This is the Shep's first day in with the sheep. The sheep shoved him over just one time and he got the message. After that they were all easy going with each other. Shep laid right down and relaxed in the middle of all the activity. The sheep totally ignored him and everyone seemed very happy - most of all us! See how he is growing.

Zuke

I hope this finds you well and having a wonderful summer! We're doing great, although we've had a bit of a heatwave the last few days...thankfully, it cooled down today. Zuke doesn't much care for the heat, and I can't blame him one bit! He's a house dog, but he enjoys laying under the tree in the backyard and making sure everything is alright in the neighborhood...but with this heat, he had no desire to stand guard.

Anyway, Zuke is getting more beautiful every day...so I thought I would send you a few more pictures. You can see his personality in a few of them, particularly the bathtub picture...it's his favorite place to hang out, probably because it's nice and cool in there with the AC running!

I finally registered him with the AKC (I'm such a procrastinator). His official name is Noni's Eder Azukre. Noni is my daughter, Chloe's, nickname and Eder Azukre means "beautiful sugar" in Basque. Maybe one day we'll come back and get him a pal, but before I do that, I'll certainly have to get another car. I have a Saturn wagon, and he takes up nearly the entire backseat...he loves to go for rides out in the country, and as gross as it sounds, he particularly loves it when we drive by a feed-lot, I guess there are just so many smells for his sniffer (even if they're gross smells haha!). I just don't think it would be fair to try to shove two of them in the back, so we'll give it some time :)

You guys take care and enjoy the rest of your summer. Thank you for our Zuke and may the Lord continue to bless you and all that you do! ***

I FINALLY got a scanner that works properly so I thought I would send you some pictures of our wonderful Zuke! (We're the ones who came from Nebraska to get him in December).

The first picture is the very first one I took of him when we brought him home (he seems so small there); and the first picture below is the one we used for our Christmas card (didn't it turn out wonderfully well?); The next one is Zuke just sitting so nicely...he learned the "sit" command almost immediately. He is SO smart, a little stubborn, but he doesn't test me so much anymore (maybe just ever OTHER day haha). The above right picture is of my daughter, C., with Zuke...he's already grown SO much since it was taken, but you can see that he's already pretty big in that picture, sometimes he still thinks he's a small guy and tries to sit on our laps!

We love him so much, we couldn't ask for a better dog. He's very friendly when we invite people into our house and loves attention from our friends who come over (well, maybe for about five minutes, then he's off to his favorite spot to observe), but I am so glad that he barks when the mail man comes to the door, and this evening when I had him on a lead out in our front yard, a car pulled up next to the alley and a girl got out, walked across the street and sat down. Zuke proceeded to posture and bark at her...she just sat there in the dark, but he kept up the barking, so she walked down about 10 feet and sat down again. He quit barking then, but he layed down and watched her the whole time until someone came back to get her. Needless to say, I wasn't about to go back into the house, I wanted to see what they were up to, but I felt safe with my big white dog. I think he just wanted the girl to know that he didn't like her there, but I'm confident that if she had walked toward us instead of looking at us and walking off, that he would have been happy to see her...but no one needs to know that...he makes me feel safe!

Anyway, enough of all that...I just wanted you guys to know that Zuke is happy and healthy and growing big and strong. Our vet loves him and the groomer in town just ADORES him and I haven't taken him for a walk yet and not had someone comment on how beautiful he is, everyone asks what kind of dog he is...we take him everywhere with us, he knows what "let's go bye-bye" means, and even though he's only 6 months old, he's well behaved when we stay at Holiday Inn Express hotels (they let you bring your dog) and never ever messes inside. He's already the best dog I've ever had!

I hope your Easter was wonderful and that the joy of the risen Lord fills your lives this year and the years to come!

Thank you for our Zuke!

Katah and Flossie

Katah and Flossie have bonded beautifully with our Katahdin flock. They romp with the 34lambs and are respectfull of the 18 ewes. Their fierce barking awoke me at 2:30 A.M. one night last week. Upon investigating I hear coyotes yelping about 100 yards south of the barn. When I entered the barn they paid me no attention but continued their barking barage! I closed up the barn and rewarded them with a milk bone. Walk A Mile farm.

