# The Chester and Eva Chronicles



## Shell

A photo and random stuff thread for my dynamic duo. Why? Because I can  

They can't make snow man but they sure know how to enjoy a snow fall.


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## luv mi pets

Yeah for Eva. She found her forever home I hear. Love your pair of dogs and their zest for life


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## Hermes1

Love it! Kudos to you.


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## GrinningDog

You have a duo now! And they look so happy together.  Awesome!

I missed Eva's story somehow. Did you discuss adopting her somewhere? I'd love to hear about how you ended up with her. Are you still planning to foster?


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## Shell

Kirsten&Gypsy said:


> You have a duo now! And they look so happy together.  Awesome!
> 
> I missed Eva's story somehow. Did you discuss adopting her somewhere? I'd love to hear about how you ended up with her. Are you still planning to foster?


The backstory


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## SydTheSpaniel

I'm so happy to hear Eva's found her forever home with you. She looks like such a sweet dog and a perfect companion for both you, and Chester.


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## Shell

New leather harness arrived in the mail today (same as Chester's but in burgundy rather than black) and we went by my favorite little pet boutique to pick up a pretty collar since she's been wearing an old one of Chester's which was turning her neck fur grey/black.


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## jade5280

She's so pretty!


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## Little Wise Owl

I just read in the other thread that she's now your dog. That makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. I'm very happy for you all.


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## Shell

Chester has been a little grumpy the past couple days but we're going to go for some real hiking this weekend so everyone should be back in a good mood by Sunday evening.


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## Shell

Hiking in nice weather makes everyone happy!









(I just LOVE Chester's expression in this photo. It totally captures his personality)


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## Shell

More playtime in the great outdoors. Both dogs are now sound asleep and snoring on the couch.


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## Shell

Enjoying our favorite hiking location on a lovely warm day (before it decided to sleet and snow again...)


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## Shell

I slipped out of work early today like many of my coworkers but instead of turning the TV to March Madness, we hit the trails for a few miles over hill and across streams to end with a dip in a lake and happy smiles for the drive home.


































(I told my boss I was leaving early and he said he thought he was getting a touch of spring fever also *cough cough* and would probably be out the door shortly behind me  )


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## jade5280

What a great pair they make. I'm definitely getting spring fever too. I left work early today, even though it was only 50 degrees, I'll take what I can get!


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## CptJack

Looks like you all had a great day and a really good time!


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## Shell

jade5280 said:


> What a great pair they make. I'm definitely getting spring fever too. I left work early today, even though it was only 50 degrees, I'll take what I can get!





CptJack said:


> Looks like you all had a great day and a really good time!


It was unseasonably warm at over 70 degrees, today was in the upper 50s and we're heading back towards freezing for the workweek. 

So of course I called up a friend and said "LET'S HIKE!" and we hit the trails again today

I title this photo: "Oh please, oh please let me off leash, I promise I won't eat the geese"


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## Shell




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## BubbaMoose

Shell said:


>


Lol! Two peas in a pod. 

So happy she's yours.


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## Shell

Eva got a West Paw toy since it is guaranteed. It is already showing wear (although lasting longer than many toys) but she LOVES it. Loves it enough that she had to be convinced to trade it for roasted turkey heart!










She is also just plain happy that spring has sprung. Both dogs are grazing on the green grass like they are miniature horses or something.











Both Chester and Eva have been having fun hiking and learning to leap into lakes.


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## Shell

Mud and water and fun!


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## Sparkles123

Great pix, shell, thanks for sharing! Can you let them off leash at all?


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## Shell

Sparkles123 said:


> Great pix, shell, thanks for sharing! Can you let them off leash at all?


Thanks, they are pretty photogenic I think  

Off leash outside of a fenced area you mean? No. 

Well, Chester has been off leash back when one of my friends owned a horse farm and he'd run the pastures since that was private property. 
But otherwise, they can run in my yard for their zoomies. I stick with on-leash parks for their safety and so that if something does happen with a loose dog, my on-leash ones were the ones "in the right" so to speak. Since my favorite park is a private on-leash only research arboretum and forest that is HUGE, it is no hardship.


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## jade5280

Cute video. I love zoomies!


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## Shell

jade5280 said:


> Cute video. I love zoomies!


Happy zoomies are great.

We visited some friends this weekend and went hiking along a spring-fed creek.


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## luv mi pets

Cool waterfall. I want to move to Kentucky. Nice dog pics too. Eva seems like she just does know about that water


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## Shell

luv mi pets said:


> Cool waterfall. I want to move to Kentucky. Nice dog pics too. Eva seems like she just does know about that water


It's a beautiful area. I've lived both East and West Coast and far south and visited the north midwest and I really do like the natural areas of Kentucky and Tennessee.

Next time I visit there I will bring wading shoes and get deep into the creek with the dogs. I'm curious if either will swim.


