It took a lot of work to get this shot, but I'm thrilled with the result! Isn't he a pretty boy?

I've had the great benefit of having a lot of good, sweet dogs, but Wasabi really takes the cake when it comes to being the ultimate kid dog. He LOVES children and puts up with just about anything, as my niece will happily attest to.

Climbing the dune is hard work! Our family is a little nuts, and this is what we choose to do every year for Thanksgiving.

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Here is Wasabi during a recent camping trip to Sand Mountain. Can you say desert cammo?

Here's my little guy at five months old. I was worried about his growth (he was 95 lbs. at 5 months) so I followed JP's & Jennifer's advice and started cutting his food with senior. Now at 6 mos he weighs 107, which means that he's only gained 12 lbs. in the last month. Yeah!

Being from Minnesota, I expected Wasabi to love the snow...boy was I wrong! It took nearly five minutes before he would even step off the patio, and even then it was almost impossible to get him far enough away from me to even take a picture. While Willow and Wally romped around, Wasabi huddled miserably by the door, waiting for me to take him back in. As winter progresses and we have snow all of the time, we'll just have to see if he gets used to it.

Jennifer asked me to try to get a couple of stacked shots of Wasabi, and here's the results of my efforts. As you can probably tell, he's really used to standing with his back feet well up under his body, and trying to set them back anywhere near vertical was a comedy in puppy balance.
The big news, however, is that he passed his Canine Good Citizen test on Saturday, September 27th at barely four-months-old! We're so proud we could almost pop! The evaluator wants me to retest him again when he's grown, but for now, he's officially certified! He now weighs 78 pounds, and is about 25" at the shoulder.

After being alone together for the weekend while Willow was away at a show, Wally finally decided that it was a good thing to have Wasabi around - provided there is a good ear cleaning in the deal!

Water baby strikes again!

After bathing Willow in preparation for a weekend of shows, Wasabi clambered into the tub and begged for it to be his turn next. This nutjob sticks his head under the running faucet, chases the sprayer, and thoroughly loves the entire experience. The poor baby was disappointed today, though, because the mud puppy had necessitated a bath just a few days before, and I was in a hurry.

Real dogs don't bother with silly water bowls - they go right to the source!

Here's Wasabi learning how to "drink like a big dog" from sister Willow.

Now at nearly sixty pounds, Wasabi takes his sleep almost as seriously as he takes his food.

He has been joining the back for mountain hikes, and is getting much more savy about how to behave.

A new obedience class has finally begun in our area, so Wasabi will start school on Tuesday.

Whiteshadow's Highland Seilach (Willow)

As a teenager, Willow was a little timid around new people,

but with a role model like Wally, this was quickly resolved.

Even a princess can act like a total goon sometimes...

Here's Wasabi as an infant with some of his littersmates

getting his first bath from breeder Jennifer Burns

Havin' fun with mother Amour

Now in Nevada, Wasabi enjoys play time with new sister Willow

Little boys love to play in the mud!

Wasabi is willing to share his pool, which is a very good thing since Willow is the ultimate "water baby."

It took Wally a while to adjust to the idea of a new brother, but he has finally accepted him.

Wild Wasabi loves adventures beyond the backyard...

but still enjoys inside romps, too!