Sacha

Hi Bob and Sarah...I thought you might like to see how Sacha is growing. She is very near 80 pounds now and is learning her guarding duties well. We had her spayed two weeks ago and she did well with it. She has a lot of energy and boy can she run fast. Fortunatly, she has never challenged the fence or even tried to take off on us, as I know I would not be able to catch her. It has been so much fun watching her grow and learn. I hope all is well on the farm. Take care.

I thought you would like to see Sacha at 3 months. Isn't she a beauty? She is growing so fast and is doing really well, although she doesn't really care for this hot weather very much. She had another series of vaccinations today and she weighed in at 38 lbs. She has introduced herself to the underground fence a couple of times, but she is really good about staying close to the house. We are enjoying her so very much.

Sarah & Bob,

Our little girl is growing fast and learning fast too. She is going up and down steps, (our main living quarters is on the second level) which is good as she was getting pretty heavy for me to carry her. She sits quite well on command, does come and sit on the leash and is walking quite well around our boundaries. We have to keep telling ourselves that she is just a puppy and needs her rest. She is fairly calm around us but gets pretty excited about company. Everything goes into the mouth and sometimes I think she must wonder if her name is NO, NO!! Her nose continues to fill in and she is eating her food well. We are very happy with the progress she is making. It is such fun sitting on the grass with her at dusk, as she listens to the sounds of the night. She is very alert to what she hears. She passed her vet appt. with flying colors and they told her she had big paws to fill. They all loved Rajah, our previous Pyr, and they will love her too. We had her microchipped too. We are so happy with her and she is quite attached to us already. She is beautiful.

Take care and God bless.

Eddie

I saw you had puppies on your web site! Well, "Eddie" is absolutely the most wonderful addition to our family. He is full of personally and has been an absolute joy to watch grow up this past year. He is a whopping 105 lbs right now and is starting to fill out--he's becoming a big boy. "Eddie" is the attraction of the neighborhood. He is a beautiful dog. But, I'm thinking I would like to maybe add a female to the pack?! Do you still have a female available and what is the cost? I'm in the thinking stage but very seriously thinking! I've looked at the video and have fallen in love! P.S. I've added a photo of "Eddie" so you can see what a beautiful dog he has grown into!

Josie

Hello! We purchased a great Pyr from you last spring to watch over our chickens. I recently purchased a digital camera, and I am finally able to send you some pictures of our Josie. She is a really great dog. Amazingly gentle with our children and a great protector of our family. Its really amazing how she puts herself between us and perceived danger. I could not have asked for a better dog. She is really the sweetest and most gentle dog. Thank you for entrusting her into our care. She is truly part of our family. Here are some pictures of our Josie.....

Contessa

Contessa at seven months.

DUTCHES

Okay here she is!!!! Almost 5 months old and at least 50-52 lbs. She is really great.

TEDDY

Teddy our wonderful puppy is doing fantastic. I have never seen a dog grow so fast. Having raised Maremma's I thought I'd seen large breed puppies grow quickly, but Teddy tops the growth charts. We absolutely love him to pieces. He greats along famously with our other Pyr female and loves to horse around with our chocolate Lab. He has been checking out all the pens with the goats in them now that his has gotten big enough to look eye to eye with them. They have accepted him also. Hope the winter hasn't been too hard on you, I know I've had enough of it already. I'll send you an updated picture very shortly.

TOULOUSE

We got our baby Toulouse in May and here are some pictures of how much he's grown. He is such a blessing and joy to be around and is so sweet! When we got him he was about 18 pounds and now he's grown to 44.5 he's very active and loves going for car rides and going to the park. We love him so much and are so thankful that we got such a blessing! Thanks so much and we'll be sure to send you more pictures as he grows!