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## jade5280

That water looks so nice! Have your dogs swam before? Ryker swam for the first time today although it lasted only about 30 seconds Haha.


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## Shell

jade5280 said:


> That water looks so nice! Have your dogs swam before? Ryker swam for the first time today although it lasted only about 30 seconds Haha.


They haven't really had the chance to get deep enough in the water to swim. We've been around lakes but the constraints of a leash limited them. 

Aww, Ryker was probably like "Whoa, what is going on!?" In photos he looks a lot like Chester, I just love the red hound dog looks.


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## jade5280

He went after a sick and as soon as he realized his feet weren't touching the ground he did a U-turn. I think to get him to swim for any length of time I will have to go in with him. They do look a lot a like! The Ridgebacks and redbones can look pretty similar at times.


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## Shell

Just chilling.


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## jade5280

Awwww. Makes me want two dogs so badly! Is 2 a lot harder than one?


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## Shell

jade5280 said:


> Awwww. Makes me want two dogs so badly! Is 2 a lot harder than one?


Depends on the dogs to a large degree. It definitely helps a TON to have the first dog solidly trained before adding another one. It has been very useful for Chester to have a solid sit/stay, good leash walking, verbal commands to leave a room or get off furniture etc. I don't think I would even consider adding a second dog before the first is at least around 18 months old. Better to spend that time training and building a strong relationship with first dog and let him/her mature.

It is twice as much food costs, twice as much HW/flea/tick meds costs, they take up most of the backseat when we travel so it can mean taking two cars places if I have friends or family over and sometimes wrangling them around is a hassle logistically.

Of course, if the dogs aren't well matched in energy level, then they need different walks and runs, different playtimes etc which could get annoying if there is only one adult in the house.

And admittedly, it does mean somewhat less attention for each dog than for a dog that's an "only dog"


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## jade5280

Yeah I definetly don't want to add another any time soon. I think I would feel bad not being able to give as much attention. But, I guess that how parents of human babies must feel too.


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## Shell

Easter Weekend. 3 hours of hiking on Saturday and about 1.5 hours on Sunday. Warm, breezy, cool water for swimming/wading. That's a good weekend in my book and I think the dogs agree


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## Chichan

Kentucky is beautiful.
I've been a few times when we were doing a road drip to Disney World.
The people there are so nice and the food is so good.
Love the pictures of your dogs  !


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## taquitos

Wow I am so jealous of the weather you are having! You always seem to be going to the best hiking spots ever!

Chester and Eva are so lucky to be in such an awesome home!


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## luv mi pets

Both of your dogs are just so good looking Eva is coming along so great.


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## Shell

The dogs got their first taste of "camping" last night... in my backyard  Chester looks like a big grump but he was mainly just squinting in the bright sun.


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## jade5280

lol! Chester: "Mom. Why u make me do dis?"


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## Shell




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## BubbaMoose

Love this duo! I find it so sweet that they seem to be such great friends. 

Also, I have to ask, when Chester wags his tail, or should I say "tail" )), does his whole butt wiggle? It seems to me like it would, and I find that so absolutely adorable!


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## Shell

BubbaMoose said:


> Love this duo! I find it so sweet that they seem to be such great friends.
> 
> Also, I have to ask, when Chester wags his tail, or should I say "tail" )), does his whole butt wiggle? It seems to me like it would, and I find that so absolutely adorable!


That would be cute. Chester doesn't wag though. His tail stub is the shortest I've ever seen on a dog (its only the hair poofing up that makes it look like there is any tail left) so no side to side movement at all. 

When Eva wags her tail when she's really excited, not only does her whole butt wiggle but her tail wags so hard it curls around and whacks her hips


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## Shell

Creek time

Playing in the water, the dogs loved that I rolled up my pants and got into the knee deep water with them

























Pretty scenery









Letting the dogs choose the path


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## Shell




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## jade5280

They're so cute together!


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## SDRRanger

Love seeing them together


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## BellaPup

Hahahaha!! "c'mon, man - I said 'you're it'!!"


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## Shell

BellaPup said:


> Hahahaha!! "c'mon, man - I said 'you're it'!!"


I've been reading the Game of Thrones series so I mentally subtitled it as "I dub thee 'Ser Chester' " 

tag is really more what they are actually playing though


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## Shell

"Oh please let the squirrel be mine, pleeeeese"









Looking good and raring to go









After seeing a large buck run by, Eva is on the hunt.









Nature photos from our walk


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## Shell




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## Shell

I had to travel for work last week so the dogs spent a few days with my parents. 

I think they had a pretty good time there


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## jade5280

Beautiful scenery. Such good looking dogs too. I love how they match.


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## cookieface

Yikes, I can't believe I never posted on this thread. They are such a lovely pair. Thanks for sharing their adventures.


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## Shell

cookieface said:


> Yikes, I can't believe I never posted on this thread. They are such a lovely pair. Thanks for sharing their adventures.





jade5280 said:


> Beautiful scenery. Such good looking dogs too. I love how they match.


