Hi,

It's just 4 weeks yesterday since we lost Milo, the best dog our family has ever known.  We were in no hurry to get a new dog.  The last of our 5 kids is in college.  Maybe it would be nice to be able to go away on the weekends, perhaps visiting the 4 kids who live in 4 other states (FL, MD, VA, CO -- not easy driving distances.)  Or we could go into Boston after work, or stay in the the inner suburbs for a njce dinner without having to head home to the boondocks first to care for a dog.  Dogs, like kids, are great, but they use a lot of time, require planning, and squash spontaneity.

Or so that was the plan.....

However, here's reality. Meet Darcy:

She is 11 weeks old today, and clocked in at 12.9 lbs at her vet visit.  Yes - that's mostly fur you see.  She is precious and very much puppy, e.g., peeing, pooping, and chewing everything!  She looks just like Milo did at this age.  We got her at 2 months, 12 days.  He was 2 months, 9 days.  I had forgotten all the 'joys' of puppies!  Aye-yi-yi.  She has us totally wrapped around her tiny dew claws already.  

Darcy's great-grandfather is the same as Milo's grandfather.  After Milo crossed to the rainbow bridge, I was hunkered down in the basement hiding from the noise of having our roof worked on.  I remembered my baby Milo had been descended from Cool Dude, an Australian Labradoodle with an inspirational story.  (http://www.rutl.....serve.html)  While poking around to find the story, I found that a breeder in California still had Cool Dude's son, and Milo's GFather, Baby Joey listed on her site.  I sent her an email and found out that Baby Joey crossed in May at age 13, but that two of his descendants are being bred by two breeders in Massachusetts.  When we got Milo 10 years ago, I had talked to 3 breeders - and these 2 were 2 of those 3.  I went to their websites and one (Farrel) had just sired puppies.  I sent an email to the breeder and 3 were still available.  I also found out that the breeder still had Milo's GMother's littermate, and that the dam was descended from her across 5 generations or so.  The littermate is 13+ and we met her when we picked Darcy.  It just so happens Darcy's mom looks just like Milo's GMother.  

So here we are with an 11 week old puppy that shares some bloodlines with Milo.  It wasn't the plan, and sort of seems disrespectful to have a new puppy so soon, but the ties were right, and the timing.  My college boys will be home alot over the holidays for bonding, training, and using up puppy energy.  

BTW, the only way I had time to find a few pics and write this is because the high school girl across the street took Darcy to her house to play for a bit.  Puppies!  

Peace,

Jenifer & Milo & puppy Darcy

P.S.  She is named for Mrs. Elizabeth Bennett Darcy from Pride & Prejudice.  She was almost Dagny for Dagny Taggart, but is more sweet and a bit silly like Lizzie Bennett than the more driven and serious engineer Dagny.