SUGAR BABY

I just thought I would let you know how Sugar is doing. She has been very timid about new settings or noises. We have been taking her places, and she is very shy toward other people. We changed her name a bit from what I told you (Brown Sugar) to Cross Road Acres Sugar Baby, and it is official with AKC. Sugar has adapted well to her new family, especially my Son and the other animals. We are keeping her in our garage/house until she is bonded to us. Her favorite place to nap is behind the loveseat near the foyer stairs. She will go out to the barn part of the time this week. Sugar loves to play in the house with my Son and our Cairn Terrier. We are very happy to have her, and would love to breed when she is around three. I'll be back next year for a male from another litter (hopefully in June again) that will make a nice partner for Sugar. We love the badger markings, and would like to have one that looks just like Sugar. I'll send more photos later.

KUMA

Look at this picture and see why I am love struck. This is Kuma which means little bear in Eskimo at 12 weeks old. She is a great Pyrenees and a companion protector for my little people in our Mountain lion rich area of colorado foothills. Last March Chaco was attacked by lion on my front porch. Kuma will be about 120# and is from sheep guarding parents.

ARIELLE

Hi Sarah and Bob,
We finally bought that digital camera I always said I would. Here are some photos of Arielle at 5 to 5 1/2 months. She's doing great with two exceptions, we've been fighting a rather stubborn ear infection and we're having a digging problem. Boy oh boy can she ever move some dirt!

Looking into a Great Pyrenees club up in Mukwonago, about 50 miles from the house. Looking down the road two years for a "boyfriend" for Arielle.

Thought you'd like to see some Thanksgiving photos of Arielle now that she's had her first birthday. Can't thank you or God enough for her. She's a part of the family; as you can see she's "one of the girls." I guess that means I have 4 daughters now (ha-ha).

March 04 - Checked out the new web site, looks really good! Arielle is definitely one of the family and a talker. Can't imagine life without her nor want to remember it that way.

HOOVER

Hi Sarah, Greetings from Grand Forks, N. D. I don't know if you remember us but we bought little Hoover one year ago in November. At the time you had told me you don't sell show dogs--you sell pets. Well Hoover, (the pup with the spot on his back that you had named Spot) is a fine pet indeed. As a matter of fact, we are so proud of him, we entered him in the "Circle of Friends 1st Annual North-Minster Pet Expo" held today in Grand Forks. They handed out trophies in various categories and we were a little saddened that Hoover hadn't won anything. Then they announced the Grand Prize winner for Best in Show and $500 worth of merchandise and guess who won-----HOOVER! We were just SO thrilled and proud of him! My daughter who is 14 entered him in the show and she was speechless. She was interviewed by the local television station and will be on the news tonight. She was also interviewed by the local newspaper and there will be an article in tomorrows paper with a picture of her, Hoover and the beautiful trophy he won (which we will be sure to send you a copy of). Many people wanted to know what kind of dog he was and where we got him so we got a few plugs in for you. Just wanted to update you on one of your pups who 'made it big'. Sincerely, our family and of course, Hoover.

Hi Bob & Sarah. Just wanted to let you know that Hoover (male pup from the Sept. 24th litter that went to North Dakota ) is doing great. He's the smartest dog we have ever had! He can learn a command in a matter of minutes, (he started at 6 weeks and knows quite a few now). He was practically housebroken the first few days we had him and has never made a boo boo in his kennel. When we took him to the vet, he promptly extended his paw to 'shake' with her and has completely won her over! He has made a few trips to the elementary and middle schools here and is expected in Literature class at Schroeder Middle School next Tuesday at 9:30. Everybody is in love with 'the big guy Hoover'. We're going to make a video of Hoover and send it to you so you can see all his tricks and how he does in Literature class. Thanks so much for this wonderful pup.

CHERY

Sarah - I thought I would send you an update on Chery!

Chery is two years old now and has become a seamless part of our family. In fact, I walked in on her snuggling with our cat, Paddington. She just had her booster shots at the vet and weighs 85 pounds after blowing her undercoat. We enjoy walks and leisurely hikes. While she does well with our little dog, she recently began having "play dates" with another Great Pyrenees in town. It was great to see her playing with another dog her size! It was completely different then the reserved way she plays with Sera. Chery is happy, healthy, and does a wonderful job of guarding me on the trail and while camping (we have encountered a few people of concern). I continue to be amazed at the way Chery is able to evaluate whether a person is a friend or foe, I feel a lot safer on the trail with her by my side. We look forward to many more years of adventure together.