Thanks y'all. They make it easy to take good photos since they have a coloring that is bold and easy to highlight.

Cookieface, you should start a photo thread of your two dogs especially since the pup is growing so quickly (like they all do).


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## Damon'sMom

I love all of these photos. They both are so beautiful.


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## luv mi pets

When is the wedding for that pair? It seems like it was just meant for you to foster all those other dogs to find the perfect mate for Chester. I am sure 'Grandpa' loves it when he gets to dog sit for his granddogs. Such a beautiful pair.


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## Shell

luv mi pets said:


> When is the wedding for that pair? It seems like it was just meant for you to foster all those other dogs to find the perfect mate for Chester. I am sure 'Grandpa' loves it when he gets to dog sit for his granddogs. Such a beautiful pair.


They do really just seem to mesh. I was so proud of them this weekend because they SHARED a stick to chew on and repeated it more than once over the weekend (Eva started as one that couldn't even share a water bowl). 
Not shopping for a dog tuxedo anytime soon though, that goes past my photo staging fun  "Grandpa" does love dog sitting, he isn't a fan of the extensive vacuuming after they leave though!


Dorky dogs









Hanging out inside during some serious lightening and storms.


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## Shell

The dynamic duo and I spent the weekend with some friends and their dogs and toddler. It was our first visit since their toddler started walking on her own and I was a little nervous that the dogs might be overwhelmed or stressed by it. The dogs were fabulous and my friends' little girl just adores the big dogs in return. (Everything was highly supervised of course)

At the creek in really low water conditions, normally there would be waist deep water but much of the creek was bone dry.









The little one's bodyguards are on-duty









A cooler full of water provide nearly endless entertainment for both child and dogs. Floating leaves, sinking leaves, splashing until everyone was soaked...


















And Chester shows off his skills by walking with the stroller and only getting his heels run over once or twice.


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## Shell

Yesterday we celebrated 1 year since little Miss Eva first graced us with her presence. A long hike on a lovely day made both dogs feel special. Especially since Chester's 5 year gotcha day is this Saturday!


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## jade5280

Wow a year already?! Happy gotcha day, Eva!


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## SDRRanger

woohoo! Happy one year


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## Shell

Thanks y'all. A year has flown by in some respects, it is amazing to see how different she is than the dog they delivered to me a year ago. She went from about 50 lbs, covered in a fleas, nervous and supposedly dog aggressive to a muscular 65 lbs, shining coat, confident, and a happy companion to Chester.


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## CandyLeopard

Happy Belated Gotcha day!  <3


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## cookieface

Happy gotcha days to Chester and Eva! They are such a stunningly happy pair.


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## Shell

The big guy got a solo hike with no pushy little sister to get in the way of his sniffing and peeing and deer watching and had some yummy duck and sweet potato stew for breakfast. Good times.


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## JazzyTheSiberian

I can't believe I've never commented on this thread before. There both gorgeous. Happy belated g'otcha day Chester.

I


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## Shell

Treeing a squirrel kept them entertained for a long time. Actually, Eva was so focused that she started damaging the tree by trying to climb after the squirrel and had to take a break in another part of the yard to refocus. They had a good time though sniffing and circling and leaping. The squirrel was well outside of their reach but they just didn't want to recognize that fact


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## Shell

Sorry if these photos are huge, I am working out some technical difficulties with my new system.

The dogs really match the fall colors even though the leaves aren't that vibrant this year.


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## Shell




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## Canyx

I love your duo! And I love the pic of Eva standing STRAIGHT up for that squirrel


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## JazzyTheSiberian

I really love both of your dogs. I love the first photo(in your 2nd to last post.)


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## Shell

Canyx said:


> I love your duo! And I love the pic of Eva standing STRAIGHT up for that squirrel





JazzyTheSiberian said:


> I really love both of your dogs. I love the first photo(in your 2nd to last post.)


Thanks y'all. 

Eva does have a talent for walking on her back legs. She can handle a good 20 or 25 seconds like that.

It snowed the first snowfall of the year last night, temps were moderate although we are due to hit the low teens tonight, ugh, so it was playtime! Not technically good photos because snow and clouds together are like kryptonite for my camera, but it shows the fun the dogs had....


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## theairedale

I love those photos; it looks like they had a blast!


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## Shell

Eva is styling a cut-down fleece sweater and she appears to be more than proud of it


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## Shell

It's a rough life being Chester


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## cookieface

They certainly are happy, spoiled (in a good way) dogs!


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## dagwall

Haha, she stole his stick. You can actually see the "wtf? My stick" look on his face.


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## BellaPup

Hahahaa - that's a riot!


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## Shell

Yep, I think their expressions in the third photo were just so priceless in timing. 

