Hope that all is well. We are all doing fine and all of us love Rosie!

She is such a sweet puppy -- has her feisty little puppy moments
where she "trounces" like a tigger, loves to follow me around the kitchen,
and has adapted well to her new home. As I type this, she is lying on
the dog bed, taking a morning nap with Nova and Zoltar. The other two
labs took to her well, and occasionally tell her off when she gets annoying,
but mostly it is about wagging tails and running around with dog toys.

Rosie is doing so well with her training! Clicker training really works,
and so far, at ten weeks she comes, sits, downs and spins. She is really
smart. I am working on stand this week and stay as well. I love it when
she comes over for no reason and starts throwing spins, sits and downs
at me, wanting to play. I've even seen her spin to get the other two dogs
attention once or twice. It is amazing how it works. We have made a
complete switch to the Artemis large breed puppy food, which I mix with a small fork full of the canned artemis, and she has done great with that. Crate training is going well. Knock on wood but we have had no poop accidents in the house at all. Every now and then she pees on the kitchen floor, but otherwise is doing well in that department. We only get up once in the night, and the last couple of nights she's gone from about 12am to 6:20 or so, so that has been no problem at all. Healthwise she is great -- only problem has been conjunctivitis, but she is being treated for that, as is Zoltar now too. So all is great -- thanks for the great pup. We love her!

Well, all for now. Thanks again for the great pup!

All the best,

Anne

I thought I would give you a little update on the "boys," Tango and Max. Wow! What an entertainment duo! I cannot believe how well Tango has received Max. In fact, sometimes Tango runs into his pen to get away from lil' Max. As much as Tango appears to be the clumsy big "marmaduke," he is wonderful around Max. Max seems to want to rough house with Tango all the time. Little does he know that Tango has eased back his play to Max's level and ih he wanted to, could throw Max across the room. Tang has never reacted with agression to Max, or anyone...

He allows Max to actually take a treat out of his mouth. Imagine our reaction to see little Max pry open Tango's mouth, put his entire head inside Tango's mouth, and "take" the small rawhide chew that Tango was gnawing on. Tango gives it up willingly, knowing Max will drop it in a few minutes. Tango will play "Tug-o-War" with Max, skillfully providing just enough resistance to Max such that Max thinks he is a force to be reckoned with. Max tries to act tough with Tango, with little growls and barks. Tango loves it and really tempers his play so as not to overpower Max.

Both boys respond very well to their names, although Max comes only when he wants to. Tango now sleeps on a dog bed in the bedroon, and Max sleeps in his crate. Both will go to their respective crates with a simple command of "Kennel" if we go out and cannot take them.

Max is pretty much housetrained, and "goes" as soon as he is ever let out. Tango, on the other hand, is extremely particular with his relief station, searching far and wide for just the perfect place for him to "go." We have thankfully had very few "accidents" with Max as he seems to take to "going" outside.

Both are healthy... Tango is a very solid 90 lbs and Max, at 10 weeks is an even 20 lbs. They go everywhere with us, drawing a crowd when they are on a leash.

Our back yard is being fenced the first week in Nov. although both will respond to voice command. They loved their bath and seemed reluctant to get out. Overall, I would have to say that both have been a joy, with no problems with health, temperment, or interaction with each other. We look forward to when the "boys' older sister" is living across the street.

Thanks for providing this joy in our lives...

Steve

Hi Dana

I am finally sending you an update on the puppy I got from you in Febuary 2004 from Salem and Jared's litter. I named the puppy Jinkles, but everyone knows her as Jinx. She has been unbelievably awesome from day one! Even on the car trip home I knew I had made the right choice.

Jinx is probably about 60 to 65lbs and very healthy. Whenever we would take her to the vets office for her checkups she was always a big hit with everyone. Actually the second time Jinx walked so confindently into the vets office she was greeted by a full grown great dane....Jinx just took a few steps back and then sat down to stare at this huge animal about a foot in front of her! Everyone at the vet office thought it was quite funny!

Jinx is a true water dog we have found. Whenever there is water around, she will end up in it. My girlfriend (Tracy) and I brought Jinx to the beach for the first time in March and watched as she tried to chase the foam in the waves. No swimming this first trip, which was ok, since it was big waves and a little puppy. When we brought her to my girlfriends family lake house in upstate NY in the summer we were excited to see what she would do with the lake. We thought we might have to coax her into the water and help her swim. She litterallly ran in and started swimming the minute she was off the lease and we couldn't get her out! She LOVES retreiving in the water! She would fetch a stick again and again until we were ready to quit...she never got tired of it.

