Well helllloooooo handsome.....

That little stripey puppy grew up pretty fast, and pretty if I have to add an adjective.

But I'm the mom-lady, so I have to say that, even if he was built like a bulldog and had a face like a proboscis monkey.

At a year and a half he's looking better put together than any other dog I've had, everything flows together so seamlessly and is balancing out so nicely I'm actually getting used to it.

No. No I'm not. I'm used to tiny, compact racing looking dogs. But with all of this dog, I'm getting movement I'm really happy with.

He's got a 5mph jogging stride, no effort. I know this how? Because I've been conditioning him on the road. Yes, it's what you're seeing in your head right now....minivan, leash, dog jogging along with me half hanging out the drivers side window letting him pick his pace. As long as he doesn't try to kick it into a run, I let him set the speed. This seems lazy on my part. It is. But there is no way, I repeat NO WAY I'm going to be able to match him jogging for any length of time or distance. Right now he's doing 2 1/2 - 3 miles at an average of 5mph. He's not even breathing hard at a mile. I'd be flat on my back struggling to stay conscious at a mile. Bike him you say? Uhhhhh, let me respond with one word: squirrel.

No thanks. I'll keep all my skin intact, vs. scraped off on the pavement. The dog is a Squirrel Fanatic.

So there you go! We've been road tripping a lot, sometimes for dog shows, sometimes just for fun (I LOVE LOVE LOVE roadtrips) and enjoying our summer. I'll try to post some more stories and interesting stuff soon. Interesting sideline; I've never enjoyed, actually looked forward to and enjoyed, showing a dog until this boy came into my life. I used to dread it. Now I like it and can honestly say I don't have any anxiety going in. We have fun, we enjoy ourselves. That is the goal I've been working on for the past 6 years, to get to the point where it's fun. In both conformation AND obedience (more on that later!), we have arrived. In style

and usually out of the back of the minivan!

I'm getting back into writing, so look for updates and more stories and pictures in the next couple of months! Yay for stories and pictures. Don't forget Helen's site, http://aragongreyhounds.blogspot.com/. She's wayyyyyyy more timely about her updates than I am!