David and Tanya
Update 1-10-11
Hi Sherle!
Yes, little Elke is fabulous! We love her dearly and she is
spoiled rotten. She now weighs 48 lbs and moves like a
little tractor on a leash. We're working on those loose
leash manners, but have a way to go! She has learned "sit,"
"down," "go to your place," a good "recall," and performs a
great trick ( she weaves between my legs, spins around and
sits for a treat..very cute). Her basic Manners # 3 class
begins in February. We may also enroll her in a basic
tracking class. She loves following her nose on walks.
Elke is settling into a being a wonderful dog and is
strikingly beautiful, with a lot of Tigress's coloring, but
streaks of Patron's blackish/gray fur. She loves romping
with Rudy and he enjoys it, too, up to a point, then I have
to intervene and break up the party! She and the cat are
doing fine, too.
Rudy was actually quite a handful until he was about 4 yrs
old, so we're prepared for a few years of typical shepherd
puppy development. She is a smart little girl, very
watchful, and doesn't miss a thing going on around her. She
is doing much better about not barking at people (mainly
joggers) when out on a walk and I think she'll outgrow this
behavior entirely. Rudy did this also as a pup, so we're
not worried about her being aggressive. We took Elke to my
mother's house for Christmas, where there were lots of
people, plus 3 small kids and 2 other dogs......, and she
did just fine in this distracting and stressful
environment...she did better than David!!! Ha, Ha!
She is everything we could have hoped for in a dog. We'll
keep you posted on her progress and send more pictures soon.
We are getting slammed with the latest blizzard, too. I
thought we lived in the South!
Thanks for keeping in touch and Happy New Year!
Tanya and David
Update 7-18-11
We thought you might enjoy some pictures of Elke
on her 1st birthday (see below). Elke is doing great at age 1,
weighing 60 lbs. and full of boundless energy.
She is playful, confident, spirited, too smart, and definitely
an alpha female. You can also see from the pictures what a
beautiful girl she is. She certainly keeps us and Rudy, our
nine-year old shepherd, on our toes. She acts like a teenage
groupie at a Justin Beeber concert whenever she is around Rudy.
Boy, can she wiggle her butt! He thinks of her as that lovable,
but annoying little sister, but is very protective of her. What
fun we have watching them play and interact!
We continue to progress with obedience classes. She gets along
well with people, the cat (as long as the cat doesn't run!), and
other dogs. She is a perfect angel in the car and behaves
herself whenever we go to Starbuck's, or some cafe where we eat
outside and the dogs can join us. While she may not be laid
back enough to be a therapy dog like Rudy, that is fine with
us. We may take some agility and/or tracking classes with her,
which would probably suit her personality a little better. We
couldn't be happier with Elke and what a fine dog she is turning
out to be!
We hope all is well with you. We often check out your website
and always enjoy reading the news and seeing pictures of all
those wonderful Sequoyah shepherds.
Take care and be well,
Tanya and David A
From Tigress and Patron 7/18/2010:
"Cody"
Greetings from Florida
from Cody....
The beach is fantastic. I
love to run 200 yard sprints up and down the
breaking wave line and bark at the larger waves.
People seem friendly, but I prefer to ignore them.
Dr B tries to call me once in a while, but I ignore
him at the beach.
My job at the office is a
cake-walk: smile at patients during the day and bark
at the doorbell at night. Dr B trains me every day
so I heel, come, etc well at home.
I miss everyone and send
my regards
