Fall Road Trip - First Stop: Pennsylvania!

Note: this is a catch up post!

8 weeks old and meG hits the road!  Along for the ride is sister Pearl, who is being delivered to Emily and Daniel.  Mommy Gem, Auntie Fen and Uncle Mirk are also loaded into the (crowded) truck for the long ride. Grandma Tap stayed home to help with the chores.

We stayed the night in a rest area.  What do you do with 3 dogs and 2 not yet housetrained puppies in a busy truck stop in the pouring rain? You put towels and puppy pads on EVERY surface in the camper, empty a bucket of toys and have puppy WWE!  After this, both meG and Pearl were sleepy enough to go back into their crate for a few hours shut eye. 

Next day on to Pennsylvania for hiking with a friend, a UKI agility trial with Fen, and a lesson with Jenny Damm.  I was supposed to go to the NEBCA Fall Foliage Championship (for which both Mirk and Fen were qualified and entered), but could not leave in time due to work projects.  I was disappointed, but will just have to work hard next year to qualify again.

Upon arriving at Val's, Gem was reunited with Han (aka Ffat, or Puppy #2) and you could almost see her think, "Oh, you live here now. That's cool." She played with him and disciplined him, just like old times.  meG and her brother had a good week, creating puppy Armageddon in Val's garden (sorry Val). 

Pearl was delivered safely to Emily, who drove up from Virginia to meet me.  She traveled well and is settling in fine with her Uncle Case and Aunt Tilly, although they apparently are not so impressed with having a new puppy in the house!

Pearl on her way to Virginia with Emily.

Pearl meets Creekside Tilly (2010 Tap x Chip) and Creekside Case (2008 Tap x Chip)

She sleeps!  (Pearl is all go go go!)

 meG and Han joined us on the big hikes.  I purchased a great backpack from PetEdge.  It has lots of vents, a firm floor mat and expands open to use as a soft crate.  Best purchase ever!  Here is a photo of Pearl modeling the new bag:

Han is carried like a bowling ball, in a gym bag...Or "Hanbag" to which it is now referred. 



Some photos from the hikes (all taken on my phone, so not great):

Fen in the foreground, meG and Han wrestling along the path.

meG and Han - face off.  Who will be the first to move?

meG

meG with Becky, a rescue Chihuahua x Cattle Dog (we think?) cross. 

Cute meG at 8.5 weeks old.

A game of fetch in a field along the way.

Fen looking on as Val shows Jenny the workings at an abandoned coal mine.  The slope was steep and slippery and the shaft went a looooong way down, so I stayed on top of the ridge with the dogs ;)

At the top - what a view!

Jenny going to look out over the cliff....

 

 

"Help!  She's gonna jump!"  Nah, optical illusion...not a cliff but a hill that slopes down quite sharply, but still only held the dogs' interest for a few minutes.

We snuck the dogs onto the front lawn of the Hershey Mansion.  (Just kidding, we had permission).  Also went to Chocolate World (just the people, lol) and that was a dangerous place ;)

 

Announcing.....!

Note: this is a catch up post!

Where has the time gone? 

The puppies have all gone to their new homes....

Announcing the newest additions to the Creekside Family:

Puppy #1 is now called "Creekside Pearl" and has gone to live with Emily and Daniel and hopefully grow up to be a sheepdog.  She will be helping Creekside Case (2008 Tap x Imp. Chip) and Creekside Tilly (2010 Tap x Imp. Chip) with managing 100+ ewes, pasture raised hogs and turkeys and whatever else needs to be done around the glorious, historic working farm at Tuckahoe Plantation  and Tuckahoe Lamb and Cattle Company in Virginia.  Pearl will also compete in sheepdog trials.


Pearl's last week at Creekside, learning to cross the stream when it's cold out!

Puppy #2 (aka Ffat) is now called "Creekside Han" (yes, for beloved Star Wars character, Han Solo) and has joined Val and Eric's pack of Becky, Creekside Just6 "Jus" (2004 Pat x Glen) and Creekside Freya (2010 Tap x Chip) for a busy and adventurous life filled with hiking, mountain biking, sailing, boating, skateboarding, tricks and competitive agility.  Han lives in PA.



Han at 8 weeks (Photo by Val Henry)



Puppy #3 is now called "Creekside Cass" and has gone to live in Massachusetts with Milton, where she is constant companion to mixed breed rescue "Musti" and Glen Highland Farm rescue "Luc".  Cass will enjoy a life of hiking, trail running and whatever else is thrown her way!  Cass is also the newest "supervisor" at Trimitsis Woodworking and goes to work with Milton, Musti and Luc everyday.

Cass at 8 weeks - photo by Milton Trimitsis.

Cass and her Frisbee!

GHF Luc and Cass walking in the huge park/cemetery near their home (and Cass walking on some graves, lol).

 

Cass working her charms on 14 year old Musti.



Puppy #4 is now called "Creekside meG" (yes, it is written intentionally with the capital at the end!) and will be staying here at Creekside Farm, where she will hopefully learn sheepdoggin' and agility.  No surprise here...meG was my favorite from the day she was born!  She is a sweet and easy pup so far, but ask me again when she hits about 5 months. ;) 

Creekside meG, 8 weeks.

I didn't get my traditional "last day at Creekside" video before Han and Cass left for their new homes, but made one starring meG and Pearl.