Sunday, 31 August 2008

It's a boy!

Blue Blizzard Wolfer, called Blitz, was born July 19th and adopted August 30th. He's an American Eskimo Dog.
We bought Blitz from a couple in Roanoke, about 4 hours away, so we were worried about the drive home with a puppy. He howled in his kennel for a few minutes (still in the Roanoke boundaries) before I put the kennel on my lap and pet him. He is so incredibly soft and fluffy. We had a lovely ride back, anticipating getting to know our new pet. We wondered how Little Man would react.
Now, we've only been in our house for 3 days at this point, so LM had been exploring and experiencing new things already, so when we set the kennel on the floor, LM came down to greet us, and his nose was twitching, trying to figure out what that strange smell was. Then he saw this big ball of fluff come out, and LM's tail fluffed up like a bottle brush and he retreated to the stairs with this look of "What is that abomination?!?"
On the advise of a book I read, I made Blitz this grass box to give him an indoors potty place. He thinks it's the best thing in the world -- to dig in, nose around, and sleep. Despite every puppy book I've read and am following, he still prefers to pee on the hardwood. I can take him out every 15 mintues, he'll pee, but he'll always save some for inside. If he survives potty training, he'll grow up to look like this ↓
Facts about the breed:

  • American Eskimo Dogs ("Eskies") are part of the Spitz family of dogs which includes the Samoyed, Malamute, Pomeranian, and the Icelandic Sheepdog.
  • They were originally called the American Spitz since they are a close cousin to the German Spitz, but during WWI, due to anti-German sentiment, the name was changed to reflect the first kennel that bred the dogs: American Eskimo Kennel.
  • The breed became popular because they were first used as circus dogs -- walking the tightrope. As the circus would travel the country, people would see this beautiful, friendly white dog, and the circus folk would sell the puppies.
  • Like all true Spitz dogs, the Eskie has Teflon-like hair. When they get muddy, you just let them dry, then the mud falls right off.
  • Eskies and their Spitz cousins are all nearly hypo-allergenic.
  • They have no doggy odor.
  • They like people and children.
  • Standard Eskies (they come in miniature and tiny sizes too) are a medium dog, growing up to be up to 35 lbs and 20 inches high at the withers (shoulders).

5 comments:

EvilGM said...

Livia was horribly offended and cried on the ride back when I said that Blitz was "cute-ish." Jenny was upset too, but they got over it and we got to talk about respecting other people's opinions. The vicissitudes of life...

The dog appears to be the center of attention and Little Man still has no idea what to do with this...thing, but is not as skittish as he first once. Once he realizes that this creature is here to stay, he'll likely warm up a bit. It will certainly help that Blitz is not aggressive to the cat at all.

The girls are in love all over again and are asking "Little who?" but will come to love both, I have no doubt. Dogs are expensive, a lot of work, and able to wreak havoc, but they are cute...ish. The dog is soft and very excited to be alive. He should make a good addition to the house once he's trained up.

liz said...

Hey Wolfers!
congratulations on the new arrival, I think he looks more like Ariel than Jenny, but only time will tell! I'm glad to see that you are settling in and getting back into the swing of things in the States. Have the girls started school? What are you doing, Jenny, with real grocery stores and fun places to shop? How is training going for Ariel? Things here are the same and school starts in two days...which is a blessing because I am this close to packing a suitcase and admitting myself to Bedlam!
Anywho, it's good to see your photos or your great family (and your pets too). Take care of you,
y que Dios la bendiga!
Liz Bennett

MMW said...

hooray hooray! Welcome to the newest member of your family.

kelly said...

What happened to getting an Icelandic Sheepdog? I bet it would have been more than "cute-ish".

JennyB said...

This breed is very similar (another close cousin). When we went to look for an Icie puppy, we found them to be both very very expensive and kind of random in their coloration here in the US (as in, we might pay $1600 for an ugly dog). And then almost all of the breeders live out West. East Coast Girl cannot get a West Coast Dog.