Stella

We love Isis very much and it has been very hard without her around but we decided that it was time to bring another dog into our lives.  As we read about Rhodesian Ridgebacks we learned that many of the traits we loved about her were totally from the Ridgeback in her so we decided to see what we could find.  We were fortunate enough to find an amazing breeder that was only 10 miles from our house!  We had already decided that her name was going to be Stella, for some reason we think it makes a great dog name.  She was born on January 28th with four sisters and eight brothers.  We were able to visit the puppies a bunch of times over the two months before they were old enough to go to their new homes and we even got some pictures.  She came home with us on Friday, March 28, 2008.  Keep watch for more pictures as she grows up. 

Here she is, just barely a day old, how could you resist that face?

She was quite comfortable sleeping on me even at a day old, that probably won't change, even when she weighs about 70 times more!

They are born with their full ridge, Lisa loves how cute it looks on such a little puppy.

Isabela found this picture of her while sifting through all of the ones they took of the litter, she's so tiny!

Lisa sat down and they all crash landed like that, Stella is hiding in there somewhere.

Just before we left the whole gang at Isabela and Eric's.

Just after taking a nap on her new blanket.

She won't be this little for very long, she was half this size less than two weeks ago!

We thought they might be too big but she sure loves carrying them around.

Time for another nap, you can see her ridge very well here, they tell us it's quite long compared to some others.

Sporting her new collar and looking for food, it seems she can tell when we just think about feeding her!

Just like a Ridgeback she's already found the sunny spot to lay in the kitchen

She's been with us for only a week but she's already bigger, we have a feeling she'll be huge before we know it!

We have always been big fans of the "originally" small NH clothing brand Life is Good so when we had to come up with an AKC name this one seemed to fit perfectly.  Stella's official AKC (stage name as Eric calls it) is Sweet Creek's Sunny Side Up

She seemes to dislike the cold and rain, the jacket seems to help.

She's getting huge!

I think her AKC name was a great choice, it's hard to believe but she's actually sleeping!

Lisa put her bed out on the deck when we were finishing up the shed, she seemed quite comfortable

Stella will be 15 weeks old tomorrow and she's already at 30 pounds, you can tell how long she is if you remember that my pants have a 36" inseam :)

At Ridgeback Fun day Stella we got to see if she has the herding instinct that her mother does, she was a natural!

You can see what happened when one broke off from the herd, she took a hot lap to get it back in line.

She also got to try some of the agility obstacles, the see-saw didn't scare her one bit as she went up and it tipped down.

She was so wiped out from all the fun at the farm that she passed out in front of the fireplace for the rest of the night starting the minute we got home.

The weather was great for the middle of May so we went to Rattle Snake Lake for a walk, of course I had to pose with the pup.

She seems to grow enough each day that she looks different if you haven't seen her in a few hours!

Yup, sleeping.

The only furniture she is allowed on is out on the deck, she takes full advantage of it too.

We've been practicing our trail riding so she can get used to leading, this afternoon it may have been a bit too hot for both of us.

She was so tired she passed out right after we got home, when she's really run down she sleeps like this, pretty funny to watch actually.

Every once in a while we hit the yard with the camera and a pocket full of treats for some glamor shots.

This is her supermodel cover shot pose.

This is her, "it would be a good idea not to mess with me" pose.

We have a mole problem and Stella took it upon herself to solve it for us, it was a nice gesture.

She dug her hole and the trap was set, now she just had to wait... I'll spoil it, they never showed up :)

We never saw her actually catch one but they do seem to be gone for now.

"This is embarrassing, can we find me a bigger bed or what?"

This one seems to fit her a bit better, she sure loves that sun, I feel bad telling her that here in Seattle it will be gone for the next seven months.

More with the sun, you can always find her in the house by figuring out what room has sun shining in through the windows.

She's learned that she can see outside the yard from the top of the hot tub and that it warms up quick from the sun, doesn't she look all grown up?

She seems to look bigger every time I take her picture, this was only the next day!

She was so wiped out from the first day of her first show that she was all about laying on the bed in our hotel room, we paid the $30 pet fee so why not?

She just got a new backpack, it's two pieces and even has bladders for water like our Camelbacks!

It might be a little on the large side but she still has a little growing left to do.

We thought she was ready to have a proper bed in the crate she stays in during the day, this was after just 4 hours of being alone, bad dog!

I think I had just came back from a trip or something but this is the greeting I get most of the time even if I've only been gone a few minutes :)

We had just got back from a couple hours at the dog park and she was spent (out cold too), sorry the picture isn't great but my phone was the only thing handy.

Lisa caught her stealing some sun on the couch in the living room, she looks quite comfortable but knows she shouldn't be up there, she was removed after the pictures were taken :)

I never get tired of seeing this, makes me laugh every time, you can walk up and mess with her feet and she doesn't even notice!

Just after leaving the Seattle Kennel Club show, she must have wanted to check out the view from the parking garage or something.

This is how the rules get relaxed when I'm out of town, she seems more comfortable than I ever get.

I was out in the front yard working on the sprinkler system and took my knee pads off, perfect pillow I guess.

We were planting the tree in the front yard and she had to watch.

By the way she was staring and crying you would think the world was ending, hopefully she doesn't go any further than sticking her head through :)

It has been abnormally hot here in the Northwest, she likes to lay in front of the fan to stay cool

Getting hotter!

Does this thing have a higher speed?

Lisa was out of town and I had to work all night so Stella got to join me downtown at our hub facility, she seemed to dig it.

Dogs aren't allowed on the furniture in our house but apparently there is an exception for "therapy dogs".  I just got back after having surgery on my leg and she was "taking care" of me.

I wasn't shown any certification paperwork but she was quite intent on being up there.

No matter what I did, head had to be touching me, even if it was uncomfortable for both of us.

After all that therapy it was time to let off some steam!  She's blurry because she's shaking that now barely stuffed bull half to death!

Preparing to release her for the 2nd run of her Junior Courser test, she was about to show those fake bunnies who's boss!

This was the first run of the day and she had plenty of energy and focus, as the day went on her energy got used up but focus increased.

.Lisa released her for the trial runs, you can't tell at this instant this photo was taken but it was all she had to hold her back, the more she ran the more she wanted those bunnies!

You can see the release collars are all off, Stella's is in the air right above her back!

The field was littered with mole holes, luckily they were all frozen and the dogs end up running around them anyway.

The first time she practiced she was clocked on radar at 28 mph but I would guess she's running closer to 31 or 32 mph now and remember, it's over a 750 yard course!  She comes in not even breathing hard!