Photos of the Week {5}

I’ve come to realize that my Photo of the Week project is a good indicator of how much I got out during that week.  And if I did get out a little, I didn’t have my camera.  I guess it’s just a sign of a little case of hibernating and some mid-winter blues, and too many gray winter days.

The sun did finally come out last week though, and I always enjoy a pretty winter tree and seeing how they take on different looks through the seasons.  I love blue skies, sunshine, and pretty ice and frost crystals covering the branches.  Sometimes you have to just stop and appreciate the small things.

Oh, and we can’t forget the ‘photo puppy’, as my husband likes to call him.  He is well-photographed. =)  And it turns out that bright sunlight, white snow, and a black dog that is always moving all provide for some good practice in getting the exposure just right with the camera in manual mode.

Our best buddy Jackson, happy as a clam laying in the snow with his raw hide…

This guy is awesome.  He is our kid, the best buddy, a great hunter, and just so darned cute, smart, loyal, obedient, fun, funny, energetic, and so full of personality and character.  I feel like we have had him for so much longer than we have.  He has totally found his way into our hearts.

Oh and while I’m sitting here, he weasels his way to sit under the desk, right by my legs, sets his face on my lap and cuts his eyes up at me.  As to say, “Aren’t I cute?  Come on, can’t we go out to walk and play yet?”.  I best be on my way, and get out while it’s nice and sunny.  =)

A Q&A with the New Guy

Here in the Wilson home we recently did a Q & A with the new guy on the block, namely Jackson Wilson.  The interview went pretty well so I thought it would be nice to share and a good way for you, our long distance family and friends and blog visitors, to get to know him.

Q.  So Jackson, how old are you now and do you go by any other names?
A.  Oh I’m almost four months, have been living here with mom and dad for two months now, but it seems like it’s been about a year or two.  It’s a pretty cool place.  They call me Jackson, but I’m a.k.a. Colonel Jack, Jack, Super Stud, Mister, Dude, and Buddy, they throw all kinds of names at me and think I’m catching on.

Q.  I noticed you needed a nap in between our interview, are you pretty tired because you’re growing so fast?
A.  Yeah it wipes me out sometimes.  I’ve gone to the vet and found out I’ve been growing 4 pounds a week.  That’s about a half pound a day!  I now weigh about 35-40 lbs.

Q.  What are some of your favorite things?
A.  Treats, of course.  Also play time with mama and dad, meeting new people and other furry four-legged guys that bark.  I try to play with all of them but some of ’em are old and boring, kinda snobby, and just want to ignore me, snarl, and growl.  But I don’t mind I just keep trying to play with them and get them to act young again.  I also love fetching toys, love sleeping, smelling all the smells (especially of all the birds near home… pheasants, doves, geese), deer poop, horse poop (love that stuff but mom doesn’t let me eat it when I want), going for walks, running and exploring around the big wheat and straw fields by the house.  I’ve just started to like going for rides in mom and dad’s truck.  I really love anything that comes out of the laundry basket, socks, clothes, and shoes are good too.  These teeth have been bothering me lately so I really enjoy hard chewy things in my mouth, but I get in trouble most of the time when I get a hold of those things.

Q.  So you now live with your mom and dad, as the only child?  Do you have a favorite yet?
A.  Well I’m pretty much a mama’s boy right now, I spend most of my time with her.  She takes me walking and running every morning and evening, feeds me, and takes good care of me.  The ol’ Man is really cool, he’s my kind of guy.  He isn’t here at home everyday, but when he gets home after a few days it’s really exciting.  He takes me out in the fields and I find bird scents all over, he takes me off the leash a little more than mom, and he plays the best game ever with me using a fishing pole and a real bird wing at the end of the fishin’ line.  The wing smells like a real bird and I get to chase it, but have to listen to him say “Whoa” a lot, so I stand still and wait ’til he says “Fetch It”.  I’ve actually bonded to both of them pretty good already.  It’s a good life.

Q.  So they say you’re a Bird Dog, have you been hunting yet?
A.  Yeah I’m a Pointer.  Like I said, dad plays the game with me and the bird wing and is teaching me things to get ready to go hunting.  We haven’t gone yet but I really can’t wait.  He’s elk hunting right now but right when he’s done we’ll go get on some birds.  It’ll be a great family thing to do, I think we’ll start this Fall already.

