It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas!

Left to Right:  Jack, Pippin, Treasure

Well we have managed to get our Christmas Tree up in the last 24 hours. Actually, this is one of those situations when the 'we' is actually a 'he' as in John.  But he did get some help from Jack, Pippin, and Treasure as you can see above.  Jack was not thrilled to have to wear the reindeer antlers but it was a trade off for being able to help out.  They were also his official taste tester for the gingerbread cookies he made in the shape of (you guessed it!) Brittany puppies.  No I'm not kidding.  You know, we probably all have years in which we just don't have the usual excitement about Christmas coming, and this year it is "she" who falls in that category.  Fortunately, John has more than enough of it, understands I'm working hard to be sure all is well with the puppies and has made sure we at least get a tree up.  I am negligent in that I do not yet have our Nativity up.  In our family through the years, that was always the first and most important Christmas 'decoration' to go up.  In 2000 I took a trip to Israel and brought back 3 hand carved olive wood Nativity Sets from Bethlehem, one for each of our children and one for us.  Even if the candles don't get up in the windows this year, our Nativity will soon be set up.  Well, John even went out and met Santa Claus the other day and they talked about what gifts the grandchildren might like.  Our dining room table is now overflowing with wrapped and unwrapped gifts.  And our kitchen has an X-Pen in the middle of it, with a crate, and a paper covered floor where now 5 Brittany pups enjoy a good part of the day.  And we wouldn't have it any other way! 

Just a couple of hours ago the new owners of Bert arrived with their 9 month old grandaughter.  It was an enjoyable visit as he begins the first day of the rest of his life. In the meantime John is outside working so hard to remove snow, de-ice the walkways, and all that goes with the winter wonderland we suddenly find ourselves a part of.  Yesterday we received about 7 inches of the white stuff.  As much as I love a White Christmas well I may be getting a little Bah Humbuggy in these recent years because it is not quite as important to me as it once was to have a foot of snow on the ground!  But the puppies sure did have a blast playing and frolicking and John and I had just as much fun watching them.  This morning Bert followed right along after John as he walked with him outside.  Too cute.  We have heard great reports from all the new families about the puppies, good vet visits, succesful trips on the ride home, ease of housebreaking, and fairly uneventful first nights spent in crates.  A couple of situations of older dogs not quite sure what to do with the new baby in the house but that should work itself out in time.  Cone and Patch are our two remaining boys but folks are coming tomorrow and this weekend to visit and several other people have contacted us as well.  All of our families have either had Brittanys before and/or are bird hunting families. 

We will take a little break from puppies as I am planning to enjoy some upcoming dog shows in New England soon and perhaps venture into New York, something new.  But the planned repeat breeding of Molly and Jack will also become a focus for us in the near future.  We also have a surprise to share soon. And last but not least, we are even looking into the Fall of 2010.  What amazes me is the way people find out about us.  We already have several folks waiting for Molly and Jack pups, and beyond.  Through hunt clubs, word of mouth, other breeders, etc. it is such a humbling experience to us to hear the compliments and receive the encouragement that comes our way.  People who understand what we're about and why.  So, I hope 'you' always know how much we (he and she) both appreciate the interest you have in our Brittanys and in our lives.  Once again, we want to say God Bless you and yours, from John, Ann and All Things Brittany.