Good Morning!

Jan,... so sorry I've been lax the past few months! It has been on thing after another... the summer is INSANE for us!

Ahhh,... the Baby Stella! She is so cute... she still looks fake! She had her shots in June and was proclaimed to be the sweetest face they've ever seen. She's made a name for herself at the Vet as she immediately jumps on the counter to say HI! to all the girls back there. She then greets the others that are there for their visit, giving all equal Sniff Time. The Vet marvels over her paws.. they're big and fat and squishy.. much bigger than Stans', but every single one of Stan's toes are still bright Puppy Pink. She weighs 70lbs... sturdy looking gal, if you will, but not a Fatty! She still has the Acid Reflux.. takes a Tagamet before breakfast and dinner... knows the drill and waits for me to give her The Medicine before she eats or drinks! It's been a wonder, tho... she hasn't had a moment of illness since she started taking it. As a maintenence, the Vet says that in the Fall we'll cut her down to just the dinner pill to see how she reacts. I feed them Nutro Max and they LOVE it. She really does have a pretty little face and responds to everything you say to her. This is NOT to say she's a good listener, but loves to be talked to.. all the attention and affection 24/7 is for her and no one else. She's very vocal... talks to everyone... gets aggrivated if things are not going her way... has no patience for our little Senior Dog at all, yet at the end of the day, they must all lay close enough to touch one another in some way. She and Stan... they simply could not go on without one another! Two faces together in the window, waiting for a snack, listening to why you cannot drink the water from the dishwasher for the millionth time. If Stella is being fussy with dinner, Stan casually walks over and helps himself to a small mouthful of her food... throwing her into a dither, complaining and hollering at him... he walks away and VIOLA! She's ready to eat!  She loves hairbows.. is really very girly, and as soon as you tell her we're having company or a party or GRANDPA is coming over... she runs to where I keep the bows and barrettes... "Come on, Momma! Fix my hair! Hurry up!" .. sometimes the Pebbles Flintstone Look, sometimes 2 ponytails... always So cute! She, too, is a lover, a smoocher.. can hug you if you ask for it! If she is bad and you say "Do you want me to spank that butt?" she sits down... "Butt? What butt? I don't have a butt." Stella is a counter surfer, too,... busted daily with something that is not hers at all! The kitchen sink is on an open part of the counter with cabinets above it... you can look directly into the den. If I'm at the sink, she will stand opposite me and expect a full conversation.. "Did you get yourself a summer job, Stella? If you're going to stay home, the least you can do is dust for Mommy. What do you mean.. "I'm too small!"? You're big enough to drink out of all the faucets!" Actually, collectively, we a nothing more than a carload of goofs...!

Stanley is the ULTIMATE Sheepdog in the Entire Universe. He does NOTHING wrong, keeps the peace, has manners to spare, and he loves his Mother.. kisses her every day! He also is a firm believer that everything is Stanleys'... a bit selfish, but he is gracious about it. We are allowed, indefinitely, to live in his house, sleep in his new King sized bed (Tony claims that even tho the bed has gotten gradually bigger, he is still not allotted any more than his original 11 inches on which to sleep!), watch his TV and eat from his pantry. We are allowed to cook, clean, grocery shop, and bake treats for him. However, he nuzzles and lays with us and sits wherever we're sitting, he cannot get a good night's sleep without laying against his Dad, is extremely gentle with little children, ... there is a person in there, a soulful kind of guy.. people always comment that he has People Eyes. It's true! This is NOT to say he is not so spoiled that he should smell! But he is the Best!

Stan and Stella roll around and do the Wild Kingdom thing... she sounding silly.. still trying to get a really good growl going.. and Stanley sounding like Chewbaca! In the evening, she flips his ears back and cleans them for him. The look on his face is priceless! I did not think Stella would ever find her way or that I could survive her first year. She was nothing like Stanley. Sue called it from the beginning.. she's her own girl! A true original! We love them with all our hearts! Thank you!

Regards,

Dana and The Monsters!