Friday, November 12, 2010

Meet Derby!

Our House of Spots has a new addition! Meet Derby, who we just brought home Monday night. He's 9 weeks old today and is absolutely ADORABLE!

If you follow my Simply Spotted Photography blog, then you might just recognize this little guy...



And you probably remember me stating that my visit was only for the opportunity to take some puppy pictures and get a much needed puppy fix. Which was, at the time, 100% true. But those of you who know me were probably already taking bets as to how soon a new puppy would be joining our spotty household. :) Am I right?

When I visited the pups, I honestly didn't have a real favorite because they were *all* adorable and it was a little hard to keep track of eight wiggly pups moving all over the place. But when I got home and saw the pictures, I fell in love with this little guy. Not only is he gorgeous, but he has the same left ear patch as Peyton and of course, Indy's blue eyes. I couldn't help but to think he might be a good match.



For the record, even though I wasn't anticipating getting a pup from this litter, I've pretty much had my mind set on getting an Argus pup (his daddy) for a looong time and was on his owner/breeder's list for a performance prospect. After hearing how nice the "blue eyed patched pup" was, and how he had great structure and a fantastic personality (Both Argus and Derby's mom Sugar have great temperaments), I decided to take a chance and see if might be available.

Fortunately for me, this little guy's ear patch kept him heading up north to live with Argus and family, as he would have been the pick of the litter. For those of you unfamiliar with the breed, there is nothing "wrong" with patched pups, but patches are a disqualification in the (conformation) show ring.

And so he came to live with us!



Derby is settling in like a champ. The first 24 hours were a little - okay, a LOT - loud around here, but nothing that wasn't expected from a new puppy. He had a lot to say about his new home!

He's quickly learning that SOTC (our training club) is our home away from home. He came with me Tuesday and Thursday night and was a very good puppy (crated in the car) while I taught my class. And on Wednesday he learned that club meetings are a LOT of fun! We hung out in the back of the ring with our Golden friends and were quite the distraction (oops!) since all of our SOTC friends wanted to come say hello.

Derby is a clever little puppy. If I have a piece of chicken in my hand, he lets me know that he is well aware that I have a whole bunch of chicken in my pocket and he'd much rather have that, thank you very much. During the club meeting he crawled in (yes, in!) our friend Lisa's purse and emerged with a big bag of treats. Ah, 8 weeks old and he's already a pickpocket! :)


I know it's only been a few days, but he's showing all the signs of being everything I could ask for from a puppy. He's very confident, yet sensible, and seems to have good instincts when it comes to accessing new situations. He's only been startled a few times, but recovers very quickly. He loves to play, is very food motivated - and overall, is just one very happy (and entertaining) pup!

I'm being very careful not to overwhelm him, but he has met many new people and a few dogs that I know and trust. He's done awesome with both.

On Wednesday night we stayed at my parents house since I had a morning session nearby and he was introduced to the puppy equivalent of Disney World. My guys all love going to "grandma's house" and I'm sure he will be no different. He met their mini doxie, Lucy (who is about the same size - for now) and they had a BALL playing together. It was so cute and I'll share some video when I have a chance.



I know you're all wondering what Indy and Peyton think, and I have to say I couldn't be happier with how they are handling our new addition! Indy's reaction was exactly what I was expected - she was super excited to meet him, but once she realized he was sticking around, has settled into her idea of coexistence. She really wants to play with him at times, but realizes that he's not quite ready so they do lots of sniffing and tail wagging.

She is also making sure he learns some of the really important things in life - such as how to tackle a big pile of moss with gusto!


I am taking the introductions very slow with Peyton, but he is doing fabulously. He's not exactly sure what to make of this funny little puppy, but he's been hanging out right next to his crate in my little office area and will occasionally bring over a toy to squeak in his face (such a tease). I think once Derby is a little bigger they are going to be good friends - for now, I just want to make sure that both are comfortable around each other. I'm very happy - I thought for sure that Peyton would have have a semi-permanent pout by now, but he's really handling it all very well.



So that's our puppy story! Needless to say, we adore him, and think he's going to be a whole lot of fun. I'm so thankful to his breeders, Janey and Sue, for letting him come home with us!

9 comments:

Achieve1dream said...

He is so friggin adorable!!!! I love puppies! And you're making me want another one lol. I have a friend who has a litter of corgi pups and it's taking everything I have not to get one. :) Sounds like you're going to have a lot of fun with this pup. :)

Elizabeth Bergesen said...

Yey!!! New puppies are always a treat!!

Elizabeth & Luna

Lisa said...

Absolutely adorable! A great puppy story that I'm sure will have a very happy ending. Sounds like the gang will all get along and will have a grand time together!! Can't wait for more pics and to hear how things progress. Also can't wait to comfortably snuggle in my bed tonight and sleep the night through peacefully ;) Worst part of owning a puppy is the sleep depravation, but all the good things outweight that anyway!!

Nicole said...

What a great puppy story! I think you made a great choice in bringing the little guy home to join you and the resident spotties! When I saw the puppy pictures on your blog, I just knew you might end up with one of them. : ) He is adorable, and I love the name Derby. Can't wait to read all the fun stories you are going to have!

Kim said...

Thanks all! He's such a neat pup and we're so happy to have him. :)

D.K. Wall said...

We can smell the puppy breath from here! He is totally adorable.

Sherri said...

We love blue eyes and patches around here, too. See, we really ARE related!! p.s. that would mean YOU are a little CRAZY, too!!!

Kim said...

@Sherri...totally! :)

Anonymous said...

Sounds like he is fitting in excellently. Lol This is so exciting. :) Argus is a wonderful daddy!!! Delta is slowly learning how to play with such a small puppy. She's usually super rough. Sometimes she still runs after him too fast, but they're learning. I'm glad to hear your guys are getting along well.