Sheila Loves Illinois

[DeeDee and Sheila]

I am tired, achy,exhausted, happy!! Sheila is a tiny tot, weighing in at 41/2 lbs. at 4 mos. But she is a bundle of energy and reminds me of a hummingbird. She just whirs with excitement, her tail and her whole body wagging, hopping, chewing, p and p-ing. I keep trying to catch shots of her but she is too fast for my camera!!

Luckily Sheila loves snow. She is a true Maine girl, born and bred. That's good, since thats where we spend most of our time, outdoors either pottying (p and p) or zooming. Just like the rest of your doodles, she gets the zoomies. And the hops, like a bunny. Just a bundle of gold fur on a long black tether . We zoom around the yard, the circular drive, the house. Just like a real doodle!! Just like your dogs I've read about for so long.

The trip to Maine to Patty Barnes' grounds was amazing!! I drove from Portland to Dover-Foxcroft and the countryside and the small New England towns were so picturesque. And Patty now has a cabin for her owners picking up her dogs. It is amazing, totally enclosed in wood, the bed is a rough hewn super sized bunk right out of Maine Cottage. There is a sitting room and a kitchen and a bath. Even heated floors. I felt like a queen and got to have my doodle w/ me for two days. They suppy everything but food (for humans) although previous guests so kindly leave nonperishables, wine, water, juice, etc. Food, crate, etc. supplied for dogs, of course. Patty's house is next door (sort of, it is 33 acres of land w/ stream, trees, the whole 9 yds.). Her house is TOTALLY dedicated and designed for her prized doodles. When I went there I was kissed, licked and greeted so exhuberantly. Each girl took turns jumping on my lap. GORGEOUS, GORGEOUS DOGS. I had not ever gotten to see a group of doodles together and this was a site to behold. Brown, apricot, cafe, cream, pardi all sizes. The males had to stay in crates until the girls were "put away" like brides. It's mating season and they all go into heat at the same time, just like they say a household of women will do. She has to keep track of "who gets to play with who" if you know what I mean.

Patty just received the NATIONAL BUSINESS WOMAN OF THE YEAR award. She was on TV and everything. But, she never said a word about it while I was there. That is what kind of person she is. Modest, adorable, smart as a whip, fun! Her hubby is a doc, which comes in handy. She has the whole town and surrounding towns in on this operation. 3 vets, two trainers, several guardian homes (I saw where Sheila was, and her guardian mom was just totally gaga over the mom, Bindi and the pups).

Ok, thats all I can write. Sheila unstuffing my bedspread covering my feet. I didn't know it had a whole. And I see she has been eating my sandal. Soo, signing off for now.

[Kathy Spyker]

I'm so happy for you and your Gorgeous Sheila, and am looking forward to reading more updates as she grows.=)

[Nancie & Gracie Doodle]

Oh wow, Sheila is a tiny girl! We brought Gracie Doodle home at 6 weeks old and she weighed 7.5 lbs. Of course she is a Standard GoldenDoodle so she is a very big girl. She is very tall but at almost 3 years old she maintains 70 lbs.

Your little girl is going to grow right before your very eyes. Daily, weekly...they change and get bigger. You really need to take pictures ever day!!! If you have the resources, find someone who has "safe" dogs (all their shots and not out and exposed to other dogs) and set up play dates with them. I did this with Gracie's two best friends (English Springer Spaniels) who live down the street. They were 3 and 6 months old and were perfect for Gracie to learn to socialize with. It was summer and the owner was home for the summer (a teacher). The "girls" played twice every day. Also, take Sheila to visit as many humans as you can. We were told by our vet to stay away from lawn, plants and dirt or beaches until Gracie had all her shots. He said concrete was OK and that shopping malls were a good place to socialize her. We never got more than 5 feet into the mall before we were "mauled" by adoring people who fell in love with Gracie Doodle! I really think all of this made her a very well adjusted and friendly girl. She is not a barker and loves everyone! Congratulations on having your new baby in you home!!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Sheila IS very tiny. What a petite little girl! This is just a doodlish (devilish) trick to lull you into relaxing your dog proofing vigil. See it works. You think there already was a tiny hole in your bedspread, don't you? Little Sheila wouldn't have done it earlier - of course not! She was just helping you air out the stuffy inerds with a hole that was started by - er, a mouse, yes that was it, a mouse.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Oh do I remember those first few weeks. It was a strange combination of being super excited but so tired all at the same time. I never felt like I could take my eyes off of him unless he was in his crate (which was rare because he cried if he couldn't see me). I learned to take a shower and wash my hair in about two minutes. At least it was Summer when we trained Guinness. I'm sure all those potty breaks are no fun in this weather. But it all goes by so fast. Have fun with your little bundle of joy, and take lots of pictures. Isn't this whole experience a great adventure! I think about how quiet our lives were before Guinness....they add a whole new dimension (although I admit I had a few days where quiet seemed like a good idea).

[Patty Barnes]

I am humbled and I thank you, DeeDee, for your many kind words. We did have fun, didn't we! Thank you, too, for the envelope that arrived today. I am sad that Maine and Illinois are so far apart. Give Sheila cuddles and kisses from me.

Hugs to you, friend. Patty

[DeeDee and Sheila]

Thanks for the words of encouragement. Sheila is a true chewer, but thankfully she has really slowed down on biting us. I am pretty vigilant about that, I put down, ignore, say arrrg like mother dog. So maybe I am making some slow progress. And I really want Sheila to have someone other than just John and I. We are empty nesters and had real problems with our last rescued lab becoming to protective, and not liking other dogs or people. So as long as the house is in total disarray, I figured I might as well bite the bullet. Your dogs seem like such pals. That is what I want for Sheila.

[Phoebe's Mom]

Fabulous--you sound so energized and in love. How could you not be? I look forward to reading more of your posts and seeing more pictures...enjoy the ride!

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

Ahhhh, I remember those days so well. And if I remember correctly, you signed on to go through this again in a few months. So about the time you survive this one you will start all over! There is one thing that I haven't heard you mention yet, so maybe you haven't gotten the surprise of the sharp little puppy teeth yet! Ouch ...... almost every new puppy mom asks us when do these puppy teeth come out! That will be around 4-5 months! I ache when I see the pics of them this little because they are so cute, and I remember those days so well, but then I remember how many times I said "What have we done". The good far outweighs the bad, but there are some trying days. Sounds like you have a chewer as well. Our girls for the most part weren't chewers. They did a number on a few of my braided rubs, but not anything else. Enjoy your little bundle of joy and I for one will look forward to your updates.