Partying On

Mary-Ann Sontag January 24, 2022

Today we hear from our New Hampshire Bright Star! Alison shares this update with us:

“Here we are at a rest stop in MT on the day we headed home with baby Heze in March.

He quickly decided he' d been adopted by gypsies because we lived out of the car and never stopped in the same place for four whole days. I can only imagine how he felt finally settling in here in New Hampshire. At least there were already two resident Berners, his Aunt Kiri and Great Uncle Tristan.

By the time we arrived in NH Heze had morphed into Zuber, a variation on the star Zubenelgenubi in the constellation of Libra. After all, he IS a Bright Star! He is the easiest puppy we have ever raised, always playful
with his own toys and never branching out to furniture, woodwork or rugs.

Zuber has a delightful vocal repertoire ranging from hums, to rumbles, murbles, squeaks, whines and joyous barks (getting deeper by the day). He seems to have a comment on everything.

We play together in a puppy obedience class, foundation agility class and occasional breed handling classes. He loves long walks and wrestles daily with his Aunt Kiri.

Between 7 and 8 months Zuber sprouted longer legs and now is taller than either housemate. He has a long way yet to go in filling out, however. He still has a wee bit of puppy fluff on the back of his head. I have been fascinated to observe that when he appears to be growing faster he has less energy to expend in play and training.

He is sweet, thoughtful, easy going and a wonderful cuddler.

Happiest of Birthdays to all the Bright Stars and Moonshadows!”

Alison and I have the same three generations at home — she has an iPup, a Sparkler, and a Bright Star —just like me. How cool is that! And the things her dogs do and the places they go — flipping amazing. Thank you so much, Alison and Tom, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY ZUBER!

Meanwhile, Capella is still waiting on some of her sibling updates…

Please have a wonderful Monday!

The Birthday Party Continues...

Mary-Ann Sontag January 23, 2022

Both of today’s Birthday Bright Stars have middle names! I love it!

We start with Tobie James (fka Perseus James) who shares his life with Cheryl, her Dear Husband, and their wonderful extended family. Tobie James has a home in Oregon but also in a lovely part of Idaho, as these photos show well. Cheryl sends us this update:

“What a wonderful blessing it was to adopt one of the Bright Stars pups into our family. We brought Tobie (fka Perseus James) home when he was 10 weeks old, 17 pounds. Each day since has been a wonderful adventure as we fell in love with him and discovered his unique and special personality. At one year, he is over 90 pounds and still growing.

What makes him so special? He is incredibly affectionate and loving. Each morning, at precisely 6 am, we wake to Tobie bounding onto our bed, snuggling, and licking our faces, letting us know it is time to get moving. This precious boy is also gentle and genuinely sweet. It is pure joy to watch him with our 2-year-old granddaughter.

We hoped for an active puppy and we got one; he has unending energy. He loves to race around our field each morning and when other dogs join him, he is super delighted. He loves to go on a long walk or hike each day, which is made longer due to his relentless need to sniff every bush and tree along the way.

He prefers the cold weather, especially snow, and will even go into a creek or lake in freezing temperatures and emerge with icicles on his fur, totally content and happy.

Tobie is the most intelligent dog we have ever had; he loves to sit on high ground and observe and process all that is going on. He is also very sensitive and appears to be intuitive as he can often anticipate what I am going to do next. He is incredibly good looking which attracts attention wherever we go. People who are driving by will even roll down their windows to comment on him. This comes with a challenge in that everyone wants to pet him, and he tends to be hesitant with most strangers.

Tobie has bonded tightly with our family; it is truly amazing how he has integrated himself into our lives and enriched them in beautiful ways. When he looks in our eyes, seeking validation or praise, it truly melts our hearts. We love this big gentle puppy and look forward to what the next year holds with him. Thank you, Mary-Ann, for choosing our family; we are exceedingly grateful.”

Thank you so much to Cheryl and her family for appreciating Tobie and giving him such a fun and interesting life — and one that includes snow! That photo in the cold pond could be Claire (his mom). HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOBIE JAMES!

Dallas Nova Jr. lives in the Boise area with John, Kristine, and their K-Kids — plus 10 year-old Heidi from the H Moon litter. John’s sister lives nearby with Bright Star Atlas (fka Sun), and their mom — Cindy — is a long-time Most Dear Friend. All in the Family!

John sends us this report about Dallas Nova Jr.:

“You know your dog is extra special when they fit right into your family and they make every day that much better — it’s the little things that Dallas does that makes us laugh, think, and keeps us on our toes. I included a picture of her enjoying her birthday Bison bone in the back yard. It’s hard to tell in the picture, but she furls her lip when she is thinking or when she wants to protect that bone from said cameraman/potential bone thief.

I also included a picture of Dallas doing a ‘down’ — we have never seen such enthusiasm and speed! It is quite uncanny.

The last picture I included is of her puppy-style sit. It echoes her funny personality.

My son Kole has created a running joke in our family — he often reports to all of us that "Dallas is happy”. Maybe it’s the tongue combined with the smile… Truly she is always happy as long as we are all nearby. She loves attention (especially from kids), other dogs, and to be on the go. Her favorite visits are to see her brother Atlas or to go run around my parents' farm.

Happy Birthday to all!”

Thank you so much, John and the rest of Dallas Nova Jr.’s family, for her wonderful, integrated, and interesting life. HAPPY BIRTHDAY DALLAS NOVA JR.!

This is Capella wishing the birthday party was in person, so to speak — she wants to play with her siblings…

Please celebrate your Sunday!

Bright Star Fauci

Mary-Ann Sontag January 22, 2022

We continue with our Bright Star Birthday Week. Today we have an update from Fauci (fka Orion) who lives with Jack and Maria in Maryland. Jack sends us this report about Fauci:

“He is the perfect companion I hoped he would be. Although he doesn't have a canine pack at home, he has a few Berner playmates to meet up with and learn doggy manners from. Fauci has been interested in agility and carting from the start (strangely enough, these happen to be my interests too).

Although he is still too young for a formal repetitive training regimen, he has learned all the agility obstacles except for the dog walk at home. He is also ready for his first draft test (except for weights), but alas has to wait another year to start earning titles. He is of course doing basic obedience and got his trick dog novice title for doing his favorite tricks.

Fauci loves flying through the woods around my trails, and with snow on the ground in Maryland again he is even happier. He is of course handsome and enjoys all the attention he gets as he carts in public places.