First, you have to put some miles on walking,

and running,

Then it’s easy to get puppies to sit still for pictures like this,

and this.

still hangs in the kennel.

Our puppies are well educated.

Dogs just know. Some people they steer clear of, some people they need to get to know before they give away their trust, and some they just love at first sight.

Over and over I’ve seen dogs that aren’t too sure about you and me go right up to Molly like she’s a long lost friend.

Not just dogs. Horses and goats and sheep and cats and even chickens living at Molly’s home all feel the same way.

“Dogs sure like you Molly” I said.

“I know.”

Sorry, I haven’t been taking any pictures lately. This is Lovey, the puppies grandmother. Lincoln’s mom. With her new pink collar.

This is the father of Robin’s puppies, Lincoln.

Saturday morning. Put in a lot of hours but I’m done working for the week.

East facing road signs light up like someone just plugged them in as the sun breaks over the horizon.

Wood smoke flattens out against the sky like there is glass ceiling holding it in.

The hard old snow filling up the ditches will be around well into April. Lovey is sitting up watching me like she always does when we are going down the road. Her mom, Slimmer never slept in the truck. She always had to be sitting up looking out the window. Used to sit on Rose while she was trying to sleep. Lovey just looks at me the whole time.

Twenty two dogs and a litter of puppies riding in the truck with me, headed north. The puppies are restless and making noise. My dogs like music. I kind of like country music that sounds like country music, but the dogs like it a little faster. I turn up Casey Donahew and the puppies quiet right down.

“Broken bones and broken hearts
And I’ve had my shoulder torn apart
But it’s nothing like the pain I felt when I lost you”

Monday morning, the weekend is over. The sky is still black, driving down the blacktop with big white snowflakes filling up the headlights. Black all around and blinding white snow in front. Seems a little like a bad dream, racing into the snowstorm and who knows what lies ahead, but I don’t slow down.

I think about the front bumper and my conscience bothers me a little. Driving down that trail through the pines back to the best spot to run the dogs yesterday and going across that ice and broke through, nothing to do but give her hell and hope we make it. The bumper taking on the job of ice breaker. Guess they never had that in mind when they designed it.

Conditions must have been OK for the dogs as even my six females ran just like a pack is supposed to. Hours of non stop running with hardly a breakdown and never getting out of hearing of the truck. The longer they were down the harder they ran until I had a hard time getting them in.

The rabbits are starting to turn. Some are kind of yellow looking, some are white with brown spots. They will be all brown long before this snow is gone.

The puppies are getting restless so I play them Nickleback and get on down the road, back to work.

“Just one chance, just one breath
Just in case there’s just one left”