Q.  What have you recently learned in life?
A.  Been catching on really good to a lot of the commands.  I now totally know ‘Whoa’, ‘Come’, ‘Sit’, ‘Stay’, ‘No’, ‘Fetch It’, ‘Get It’, ‘On Your Bed’, and ‘Heel’, thanks to the treats and the games that mom and dad play with me all the time.  Oh and I know “Where’s daddy?”, mom says that to me and I go look for him.  Mom also says “Go potty” when we’re outside and just started to catch on, I usually squat and pee when she says that if there’s a treat in her hand.  Also learning to hold my bladder and go pee outside, getting really good at that.

Q.  Would you like to give a shout-out to your extended family, anything to say to them?
A.  Yes I would love to see them soon, just tell ’em to come over anytime and play.  I haven’t met some of them yet, so hopefully soon!

Jackson and Co.

We’ve now had Jackson for more than a month and I’ve been meaning to share some pictures and stories.  So many cute things and funny things happen with him, I’ve intended on journaling them and sharing the funny stories but I wait too long and then there’s too much to tell.  All I really need to say is that he is awesome, so cute, and does the funniest puppy things and he makes me laugh everyday.

He sure is a handful!  Full of energy when awake, and then just wipes out and takes lots of naps.  I exercise him twice a day– morning and evening, where we go for a good walk down our country road.  He’s starting to run with me a little now with those long legs, which is awesome since the little intervals of running keep him from stopping everywhere to smell the smells!  He has quite the nose, these dogs are born and bred for their good noses and that keeps him really busy.  I think he’ll be a good hunting dog for Will, he’s been pointing butterflies and dragonflies, and watching the geese and birds flying, so he’ll be pointing birds in no time =)

It’s really fun to watch him around water, the first times with the hose on he was chasing and pawing at the moving water like he was trying to catch it, then figured out how he can drink out of the hose and just loves that.  Last week as I was in Thompson Falls with Will, we took him down to a nice beach area on the river.  Oh boy, he had no idea what he was in for… just went crazy flying all over the beach, digging in the sand, sniffing and snorting it, pretty much wearing it and trying to swim in it.  We threw some sticks in the water and he ended up swimming for the first time which was pretty fun to watch.

I’ve been wanting to share some pics of the evening I went to pick him up, these were taken more than a month ago but better late than never right?  And here’s some more recent ones from the last 1 1/2 months.

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Well there’s the update and pictures finally!  Hope you enjoyed them. =)

Handsome Jackson

Well our little puppy Jackson has settled into his new home with his mama and daddy.  It might sound cheesy, but really it’s been like having a little baby here or a kid.  We are just head over heels for him.

Not that I know exactly what it’s like to have a baby here, but his first night here I had to get up and take him out at 1am, 230, 4, and at 7.  Probably a total of 3 hours of sleep that night.  It’s better now, but the first night was hard in a new place and a new mama.

It’s been five days now with the little guy.  A busy five days.  He is so cute, sweet, fun, soft, and I just love the big floppy paws and ears, the puppy smell and kisses, and how soft and sweet he is in my arms.  He is so full of curiosity, cuteness, innocence, and little noises and actions that just make your heart melt some times.

Now I can’t make it sound like it’s all peaches and a walk in the park.  He is a lot of work, very busy when he’s awake, and I’ve definitely been chasing around pee spots and dirt around the house.  When he’s in play mode he’s full of energy and a little rambunctious.  I have to watch him really close outside, so he doesn’t run off too far and he wants to chew on the plants, grass, weeds, picnic table.  And inside wants to get my shoes, the rugs, drapes, clothes on the floor, and his toys so I have to be actively working with him when he’s awake.  He has been keeping me on my toes!

Will was away for the week with work, so I got him and brought him home Monday evening and he was just all over the place, playing everywhere and in his own little puppy world of new smells, and a new place.  Just in five days he has totally settled in and is at home now and really bonded with us.  It’s like he has kind of woken up to us now and is more attentive to us.

It was really a cute moment when Will came home at the end of the week, after Jackson got used to just me here.  Will came in and Jackson was sleeping on his bed by the kitchen, he looks up and sees Will and is just friendly, sweet, and happy and it’s all kisses and play.  Will could hardly stand it all week not being here and so anxious to get home.

