Jacob and Josh

Jacob and Josh are my faithful assistants. They travel the entire journey with me. In the early days we feel for puppies moving in the mother’s abdomen, then we anticipate the birth (bikes screeching, book bags flying as they race to check in with me when we reach the due date). They're permitted to hold the puppies earlier than anyone outside the family. We enjoy day after day of playing with the growing puppies, and finally they help with collecting toys and other paraphernalia that will go with their puppy friends to the new homes. They take their responsibilities seriously, knowing I need to borrow children for a time for the puppies’ sake — I could never duplicate the way they play with the puppies. I interviewed them  while we had the “C” and “T” litters here.

What is your favorite puppy age?

Jacob: “5 ½ weeks - they’re the most energetic”.
Josh: “Old enough to play “Kung Fu!”

What have you learned about taking care of young puppies?

Jacob: “I’ve learned the positions of respectfulness, like sitting or lying down in front of us or an adult dog. When their heads are up they are confident”.
Josh: “Make sure they weigh a good weight for their age and make sure they have a black nose.”

Is there anything that surprised you about taking care of them?

Jacob: “How much they’re able to do through their growth, like they’re not able to see when they’re five days old and then when they’re ten days old their eyes are open and their ears are unplugged”.
Josh: “How big they grow in about a month”.

Tell me about some of the games you play with the puppies.

Jacob: “Kung Fu and break-dancing and Climbing Mt. Rushmore”.
Josh: “All those and also The Waltz and Bumper Cars”.

Why are you two so important to the puppies?

Jacob: “We help them learn about fun. Sometimes we help train them and I’ve also learned a lot through this experience. We help them grow up”.
Josh: “We help them get to be playful and we help them to lose bad habits like biting”.

We’ve watched a lot of puppies growing up, haven’t we? Are there any favorite ones you remember?

Jacob: “Gulliver, Pip, Hummer, Hannifin”.
Josh: “Pilot, Gus, and Corbin even though he’s here right now”.