The final week for the Tomatos

Bandit/Hank and Granny Stoker

 Saturday will mark the departure of the last tomato in the garden of puppies, with Jasper heading off with his family who have been away on vacation.  Hank has come back to visit for a few days while Stevie is on vacation, so you will see both pups in the photos I took in the yard today while I was home for lunch.

Ironically both Jasper and Hank have been named "Bandit" by their new families, which makes it easy when calling them both in from the yard, but tough when trying to distinguish between the two.

Bandit/Jasper

Bandit/Jasper is going to keep his new family busy, we think.  Being a true water dog, he thinks the water in his water bowl is as much to play with as it is to drink and delights in making a lake on our kitchen floor.  Last night, I ate my dinner on the patio and went back in the house, leaving my plate on the patio table.  I heard my plate rattle and looked out to see that Jasper had climbed onto the seat of the Adirondack chair, then from there to the arm of the chair and up onto the table.  He was standing entirely on the table when I spotted him!  I quickly swooped him off the table so he would not fall or jump and hurt himself and then moved the chair away from the table to prevent the little brat from accessing the table again.

Mama Ecko patrolling the yard.

Ecko guarding the yard.

Ecko and Bandit/Hank check out some good smells.

Pocket in the boat on Flathead Lake

Pocket boating with his family.

Pocket is one of Ecko's pups from her litter last spring (so Delta's brother).  He is such a lucky fellow and belongs to a wonderful family who take him on their adventures.  He got to go on a trip to Flathead Lake in Montana recently.   Mike reported that every morning Pocket would run down to take a dip in the lake.

Thanks for the pictures Mike.  Seeing how much enjoyment the pups bring in their new homes makes parting with them a little easier.

Jasper relaxing with one of his favorite toys.

 Jasper is still with us for another week (going home next weekend).  It is good that he is going home soon, as we are getting very attached to the little guy.  He is a very good swimmer and has been to the lake or river several times.

We will be a bit sorry to see him go BUT we are looking forward to a night of uninterrupted sleep and getting up just a bit later in the mornings than we have been!

Jasper hanging out on the steps with Delta.

Zander with his new friend Logan.

Zander

 We got a report and some pictures of Zander (was Fargo) from Carolyn.  Zander has had a vet visit and got some loving from the staff, met some of Carolyn's co-workers and started Puppy Kindergarten class this week.  His new pal Logan is very patient but lets Zander know if he gone a little too far with the biting.  They like to play tug.

And then there was one...

Capri (now Madge) went home with her new human Laura.  Laura has a young male PWD named Oliver.  Oliver has been a bit melancholy since losing his PWD housemate a few months ago and we are sure that Madge will take his mind off his troubles.  Watch your tail Oliver, these puppies think they are fun to play with!

Jasper in the back yard.

Laura flew in from Idaho yesterday and we had a nice, if brief, visit before she hopped a plane with Madge.  She called from the airport to let me know that the first part of the trip home went well. 

Jasper has a few more weeks to spend with us before leaving for his new home.  We are a bit sorry we said we would hold on to him for that long (his family is on vacation), as we are getting more and more attached to the little guy.  He doesn't seem to miss his siblings, has been enjoying time romping in the back yard with Delta and Ecko and slept nicely in his crate in our bedroom last night.