Wilby comes to Canada

We first saw "Wilby", now named Kiko, on the PUP website Thursday. Feb 02 /2012 and were drawn in by those beautiful brown eyes. We adopted "Gibbs", now named Rafa from PUP in June/2010 and were thinking of finding him a younger brother. After an exchange of a few emails, we had plans to meet & greet Wilby on Saturday, Feb 4th. Everyone agreed he was a good match for our family and we returned to Vancouver, BC with Rafa and Wilby (Kiko) in the back seat. It was clear he was going to be missed by his foster family. The dogs behaved the entire way home and no questions were asked at the border about them (although we had all the requisite paperwork and shots). On the drive home we decided that Kiko would be Wilby's new name.

Kiko was a bit shy at first, preferring to stay in his crate but gradually explored his new home. Being an "only child", there were a few "toy" and "food" issues to resolve but Rafa was adapting very well to the new member of the pack. They have established their boundaries and enjoy drives, walks and doggy parks. We had Kiko's DNA tested and have learned that his heritage is expectedly a combination of Terriers: Fox(ears/face) /Silky(coat) /Jack Russel(energy, speed and jumping ability). Kiko is still a bit tentative and a bit scared/agressive around large dogs but we are working on that. He sleeps quietly in his crate at night in our bedroom and Rafa sleeps on the bed. They are alone for no more than 4 hours at a time as someone is home for lunch (and a walk) every day. Kiko seems to have taught Rafa how to indicate it's "walk" time by pawing at the door or the door stopper to make that 'twang" sound. We've discovered that Kiko especially loves the sand/beach as he really
comes out of his shell there and chases Rafa around. What a great addition to our family he has become... even better than we'd imagined.

First pic is shortly after arriving in Vancouver; 2nd pic is Kiko looking much better after a visit to the groomer; 3rd pic is Kiko and Rafa on Spanish Banks beach with the City in the background.

My 2nd child...again

Pinto's pics didn't work due to size. I hope this works.

My 2nd child

What can I say? I love my Pinto. He's become such a wonderful part of the family. He has a few nicknames: Pinto Bean, Mr. Bean, Mr. P., and Interrupting Pinto. He has become a wonderful part of our lives. My daughter actually got mad when I took him to doggie daycare one day and she didn't have her buddy to spend her extra hour in the morning, and after school time with. We thought we were going to outsmart him by putting in a doggie door in the back patio door to prevent accidents, only to learn that he uses it as a way to alert us to take him out the front door. Yeah, he has us trained well. Pinto has escorted us on several adventures, and his favorite so far is digging in the sand and visiting the retirement home with the meet up group. He loves to go to the dog park and chase the big dogs. I think he's pretending he's one of them. We noticed him gaining weight, so we got him a ball that he pushes with his nose to release food. He will obsess over it until it's
empty. He will push it all over the house and then ask for more. Whenever I correct my daughter for something, he chimes in too with a few barks. In fact, that's how he got the name of Interrupting Pinto. When I correct her and she talks back, he will run up and let out three short barks and run off right in the middle of her sentence. He has done wonders for my spirit. He enjoyed spending a week in Idaho with us at my parents' house, and got a chance to learn what it's like to be a farm dog. I think he was glad to come back home though. He loves to lie in the sun, play fetch with is mini tennis ball, push is ball that holds food, and just snuggle. When we start playing, he loves to roll in my kisses. He has become quite serious about his job of waking my daughter up in the morning, and is honored to be her alarm for sleepwalking. He just doesn't quit….he's constantly looking for a job. Now that it's spring break, my daughter wants to spend some time teaching him so new
tricks. He already rolls over, dances, fetches, and sometimes will say I love you (more like "roo roo roooooo"). Please enjoy the few good pictures I have of him (it's hard to slow him down) playing with Simon, his best friend, and just having fun. Thanks for the chance to have a wonderful little boy in our lives.
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