Just wanted to let you know that we are having a lot of fun with Chery! When we brought her home at 6 wks old she was 15.5lbs. Last week at the vet (11wks) she hit 25lbs, she is growing very fast! In fact, like corn, every morning Chery is visibly taller. Her personality is absolutely wonderful, she is very gentle, smart and a pleasure to have in the house. Our doctor recommended that we keep our activities in our own yard until her final set of vaccinations (lots of dogs not vaccinated in our city), so we are looking forward to hitting the trails at the end of the month. Thank you so much, she is an awesome addition to our family! Her name will be officially "Cherubim Blossom", if the AKC accepts that name.

SYDNEY

I had called you thinking our dog had been poisoned and was loosing her hair as a result. Well, you were right turns out she was just shedding. After a trip to the groomers she came back about 10 pounds lighter and a lot whiter!! Thanks for sticking with me on the call.

Dear Sarah and Bob, We thought we would update you on our puppy, Sydney. We are all enjoying her and her silly personality. Even my daughter's dad is crazy about Sydney. Sydney likes her giant doghouse in the backyard. She can open the gate now and when we put a locking pin in it she undid that. She can open the latch on the door and get in the kitchen by herself if I forget to lock it. Someday I expect to come in to the kitchen and she will be making a sandwich. The funniest thing about Sydney is that she will do anything for a piece of cheese. She can sit, lay. get to her kennel and shake a paw all for a piece of cheese. Thank you so much for our puppy! This is the easiest dog to train I have ever had. Thank you again and God bless you and your family (which includes the dogs)

FALKOR, SUGARBEAR, BADGER

Hi. Just wanted to send you a picture of myself and "the boys". From left to right are: Falkor, Sugarbear and Badger. The red ear in the back is our collie/retriever mix, Jake. The boys are just the greatest. Of course, everyone (our vet included) thinks we're crazy for taking on three big dogs, but we have the room and we certainly have the love to give. They have certainly been a blessing. I am looking forward to seeing pictures of your newest litter. I hope everything is going good for you.

HEIDI

Hello. I wanted to send you a photo of Heidi in action. Heidi is a wonderful livestock guardian dog - she currently has 16 alpacas under her watchful eye. Here's our farm's web page: Alpaca Planet

MCKINLEY BEAR, TUNDRA

Just a quick update on the male Pyr we "adopted" from you several months ago. He is fitting into the family and neighborhood extremely well..............and very quick to learn. Our local Vet states he is extremely healthy. Since my goal is to utilize him as a "Therapy Pet", he is being exposed to lots of children and adults on a daily basis. He is extremely appreciative of affection and we love his overall demeanor.

Since his parents where Molly and Barron, and your website now shows a new litter expected from Boomer and Ginger, I was hoping for feedback re: a female pup. Depending on the Bloodlines, and of course, your policy about breeding; are Molly and Barron unrelated to Boomer and Ginger enough, to safely consider our Pup....(.He has been AKC registered as McKinley, but the neighborhood kids have taken to calling him "Bear" therefore, his unofficial name is Bear) and a female Pyr from Boomer and Ginger as a breeding pair? I will not be selling Pyr puppies, but training them and keeping them as a family as part of our Therapy Pet plan at my clinic.

If your waiting list is full and/or you believe breeding these offspring would be ill advised, I would value your feedback. Thank you again for allowing "Bear" into out family and neighborhood......he is, by far, the neighborhood favorite......Sincerely, DB, MN

NOTE: See the fancinating story of how Great Pyrenees dogs like McKinley Bear and Tundra are being used as therapy pets at Itasca Psychriatric Clinic.

AMOS

Greetings from Ohio. I've been meaning to drop you a line now for a few weeks. We are so in love with this dog. He is so amazing. At 4 months now he's about 40+ pounds. He's a little puppy in this big dog disguise. He just loves his sheep, at first they weren't sure about him. But he's been in with them 24,7 for about 3 weeks now and they're all best buddies. We haven't had any lambs yet but they are due very soon. Hope things are well for you all...