The really cool thing about these pics to me though is that was the first time both dogs played tug and steal and chase and chew together with the same stick. They took turns running with it and they even chewed on it at the same time! Happily!
I mean, early on they couldn't even share a water bowl because Eva got snippy and guardy so if they'd been walking or playing in the heat and would both want a drink, I had to put down two water bowls. (I think this related to her obsessive need to drink water when she first arrived rather than 'true' resource guarding) That got better but sharing a toy, even a low value stick, is a new thing.


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## Shell




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## BellaPup

such a handsome boy


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## Shell

BellaPup said:


> such a handsome boy


Thank you and I agree.

I made them pose for pics this time rather than capturing their natural action shots. They were well bribed with kibble


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## jade5280

I love them, they're so cool! Eva looks like she's trying to be tough in the last one.


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## Shell

jade5280 said:


> I love them, they're so cool! Eva looks like she's trying to be tough in the last one.


Aww, yes, Eva thinks she is tough but she's really a big mush.

I like your new signature pic, I mean, the EARS on Gypsy!


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## luv mi pets

Eva looks so good. She looks so proud in these last pictures. 

Pictures always capture Chester's good side no matter what the angle.


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## jade5280

Shell said:


> Aww, yes, Eva thinks she is tough but she's really a big mush.
> 
> I like your new signature pic, I mean, the EARS on Gypsy!


Thank you! She reminds me of Minnie Mouse.


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## Shell

I bought the Kong Wobbler since Eva eats soooo fast. 

Here's her first go-round at it 





and now that she's figured it out, she loves it and it lasts her the perfect amount of time for me to get ready for work in the mornings.




(video will not play on mobile devices, sorry)


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## Shell

I think this is their first ever legit cuddles, as in, not just laying nearby to each other. I guess a snow day really tuckered them out.


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## Canyx

D'awwwww. Soro HATES sharing his space with other dogs but Sumic/Biscuit was able to crawl all over him... It took over a month for him to be comfortable with her to that degree. Glad to see these two are besties!


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## Shell

Canyx said:


> D'awwwww. Soro HATES sharing his space with other dogs but Sumic/Biscuit was able to crawl all over him... It took over a month for him to be comfortable with her to that degree. Glad to see these two are besties!


What's funny is that while they get along well, Chester also hates sharing his physical space while relaxing or sleeping. Normally if Eva tries to lean in on him while on the couch or bed, he leaps up in a huff. 2 inches apart is fine but actual contact and its like "MOM! She's touching me! She's on my side of the couch!"


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## luv mi pets

The video was funny to watch. The first one how she kept looking at you for help. The second video really showed how she finally got the way to get her own food. The couch picture is cute. My dogs always lay like that. Right now I am looking at a dog sandwich on my right side. Two Chihuahuas and the RT. Eva is looking so nice.


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## Shell

Thanks Luv mi pets. Eva really seems to enjoy the food toy now. I might buy another type of toy also since the tricky treat ball proved too tricky for both her and I.

The sun came out today which made playing in the snow even more awesome.


















Sorry for the huge photos, I don't resize them well this time.


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## luv mi pets

Nice photos Eva looks suspended in the air. 

I saw on a website a toy made out of empty plastic bottles. here is the website. You and your dad could easily make this. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avcYKFOmcZA

If you do make it I want to see a video of it


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## Shell

Snow day



































































Abut 12 to 14 inches of snow last night. Not much by some standards but around here, that is a LOT of snow.


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## jade5280

That trail looks beautiful. I can't believe you guys got so much snow! It sure looks like the dogs are loving it.


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## luv mi pets

Neat Pictures Shell That snow on the branches looks so cool Just hanging onto to the branches waiting to fall to the ground. The trail looks so quiet and peaceful that all you can hear is the crunching of the snow as you walk. love those moments in life


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## Shell

jade5280 said:


> That trail looks beautiful. I can't believe you guys got so much snow! It sure looks like the dogs are loving it.





luv mi pets said:


> Neat Pictures Shell That snow on the branches looks so cool Just hanging onto to the branches waiting to fall to the ground. The trail looks so quiet and peaceful that all you can hear is the crunching of the snow as you walk. love those moments in life


Thanks. It was a lovely walk, very peaceful although also very aerobic for me! We saw maybe 6 or 7 deer in a group which was very exciting for Eva.

I think this was the most snow in one day for this area in around 20 years. Some people were not as lucky as I, there were people stuck on the interstate for over 12 hours overnight and well into today. National Guard had to get called out to help them. 

The park is really nice, there are rough trails, groomed trails and paved paths. I picked a groomed trail today since i couldn't see under the snow of course. 

Chester got a neighborhood walk this evening so he wasn't completely left out from the hiking.


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## Shell

My road got cleared this afternoon which meant two very good things-- I could safely drive to the park with Chester for a nice, long hike and that I can go to work tomorrow and catch up a bit with what I missed.


