Teenie Little Super Guy

One of the prettiest places we have visited....and so quiet

Yesterday started well before dawn with a four-hour drive to Western NY. We breakfasted just after daybreak at a Cracker Barrel near Binghamton....who knew there were Cracker Barrels in NY?

Then we traveled through beautiful hills and quiet valleys dotted with small towns that clearly cater to farming and hunting. Feed stores, farm stores, grain elevators, sporting goods stores were everywhere, with small farms lined up out in the country. Despite impending rain and general gloom it was really nice land.

We turned into the hills upon a narrow, but scenic dirt road, and drove until we landed at a lovely little gem of a farm and kennel, where logging is done with 19-hand Belgians, American Fox Hounds are trained and used to hunt, and a few Jack Russell terriers are born to come home to places like Northview. 

We met the horses, all the dogs, and were licked and nibbled by many friendly dog mouths. Although Alan is a good friend of the man who raises and trains all these amazing animals, it was a first meeting for me.....you know those friends you just haven't met yet? It was like that with him and his lovely wife. We talked and talked and talked. Dogs, horses, construction, farming and family.....so much in common, so many good stories.

Then it was time to make the four-hour drive in reverse, this time with a teeny puppy in my lap.

He had already baptized both of us with a little nervous barfing....he sprinkled his new doggy bed a bit too, until we learned that when he wiggled and waggled and tried to get down, he need to GO. I'm sure we smelled just like him by the time we got home.

Daisy seems to like him, as does Peggy, although both seem a tiny bit jealous of all the attention folks seem to lavish upon him. 

He only woke me up to go out at 3 and 5, which I suppose wasn't too bad......although it felt pretty awful at the time. Now if we can find something he actually likes to eat. I can attest that he was full of dog food when we met him, as we both ended up wearing some of it, but so far he isn't crazy about anything we have here.

Anyhow, meet Mack. We tried on a least a hundred names over several weeks until one fit, but he answers to it already, so I guess he approves.

Demoing Daisy's toys already