Proud Rhino (left) and Aspen (right)

Ty took Rhino (who is a 10 mnth old pup from Shadow and Aspen) and Aspen for a short hike last weekend and Rhino found and retrieved 3 horns and Aspen/Ty found 1.

Winter Fun

After not seeing much of the white stuff last year, it sure was nice to have a white Christmas this year.  We packed up Shadow and the kids and headed to the hills to find a Christmas tree.  We ended up finding a decent (very tall) Christmas tree.  Shadow had fun playing with the kids and enjoying the forest.

Shadow Silversmoke first duck of Fall 2011

Hunting with the Boys

 Ty took our two boys on a "duck hunt" last month.  Shadow and Willow were totally excited, but the two year old little boy was not crazy about being out in the cold and not great at being quiet, either.  Despite the good helpers, no success on this hunt, just good memories.

Big Hunters

42 Horns and Counting

Horn Hunting 2011

Shadow and Willow have both found a few deer antlers already this year. Shadow and Dustie are training for elk horn hunting season in May.  Willow will have puppies in May and will have to sit this season out.

A Heavy Load

The puppies are getting big.  It is about all Ethan can do to carry two puppies at a time.

Rock-A-Bye

Lilly really enjoys wrapping the puppies in blankies and carrying them around in either the baby carrier or stroller.  The puppies are getting much more playful and don't hold still enough for Lilly to put baby clothes on them.

Sleepy Photo Shoot

The puppies were a little too sleepy tonight to be very photogenic.  The bottom photo is an available pup.

The Cute Little Girl

This is one of the smaller pups, she is going to look just like Willow.

Puppies Get a Clean Bill of Health

We took the puppies to the vet yesterday and they all were examined and had their first set of shots.  Had all nine puppies in the exam room and not one of them had an accident, wow!  All the puppies are in perfect health and ready to move to their new homes this weekend.  Look how fat they are!

Shadow the Big Stud

We went out looking for white tail and ended up jump shooting 6 ducks.  Shadow did an excellent job retrieving the ducks from the ice cold Snake River.  We also got a shot at a nice white tail buck and missed.

The Last Little Girl

Lilly likes the girl puppies and was secretly, okay not so secretly, hoping we could keep this little girl pup.  This female will go to a new home in Elko, NV.

Finally A Day With Temperatures Above Freezing


With the temperatures reaching a balmy 40 degrees today, we decided it was time to let the puppies outside for a while.  They were very cute playing in and eating the snow.



Lilly with her "big fat girl".



I thinking Slater has spotted something.  Does he know he is a retriever not a pointer?

Adorable

These puppies are adorable and so sweet.

A Successful Hunt

This is a very happy Shadow three weeks ago on the Snake River. 

Shadow and Willow Snuggle by the Fire

With the freezing cold temperatures (-30 degrees) we have had to bring Willow and the puppies into the house. YIKES!    Poor Shadow has missed Willow and they have had a little time to bond on their cushion .  Even though we enjoy having our dogs in the house, we do require them to stay on their designated areas.

Eleven dogs, 3 kids, a Blizzard, and a Huge Muskrat in the Garage

Shadow thinks, "This is the biggest mouse I have ever seen!"

I am not saying that our house is a zoo, but being snowed in with three small children, 2 dogs and 9 puppies has been a challenge.  Then to top it off, Shadow caught a huge muskrat in the garage last night.  The muskrat must have stowed away in a bag of duck decoys that Ty had taken to the lake and was trying to find a hiding place behind a snowmachine.