While walking Darwin one day a few weeks ago near the local hospital, I was stopped by a doctor who told me he ordered a brown standard poodle from the same breeder in Toronto where we got Darwin! That is really amazing, since we live in South Florida. It turns out that the doctor’s dog, Mickey, is Darwin’s nephew. Mickey’s mother is Darwin’s sister from an earlier litter of the same parents. The size contrast here is shocking! Little Mickey felt a bit intimidated by his horse-sized uncle.
Darwin photos from the last few days . . .
Darwin has a new neighbor, Joey, part Labrador
Uh-oh. Someone bit through the basketball.
Try to relax!
Our puppy is HUGE. Essentially every person we pass on a walk with the dog stops us and asks us a lot of questions. We’ve caused near accidents, as drivers’ cannot stop looking at him. His front paw pads are 3 inches X 3 inches, rather like a small bear! To put it all into perspective, here are Now and Then photos. WOW! Needless to say, we adore him!
Now at at 9.5 months
Then at age 7 weeks
You’ve got to watch this awesome video on NPR showing the birth of a monarch butterfly!
Check out this cute book I reviewed for LA Parent. It is for little kids who love to help their parents in the kitchen.
Look what we found in our back yard, perched atop the pole that holds our basketball hoop. Our best guess is that this is an Eastern Screech Owl. He watched me closely as I approached with my camera, and didn’t seem to mind the flashes.
They like to explore towns, woods, swamps and cemeteries. Screech owls are named for their sound, a screech that drastically changes in pitch. They nest in boxes and hollowed-out trees and eat invertebrates, small mammals like rabbits and rodents, small birds and even reptiles.
My daughter, Rachel and friend, Ben decided to design, build and paint their own bird house, complete with a swmming pool, before leaving for college. I think you’ll be impressed with this house. I’ll be securing it in the tree eagerly awaiting to see who moves in!