She also was in her glory when we spent a weekend in VT at a house in the middle of the woods. Again there was a pond and again we couldn't keep her out! Whenever my girlfriend and I bring her to the dog park we get tons of compliments about how cute she is and how great her coat looks. Many people have asked us what we feed her since they always notice her shiny coat.

Jinx spends her time between my house and my girlfriends apartment. We work oposite schedules so JInx is lucky that someone is almost always home. I currently still live at home and my father has a 2 year old german short haired pointer. We were concerened about how they would get along the day we brought JInx home and honestly we couldn't have asked for a better interaction. They met in a neutral spot for the first time and within minutes seemed like they had been friends for life. They love to play together and steal each others toys all the time!

Jinx has been registered with the AKC and really is better than I could have imagined. Her training is going well, she is extremely smart and eager to please. Thanks for everything and sorry I didn't write sooner. I am also going to try to send some photos from the VT and NY trip along with this email. I hope it works!

Jim

Hi Dana!

TOBY IS A GREAT DOG! We are so in love with this little guy. He's beautiful and friendly and smart, too. He's getting all the commands very quickly.

We can't walk a block with Toby without getting approached by tons of people, and even smiled at by grouches. He has become the toast of the neighborhood and everyone asks about him all the time. Today he had an hour of play with a friend's poodle, and he was a real little gentleman.

He's feisty, and has a mind of his own. Which is something we like. But he's also sweet and happy and healthy.

Thank you a million times for breeding such quality dogs.

Matthew and Tom (pics below)

This is Wendy & Joe ******. We picked Louie up from you at the beginning of March. I just wanted to send along a couple of pictures of him so you could see what a handsome boy he's turning out to be! He's a wonderful dog, we couldn't have asked for a better puppy! He's been through his basic obedience training and we even did a beginner agility class. He had alot of fun. We get alot of compliments about how good looking he is. I always mention where we got him and if anyone is ever looking for a lab, you are the place to go to.

Thanks again!

Wendy

I wanted to let you know that Ann and I met Poacher yesterday at the Working Dog foundation demo at Pease. Both of us were very impressed with him. You have done a great job producing a good looking performance dog.

Sincerely yours,

Ruthann

1/3/05 Dear Dana,

A belated thank you for providing us with a perfect match for our family. Magoo won our hearts over on the 2 hour ride home. He was as easy a passenger as we have ever had!

We absolutely adore this baby, he had very big paws to fill but has done so seamlessly. He is the most loving, laid back and delightful pup we have ever met. He has joined in our morning walking group and has endeared himself to all the other dog owners. I think we have given your name out no les than a half-dozen times. People stop us to tell us how beautiful he is.

He is sitting on my feet at the end end the coach right now. He is such a love!!! No jumping, just a little teething. He's the best.

We, especially John, are totally smitten. This has been a great experience for the kids too, they're so protective of him.

Thanks again and please keep us in mind for a late spring litter. We feel the need for a black female coming on!!!

Here's a shot of Magoo at Halloween. He is, of course, even bigger and more handsome now!

Happy New Year to you all, please keep in touch.

John, Mary-Anne, Amanda and Conor

Here's a new picture of Magoo taken 11/2005!!

1/13/05 Hi Dana,

The "boys" are doing very well! Two year old, Tango is turning out to be a collection of extremes... He is very, very sensitive, acting like a caring father to little Max (now 5 months old). This sensitivity extends to his discipline also. If he is scolded for doing something wrong, he acts like his heart has been broken. He combines this sensitivity with a lot of power! His legs are incredibly strong and loves to run and romp with Max in the back yard... which is now fenced in.

Tango now weighs a slim 95 lbs. The vet says he is a very well-proportioned lab and just loves his temperment. Tango is scheduled for his neutering on 27 January. The only "flaw", if I can call it that, is one of his upper canines (the upper right fang) has a purple tint to it at the very tip. (maybe 1/8 inch at the end). It doesn't bother him but we will have it checked out just the same. We intend to bring this to the vet's attention when Tango goes in on the 27th.