The week has been busy with starting the potty training, chasing him around the house, cleaning up pee, taking him out a few times in the night and he gets me up by 6 or 630 for potty, a walk, play, and breakfast.  I’ve been working with him to get him used to his kennel and get into a routine.  He sleeps in his kennel at night and is in there for 2-3 of his naps throughout the day.  This routine has got him comfortable in there so he likes it and doesn’t cry.  He goes in there when we leave the house too, but we can’t be gone for more than 3 hours, as that’s as long his bladder is good for.  The other couple naps are on his bed by the kitchen, which is featured in the pictures here and he loves that spot.  (Along with the furry squeaky pheasant in most of the pictures, he loves it.)

He has a routine of playing for 1-2 hours, then is wiped out and sleeps for 2-3 hours.  And now does pretty good sleeping through the night, only needing to go out once.  He sleeps a lot, as he’s growing significantly each day.  I can already tell a difference in just five days.  He feels a little heavier when I pick him up, legs looking longer, and is looking bigger.  I really don’t want him to get so big so he can’t fit on our laps and lay on our chest, and I won’t be able to carry and hold him in my arms.  But on the other hand, I am excited for him to be big enough that we can go run, walk, and hike together.  He will make a great running partner for me, and a great hunting companion for Will.  These dogs can put on up to 15 miles a day during hunting season.

We are working with him a lot to get him enough exercise and play.  And working on training him, he is already catching on to his name, come, and sit.  We are still reading the Gun Dog book, and it is really good and specific to this breed of dog, giving a lot of guidance on how to train and teach them, starting at this critical age.

I wish I had video clips for all of the cute moments and the ones that just makes my heart melt.  He does a hoppy run around the yard, tripping on his big paws, runs into the screen door, rolls off the side of the patio, chases his toys around, runs with Will’s old belt in his mouth.  And every once in a while I’m sitting on the patio step watching him play and he’ll notice me sitting there, come up to my lap and just hop up and lay there.

Well that’s enough stories and detailed updates for now, we’re just enjoying the puppy stage because he won’t be this small for long, and he has added so much joy into our home and lives already.  Can’t wait for our adventures together.

Wilson Number Three

There will soon be a third little guy living here in the Wilson home!  We’re getting a puppy!!!  I am so excited, and just going nuts having to wait to meet him and bring him home.  🙂

We have always talked about getting a dog someday soon.  And have been saying ‘someday soon’ for quite some time now.  Will has wanted a Pointer/Hunting dog and has looked forward to going bird hunting with the furry friend.  I am excited to go hunting with the two guys, and to have a walking/running partner on a daily basis.  Camping and hiking will be all the more fun with him along too.

So we’re getting a German Wirehair Pointer, male puppy.  I am about to start studying up a lot on this breed and puppy obedience/training.

Turns out Will had all of this up his sleeve for the past little while and he was thinking he’d try to surprise me.  A few days ago I stumbled upon something that gave it away… and so the cat dog was out of the bag.  Oh well, it’s still a surprise that he has found one and we are getting one soon!  And I’m actually really glad we can now pick out ‘the one’ together.

While at work, Will found out about some German Wirehair puppies for sale from this family, The Silver Buckle Kennels, and it turned out that Will’s Foreman/friend had got one of his Pointer dogs from this same family when he was young.  The family has been breeding these dogs since the 1960’s!  So unbeknownst to me, Will and his Foreman went to see the puppies one night after work, each eager to pick one out.  So I guess Kurt has the 2nd pick of the females, and we have the 1st pick of the males! How awesome is that, that we’ll have a brother and sister, so they can be together sometimes, and go hunting together.

They are now just barely three weeks, and have to be with mom for 7 weeks so we have a month to get ready, study up, and bring him home!

There are 11 puppies in this litter!!  We have the first pick of the six males, all of different colorings and markings.

I really, really, miss my little cuddly teddy bear/friend, Molly, who passed away this last October.  It really broke my heart to see her go, after she was born in our home and we had her as part of the family for almost 15 years.  But it’s better to have loved and lost, than to never have loved at all.  So I am ready now for a new family member, and excited to meet him.

He will show up and be featured here soon.  And there will be many stories and pictures.  🙂