Joey and Tiff

[Ballerina]

Rhodesian Ridgeback pups born May 16, 2012 and acquired by us on July 14th.

JOEY and TIFF's family members.

Dad (SPIRIT) is far left - the other four are aunt, uncle, half brother, and half sister.


TIFF takes on ROBO DOG. A little while later he was toast.

Head study of TIFF

Head study of JOEY

[PerfectSoul]

Oh my, they are stunning pups. Those are some big paws (and cute with their white toes)!

[klsyr1]

They are just too cute. Will they get lighter like their family members Bal ? Although the Aunt in the back looks a little darker too.... Approximately how much will they weigh? Those look like big paws and the family is not exactly small!

[Ballerina]

They are just too cute. Will they get lighter like their family members Bal ? Although the Aunt in the back looks a little darker too.... Approximately how much will they weigh? Those look like big paws and the family is not exactly small!

Actually, the family members are darker than the photo shows - some color was lost through the tiny pic process. The coat color shown on both Tiff & Joey are pretty much what they'll be when they mature. Their sire, Spirit, is even darker than Joey.

Ridgebacks are not small dogs. AKC classifies them as large, guard hounds.

Full-grown, Tiff should weigh 70-75 lbs. and Joey a good 10 lbs. more. I'd say that both will max out in height - Tiff 25" - 26" and Joey at 27" at the withers.

Took them to the vet on Thursday - Joey weighed 19 lbs. and Tiff 17. I'm sure they've gained 1/2 - 1 lb. since then. They're both a load to pick up.

Bill gave Tiff a small, empty GATORADE bottle to play with. It rolled the the barbecue. She laid down and tried to reach it with her paw. She couldn't. She got up and walked around to the back of the barbecue and was able to reach the bottle. Our jaws dropped at this 9 wk. old puppy figuring this out. We thought maybe we should take her back to her breeder as she may turn out to be smarter than us.

People underestimate the importance of an animal having intelligence. The best show dogs are smart dogs - they know what's going on and they sell themselves, and performance dogs learn quicker, do better, and love what they're doing when they have some extra smarts.

We don't think we have the speed and agility to get around the Agility rings, so we'll probably do lure coursing and obedience with them in addition to conformation showing when they get older.

The Ridgeback National Specialty show is in Orlando, FL in November. They'll be 1 week shy of being able to compete in the regular classes (6 months minimum), but they have a fun puppy class for 4 - 6 month olds, so we'll enter them in that.

Joe and Tiff meet Uncle Jerry.

[Ballerina]

For some reason, this picture just tears at my heart. The bond between these two is strong.

Tiff posing as the Princess that she is.

Joey meets my friend's B&T Coonhound, Mossy Oak -

[serenassong]

Joey seems to be thinking- "You kinda look like me, but you are much bigger- so I'm not really sure! Better stay here with Mom for now."

Tiff is as smart as a whip and she is just such a love! Thanks for the pics!

[klsyr1]

Actually, the family members are darker than the photo shows - some color was lost through the tiny pic process. The coat color shown on both Tiff & Joey are pretty much what they'll be when they mature. Their sire, Spirit, is even darker than Joey.

Ridgebacks are not small dogs. AKC classifies them as large, guard hounds.

Full-grown, Tiff should weigh 70-75 lbs. and Joey a good 10 lbs. more. I'd say that both will max out in height - Tiff 25" - 26" and Joey at 27" at the withers.

Took them to the vet on Thursday - Joey weighed 19 lbs. and Tiff 17. I'm sure they've gained 1/2 - 1 lb. since then. They're both a load to pick up.

Bill gave Tiff a small, empty GATORADE bottle to play with. It rolled the the barbecue. She laid down and tried to reach it with her paw. She couldn't. She got up and walked around to the back of the barbecue and was able to reach the bottle. Our jaws dropped at this 9 wk. old puppy figuring this out. We thought maybe we should take her back to her breeder as she may turn out to be smarter than us.

People underestimate the importance of an animal having intelligence. The best show dogs are smart dogs - they know what's going on and they sell themselves, and performance dogs learn quicker, do better, and love what they're doing when they have some extra smarts.

We don't think we have the speed and agility to get around the Agility rings, so we'll probably do lure coursing and obedience with them in addition to conformation showing when they get older.

The Ridgeback National Specialty show is in Orlando, FL in November. They'll be 1 week shy of being able to compete in the regular classes (6 months minimum), but they have a fun puppy class for 4 - 6 month olds, so we'll enter them in that.

