It was a Thursday, 9 months ago, on October 18, 2018 the Triplet Puppies were born. It was not enough to select puppies from great breeders (although I have and will again of course!), I wanted to see how my partner Franny would fare as a mother and how I could create an environment to help nurture them into what I affectionately call Superpuppies. For me I wanted to help shape these pups into sweet, affectionate, intelligent, biddable, sociable, affectionate, aware, adaptable and adorable young dogs and partner them so they could excel. And I love a challenge. Raising puppies underfoot during which we all endured, happily I might add, a NE Ohio winter! Their journey through puppyhood is in previous blog posts [ STARTING HERE]. Today is about letting go.
I would say I never imagined back when they were born and fall was underway, winter not far off, that it would take me 9 months to fully figure out the paths for all 3. But at last, and just when it was supposed to happen, that’s what happened, and it was a serendipitous chain of events. Grateful my lifestyle allows me the luxury to shape canine (and sometimes feline) beings and then pair with the right person(s) to continue what I began.
A brief replay of just some of the highlights of these puppies lives and the paths they now lead and quick updates. Their birth. Video playing with their 1/2 sister Summer (they share a father, Baron. Summer, born in June 2018, is only 4 months older, but early on it was striking how much more sophisticated and large she was compared to the then one month old pups)). Then the pups and their mom at 4 months, handling wintry weather with grace and charm. Each one sweet, affectionate, loving, thoughtful, intelligent, confident, athletic and beautiful. 
First born Mabel, nee Tribble, partnered with the Buzzard family (starting April 10): parents Kacie and John, children Vivian (10), Caroline (9) and Gideon (3). For each family member Mable has a role, although her identified partner is middle child Caroline, a mischievous and challenging 9 year old child navigating life with non verbal autism in an often insensitive and ignorant world. Mabel is adjusting well and developing individual relationships and more detail on her life will unfold over time. When blending into such a large, chaotic and challenging family, it is important to focus on the bonding with each member of the family, slowly and over time, and maintain and improve reliability on her basic manners. Each member of the family is learning how to communicate with Mabel and to recognize the gifts Mabel has of calming things down when things get overwhelming. There is cuddling and calming her children (and I dare say the parents too!), bringing laughter and joy to all (and recognized as much more prevalent than the challenges juggling a young but eager dog into such loving chaos) Mabel is showing, as I have known all along, she has the right stuff to work well in public and learn when shown the ropes. Her continuing training is evidence of that.
I am very proud of the work this family has done so far and the commitment to continuing the raising/training and guiding of Mabel into a long and active life of value to the entire family.
Middle pup and only son, Shamrock. Always the largest and calmest of the bunch, Shamrock was so named as his early markings had a shamrock along his side. But as the pups grew, his markings morphed into a more common pattern in English Springer Spaniels and while the pattern was gone, the name stuck. He is such a Sham Man! His laid back nature allows him to share his zen with others without any stress. So after some careful meditation, I have decided to add Shamrock to my entourage and figure out the paths this really awesome boy can take. He loves and is gentle with people of all ages, takes things in stride, always exceeds my expectations when I take him on outings, and he already helps with some periodic balance support for me. So you will of course meet Shamrock at DIPs if you become a member of A Better Pet’s DIP family (a free membership to all pet and service dog clients that go through The SIx Pillars of Dog Training Wisdom Private In Home Dog training)
Baby of the group, Pixie. Placed earlier this year but I pulled her out of that placement for many reasons, but mostly I saw after a 3 day sleepover, adapting her to the needs of the first pairing was too daunting. I could not go through with it. She returned to me, (previous clients given a full refund) what for what turned out to be 6 more months. But in one of those serendipitous ways these things work in my own life, this is what happens. 3 weeks ago I put out an intention in a yoga class (did I mention I go to yoga nearly every day, sometimes even 2x/day) to find Pixie the right partner. I had listed exactly what would be the best fit. And lo and behold, two days later the intention turned into an email inquiry from Kristi and a phone discussion. The next day we met face to face, including introducing her to a peer support group (made up entirely of current and former clients I have guided through previous service dog partnerships) that comes with my training. And of course all the dogs! 11 days ago we signed an agreement, one week ago Pixie went to her 3 Day Sleepover, returned this past Tuesday, spent one night back with me and the gang, and officially moved in with Kristi on Wednesday. It is such an honor and a privilege to do this work.
Stay tuned for more updates on these three fantastic puppies (and their mom, Franny).
