Zepplin Born April, 2003.

Favorties:
Toy: HyperDog ball launcher Chuck-It Ball-Tosser
Treat: Ice cubes
Food: Hot Dogs Peanut Butter Pepperoni
Place: As close to Chris as possible!!

Zep, as we call him, was born to our neighbors after another neighbor's un-nuetered mutt jumped two fences and impregnated the Ellis' full-blooded Weimaraner, Jade. The resulting litter of pups were very cute and the Ellis' gave away all but one of them, a solid black male who they named Zepplin after the song Black Dog.

Zepplin grew up with at least 3 dogs and as many as 12 (for a few weeks after a new litter). Hence, he is very well socialized, but his high energy level made him urn for attention. Each time Chris would come home fromc college, Zep would come to the common fence between our yards and try to climb over for some play time. Soon a deal was struck for us to take Zep on a trial basis...but he is such an angel that we never even thought about giving him back.

Zepplin has kept his solid black coat into maturity and is often confused for a black lab. Even our vet thought he was mostly lab. If you take time to look at him, his features are all Weimaraner, except his color and a slightly thicker chest. His coat has such a bright shine that he often looks more like a race horse than a dog when running in a field.

And let me tell you, he can run ! Zepplin is incredibly fast and quick getting up to speed, too. He isn't incredibly nimble in the turns, but his speed more than makes up for it! While Danielle was training for her half-marathon in the fall of '04, Chris would bike with Zepplin along a one mile stretch of the Richland Creek Greenway. Over the first mile, Zepplin would run so fast Chris could not actually pedal fast enough on an 18 speed bike! We've never clocked a full-out mile, but I know he's made 4:00 to 4:30 miles...And I bet he can go 3:00 - 3:30 or faster if we can ever go on a quiet day to the greenway and run full speed the whole way. (That's a mile at 20 miles an hour!)

Zep has proven himself to be the ideal dog for us since he is very athletic, well behaved, and eager to please....not to mention very loving!

Cedar Born August 22, 2004 (Like a true Galloway!)

Favorties:
Toy: Squeaky, grass-eating lamb
Treat: Beggin-Strips
Food: Peanut Butter  Hambuger juice on dog food
Place: Back porch, belly-up in the sunny spot

Cedar's true DOB, origin, and breeding are a complete mystery to us. She was found by Chris on the way back from a lunch with co-workers as she scavenged through roadside trash for food. Her ribs were plainly visible through her skin as she was severly emaciated. Chris took her in without question and we cared for her one night before leaving her with our vet technician friend and neighbor to care for over the weekend (while we went to Ohio for Caren's 50th birthday party).

When we came back and claimed Cedar, we could not believe our eyes as she was playing very enthusiastically with one of the neighbor's dogs. She had gained 3.5 pounds in 3 days! It took a few days to acclimate Cedar and Zep to each other, and to build the trust that there would be no fights and the play wouldn't be too rough.

At present, Cedar and Zepplin are the best of friends. They rarely play too rough and keep each other so busy that our lives have become easier. Cedar can't hold a candle to Zep's speed, but her cornering is far superior and she learned to cut Zepplin off at the corners. Thus, he can't get away from her as well as he'd like, and she often ends up catching him by the ankle. (At which point he promptly sits on her head!)

True to her Beagle blood, Cedar is always driven by her nose, which means if you can't find her, just open something that smells good and she'll be there soon.  She's also as stubborn as any Beagle has ever been, which really shines through when you are lazing on the couch and she starts pawing at you so she can come sit in your lap.  She will not stop.

Cedar's latest friend is Adam Ham's labrador retriever, Riley.  Adam has been very helpful to watch Cedar a few times while we were in Germany. Adam tells us that Cedar and Riley get along great.  Thanks to Adam for teaching stubborn Cedar to sit at the back door before entering the house!