Max is so sweet. He will not go outside unless Tango leads the way. If Tango barks at something out in the woods, Max comes running back up to the house. Max has lost all his "baby" teeth except for one "fang" on the upper. While Tango really loves to cuddle, Max does not. Max will come, allow for a pat, and then say that's enough of people. If I call Max, Tango will race over to me to beat him to me. If I call Tango, Max could not care less... unless of course I have food... Then I have their undivided attention.

Tango will not over-eat. He eats until full and that's it. Max will eat his own food and then try to finish Tango's food... if we let him. But we don't. Max is a very strong 55 lbs. I actually think he will outgrow Tango. On weekends, it is a little game... They seem to know I am not going to work and whoever lets them out of the crates had better get out of the way because they run upstairs to join us on the bed. They are truly family members.

We take them both to the puppy park in Nashua on Sundays. It is a fenced-in baseball field where all the dogs are allowed to socialize with others. We have been there with over 200 dogs. Both Tango and Max love it and really tire themselves out. Max has developed a close friendship with a full-grown Great Dane... Go figure...

Lacy, who lives right across the street, is also a gem and will romp with the boys if let. She ensures they know she is the "Grande Dam" and they respect her. That's about it for now. As you can see, I get very long winded when talking about my guys...

We will mail you the paperwork after the "deed" is done on 27 Jan... I am enclosing a collage of pictures to show you the boys, taken right befor Christmas. Please see attached. We will update again when we take a new set of pictures. I hope the new year finds you well and wish you the best.

Steve **********

05/18/05 The Vet loved him! Diesel sacked out in the exam room on the floor and she looked me square in the eye and said, "you are lucky, this pup has got a great temperament and that is the way labs used to be, but it is hard to find them like that any more..."!!
He is healthy as can be, has had his first heartworm last night and will go on frontline tonight. She also suggested putting the crate upstairs with us, as he is definitely a pay attention to me dog -which we will try tonight. He barked at the door to go out today! Yippeee~! Thanks again, so much.... what a great pup.....

best, Milly

05/18/05 Hi Dana,

So far Misty is turning out to be the best dog we've ever had..... she is just amazing!

Very cute, soulful eyes, playful etc....

We think she will be the smallest of the bunch, which would be fantastic!!! She's about 2/3 the size of Bailey..... A few more weeks and Bailey will have recovered fully from double TPLO surgery - whew! Poor thing wants to play with Misty.

-Peter

05/19/05 Hi Dana,

It's been quite awhile since we've been in touch. Thought I'd give you an update. Am just getting back on my feet after being diagnosed with a brain tumor last Oct.

Rosie is entered in 2 shows this weekend........she remains an awesome worker. She passed her CGC/TDI test last week. I'm so proud of her! It's amazing that she has retained so much of what we worked on prior to my diagnosis. Hopefully by this summer, we can add a CD to her name. Will let you know how we do. Last year, she was trained through open and working on utility. She seems to thrive on the challenges each new level brings. Will keep you posted .

Best, Isabel & Rosie( Mirabelle's Watch Hill Rose CGC/TDI)

05/20/05 Lacy in the shade. She is doing well. We absolutely love her!

take care amy

05/23/05 Here is Diesel with my Aunties Ruby- ON THE COUCH hanging out on Sunday afternoon..... I am so strict! NOT
He is doing just great! the large wire crate near my bed did the trick- he is quietly making it from 11pm to 6 am no problem! we are completely in love!
Milly

06/03/05 Hi....

Just wanted to show you how well Lily is getting along in my family. She is wonderful and oh so smart......She has already mastered "sit" to my surprise and she is answering to come about 80% of the time. We are working on No Bite which is progressing well and "No" which is also going well. What a promising pooch.
These are pictures of her first camping trip to Stratford,NH this memorial weekend. We got incredible complements on her temperment and looks. Just a big Thank You......
Maryann and Darren
p.s She is a character when she sleeps..........oh the drama.

