Meet Jake and Audrey

Jake and Denver

For my seven year old son, Denver, it is a dream come true: a dog of his own. 

We found Jake by accident when we went to PetSmart to purchase crickets for Spencer's gecko, Spike.  It happened to be Pet Adoption Day.  And there, lying on his side, was an 18 month old yellow lab.  Denver woke him up and took him out on a leash. I was talking to another woman when I looked over at Denver.  He and Jake were rolling on the sidewalk playing and kissing one another.  An undeniable match.  We signed some papers and took him home.

Earlier that week, I realized our house was far too quiet and clean without a dog.  I missed having a running partner; and even though I was not ready for another German Shepard who might remind me too much of Lady, I had been looking at puppy rescue websites.  

Audrey-- also known as Little Bit

I saw a photo of a gangly puppy with wide green eyes.  She looked like a doberman, but the website listed her as a purebred Australian Kelpie.  Having never heard of such a breed, I discovered that Kelpie's are medium sized herding dogs who can run for hours in hot weather; they are extremely intelligent, and fiercely loyal to their owners.  Perfect!

The problem was that after making an inquiry, I hadn't heard back.  So I assumed she was not available, and we came home with Jake.  One hour later, I received a call.  My four month old Kelpie puppy was bathed, spayed, had all her shots, and was waiting for me to pick her up!  After a moment's hesitation, I agreed.  She quickly became known as Audrey-- the bright, quick, and slightly ridiculous looking puppy.

Poor John was out on a nine day trip when all of this occurred.  He was not thrilled to hear of our new family members.  After five days home with them, however, he can't help but love them.  Uh . . . right, John?

Jake is all love and snuggles until you throw a ball.  Then he turns into bounding energy and lives up to his retriever name.  When not playing or eating, you can find him curled up snoozing.  He is perfect for Denver.

Audrey went from not knowing what a leash is to heeling, sitting, and lying down on command within about 24 hours.  When she snuggled up and slept next to John on his first night home, he didn't complain.  When she rolled over and fell down between the mattress and the footboard, he was alarmed.  She didn't yelp; she just looked up at him.  When he managed to free her, and she just went on her merry way, I think he was smitten.

So here we are with our new family members, Jake and Audrey.  You don't have to worry about being bitten, but they might jump into your car and lick you to death!