New photo of our pack...

I wanted to get a more current photo of our dogs last night in order to post it on here, so last night, Mrs. JP and I set about positioning our dogs for a group shot. That is sometimes harder than you would think it would be. The three larger dogs are very good about sitting and staying, probably because we have been better at spending time in training them than we have with the smaller three dogs. Anyway, they all pretty much settled down into a sit stay, except for Violet, the small shepherd mix on the left hand side. She was convinced that something really bad was about to happen, and kept looking for every opportunity to flee. We finally managed to get a couple good shots in front of the fireplace, and so I'm posting the best one here. They are a fine looking bunch, indeed.

Mrs. JP also finished sewing a flannel nightshirt for me last night, complete with a matching night cap which she made out of the leftover material, and I LOVE it! It fits great, was very warm and comfy to sleep in last night and looks pretty good on me. She didn't seem to have much confidence that it would turn out well, but I knew she could to it. THANK YOU, dear!!!

Who is Mrs. JP?

Good Morning, I'm Mrs. JP and today my main job so far has been to preside over our morning ritual. First we get JP out the door with his coffee and biscuit and then the real fun begins. I mean you can't just go willy nilly getting breakfast out for this group! We have a system and we do the same thing each feeding time. They line up or go to their assigned eating spots and then when the bowls are ready they get their food in the same order every time. So no fighting and best manners are a must. Then if I happen to be staying in the holler for the day I play door man - I told JP I need a revolving door like at the mall. So by the end of the day I might just resemble that cute little granny in the picture or at least feel like her in my heart. JP never knows who will be waiting at the door when he comes home. I take that back all six dogs are there wagging tails but what is the mood of the Mrs.?

Daisy and Buddy...

Daisy is the oldest member of our current pack. She's also the only one for whom we have registration papers, because we purchased her, rather than rescuing her. She is a full blooded German Shepherd, bred for police and security work. She has completed basic obedience, advanced obedience and security training. She is very smart, very brave and very observant. She quickly notices any change in her environment and alerts the pack leaders (me and the Mrs.) of said change. She is very friendly and loves to be around people and meet new people, but on command she can be alerted to a "bad guy" and will defend the pack very aggressively, probably even with her life. Even though she is the first line of defense, she has been very accepting of the other members of the pack as they have been added.

When we first moved to our little place in the holler, we had no intention of owning more than the two dogs that we moved here with, Daisy and Buddy.

Buddy was a black male German Shepherd that we rescued in Florida. Unfortunately, Buddy died a few short months after we moved into the holler, from a cancerous tumor in his stomach. We were very sad when he had to be euthanized. The tumor was causing him to starve to death, because he could not process food. He did have a GREAT time while he lived with us in the holler, and quickly earned the nickname "cow chaser", flagrantly ignoring the "stay" and "down" commands that were being shouted after him as he ran under the barbed wire fence in pursuit of fun. He and Daisy also discovered skunks together. Ugghhh, but I'll let Mrs. JP expound on that adventure at a later date. Then, suddenly, we were left with just Miss Daisy, but not for very long...

Launch...

It seems the whole world is blogging these days. Not to be ones that like being left behind, the Mrs. and I have decided to try our hands at this as well. If nothing else, we can share some fun doggy adventures with the world and maybe some training tips, and what not. And perhaps throw in something about Christ, family, love or patriotism along the way...

Anyway, for better or worse, out little dog shelter in the holler is now blogging...