Just a quick note to show you how handsome Amos has become. He is also the father of 9 puppies born Sept. 28th, 7 girls and 2 boys. Amos has settled down, getting Joy (our female) has really helped. Now that we have puppies he misses her terribly.

Your website is looking great. Your poodle is pretty cute as well. Hope this email finds you both healthy and happy. Spring is just around the corner here and we can't wait. The lambs are due soon, and the ewe's are bagging up. I can't wait. Just thought I'd let you know I didn't end up getting a pup from Missouri, we found one a little closer in KY. She's a beautiful pup and everyone loves her. I'm enclosing a picture taken yesterday of all the gang and myself. These are hard to get. Amos just loves her, well of course he does she's a girl, and he knows it. He plays so gentle with her. We named her Dancer.

MAYA

Hi. We got one of the girls back in mid november. Her name is Maya. She is the greatest. She is 47 lbs now. Her life here is full of fun. She is loved by everyone. She has learned how to heel. She learns fast. We would like to know if you have a male from the last litter? Let me know.

TESS

I finally got my camera working again so I just took some pics of Tess with her new friends. She is getting along with the ewes just fine. She got butted a couple times, so she is learning to stay away from those ewes. I keep adding 3 more sheep to her flock every week. I LOVE THIS DOG. She has become my best friend. Thank you so much and God bless you guys.

Tess and best friend Angel Soft - Wisconsin

Hi Sarah and Bob
Just thought I drop you a note just to tell you we still love our Tess and think she is worth her weight in gold. It's so cute she has taken to grooming the ewes, they line up to have there ears cleaned and eyes washed by Tess every morning. She is the BEST. Thanks again.

SUNNY

"Sunny" is doing very well - growing so fast! We sure love him and we enjoy his puppy antics, though challenging at times. We're waiting for the snow because he loves to play in it. We had some but it has melted. He is a fast learner and he is house broken already. Have a merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Sunny at 9 weeks. - Michigan

HUNTER

We will be expecting our first baby in March and I know Hunter will be very good around it. He has just discovered his watchdog voice too, which is very menacing - just what I want. My husband works a lot of nights and I like having Hunter here - it makes me feel more secure. We are excited to get our new female from you also. I believe I have finally found "my Breed of Dog". Thanks so very much.

Hello Sarah - Thought I would send pictures of our baby girl with Hunter and Hannah. Hunter is the most gentle, loveable and big baby of dog I have ever seen. He loves people and attention and is very good with the baby. He is also an awesome watch dog. He keeps his yard well patrolled! If any stranger comes he is good at alerting me. Hannah will be one year old tomorrow. She is so sweet. She is a little shy, especially with strangers. She her few favorite people from our families she will go to, otherwise she is more wary of people than Hunter. She is very attached to me and the baby. She follows me everywhere and sticks to me like glue. She is very mellow and quiet, until she hears a noise, then she is the first one to bark. That is remarkable because my dog Nanook has always been the first. So Hannah is an excellent watch dog. I have no doubt that she would guard me with her life. Her love is deep. Hope all is well with you and your family and all of your animals.

BOOTES

We got Bootes from you last April - May ('99). Bootes is pictured with our daughter, Lyndy. He loves her, and is very good with her and with other kids. Bootes is very spoiled and loves to play. He is a house dog and has been since day one. He was house broken with in the first month and never has accidents. He is getting big. Everyone who meets him, just adores him. We are excited to have Lyndy grow up and have him for her buddy.

Here is another picture of Bootes. I think it is funny cause all of the pictures we have sent have him on the bed. He does not sleep with us but will try to sneak a rest on there every time he can and he is so cute we can not resist. He is joined in this picture by his sisters Lyndy and Belle the new puppy. We got her on Easter weekend. He absolutely loves them both. We do not have a dull moment in our house these days.

INDIA

Hi Sarah, I thought you might enjoy a few photos of India, at ten months old with some of her alpaca charges. She is such a wonderful dog. And is turning into a great Livestock guard dog too. When the alpacas in the picture were babies, she had to go in each morning and give them a kiss on the nose, much to the babies chagrin.