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## Shell

Dogsitting a friend's foster dog. I last met this dog at 9 or 10 weeks old and she is now almost 3 and has been returned to the rescue.


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## Shell




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## jade5280

That's so pretty! What good 'stays' they have. I love Eva's collar!


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## Shell

jade5280 said:


> That's so pretty! What good 'stays' they have. I love Eva's collar!


Aww, thanks for noticing her new collar. I thought she needed something bright and cheery, its just a basic nylon from Yellow Dog Design that I found at my local pet store but the colors are so bold compared to many.

Chester has a nearly perfect stay, when he does break the stay he walks right towards me. Eva is still a bit of a work in progress, she was kinda tired here and i had two other people with me to surround her


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## Shell

Being silly


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## Canyx

Good to see an update of your two happy dogs!


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## Shell

Canyx said:


> Good to see an update of your two happy dogs!


thanks 

They are doing well. Its started to get super hot here so we haven't been going hikng lately but we've been trying to get out to work (I bring one of them to the office on a weekend and shove treats at the dog while I work, good mental exercise), and visiting friends and family for at least some mental stimulation. Chester's getting a bit of arthritis in his hips, so I'm aiming for enough exercise but not too much. A week of prescription NSAIDs and 8 weeks of glucosamine seems to be helping though.


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## Canyx

Oof  Is it age? Have you looked into adequan?


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## Shell

Canyx said:


> Oof  Is it age? Have you looked into adequan?


Probably. He's between 8 and 9 years old now. I have looked into Adequan, I plan to discuss it with my vet at our next appointment, he'll be sue for his rabies shot in September and since he's doing pretty well on the glucosamine right now, I'm not worried about waiting 6 weeks till then.


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## Canyx

Cool. Wishing him all the best!


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## Shell

"So, ah, where's the water? That's what this new contraption is for right?"-- Chester










(Riverside vacation booked, life jackets arrived today)


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## Shell

Buddies at the playground. 

(Photoshop Mardi Gas mask for privacy on the kid)


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## Shell

charliedadog said:


> safety always first


Yep  and Eva tried out her jacket and swimming for the first time (swimming as opposed to wading)

Videos about 30 seconds each

[video]https://vimeo.com/137023940[/video]

[video]https://vimeo.com/137026888[/video]


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## jade5280

It looks like she took to swimming really well with that jacket! Go Eva!!!!


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## Shell

Urban exploring this weekend


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## Shell




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## Shell

We like to hang out on the porch on nice evenings, but the cold concrete was getting rough on older joints. Bringing out the foam bed is okay but not super practical for damp weather and it picks up leaves and dirt along the way

So i bought a cot bed (price was less than making it basically) and it took Chester about 2 days to be convinced of its usefulness.










Hopefully he continues to think it is a good solution to the concrete


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## Canyx

Aww, he looks like a king up there


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## BellaPup

I <3 Chester


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## Shell

Canyx said:


> Aww, he looks like a king up there





BellaPup said:


> I <3 Chester





So i am expanding on my privacy fencing. I had put about about 40 feet along the back last winter to stop Eva from fence fighting with the neighbor's dogs though the chain link. Which worked until the neighbor's puppies grew into adults and started jumping fences and just being more an issue overall, such as that Eva would still be able to see them in the angle and try to fight through the area where wood met chain link. So since the fence jumping is the biggest concern and the dogs can jump into one yard and then into mine, I am aiming to finish off the wood fence on that side.

Got a very good start on it today--

















Had to make a few adjustments on the fly to accommodate the concrete of the existing chain link, but i think its looking quite nice so far.


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## Shell

Yay, fence is all up. I still have to finish attaching all the pickets (using exterior screws) on the tops and bottoms, but its all there ready to go. Eva got to try out the full use of the backyard again after over a month of limited access. Chester is visiting my parents this week but I am sure he'll be his usual nonchalant self about the changes.


























I did the work myself with the help of my father and some of my teenage neighbors, dad worked for free  but I paid the teens who are always eager to earn some cash doing yard work etc. The boys were amusing because after the first day of work, they were so surprised to find out how sore their arms were from carrying lumber and digging holes....seems they aren't invincible after all even being 15 and 16 years, ha. Not a cheap project, but I saved well over 40% compared to hiring a fence company.


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## Canyx

Nicely done! Eva looks happy to sniff out her turf again.


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## Shell

Canyx said:


> Nicely done! Eva looks happy to sniff out her turf again.


Thanks! She was mostly happy to find a large quantity of rabbit poop to snack on...sigh.

Some random pics from the past couple weeks. We haven't been up to much of anything exciting, especially since the stupid time change makes it dark so early. Ah well, its almost the holidays at least.

"Why yes, I am quite comfortable here, why do you ask?"









