying her (yes, we want a female puppy) taking off after every little movement. A Blackie is also big and strong enough that we can put a dog pack on her to carry her own food and bed. The sociable aspect is important since we don't want to just leave her in a boarding kennel, so her ability to be around people is a definite plus. Her endurance is also great as a working breed, so I can take her running for exercise too. There's lots of things we want to do in terms of training, so her intelligence is a great plus.

Last Sunday evening we talked to a breeder over the phone, and she was kind enough to hook us up with someone in Calgary with one of her dogs. So on Sunday morning we get to meet a Blackie for the first time since neither of us has seen one in the flesh before.

And just for fun, who doesn't love video of cute puppies?