Tigress / Patron 7-18-10

From Tigress and Patron 7/18/2010: "Elke"

Just wanted you both to know that Elke is doing great. She rode back home to NC for 4 hrs in the car with hardly a whimper and got out at the Cracker Barrels along the interstate to pee and poop. She spent time in both her car crate and on our laps during the ride back home. She seems to enjoy car rides, even all the curvy roads between Knoxville and Asheville. She is super alert and enjoys looking out the car window.

I think she is going to be a daddy's girl! She does love being with both of us, though, and is following us around the house, or sleeping at our feet most of the time. We let her get in bed with us this morning and she LOVED that!!!! She has been exploring our yard and woods, even saw a golf cart on her morning walk....didn't know what to think about that funny looking thing! She was a bit restless last night in her crate - cried a lot - but finally settled down. She has a good set of vocal cords and is very theatrical in her fit throwing. Saturday was quite a big day for her and today she is sleepy. She does seems to be settling into our lifestyle and house perfectly. She has already been out for another car ride and went to Starbucks for Sunday morning breakfast. She is doing well with our cats (and they are tolerating her fairly well) and will be meeting Rudy in the next few hrs. when we pick him up from the boarding kennel.

We are absolutely delighted with Elke! We picked the right girl, without a doubt. We are so appreciative of all the pet starter goodies and everything you all did in helping us pick out a pup. You guys are a class act and we will highly recommend you in the future and definitely come back for another pup whenever we say goodbye to our beloved Rudy.

I'll be sending you some Elke pictures in a few days and will keep you posted on how we're getting along.
Have a good Labor Day and thanks again!

Tanya and David A
Weaverville, NC

Update 9-6-10

Well our little spitfire is doing well. She is getting along great with Rudy and mostly with the cats. She is eating, pooping/peeing outside - only one accident in the house. She loves her toys and is doing better in her crate. I think we have worn her out a little bit, as she slept better last night in the crate. We love her dearly! More pictures to follow in the days ahead.

Tanya and David

Update 10-20-10

Hi Guys!

Thought you might like some new Elke pictures. Here she is on the deck, weighing close to 20 lbs now, and showing her feisty side these days! She is sure keeping Rudy on his toes, but he loves her! She had her first puppy class Saturday and was the smartest dog there. Hope all is well with all of you and the dogs! Tanya and David

Update 12-21-10

Here are some pictures of Elke playing on our deck in the snow. These were taken 3 wks. ago.

As you can see Elke is growing up quickly and really giving Rudy a run for his money. They are getting along great and love running and romping together. She has completed her puppy obedience class and will graduate tonight from her Basic Manners class. We plan to continue enrolling her in obedience classes and hope to put a CGC title on her eventually.

She is a spunky, alpha girl, full of confidence, independent, and can be very ornery at times. She is also awfully damn cute and gets away with things because of it! She is finally leaving the cats alone most of time, except when they run and then she gives chase, but does them no harm. She is a little bit barky and jumpy, and will growl toward strangers and joggers we encounter on walks, but we're working with our trainer on correcting that behavior. Overall, she seems to enjoy people with whom she regularly interacts or who approach her in a friendly way. She gets along fairly well with other dogs, too. We are incredibly pleased with her personality and love her dearly!

We hope you and the Sequoyah dogs are all doing well and ready for holidays.

Take care and have a Merry Christmas!

David and Tanya

Update 1-10-11

Hi Sherle!

Yes, little Elke is fabulous! We love her dearly and she is spoiled rotten. She now weighs 48 lbs and moves like a little tractor on a leash. We're working on those loose leash manners, but have a way to go! She has learned "sit," "down," "go to your place," a good "recall," and performs a great trick ( she weaves between my legs, spins around and sits for a treat..very cute). Her basic Manners # 3 class begins in February. We may also enroll her in a basic tracking class. She loves following her nose on walks.

Elke is settling into a being a wonderful dog and is strikingly beautiful, with a lot of Tigress's coloring, but streaks of Patron's blackish/gray fur. She loves romping with Rudy and he enjoys it, too, up to a point, then I have to intervene and break up the party! She and the cat are doing fine, too.

Rudy was actually quite a handful until he was about 4 yrs old, so we're prepared for a few years of typical shepherd puppy development. She is a smart little girl, very watchful, and doesn't miss a thing going on around her. She is doing much better about not barking at people (mainly joggers) when out on a walk and I think she'll outgrow this behavior entirely. Rudy did this also as a pup, so we're not worried about her being aggressive. We took Elke to my mother's house for Christmas, where there were lots of people, plus 3 small kids and 2 other dogs......, and she did just fine in this distracting and stressful environment...she did better than David!!! Ha, Ha!

She is everything we could have hoped for in a dog. We'll keep you posted on her progress and send more pictures soon.

We are getting slammed with the latest blizzard, too. I thought we lived in the South!

Thanks for keeping in touch and Happy New Year!

Tanya and David

Update 7-18-11

We thought you might enjoy some pictures of Elke on her 1st birthday (see below). Elke is doing great at age 1, weighing 60 lbs. and full of boundless energy.

She is playful, confident, spirited, too smart, and definitely an alpha female. You can also see from the pictures what a beautiful girl she is. She certainly keeps us and Rudy, our nine-year old shepherd, on our toes. She acts like a teenage groupie at a Justin Beeber concert whenever she is around Rudy. Boy, can she wiggle her butt! He thinks of her as that lovable, but annoying little sister, but is very protective of her. What fun we have watching them play and interact!

We continue to progress with obedience classes. She gets along well with people, the cat (as long as the cat doesn't run!), and other dogs. She is a perfect angel in the car and behaves herself whenever we go to Starbuck's, or some cafe where we eat outside and the dogs can join us. While she may not be laid back enough to be a therapy dog like Rudy, that is fine with us. We may take some agility and/or tracking classes with her, which would probably suit her personality a little better. We couldn't be happier with Elke and what a fine dog she is turning out to be!

We hope all is well with you. We often check out your website and always enjoy reading the news and seeing pictures of all those wonderful Sequoyah shepherds.

Take care and be well,
Tanya and David A

Update 5-23-12

Elke is doing great and we love her dearly. She has gotten out of the worst part of puppyhood, during which she was a bit reactive with bicycles, cars, scooters, and other dogs, but we were patient and now she is settling down very well. She still drives our ol'boy (Rudy) a bit crazy, but he is very tolerant and we think she has been good for him.

Obediences classes helped a lot and we also took some tracking classes, which she enjoyed immensely. She weighs 67 pounds and is solid as a rock. She frequently T-bones Prince and knocks him flat and is much faster than he is. We take her everywhere - downtown Asheville, Starbucks, outdoor cafes, hiking, doggie daycare, etc. and she has no problems interacting with other dogs or people in all types of settings. Elke has also become great buddies with our cat and they play together well.

We couldn't be happier with our Sequoyah pup! Hope all is well with you guys in Soddy Daisy. We check out your website every now and then and it's always great to see the news and pictures of pups!

Tanya and David

From Tigress and Patron 7/18/2010: "Cody"

Greetings from Florida from Cody....

The beach is fantastic. I love to run 200 yard sprints up and down the breaking wave line and bark at the larger waves. People seem friendly, but I prefer to ignore them. Dr B tries to call me once in a while, but I ignore him at the beach.

My job at the office is a cake-walk: smile at patients during the day and bark at the doorbell at night. Dr B trains me every day so I heel, come, etc well at home.

I miss everyone and send my regards