Sapphire (Han Solo) Update!!

The procedure has been moved up — tomorrow is Heart Repair Day for our sweet Sapphire/Han Solo.

Sapphire/Han Solo will have the cutting balloon angioplasty tomorrow (Wednesday) to hopefully correct his rare double-chambered right ventricle; this is happening at the veterinary school at the University of Minnesota. 

Baby Sapphire — always his Mama’s Favorite 💙

I have been asked by multiple people if they can help with the cost of his care. Wow. What kindness from the community that has surrounded and embraced the Gems – thank you. 

I never want to reject gifts offered with love, especially because gifts of all kinds are an important way to show support. A pink sheep, a stained-glass name plaque, a pair of socks, or a contribution of any size towards expensive and life-saving care – each communicates such wonderful things we humans all need to feel. 

Lincoln and Sapphire

Even for an optimist, it is scary and terrifying to have a 13-week-old puppy undergoing a heart procedure. 

At home in Minnesota

There are many ways to send support to Han Solo/Sapphire and his humans. But because it can be hard to send casseroles via the mail, people asked me if they could contribute towards the cost of his care at the University of Minnesota. 

💙⭐️

To be clear, Tricia and Dave are not doing a fund raiser; they are prepared to assume the cost of Han Solo/Sapphire’s care. But I know well the value of both giving and receiving love and support – and so I asked Tricia and Dave to consider accepting the gifts people were offering to Han Solo/Sapphire, and to them. 

💙

And so if you would like to make a monetary gift of support towards Han Solo/Sapphire’s procedure tomorrow, here are the details of how to do that directly to U of MN’s veterinary school where he will be receiving care: 

• Call 612-626-8387 and then press 5.

• Tell them you want to put money on the account of Sapphire Munter — his Case Number is 70594825 or the Munter client number is 549418.  

💙

Thank you for all the good thoughts and support for our boy 💙 He is so lucky to have such a caring community around him 🍀

And please — don’t forget your Lucky Socks tomorrow! I have mine all ready to go.

The luckiest of Lucky Socks!

Asia

Asia is Berner-Garde’s dog of the day.

Asia, my keeper puppy from the E Litter, did not pass orthopedic clearances.

She was so beautiful and some thought I should breed her anyway, while others suggested I “place” her. I was so hurt and mad that anyone would think I could/would give up one of my beloved girls simply because she could not be a puppy generator 😡

And so I said, “Hold my beer half-caf Americano with extra cream and a shot of hazelnut” and I made it my mission to demonstrate that Asia mattered.

And that is how and why she became the second Berner ever to earn the VERY difficult Champion Tracker title.

Asia was a Grand Champion with a performance championship — those are far and few between. But who and what she really was?

Asia and full sister, Zoey.

Asia was loved ❤️

Bright Puppies

Starry G was doing what all puppies do — jumping up on me. This is adorable when they are little but not safe when they get older. Since jumping up is a behavior — and not a developmental mandate like chewing that will stop naturally with time — I like to prevent jumping up from becoming a habit. It seems unfair to let a puppy do something and then suddenly change the rules on them.

Tommy Topaz at a work meeting — it was very stressful 😂

So when Starry G jumped up, I just ignored her in a perfectly pleasant way. No pushing, kneeing, or otherwise being a bully to a baby. Just — nothing. She would then drop down and sit, and I would give her a cookie.

I tried to catch her before the jumping up and reinforce with a cookie because I did not want her to decide the desired behavior pattern was jump up, sit, get a cookie — but puppies are fast so that did not always work.

Starry and her littermates are clever, having been primed from a young age to seek mastery. This is Jasper figuring out a new wobble board.

When a puppy has been primed to learn, you can see the wheels turning in their mind. “Is this what you want?” “How about this?” And they offer behaviors, trying to pinpoint what will be reinforced.

Hans Solo Sapphire 💙

They are unafraid of failure because they know nothing bad happens if the guess is wrong, and they seem to understand that wrong guesses help narrow things down.

And so in the space of just a few hours, Starry G taught herself (and me) an alternative behavior. Instead of jumping up, she now does this.

How cute is that?! And how cute are these Gems?! Every one of them.

Happy Thursday ❤️