She is growing well, maybe too well, as she is about 100 lbs now, even though I keep a strict watch on her food intake. The vet thinks she is doing great. I really have enjoyed watching her develop into the sweet animal that she is.

SUGAR BEAR

We can't believe where the days have disappeared. We've been so busy loving our Sugar Bear and Smokey Bear!! They play together all of the time and they are a smile a minute. Sugar Bear is now 33 lbs and is indeed becoming a gentle giant. Peter can't believe how much she has grown; he comes every week to play with her. She is close to being potty trained, although we haven't quite the corner spot locked in yet. Smokey Bear is giving our older Sebastian a run for his money but Sebastian has had a thing or two to say about these new additions.

KOBE

Here is a picture of Kobe (the pup from your November 24 litter) with Josh and Ripley, the Sheltie. Kobe is doing wonderful. He seems to grow every day and has a wonderful personality. What a joy he is to have in the home. Again, thank you for raising such wonderful litters. They are truly a blessing to the families they join.

TANK

TANK is doing great! We went to vet for his next shot. He weighed in at 35 pounds and the doc was very pleased. As we wrote before, he is a big hit at the nursing home, now at 7 visits. He has also gone to an adult day care center and the private homes of shut-ins. He has even been featured on a local TV station. When he is at home he is a typical 3 month old, but once he enters their door his whole demeanor changes. His head lifts, he prances and with great dignity goes from patient to patient waging his tale and letting each pet him as long as they wish. He then saunters to the next waiting hand. Trevor and he are quite a hit, they have no limits on time or length or number of visits, visits are now running 2 hours long, at the group homes.

NOTE: Feb/2004 - Trevor was in Nursing School, but has since transfered to Pre-Med to prepare for a career as a doctor. Did Tank help Trevor make his career choice? We would like to think so.

POLAR

Hi Bob and Sarah,
Just a little note to let you know how Polar, from Indiana is doing, 11 months old. She's beautiful, well behaved and truly a gentle giant. Over the past summer, I wanted to make sure that as she grew, I'd be able to handle her so she has completed three very basic classes, including a puppy class, public class and another sub-novice obedience class. She has been very very easy to train, always wanting to please. Currently, we are in the middle of a class to receive a certification for therapy dog or visiting dog. At the completion, we will visit nursing homes, hospitals, rehab centers, etc. She's amazing.

I was unable to attend one of the obedience classes so I sent her with my daughter, who had not attended with her. She came home and said, "Gosh mom, she's the smartest one in the class and she's so calm." That she is, calm and in control, but when it's time to play, she puts her heart in it.

She's a tail wagger, and loves people. The unusual part is that we have never heard her bark. Not complaining but...she's definitely the best. Looks just like the picture of her mother.

Only crisis that we have had with her was having her neutered earlier this summer. Did ok but three weeks later she became very ill with extreme diarrhea during the night. Before I could get her to the vet in the morning, she couldn't walk because of the extreme dehydration. The vet, I'm sure, didn't think she was going to make it. Did xrays and tests thinking that the bowel had telescoped but saw nothing so they did emergency surgery anyway. Discovered that adhesions from the neutering had somehow grown around the bowel shutting off the blood supply. Adhesions released, home the next day and she bounced back quickly.

House breaking was fairly easy too, not too many accidents. Only one time did I have bad thoughts about her. I wanted her to go out before I went to work and it was storming, rain and lightening. She went out but when I went to call her in she sat in the middle of the back yard and just looked at me. Pouring down rain, she looked like a drowned something and she was loving it. Fortunately she gave up and I didn't have to 'weather the weather'. She is truely a joy.

Just wanted to let you know that we appreciate having had the opportunity of being proud owners of one of your pyr puppies. God Bless you.

Just sending an up to date picture of Polar from Indiana. She is now officially a certified therapy dog. Has visited a hospital and children's home and loves all the attention that she is getting. In some way, I feel she will bring joy to the people that she meets, if only to brighten their lives during the time of our visits.

End of main content.