There's nothing like a gratuitous picture of adorable puppies to get people to visit!
Okay, maybe it's not so gratuitous (I'll stand by the adorable statement, though). Yesterday, my parents went and picked up two Miniature Schnauzers. They're seven weeks old, from the same litter (naturally), and have been named Sassy and Heidi. Sassy is the one looking at the camera.
First off you may be wondering, weren't my parents set on getting a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel? Yes, yes they were. That is, until they discovered that the going price for one Cav was around $1600. Sassy and Heidi, on the other hand, were I believe $300 apiece. Then they learned that the Miniature Schnauzers were on the whole healthier dogs than the Cavs. From there, the choice was simple.
I was fortunate enough to tag along with my parents to pick them up at the breeding kennel/farm in Bear Creek. It was a nice-sized kennel out in the middle of nowhere that serves as a sidebar and moneymaker for the owner's true animal love: exotics. Apparently this guy operates a petting zoo at the NC State Fair stocked with camels and zebra (No lions, though. They're only in Kenya.). That might be an excuse to actually go to the fair this year...
But back to the pups. They were out in a pen set up in the owner's back yard—which was their first exposure to grass. They didn't seem too frightened to leave the kennel, either. I mean, they were shaking when we started the trip back, but they relaxed after maybe five minutes and slept the majority of the trip.
The picture up at the top of the post was taken earlier today. I had followed my parents home after my semi-annual church visit (it is Easter, you know), choosing to play for the puppies for a little while rather than take a nap that I desperately needed. For this shot, they were sitting at my dad's feet and I was trying to get them both to look into the camera. I'm happier with what I did get, however.
Once I get around to getting my own space (rather than taking up more space than I need over at Photobucket.com I'll probably get some more of those photos up. Ah, just one more thing to add to the nakaithus.net concept...