Rolling Oaks Puppy News: June 2007

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

IT'S A BOY!!!

Isaac Ray Miller was born June 25!! He is our second grandson, born to our daughter Kelly and her wonderful husband Nate. I can't stop smiling!

Friday, June 22, 2007

THE BIG DAY!

Today is the day! The time has finally come for the eleven puppies to leave. A lot of people ask us if it is hard to let them go. To be honest, it is an emotional time. Not really a sad emotion. We have spent so much time with the litter, and the last week is a tremendous amount of work. Each evening we spend time with the puppies individually, getting to know who they really are. We lay on our back and let them kiss us and retrieve with them, introduce them to a real bird, loud noise.etc. Going to the nursing home, day cares and Pro Works is so rewarding. Everyone's face lights up when they see eleven puppies coming at them. Getting up early to let them out of the crates, and staying up late to make sure they can make it through the night..all to hand them over to a very excited family..it is worth it when the client sees their puppy for the first time. To see the look on a child's face or the expression a young couple has when you say " this is your puppy" are what make my job so rewarding. I have a job that is some what of a ministry. A new puppy brings joy into the home, but also my job is to teach my children, by example, and work together as a team. I could not do my job without my children and husband. We all have a common goal, to produce happy, healthy puppies, and some way touch another life with love and giving. My kids give a lot of their time, and take pride in doing a job well. I often think of the song "I Can Only Imagine" and hope that when the day comes for me to stand before the King of Kings, He will be able to say Well Done. This life is not about money or successful jobs. It is about relationships. My hope is to help each of my clients have a rewarding experience when they get a Rolling Oaks puppy. To share in the good times (I love photos and updates) but to also help when things aren't going as expected. You don't get a puppy everyday, and for some it is the first time, others have not had a puppy for years. I am here to help you through those puppy questions. The most important thing to remember is "have fun"! Your puppy won't be perfect, and neither will you. But as you love him, and spend time with him, correct him and praise him, you will not regret all the hard work and effort you put into him, because when he looks up at you on a bad day, wagging his tail, you will almost hear "I love you" and that is what we all need. Love is the most powerful force on this earth! It never fails. Wow. So, I am emotional today, but not in a bad way. It is exciting to hand over our little ones, knowing they are going to great homes. Knowing we have done all we know to do, and now, it is up to you! Enjoy!

SWIMMING

All the puppies in Zena's litter were good little swimmers!

DRUM MAJOR

Daniel was chosen to be one of the drum majors for the Litchfield Marching Band. He has played the drums since 6th grade, and always enjoyed being in the band. He is our fourth child to be in the marching band. There are a lot of early morning practices, a band camp, and tons of parades. At times we wondered if it was all worth it, but especially this year as we see Daniel take a leadership role, we know all the time and effort has been a great learning experience for him. Being in a band is different than a sport. Like the movie Drumline says "One Band, One sound" It is the effort of all the members that make the band a success. Not one player is more important than another...we need everyone to play to sound good. It teaches your child the importance of working together, encouraging each other, because not everyone starts out being able to play and march at the same time!

This week is extremely busy for us, as we have a litter of eleven puppies that are six weeks old, so every day we are going somewhere with the litter, along with testing the puppies to evaluate their personalities, and running them around at night so they sleep in their crates. Our strawberries are at a peak, so we are picking four ice cream pails a day, making jam and freezing them, and Amy is in dance camp. Put all that together and it is crazy. But in all the craziness, we take the time to watch Daniel march, because we know that we need to drink in the moment, so to speak. It won't be long and he will be gone from home, becoming his own man.

I post things on the blog about our family so you can get to know us a little better, and also for future clients to understand why we don't do random visits. We have chosen to breed seven females each year, so that is seven litters, potentially about seventy clients. Each family comes for a visit when the puppies are five weeks old, and again to pick the puppy up. We value our clients, but our family comes before our business. Our family dedicates a lot of time to the dogs and our puppies. We hope you can see that through the photos, and understand why we are not available at all times, due to the timing of our children's lives.