Hi Dana,
Just a note to let you know Sawyer is doing great. It's wonderful having a dog in the family again. He's such a sweetie, and such a snuggler. Here's a few of our brags..... He slept through the night on the 3rd night- 7hrs! I think he's definitely secure in his crate next to our bed. Now he's doing 8. The housebreaking is going well.... just a few pee accidents inside... he's definitely learning the appropriate place to go, and is responding to the phrase "find a spot:-)."
Sawyer's wonderful with the boys...playful, but like you said, backs off if he gets too "rough"- they adore him. They love throwing one of his toys and watch him joyfully bring it back for more. On a funny note, with all the rain we've been getting, despite his water bowl in the house, he's preferred to try and drink out of our downspout as it was supplying him his own drinking fountain whenever we went outside for the past week.
Sawyer's been getting a lot of socialization, enjoying meeting new people-especially kids. He's the hit of the Sat. morning T-ball practice. Nathan's k-garten teacher was nice enough to let me bring him into class last week. Sawyer and the kids did great. He had a playdate today with my good friend's Spinone, Sparkle. She's a sweet girl. Laurie kept her on lead since she's so big, and they really seemed to enjoy each other.
Oh, I took him to our Vet a couple days after we brought him home and he said he looked great, everything seemed fine. He has two labs of his own. I asked the Agway down the road if they could order Premium Edge food, and they said no problem. I'm glad I won't have to switch foods.
We go to our first training lesson this coming Sat. The trainer Terence Kirby, met Sawyer last Sat. and confirmed we have a quality dog with a lot of potential. I'm looking forward to working with him. We'll be working towards our AKC Good Canine Citizen Award. Sawyer already comes, sits before a treat, and before his meal is placed down. He's such a smart boy.
As you can tell, we're soooo happy with him. Sawyer has stolen all our hearts. I hope all is well with you and you're enjoying your 'break' before Salem's litter. Thanks again for everything. I'll stay in touch and send pictures now and then. Take care.
Sincerely, Tami

Tucker is one year old now and continues to impress us with his intelligence and character. In this past year, we've been in 8 months of training classes. In May, Tucker passes the AKC Canine Good Citizen test on his first try. He's now in an off-leash control class.
We plan to take the Summer off from training and decide what to do next. Our youngest son likes agility trials, Ellen and I have been thinking of training Tucker for therapy work.
We have to be in Alton this summer and were wondering if we should stop by for a quick visit just to say 'hi' and show Tucker his first home.
Hope all is well with you, your family and dogs!
Regards, Henry
Here's a picture of Tucker from early spring after a romp in the mud!

11-19-05
Hi Dana!
We just realized it's been a long time since we gave you any update on Brady, so here it is!
Brady has been with us just about 6 months now, and needless to say he's become one of the family, and we all love him so much. He's part of everything we do, and his happy temperment and good looks make him new friends wherever we go. We took him away on vacation this summer and took him on walks through town every day. It got to the point that we couldn't walk more than 20 feet without someone stopping us and gushing over him. He absolutely loved the attention and still does. He's never shown a hint of shyness or aggression towards anyone, he just loves to say hi to everyone he meets.
Brady is a puppy kindergarten and advanced beginners graduate now. He did really well at the obedience training and is a great learner. He's really eager to please and he'll do anything for a treat! The advanced beginners instructors kept commenting about how well he did for a young dog, and of course they loved his personality too. He gets along with the other dogs really well too, and never misses a chance to maybe meet a new friend.
Brady is in great health, and about 60 pounds right now. He's still on his Premium Edge Large Breed puppy food, and we check to make sure we can feel his ribs a couple of times as week, as he sure does love his food! He had *the deed* done at the end of September and never missed a beat.
We're looking forward to a long and rewarding life with our little guy. We've talked about maybe a little sister at some point in the not so distant future, so we'll keep an eye on your upcoming litters. Thanks for breeding such great dogs!
Mark, Ellen, John and Brady aka, *Mirabelle's Best of the Bunch*
PS: I've included a picture of Brady, the first one we've been able to get him to sit still for in a while!

Louie (Sire: Jarrett Dam: Lacy) says Merry Christmas!!!

From the Smiths! December 2005

5/23/05

Merry Christmas!

We are so glad we have Abby (A Truly daughter) in our family! Abby is a smart, lovable, beautiful lab. At 8 months she weighs about 60 lbs. We refer to her as our *mini Lab*. I have just taken her to puppy kindergarten and puppy graduate. She will start agility/obedience in January. Early this past summer we ran into one of Abby's litter mates, Maisy. Unfortunatly we haven't seen Maisy since then. What a small world!

Thank you so much for giving us one of your puppies! If we are ever looking for a second Lab, we will contact you.

Happy New Year! The Abel Family!