"We's being good, we promise"









"If Eva won't move, I'll just work around her for my nap"









The leaves have almost all fallen but its still a lovely park and plenty of scents for the dogs to track


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## Shell

Just like many kids, they love to visit Santa. To the point of wild excitement and crazy wiggling like 1 year old pups rather than the ~4/5 and ~8/9 years they are. Its our annual tradition as the money goes to the humane society from where I adopted Chester.


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## taquitos

Haha they're adorable. Chester looks excited and Eva looks terrified lol!!


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## jade5280

Aw love the santa picture!


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## Shell

We didn't get as much snow as the predictions (3-4 inches instead of 8-9) and its warmed up nicely in the sun today so Chester knew exactly what to do with his afternoon









Eva on the other hand is stuck sitting on the sidewalk and giving him the stink eye for taking the comfy spot


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## Shell

Chester is scheduled in for knee surgery in two days. I'd been considered clearing out the old couch in "Eva's room" but needed to wait for a day when the garbage haulers would take it away. Chance was that this weekend is junk pick-up.

So I have a room without anything for Chester to climb on or off of.










Not surprisingly, Eva wondered where "her" couch had went and what was up with Chester









But they figured to share and share alike while I was hanging out with them


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## Canyx

You're so good to your dogs! I hope Chester's surgery is as uneventful as possible and that he heals fast.


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## mudypony

They're so cute together! Hope Chester's surgery goes well!


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## Shell

Canyx said:


> You're so good to your dogs! I hope Chester's surgery is as uneventful as possible and that he heals fast.





mudypony said:


> They're so cute together! Hope Chester's surgery goes well!


He's home, obviously in pain but he's eaten well (he didn't really want to eat at the vet's, likely more due to stress than pain) and drank plenty of water and peed. 

It's gonna be a long couple months for both of us.


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## jade5280

Aw poor baby! I hope recovery goes quickly and without complication.


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## mudypony

Poor guy  

How is he doing so far? Hopefully recovery is relatively quick & painless for him.


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## Shell

Thanks y'all. 

He seems to be doing very well, all things considered. He is sleeping well, eating and drinking normally, he is getting up from laying down without too much trouble and he is bending the knee joint almost normally to stretch or curl his leg. 

He finally pooped this morning! Yep, I was cheering my dog for pooping but hey, it had been 3 days! He was reluctant to put enough weight on his leg to balance to squat and it was obvious that he was debating which was worse- discomfort from not pooping vs discomfort of weight on leg.

He is both touching his toe to the ground and also sometimes putting a little weight on that leg. I help him out the two steps to the yard with a towel sling but then he walks around the yard on a leash to pee. 

He has some minor fluid buildup in the lower leg but its not tender to the touch nor warm feeling. He refused ice on his leg at all but today he let me hold a warm cloth to his lower leg for a short bit.


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## Shell

Staples are out, healing looks good and the boy got to enjoy some back scratches from his buddy. Another 2 weeks of room rest with leashed potty breaks/5 minute yard strolls and then a check-up to determine exercise plan after that


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## DGerry

Good to see Chester is healing well


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## Jen2010

Wow, that looks like it's healing nicely! Good to see


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## Shell

DGerry said:


> Good to see Chester is healing well





Jen2010 said:


> Wow, that looks like it's healing nicely! Good to see


Thanks y'all. He is doing pretty well, he has a minor setback with some swelling and inflammation over the surgical steel implant. No sign of infection and a shot of anti-inflammatories yesterday seems to have slightly reduced the swelling just overnight. Vet says that IF he continues to react to the steel, it can be removed later with a not-too-invasive surgery but should be in place as long as possible. 

He's acting as energetic as ever, trying to chase bunnies and squirrels and getting frustrated at being leash. 

Eva is enjoying what must be a nice holiday for her at my dad's since she is getting long walks every morning and attention on and off all day long with raw chicken parts on top of her kibble every night.


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## Shishy

WOW! How awesome! Its like you and the dogs were made for each other!! I am new to the site but the love is coming through the screen! How awesome!


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## jade5280

Glad to see that he's healing up well!


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## Shell

He's still not wanting to walk on his leg but I think half of that is because he has figured out how to be so darn efficient without walking on it! He *can* walk on it though and that counts for a lot. He also does stretch it out normally and sit on it pretty normally. We walked 100 yards down the street today though so he had the fun of peeing multiple places that aren't my yard.

Eva meanwhile is being spoiled...

My mom sent me this photo with the following text message:
(Quote)
"I'm pretty sure this is her pissed look. She's been laying beside me in the bed all day long (_Mom was home with a cold_). But now, that I'm sitting out in the chair, she wants to get up in my lap, which of course is not an option. So, she keeps pacing around and then sitting back down and glaring at me through squinting eyes."









Its a rough life Eva, deal with it


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## mudypony

Those squinty eyes. What a drama queen. Sounds a lot like Duke haha. 

Also, glad to hear Chester seems to be doing better!


