Meet our newest mascot, Vasco Valentino, all the way from Prague!
Vasco (born 10/29/2020) is a Bernese Mountain Dog puppy, to the core. Energetic, playful, sometimes flat-out annoying, but cute as hell. Our breeder from the Czech Republic named him, as he was part of her V litter. At first I didn't know what to think of the name (and we had the right to change it) until I looked it up on further. "Vasco is a guy who is funny, smart and controls his destiny, has charms that makes girls love him when they get close, he's a great lover, he can be stubborn sometimes but he will ride or die for the ones he confides in, he doesn't let his past dictate his future, he tries to not fall in love with everyone but sometimes beautiful fools him. He will do what ever for the girl he loves. Vasco are usually born after the month of July and are original and no one can be a Vasco." He IS a Vasco!!!
My wife flew down to San Francisco in mid-January and intercepted him and his litter mate (taken by an ex co-worker of hers) from customs. We found an amazing breeder that would let us breed him, which we are going to do. The vet tells us he's going to be 130-140 lbs. A large Berner! At 15 weeks he weighed in at over 45 lbs. already. At 4 months 1/2 months he's now weighing in over 70 lbs. Aye chihuahua (definitely not one)!
He is beyond soft and cuddly, when he calms down from being a spaz!
My wife flew down to San Francisco in mid-January and intercepted him and his litter mate (taken by an ex co-worker of hers) from customs. We found an amazing breeder that would let us breed him, which we are going to do. The vet tells us he's going to be 130-140 lbs. A large Berner! At 15 weeks he weighed in at over 45 lbs. already. At 4 months 1/2 months he's now weighing in over 70 lbs. Aye chihuahua (definitely not one)!
He is beyond soft and cuddly, when he calms down from being a spaz!
Meet Panda, our Landseer Newfoundland. OMG, he is so sweet!
Panda (born 8/2/2014) came to us in January of 2021, two weeks before Vasco joined us. He's one hell of a great dog and big brother to Vasco. Our family elected, in 2020, to be Humane Society of Seattle foster parents and we swore that we'd never let ourselves fall too much in love with any animal we took in so that we could find them permanent homes and be happy for them. Yeah, that went wayyyy out the door within 5 minutes of meeting this gentle giant. I looked at Erika, my wife, and said 'you know he's never leaving here, right?' and she looked back at me and said 'I agree. I knew you were going to say that.' He weighs in between 115-120 lbs. and is so incredibly strong. I challenge you to take him for a walk and try to pull him back when he sees another dog. He is so social.
A Landseer Newfoundland is a more rare breed of Newfoundland that is a livestock guardian and water dog that fisherman used to bring on boats with them. They were more popular than the all black variation of Newfoundlands back in the Victorian era but that changed in the 20th century.
He's officially adopted and we're in love with him!
A Landseer Newfoundland is a more rare breed of Newfoundland that is a livestock guardian and water dog that fisherman used to bring on boats with them. They were more popular than the all black variation of Newfoundlands back in the Victorian era but that changed in the 20th century.
He's officially adopted and we're in love with him!
Meet Kiwi and Rocky, the sugar gliders!
Meet Kiwi and Rocky!
For years I told my wife that I wanted a 'souvenir monkey' every time we went somewhere tropical, to no avail. So, she caved....a little, and we ended up getting somewhat exotic pets, two sugar gliders, Kiwi (top) and Rocky (bottom). They're nocturnal Australian marsupials, essentially gliding possums, (same family as a koala bear and kangaroo) and sleep between about 8 AM and 6 PM and then wake up very playful and ready to go. Here's a link to what sugar gliders are for those of you that want to know; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar_glider. They're a ton of fun, climb on you, come with you in pouches or in your pocket when you're on the go, are extremely social, bark at night when they're bored (sounds like a chihuahua) and interact with you all the time. They live 12-15 years and have roughly the intelligence of a dog.
Why, you ask.....because I can!
For years I told my wife that I wanted a 'souvenir monkey' every time we went somewhere tropical, to no avail. So, she caved....a little, and we ended up getting somewhat exotic pets, two sugar gliders, Kiwi (top) and Rocky (bottom). They're nocturnal Australian marsupials, essentially gliding possums, (same family as a koala bear and kangaroo) and sleep between about 8 AM and 6 PM and then wake up very playful and ready to go. Here's a link to what sugar gliders are for those of you that want to know; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar_glider. They're a ton of fun, climb on you, come with you in pouches or in your pocket when you're on the go, are extremely social, bark at night when they're bored (sounds like a chihuahua) and interact with you all the time. They live 12-15 years and have roughly the intelligence of a dog.
Why, you ask.....because I can!
Minnie, the princess of the castle!
Minnie is a cat. You don't have to say much more. She's sassy, sleeps all day and wakes you up first thing in the morning to get fed. She's incredibly sweet and hasn't once tried to eat Kiwi or Rocky, so she is still in good graces with us. She gets along with all animals, especially Lucy and our current foster dog, Spooky the Spaz.
Meet Henry, the leopard gecko!
Henry joined us in 2020 and is the right hand man of my daughter's boyfriend, Tristan. He's adorable, comes out of the cage and will sit on your shoulder just checking out the world around him.
Meet Porter and Guinness (RIP, little buddies)!
Porter (1/4/2011-12/18/19) was highly athletic, tall and was a complete goof. He was extremely social, very loving, and had a ton of energy. He was typically singled out as being the larger of the two because he was tall and very furry, but shockingly maintained a leaner frame of 115-120 lbs., still impressive for a Bernese Mountain Dog. He was a ton of fun and the first early riser in our family on a daily basis.
Guinness (6/24/2011-2/23/19) was the poster dog for Berners (nickname for Bernese Mountain Dogs). He was big, affectionate and around people he's very laid back, typically showing the tell-tail signs of Berners. They are either sitting on your feet or they go half way between your legs and stop there. He was a beautiful dog, slightly shorter than Porter. He used to be one of the largest Berners that I've ever met, weighing in at 155 lbs (depending on the month) but thanks to a diet plan and thyroid pills he was down between 110-115 and much happier before his passing. He was known for licking his empty dog bowl about 15-20 times/day because he thought he we were starving him at 3 cups/day. I'll miss him every day. He was awesome beyond compare.
Guinness (6/24/2011-2/23/19) was the poster dog for Berners (nickname for Bernese Mountain Dogs). He was big, affectionate and around people he's very laid back, typically showing the tell-tail signs of Berners. They are either sitting on your feet or they go half way between your legs and stop there. He was a beautiful dog, slightly shorter than Porter. He used to be one of the largest Berners that I've ever met, weighing in at 155 lbs (depending on the month) but thanks to a diet plan and thyroid pills he was down between 110-115 and much happier before his passing. He was known for licking his empty dog bowl about 15-20 times/day because he thought he we were starving him at 3 cups/day. I'll miss him every day. He was awesome beyond compare.
