We're down to the last full week that the puppies will be with us and although the ordeal has been exhausting, it's been lots of fun as well. The puppies are all committed to their future homes although not all the puppies are selected for which homes they'll be in because we haven't yet selected the one that will stay with us. We've decided (as we expected all along) that we'll keep one of the 3 boys. The problem is, which one? We like all 3 for slightly different reasons. This week we're moving them and watching to see which one has the best rear and best front. Once we've decided that, we'll pick our boy.

The families that are taking the puppies have sorted out incredibly well. 4 of the families -- including ours -- have owned our puppies before and 3 of those homes have titled their puppies. One, which is taking Ms. Pink, owns Stella (UUD UACHX Annihaus' Stolen From the Mob UDX RN HT HSAs MX MXJ AXP MJP NF JHD TDI VX (AKC versatility excellent) who has over 40 working titles and is out of Annie's 2nd litter. Stella is 10 years old and has agreed to help Ms. Pinkie learn the ropes.

The new family lives within 10 miles of us here in Orlando, has 2 mature Pugs, 2 lovely little girls and lots of Rottweiler experience. They'll be getting a boy. Their vote is for Plummy but they'll be happy with any of the three. And they are willing to show with the youngest daughter wanting to learn how to be a Junior Handler.

The other girl is going to friends of ours who owned Stella's sister LadyBear who died 3 months ago and who currently own a Rowdy son, Duke. They'll be taking Lt. Blue Girl. And the other boy we don't take will go to a family in KY who owned Ch Annihaus Halston Hussey (Jesse) who died 6 months ago. They will show if the puppy turns out but don't care one way or the other. They just want a big, sweet boy.

The puppies have been getting more and more socialized and we are truly delighted with what we're seeing. Moxie, their big sister from the previous Juneau litter, has fallen in love with them and loves to run in circles around the pen outdoors making them chase her. Here are a few pics of the fun.

Moxie saying "Let's Play!"



Moxie holding a pow wow with Mr. Red, Big Blue and Pinkie.



And Moxie telling Ms. Pinkie that they will be girlfriends forever.



Rascally Red wondering if he'll ever be as big as Sundance.



And the Mason Family meeting the puppies for the first time: Jeff & Diana, Presley & Raquel and Jeff's mom & dad.



Presley with her initial favorite, Rascally Red.



And Raquel with her initial pick, Big Blue.



It was interesting to hear back from this family after their visit to report that they would take any of the boys and that they had fallen in love with The Plumster. Everyone does . And there's a good chance he'll go to that wonderful family.

So, we're almost there. I'll share shots of our last decision-making exercise and tell you who we've picked. After consulting with Moxie and the rest of the crew, of course.

Jim

Good luck, Jim. That will be a tough choice. They are all adorable!

James

Anybody who thinks this is easy should breed just one litter with the expectation that you are going to keep one for yourself. Ugh!! Yesterday, we did exhaustive (for us) but not all that exhausting (for the puppies) testing to see if we could find our "pick boy". Uh, not exactly . It's not that none are good enough; it's that they are all gorgeous and each has wonderful qualities but also some things we would like to be better -- proving that there are no perfect puppies and no perfect dogs. Also, keep in mind that this is a moment in time and puppies change as they mature. Some very "experienced" and "esteemed" people in the Breed told us to send Rowdy back when he first arrived in our home. A fact I remind them of every chance I get .

First of all, temperaments for every puppy in this litter are exemplary. All are confident, friendly, love to be held, love to be held on their backs and get their bellies rubbed (proving no major dominance issues) and anybody can do it. They play hard. They learn new things very quickly. They get over any frustration very quickly and they are really fun. This is a very happy crew.

Now, the testing we did was mostly to check them for Conformation: how well do they adhere, physically, to the ARC/AKC Breed Standard. Here's what we saw:

Ms. Pink.