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## Shell

New camera! Got it yesterday so I still have a ton to learn about its settings but of course my first test subject was Chester





































and some colorful random items to experiment with the close-up ability


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## Shell

Zoomies!

Eva's back from her almost 2 month "vacation" at my parents (while Chester had his knee surgery and started the healing process) and she's taking full advantage of having a fenced yard again.


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## Shell

Eva managed to kill a bird today (did I mention this dog is FAST?) but I was able to keep her out of range of these little ones. Even though she really, really wanted to um, say "hello" to them. With her teeth.




























She only wanted to get to know the bunnies...


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## Canyx

Hahaa! I know that face


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## Shell

Turned out that this bunny--









Was sitting in a very specific spot.

I discovered that when Eva started to nose in the ground frantically the next day and when I dragged her away, I found these little ones--








(May 26)

I normally would not disturb a nest, but I am checking on them every 5-6 days so that I know when I can let Eva back out to have the run of the yard (Chester still being stuck on-leash for his knee means he can't eat them). I figure that my careful viewing is less a threat than Eva's mouth.








(May 31st)








(June 4th)

Won't be long now till they hop outta here and Eva can go back to racing the yard in hopes of catching one of them.


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## Canyx

Wow! You're their hero. Way to protect backyard wildlife!


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## Shell

Chester's first time off-leash in the "big" yard in FOUR months! He was a happy boy to get to sniff around, roll around, and laze around freely. He listened very well too when I told him that no running around was allowed. Plus bonus cute little bird pics.




























Little bird


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## Shell




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## Canyx

Hahaaa, whatever this is I love it!


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## Billie116

Love your thread! Your pups are beautiful/handsome. Looks like you picked up a great new camera and are having fun. How did your backyard bunnies go? Did they make friends with Chester or Eva?

Sent from my SM-T817W using Tapatalk


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## Shell

Canyx said:


> Hahaaa, whatever this is I love it!


It was Eva going "Wow, dude, my ear? It's been awhile, don't you need to buy me dinner first?" 



Billie116 said:


> Love your thread! Your pups are beautiful/handsome. Looks like you picked up a great new camera and are having fun. How did your backyard bunnies go? Did they make friends with Chester or Eva?
> 
> Sent from my SM-T817W using Tapatalk


Thanks. 
The bunnies survived and left on their own. Making friends with either of the dogs would have been more like making a meal for the dogs.


Eva cuteness--

Who could say NO to those eyes?









Wheee!


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## Shell

Tennis ball time


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## Jen2010

I love that big open-mouth grin


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## Shell

Jen2010 said:


> I love that big open-mouth grin


Classic bully grin. She is wild for tennis balls, just wish she'd catch the concept of bringing them back. Oh well, using two works pretty well instead. 

Chester loves having his "kick" back. I think he really missed marking his territory with his feet too


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## BellaPup

I love your duo! :becky: Nice to see them up to their backyard antics again!


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## Shell

Trying for some posed pictures. There were a lot of outtakes of Chester sitting or standing nicely and Eva running towards me, running sideways, looking away, looking down etc.


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## Shell

Squirrel chase!


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## Shell

Foster puppy Mick adopted out a full week ago; the duo is getting back into the swing of things. Or maybe, the slobbering of things, to be more accurate?


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## Shell

Holiday hiking with my mother, father and BOTH dogs! Chester got to hike out in real nature area for the first time in nearly a year (considering he injured his knee in February).

Dad and I with Eva and Chester. Mom told the big goofus to smile for the camera and he did...oh, and Chester smiled too 









Eva started out the walk with a bang...I handed her leash to my father while I unloaded Chester from the car. Dad took her across the parking lot to grass and trees with leaves on the ground so she could pee and sniff around. She's on a regular six-foot leash mind you and not even having use of the full length but closer to 4 feet. She darts her head forward in a sudden lunge and comes back with something furry in her mouth! My dad hollers "What do I do?" and my mom says "Eva got a squirrel" 

I look again while I'm trying to get Chester leashed up and that big furry thing is no giant squirrel, the danged dog caught herself a huge bunny rabbit! 

She dropped it when my dad yanked on her leash but she was all splattered with blood on her front legs and face and sooo excited. Sigh. At least the park ranger that came by a bit later wasn't angry at us, he just wanted to make sure the rabbit was dead and not suffering. We were following the leash law so it was just one of those things that happen basically.


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## Canyx

That Chester smile is the best thing ever. What a face!

Poor bunny. You're like the most responsible dog owner I can think of too. Accidents happen and terriers will be terriers!


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## Shell

Canyx said:


> That Chester smile is the best thing ever. What a face!
> 
> Poor bunny. You're like the most responsible dog owner I can think of too. Accidents happen and terriers will be terriers!


I swear he understands what a camera is and either smiles for it or avoids it depending on his mood. Very deliberately too. Sure got a smile this time. 

