The Gems are Nine Weeks Old (Updated)

Happy Nine Weeks to the Gems 🎂

Star Garnet

We are back home after four nights at Kira and Jay’s house — yes, we did an extended sleepover with puppies 😬 This was set up months ago — Cindy and Vic will soon be celebrating FIFTY YEARS of married bliss and so their entire family planned an amazing trip together in the middle-of-nowhere Idaho. How fun is that?!

Capella

And so Capella (and the human kids) got to swim, and the puppies had a cool new experience. Capella and her littermate, Atlas, played in fast whirly-ness that made it hard to get any decent photos of them. Pozy was a little startled at the change of scenery but she adapted quickly and all was well.

And now we all unpack and resume normal life (whatever that is!).

When Jennifer picked up Tommy Topaz, she observed that I might have gotten Star Garnet’s button wrong.

It is not, she suggested, an on/off button — it is just an ON button. 😂

More photos later 💙🩷

(Later)

The camera card wasn’t quite clicked in and so none of my wonderful evening photos were captured — DRAT! But I do have these two iPhone photos — Capella is training Star Garnet to love this certain human 🩷

Can you believe Berkeley started third grade this week?!

These puppies love their fans!

Tomorrow — our first Jasper report 🎉

Day 62 (Updated)

Star Garnet is a whirlwind.

Puppy training has been ongoing and as a result, she (and Sapphire) already have a fast and mostly reliable recall.

They both follow reliably, and so are ready for the next phase of leash training. This means they will get used to wearing both a collar and a harness — under supervision and with lots of treats.

Sapphire loves sticks.

And his sister loves whatever Sapphire has and so she swiped the stick and he grabbed it back but it split in half and so each puppy — not being skilled in math/measurement — think they won the Stick War.

😂

(Later)

Thanks to Kira and Jay for letting Capella engage in her favorite form of exercise.

The puppies did not swim but you will see they are wet — this is why.

Sapphire has so much coat! He is a wooly mammoth preparing for a really cold winter.

Star Garnet and Sapphire were fascinated by their mom’s crazy water antics.

But not interested in joining just yet — there were sticks to chew.

🩷💙 (and 💙 in OR and 💙 in NH).

Day 61 (Updated)

Sapphire will be staying with us for about two more weeks.

Star Garnet is blissful about the idea that she still has a brother to chomp.

And to run from — none of the boys could keep up with her. Star Garnet is FAST.

Sapphire thinks sticks are an easier playmate than his wild sister.

But he is doing his best to represent the Boy Team 💙

Tommy Topaz and Jasper are both settling in nicely — that is such a relief for me. The Gems met A LOT of humans while they were here — about 100, I figured — and they visited new places as well and went on multiple car rides (safely in crates, of course). I feel really good about their socialization but you cannot replicate leaving home for a new life — all you can do is make sure the puppy is prepared and resilient. So far, so good 🙏

(Later)

Jasper is enjoying his new life 💙

Jasper and his Uncle Zuber — how cute is this?!

Jennifer reports that Tommy Topaz is also doing so well 🎉🙏

I have always wanted to do this — a daily photo of a puppy to watch the nose go from pink to black. I picked Sapphire because his nose was darkening the fastest, and made a video of 8+ weeks of daily photos 🎥

Whew! It feels good to get it finished 🙌🏼 Let me know what you think 😊