ASH at 10 months

Ash loves the snow. He especially likes when it is actively snowing and he can hop and jump up to try to catch snowflakes in his mouth.

Ash loves snow so much that he does not seem to care about the cold at all. This photo was taken when it was only 2 degrees farenheit. Even though Ash does not seem to feel the cold, I have let his coat grow out long to protect him so he can play outside and not be chilled. Just call Ash my Woolly Mammoth!

ETTA is loving her home

Blurry, but beautiful. In this shot, you can see what a lovely outline Etta has. In this stacked at attention pose (the same position demanded by conformation dog shows), you can see that Etta has the correct square outline, with straight, yet sloping topline (the whithers to tail along the spinal column), beautiful length of neck & muzzle as well as legs to body ratio.

In the show ring, Etta would do very well. She could compete against other schnauzers and hold her own as judges worked to determine which schnauzers were closest in conformation to the breed standard. I look forward to seeing more photos of Etta as she matures into the quality schnauzer that these photos shows her to be.

"I'm tuckered-out!"

The following photos will show you why Ash is "tuckered" and also how much fun he had with the Chimera dog crew this weekend at our local, off-leash dog park.

As you can see, it was a fun weekend for the Chimera dogs and Ash thoroughly enjoyed his introduction to the world of off-leash dog parks.

ETTA has found her match!

Thank you to everyone who inquired about Etta and who offered to open their homes and lives to her. Etta has now been matched and she will be doing therapy, work that I have felt Etta was particularly well-suited for since she was a younger pup. Etta is a special girl, a girl whose eyes seem to see into people's souls and whose tender heart makes her very attentive to the emotions and needs of those around her. I am delighted that she will be able to use her gifts to help people. Etta will also be a cherished family member and perhaps even get to enjoy obedience and agility work.

Ash Enjoys a Kiss in Puppy Class:
What a Sociable 5 month old Boy!!

Here are some shots from the last meeting of puppy class for Ash (the boy, sporting a subdued green lead) and Etta (green girl, sporting a vibrant purple leash). They are showing their skills at socializing with strangers during the Puppy Pass exercise (each pup is passed from person to person to help them be comfortable being held by strangers as prep for vet visits and general socializing.).

It's been a long time since I've posted with updates. The litter is now nearly 5 months old and all pups are in their homes and have become the family members that they deserve to be. I have heard a lot of wonderful updates (and some challenges, of course!) from owners. Owners, thank you so much! I really appreciate hearing how the pups are doing and I promise to be in better contact soon after Mira's gang of 13 pups (www.mirapuppies.blogspot.com) have all been settled into their new homes.

From Kit's litter, I held onto Ash and Etta as potential show pups. As you can see from their ear tape, both pups have been cropped. This is never my first choice, but Ash's ears were very small in proportion to his head and body and the ears probably would have stood straight up from his head. Etta's ears were too large and would have made her head and body look too small. Sad: boy, large head, tiny ears. Girl: small head, huge ears. Together: perfect show pup. Oh, wait. It never works like that ...

If you have a one of Ash and Etta's littermates and you would be willing to have your pup's growing up photos posted to the blog, let me know. I would be thrilled to post updates for people who have followed the litter, especially the people who have the littermates as family members.

Ash (green leash) & Etta (purple leash) enjoy lap time during the Puppy Pass: nearly 5 months old

New Photos! Playdate May 18th! Scroll down!

Sorry I haven't been keeping up with the photo posting. Pups at this age are very active and they have been keeping me busy. Next week, I will be out of town and David will be on puppy patrol. I do not really expect that he will take photos. So, enjoy these photos and I will try to post some more that you have not seen from earlier puppy adventures tomorrow.

Pups' and Kids 1st playdate, more photos: May 7
Scroll down for playdate photos from May 18!

Pups & people enjoying a sunny afternoon: May 7

Puppy playdate: May 18, evening

Great fun was had by all pups and people.

I am really pleased with how these pups respond to kids, strange adults, dogs outside their own pack, noise, adventure, and new things in general. Pups were good about being held and bold and full of fun when not on laps. It is especially important to expose Standard Schnauzer pups who do not live with their own children to kids. SS can be amazingly great with kids if they are raised with them. If the grow up without positive exposure to kids, SS will tend to be suspicious of children because they will not know what a child is and what are typical gestures and noises of children. In the photos that follow, you can see that these pups accept kids and I expect that-- with continued exposure to children in their new homes--these pups will be good with kids.

Puppies on the lap are a good thing. Even adults enjoy a puppy on the lap.

Pups and kids love playing puppy on the lap

Parental supervision is a must when kids and pups get together