Meeting His Match

It is hard to imagine, but Connor may have finally met his match.  He has been the fastest, toughest, intensist, never-give-in, never-quit Border Collie on the hill.  Then....along comes a puppy.  A cute, sweet, little puppy who follows him around and worships at his feet. 

But puppies grow.  Fast.

The cute, sweet, little puppy is now an 8 month old ultra-fit, ultra-fast, ultra-competitive bundle of greased-lightning speed, wild exuberance and slightly psychotic Border Collie drive.  Just like his best buddy Connor.

Connor may be feeling the dragon breathing down his neck, but at the end of the day, when the puppy loses interest, he still comes home with the prize because he still knows one thing that Ian doesn't - that the frisbee is not a toy, it is the meaning of life.

Super Powers

Connor's super power is to be every puppy's bestest uncle.  Right now, he is Ian's best friend, mentor, play mate, chew toy, babysitter and all-around pack instructor.  He shares babysitting duty with Kelsey, but he is the only one who has the energy and stamina to keep a 6 month old Border Collie puppy entertained and out of trouble. 

The dog couch may not survive much longer, but the puppy is growing well.

To get an idea of what it is like to raise Border Collies....just put these videos on continuous loop for about 4 hours every day, combine this with daily farm chores, many miles of hiking and running with the rest of the pack. 

Nothing to it.  As long as you can put two Super Powers together to wear each other out. 

Hired Help

Elva's new helper arrived at the farm this week....

He is already zoned in on Elva like a laser beam

He goes on hikes with the rest of the pack....

Helps build fence...

Has learned not to chase chickens...

He has conquered stairs and already climbs on the couch.

He has met the sheep and cows...

And that was all on his first day. 

Welcome to the farm little Ian, we're all glad to have you.  Your new mom wanted LOTS of pictures so here they are

Puppy Countdown

Elva's new cow dog got his first set of shots today....

I'm pretty sure his name is going to be Ian unless something drastic happens and Elva changes her mind.  Otherwise, little Ian will be here in about two weeks. 

This is the rational reason why Elva did not keep one of the Maremma puppies.  She knew she was going to need a new working dog and she knew she wanted to start with a puppy.  The REAL reason why Elva did not keep one of the Maremma puppies is that they were all sold before she could overrule rational thinking.  Which is why I heard, "WHHHHYYYYY didn't I keep a puppy????!!" at least twice a day (usually in the same conversation) until she found Ian.  So, let the countdown BEGIN!