These two pups- Bliss the blonde one and Spirit the black - joined my household four years ago almost to the day. They have brought me lots of laughter and help me structure my day since they require a lot of walking and tons of attention, particularly when I'm trying to enjoy my morning coffee with toast... Like all my dogs - they have learned to love toast. They nudge me when they hear the toaster pop up and come running when they hear me cutting bread - what a pair!
These two brothers and litter mates are enthusiastic, silly and love to play. The picture of them being held is when I first saw them at eight weeks old - and chose them from the four remaining puppies from an 11 puppy litter... poor mum - she was a busy dog. The second (at the top) is of the two pups in my pasture when they are about 10 or 11 weeks old and just beginning to know their new world.
Many people ask where their names come from. While Spirit isn't uncommon for a dog, Bliss appears to be out there. Their names occurred to me when I was in Newfoundland, where I travelled the day I chose them, (or perhaps they chose me)... I'd been pondering names and was nearing the end of my two week vacation in that amazing island province. I was so ecstatic about that adventure that I spread my arms out wide on one of the glorious beaches near Wesleyville and turned in a circle saying out loud "I'm so filled with spirit and bliss..." and then I paused. "That's their names," I yelled out loud to the universe - fellow walkers on the beach thought I was a tad weird I figure from the strange looks I got. Of course I meant the puppies... and so when I went to pick them up a couple of days later, I told their breeder.
Her daughter had named Bliss BamBam after the Flintstones boy - yes that cartoon character. The pup got the name for his cowlick that runs from close to his eyebrows to the base of his head - actually he has different coloured and textured fur all down the centre of his back to his tail. But Bam Bam was a bit much for staid old me.
It turns out the dogs are well named. Bliss is exactly that - full of the love of life and every possible adventure there could be for a dog... I think he has ADD - his attention span is that of a gnat. Spirit on the other hand tends to be more thoughtful. But he's not had the same experiences as his brother so now he's the one leading the adventures when we go off the property into the bush or fields...
Bliss has become a bit more prudent since his two run-ins with porcupines recently and last year's wild goose chase where he nearly drowned. He stays closer to me when we walk off the property - most of the time. Animal scents though can send both into a frenzy of running and typical Labrador Retriever coursing back and forth.
Spirit usually walks behind me on the property, unless he smells adventure - meaning a squirrel, a coyote or deer that demands chasing, though often I suspect that their nosing in the long grasses is more after a mole or a mouse than anything particularly large.
Still, they are great pals - for each other and for me. They're the first puppies I've had in about 25 years. All the others have been rescues. More about them and some later images of Spirit and Bliss at play in another posting.
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By the way, I've tweaked some of the settings on this blog so anyone who wishes can post a comment and/or become a follower. Just click on the word comment which is underlined or on the word Followers and the "widgets" or "gadgets" - that's computerspeak for us non-tekkie types - will tell you what to do. This is a learning curve for me - and you'll likely see changes daily for a while. I'd love to hear if you have some suggestions or ideas... and I'm going to be posting images and stories about some of my friends animal companions as well... Hope you enjoy all this!
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