Hi Catherine,

"Ayla is doing wonderfully.  She and my rescued ASD, Hoki, are quite a team.  They are the best of buddies.  She is turning in to a great LGD.  She spends all of her time with the goats now, she is happiest and less bored outside with her charges.  Getting Hoki for her was the best decision, it has worked out wonderful.  We're dealing with the heat pretty well.  It sure has been a scorcher of a summer.  Here's some pictures of her.  The last two pictures were from this past winter.  I just love the one of them sleeping in the goat shed.  Take care and stay cool."

Hi Catherine,

It's exciting to see that Beau has puppies running around!  They look so handsome.

Ayla is doing well. We completed 2 obedience classes this past winter/spring. She is doing pretty good with commands - and quite honestly, the socialization had been the most important part. Where we attended classes there are about 4 classes running at once, lending itself to many dogs and lots of distractions.  She has felt the need a couple of times to let others know who is the real boss of the group...At home, she is so gentle with the girls, changing her demeanor when hearing their voices. I am diligently trying to work on my leadership skills. [My husband]thinks she takes over as boss when he is not around. This is primarily due to how she reacts with not-quite-strangers when he is present opposed to when he is not. We have seen a difference. 

But what an amazing and interesting creature she is. Not only is this apparent to us, but to all that meet her.

I have attached some pictures, and will send more soon.

Hope you are doing well.

Susan

[Note:  Ayla is more protective of the mother and girls when the husband is away - not something unusual for an Anatolian!]

Hi Catherine,

Hi Catherine – hope all is well!  Here’s a few pictures of Rainie (not the best, but the most recent) so you can see how he is progressing… took these about a month ago so he’s a little bigger these days.  Yes, that one picture is him watching the Westminster dog show on TV, he loved it.

 Slowly but surely he is turning into a man - he’s more and more protective of his house and property and now shows his serious side more often.  Still a sweetie pie with people, but it’s interesting how he now acts towards other dogs.  Free-roaming neighborhood dogs (we have a few that get out of their pens on occasion) are buddies to play with as are dogs of our friends, but if they are leashed and walking down the street, he’s a little more wary.  Very interesting that he sees a difference.  He and Toby still are best buds, and the cats have accepted him into their world, so for all intents and purposes everyone has gelled into one cohesive family perfectly. 

 I haven’t weighed him recently, but if I were to guess probably around 85-90 lbs right now, and he’s 27 inches to the shoulder.  Very healthy, happy and alert, fur is in great shape and no signs of any problems with him.  Now that the weather is turning warmer, I’ll be taking him with Toby and I on our fishing trips to the Potomac river.  He’s going to learn to swim real soon!

 Take care, chat soon.

 Tom

Just a quick note and some pictures, Mt. Rainier is doing extremely well and has taken over “man of the house” duties.  He’s been quite protective of his turf via barking lately (more so than before), but interestingly only against dogs - people he just quietly gives the evil eye.  Even more interesting, when I take him out to visit the supposed intruding dogs, he immediately goes into play mode, so all the bluster and barking seems more about making a scene than actual concern on his part.  We’re still trying to figure out what he’s thinking, if he’s being tough or just trying to get outside to make friends.

And this weekend was a milestone for him – his first swimming lesson!  We (the lab included) have been to the river and lakes on numerous occasions, but the most he was willing to venture into the water was up to his ankles.  Well, on Saturday we went on a high-adventure fishing trip to the Potomac River and he had little choice but to learn.   After much coaxing on my part and complaining on his, he jumped in and started paddling away.  A few early misfires aside, he took right off and even out-paced the lab.  And most surprising of all?  After our day was over, he enjoyed the swimming and frolicking so much I could barely get him out of the river to go home!

Here are some pics from his adventure, and well as him standing on my 6’2” father.  He’s getting bigger every day!

Take care, talk soon.

Sorry it's been so long. Marney has been a very interesting addition 

to our family.   She ate my Blackberry phone which had your email 

stored.   She has a fondness for eating couches which is astonishing 

since she loves to lay on them.  She loves remotes and cordless phones. 

She seems to sniff them out even when they've been put out of her reach

(nothing is out of her reach!). If her teeth come in contact with paper

towels or a box of tissues, their shredded in a matter of seconds.

She's a thief, stealing socks, shoes etc even when your watching her

closely.

Did I mention how incredibly sweet and loveable she can be?

Just look at her!!!

More pictures to follow.

Wanda

See video below of Marney!

Update on Elwood, a Duke and Sally 2009 puppy:

Hello!

I've been thinking about you, wanted to send pictures and a very sincere thank you! Elwood is absolutely wonderful. He couldn't be any closer to the breed standard. He is just like everything I read when studying up and choosing Anatolian. The only difference I have found is that he is not difficult to train, as some of the literature describes due to their intelligence! Sometimes I feel like he is training me!  (he was politely shaking before I even knew how to teach him to) The trainer met with him at 6 months, he said he had never seen a calmer more attentive dog at that age. This trainer trains bomb sniffing dogs for state agencies as well as assistance dogs for individuals, so he has seen  many dogs!  After one time of him telling Elwood to lay down, El has done it ever since without fail! My whole family loves him. He is wonderful with my young nieces. He has even won over my stepfather who, prior to Elwood, did not like dogs in the house. Elwood sleeps on my stepdads side of the bed in the floor, and has since he was a puppy. My mom and stepdad 'babysit' every third day when I am at the fire station.

This may be more information than you were looking for, but I could go on about this big guy for hours. I absolutely love this dog! I can't imagine not having him and miss him terribly when I'm at work. But he makes up for that when he is so excited to see his momma when I come to pick him up (I am sure its excitement to see me, not just the ride home in my truck that gets him all worked up ha)

To sum up, I am so very thankful to you for breeding nothing but the best of Anatolians!

At 8 months: 119 lbs
                    About 28 inches tall
Will send pictures.

Thanks again,
Lisa

7-9-10