Ms. Pink was the first born, is the smallest and has been our personal pick of this litter since day one. Literally. She has a gorgeous topline, excellent angulation both front and rear, she moves well, stands true on both her front and her rear and has a lovely, feminine head. She is going to a home that has owned (and still owns) puppies from a previous litter and she will have a wonderful opportunity to earn whatever titles she is capable of achieving.

Ms. Lt. Blue.



Second smallest and second puppy born. She is very similar to Pinkie and is our overall second pick. She has a nice topline with a slight rise over the loin. Excellent angulation front and rear. Moves dead true front and rear and has a very pretty, feminine headpiece. She is going to friends of ours that owned a puppy we bred and currently own a puppy out of Rowdy. She will have a great life and, if she is show-worthy, she will have an opportunity to earn her CH.

Mr. Red.



Third born and -- at the moment and subject to change at any second -- he is our first pick boy. He has a very nice topline that is currently showing some rise over the loin. He has excellent angulation front and rear, a gorgeous headpiece with an incredible face, he moves dead true front and rear and stands true in the rear. He's a little easty/westy when he sets his front at the moment. He has a shorter back than the other boys and has moderate bone.

Plummy.



Plummy just keeps coming. Born with lungs full of fluid, we weren't sure if he'd survive the first day. Today, he's the chunk of the litter. He has excellent bone, a very nice topline that is dead level and slopes slightly to a slightly over-angulated rear. Front angulation is a bit straight and he tends to have a slight roll behind his shoulders. He moves dead true front and rear although a little wide at the moment. His eyes are a bit lighter than the other two boys. Every time we ask him to do something new, he kills it. Like yesterday with the Happy Legs (those stilt-like things). He went onto them as though he'd been stacked on them his entire life. He's an enigma for us. He's always been our "pet" pick and yet, he's a very pretty boy with tremendous attitude. At the moment, he's our second pick boy.

Big Blue.



Big Blue has been our pick since very early. He's a little taller than the other boys and a little longer. He's the one that most reminds us of Rowdy as a puppy. His topline is very nice with a slight rise over the loin at the moment. Very good front and rear angulation and very nicely balanced both front and rear. Moves dead true front and rear. Gorgeous rear standing; slightly easty/westy on his front. A little more laid back than the other two boys and is willing to take "time out" during play times. Right now he's our third pick but there is such little difference among the three of them, we're seeking additional opinions.

All three boys will go to great homes (including ours) and all of the homes are willing to show their puppy if it should turn out but would love him as a pet regardless. In short, perfect homes. We have a couple of breeder/judges as friends and they will look the pups over this coming weekend. And then we'll pick. Probably ignoring everything they recommend . In the end, it will come down to the heart. So, listen up pups: it's time to do some serious sucking up .

Jim

Better you than me. I'd keep them all!

I'm beginning to think that's the only solution . All the "experts" are telling us to keep Pink Girl. And we know she's the pick puppy but we have an incredible home for her that will do Agility, Rally, Obedience and Herding in addition to Conformation. Stella's owner.

So, do we keep her in a home with folks that simply can't do some of those things? No. She's going to the perfect home.

Lt. Blue Girl has to go to our old neighbors who lost an Annie daughter a few months ago. They specifically asked me to find another Coco or LadyBear -- Coco was our Annie daughter and LadyBear was theirs. Bluesie's name will be Annihaus Coq Au Vin and they'll call her Coco. She'll live 15 minutes from us. Another perfect home.

And the other two boy homes are also wonderful. So, I'm not concerned at all about where these kids are going. I'm just trying to pick the best boy for us out of 3 that are very nice and could be the pick of many other litters. Knowing that there is truly no wrong answer and that we'll love the boy that stays forever. And realizing that nobody can pick puppies. Sometimes you get lucky but mostly the puppies grow up to be something other than what you thought when they were 8 weeks old. But it's what's inside of them that doesn't change and these boys are really lovely in that regard.

Jim