And yep, terriers be terriers. Eva did exactly what terriers do and no fault for that. It seemed it was a quick death for the rabbit and that's what matters to me, would hate to see it suffer. I was just amazed she managed it ON LEASH! She has gotten squirrels before but only when off-leash. I've noticed her watching Chester stalking prey and how he is so still and quiet. She would always see prey and start running and barking but now she stalks silently until close to prey. Very much learned behavior and fascinating to watch.


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## Wet Beards

I'm curious. Would Eva have eaten the rabbit given the chance? Would Chester?

Chester's smile...priceless.


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## Shell

Wet Beards said:


> I'm curious. Would Eva have eaten the rabbit given the chance? Would Chester?
> 
> Chester's smile...priceless.


I don't know if Eva would have gotten the concept of eating the rabbit, considering how easily she dropped it and has dropped the other animals she's gotten (2 squirrels and 1 bird). Seems to be in it for the chase. If there were any lure coursing events within fenced areas around here, it would be really neat to see her run. She's amazingly fast.

I think Chester probably would eat a prey animal because he's done stuff like scarf up a dead bird on the sidewalk and I found just the tail of a squirrel in my yard where he'd been nosing around in the dark the night before. That sorta thing.


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## Shell

I gave my father one of his Christmas gifts today (we will celebrate Christmas in January otherwise)....he was very pleased. Watercolors of each dog, not my artwork though!


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## Canyx

That is so lovely!!


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## Shell

The sun returned for a full 2 day visit!!


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## Shell




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## dagwall

Eva is so pretty.


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## Sandakat

They are beautiful.


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## Shell

A cool bit of weather perked this boy up and off he goes! You can even see the fur flying.


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## Shell




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## Sandakat

Their faces in that first pic are just priceless.


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## Shell

Sandakat said:


> Their faces in that first pic are just priceless.


LOL. Oh yeah, they have attitudes for sure  It has been super hot here for the past week so it has been potty break time outside only and the only 'fun' thing they have done was a car ride... to get flu shots. For a toddler, it would ruin the car ride; for a dog, it was still YAY CAR RIDE, YAY both ways but it was hella work wrangling them in and out of the car at the same time in a feels-like of 105+ 

Ick, but now they have their canine flu boosters so that's done and I'm figuring to take another foster sometime in mid/late August depending on needs and household matches


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## Shell

A gorgeous summer day, low humidity, nice breeze, low 80s or so. Ah yeah.


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## PatriciafromCO

love the one way up above where they so standing perfectly side by side... They stunning together


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## Sandakat

Hanging in the cool grass, watching the world go by... life doesn't get any better than that.


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## Shell

PatriciafromCO said:


> love the one way up above where they so standing perfectly side by side... They stunning together


Thank you. They do just seem to complement each other both in personality and looks. 



Sandakat said:


> Hanging in the cool grass, watching the world go by... life doesn't get any better than that.


Yep. As a human I put a blanket on the grass and bring a book usually but not much different from them and just feeling the breeze and relaxing.


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## Shell




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## Canyx

Love these two!


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## WesselGordon

Shell,

Do you know what breed/s Chester is?


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## Shell

WesselGordon said:


> Shell,
> 
> Do you know what breed/s Chester is?


I did a DNA test which I find fully believable based on personality and physical traits.

50% Boxer, 37.5% African breed (Rhodesian Ridgeback most likely) and 12.5% Rottweiler. 

I had always figured him RR/Boxer or backyard bred RR but that little bit of Rottie isn't unreasonable in terms of size, weight, attitude etc.


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## Shell

Trying for posed photos. LOL. Not much success. So many outtakes of Eva leaping around or running towards the camera.


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## Canyx

These two. They are so great.


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## ForTheLoveOfDogs

Love them!! I think Eva is one of the prettiest pit X type dogs ever. Chester looks so wise in that bottom picture.. or not amused. I'm not really sure. He's cute either way. Hah.


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## Shell

Canyx said:


> These two. They are so great.






ForTheLoveOfDogs said:


> Love them!! I think Eva is one of the prettiest pit X type dogs ever. Chester looks so wise in that bottom picture.. or not amused. I'm not really sure. He's cute either way. Hah.


Both. Wise and not amused. Eva kept running off while I tried to get them to pose and he was starting to sigh over it all.

----

This week we celebrated Eva's 4th "arrival-anniversary" (took me awhile to foster fail...but she was meant to be here from the get-go) and Chester's 8th "adopt-aversary"


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## SaintDame

Love your two they look meant to be a pair!

My boy Crash is a foster fail, he even was adopted out for a few weeks but ultimately the family couldnt keep him because one of their original dogs was not adjusting well to a new pack member. We happily accepted him back into our home and officially adopted him, we knew it was meant to be!


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## Wet Beards

I adore both your pups.
That last picture of Eva running, is just beautiful.


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## Shell




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## Shell

First ice and snow of the year. As always, they love it.


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## Shell

Springtime greenery


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