DUKE!!

Brant and I have a new addition to the family :) We got Duke last weekend from a breeder in Eagle River. We had been looking to possibly get one this summer, but we found him, and he was the last puppy left out of a litter of 7 born on January 29th. He's 14 weeks old and growing like a weed - he already weighs 35 pounds!! He loves his kennel at night, which is good - not much whining...until anywhere between 4am and 6am. He follows us around the house, including sitting on the rug just outside the shower! I take him on a walk every morning before I get ready for work, and then Brant and I both take him on a walk after dinner. We are very fortunate to have wonderful neighbors that offered to help us out during the day. Thea and Lily come over at lunch time and let Duke out to the bathroom, feed him, and play with him for awhile. Lily is 3 and was mortified that we were naming our puppy Duke because "that's a silly name for dog poop - Poopie Dookie!" But, I think she's gotten over that! This is his favorite toy - his hedgehog. He cuddles with it every night :) My friend Suzanne has a 7 month old black lab, Harley, and they are training him to be a hunting dog. She invited us to a "Fun Duck Hunt" this weekend in Wasilla where Harley was competing. They had blinds set up in the field, they would shoot into the air and slingshot a frozen dead duck into the sky. They did this three times for each dog, and the dog was supposed to retrieve the duck and bring it back. It was fun, and we took Duke so he could be around some other dogs and see what the Fun Hunts were all about. We love him!