Here was Tikka as a puppy:
Then, a gangly teenager:
and as a 'big girl' :)
Back just before Thanksgiving, we had to put our older dog, Tucker, to sleep. I miss that big lug SO much. He was such a HAPPY dog! He wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, but he was happy until the end. He was in a lot of pain though, and we knew we did what was best for him.
Tucker as a puppy:
So, being 'dogless' would NOT do around here, so I frantically started puppy shopping. We knew we wanted a larger dog. Before we got our first dog (a SharPei we named Hooch, who died of a stroke about 8 years ago at 14 years old), we were looking for a Mastiff (after falling in love with the French Masiff on ''Turner and Hooch"). We were never able to find a Mastiff, but we were happy when we found our Hooch.
In my search for a puppy, I came across an ad for a female ''Saint Bermastiff''puppy. The ad said she was 4 hours away, but oh was she CUTE! I did some research, and found out she was a mix between a Saint Bernard (her dad, 150#) and an English Masiff (her mom, 110#). Well, she actually ended up being 12 hours away, but one of the owners was going to be 4 hours away last Thursday. He was driving 8 hours in the morning, and we could meet him in the afternoon. So, after OK'ing it with the hubs, my younger son and I prepared for the 8 hour round trip - and came home with the cutest puppy on earth. It took us several days, but we finally named her ''Blaze'', although I have not 100% settled on that name. I still prefer ''Lucy'', but the menfolk don't like that one :P
Luckily, Tikka left behind plenty of toys to keep this little girl busy. And, I am also very busy trying to potty train and crate train a new puppy! I really *really* want to get that Seascapes string quilt basted, but don't know when that will happen. Maybe I can get my younger son to puppysit while I do it one day this week :)
And, yes, this puppy will be huge. HUGE. Probably around 120# I'm guessing. She has legs as thick as tree trunks! But, she is the sweetest little thing ever! I plan to try to get her as socialized as possible - living out in the sticks has it's drawbacks that way, it will be a challenge!