Joe and Tiff meet Uncle Jerry.

What a fun pic! I love Jerry - he is always so kind to my little girls when we see him at the track. Joey and Tiff are just too cute - I'm glad they'll keep their coloring. I love that rich color. Im surprised to hear how big they'll get - I was thinking maybe they'd get even bigger than that. I cannot wait to hear how they do in those puppy classes. That must be so much fun.

I know what you mean about intelligence in a dog. We just rescued a dog in January. She's 45 pounds and she's a golden retriever/ Siberian husky mix. She is the sweetest thing ever, and very very intelligent ( though I'm not sure she would have even figured out that bottle thing!). I'm seriously considering seeing if we can volunteer at the children's hospital. She would be such an awesome therapy dog. If we can find even more time we may also do agility with her. Our girls would love it, and I thing Maggie (our dog) would too. She'd be great at it - she's crazy athletic!

Btw, your husband looks like he's doing great! I hope he feels as good as he looks.

[PJMIII]

Great pictures Bal. The pups just look great.

[Flanders]

They are super cute!

[Ballerina]

Tiff hanging out with her poppy -

[serenassong]

Everyone looks so happy- nice to see after what you all been thru this year.

[Ballerina]

I have no idea how she (Tiff) managed to stay asleep in this position.

Her name is Princess Tiffany - we thought we'd call her Tiff or Tiffy, bUt we've changed it to TUFFY. She is one strong-willed little beatch, but she's cute about it.

We had a puppy party Tuesday night. Puppies and people had a really good time, and puppies got a lot of presents - like they really needed more stuff. LOL!

[serenassong]

Dogs do end up in some weird postions to sleep, but cats take the cake. One day, I came home to find her sleeping with her head facing one way, and her body in the total opposite direction- must be nice to be so flexible and comfortable. Love the pictures,thanks!

Hugs and kisses to all!

[Ballerina]

Re: Puppy Watch

Tuesday, July 31 - 1 day shy of 11 wks. old


Today in Congress Park (downtown Saratoga) - Joey and Tuffy pondering ducks.

Yes, we changed her name from Tiffy to Tuffy - what a little beech she is. Smart as a whip and brooks no nonsense from anyone. She is like a FORD - built Tough. Poor Joey is a mass of welts from her relentless attacks.

A cute shot of Joey. He's a bit doofy and not nearly as smart as Tuffy, but he is so lovable.

However, he, too, can get tough when Tuffy pushes his patience beyond Job level.

[Ballerina]

We discovered these comfy chairs. We're not giving them up. Please have our names embroidered on them.

[starrydreamer]

They are so cute, Bal! You can see their personalities in their eyes in those head shots you posted early on - Tuffy has a sharp look for a puppy, and Joey looks just a bit dopey.

About the water bottle rolling under the barbeque - people say small dogs are stupid, but my older Yorkie figured that out at a young age too. His mini tennis balls always rolled under the couches, and he quickly learned to squeeze back between the couch and the wall and look for the ball there. He's a very smart little dog. (Then again, I contend that Yorkies are more terrier than toy.) Of course, the smartness means they need extra tasks or they get bored and come up with extra clever ways to get into trouble! (The Yorkie is older, so he now spends more time coming up with extra unique places to have a nap than getting into mischief.)

[Jas]

They look fabulous, Bal! What an exciting future you'll have with them!

[Ballerina]

We love our chairs. Great place to take a nap.

JOEY says, "Just 'cuz I want to take a nap, don't even think of taking my tennis ball."

We love Willow (age 10-1/2 yrs.). It took a while, but and she finally decided she loves us, too.

[LadyWeaver]

Tuffy fits your girl to a T, she is really pretty and looks like she doesn't take crap from anyone or anything including her brother.

Joey looks sweet and loveable.

[Ballerina]

Took Joey and Tuffy to the vet today for their 3rd shot. Joey weighs 33 lbs. - that's a 14 lb. gain in 3 weeks, and Tuffy weighs 26 lbs. - a 10 lb.gain. They have literally doubled in size since we took them home nearly 4 weeks ago.

Willow (our 10-1/2 year old) adores them, and our 13-1/2 yr. old, Snakie Girl, is starting to acknowledge them, albeit a bit reluctantly. She looked at me today as they were following her around the yard with that hang dog look as much as if to say, "I guess they're not just visiting."

We are so glad we made the decision to get them. No amount of money could buy them from us. They are a delight. They make us laugh. We're very happy.