Now for something you'll REALLY enjoy!

I have been waiting to collect as many photos and video clips from the wonderful couple who is "fostering" our dogs while over in the land of kangaroos and dingos. I want you to meet the Haas's
of Lake Geneva.

Joe and Lois Haas are friends of Kim and Don Parker, who are our son, JP's, in-laws. When we were searching and searching for a family to watch over our prized pets, Scout and Bear, we put out a wide net to our friends, neighbors, work relations, and relatives to keep an ear out for anyone willing to take on our two active dogs for the year we're out of the country. (Background needed here, there is a 3 month quarantine for all animals coming from the US. Australia doesn't have rabies, either in wild or domesticated animals and they want to keep it that way, so they impose this long quarantine for animals looking to live here.) We never considered bringing them for that reason and also because the flight over is done without sedation for the dogs and because the flight is so long we just didn't think it was realistic to have them here.

Enter Joe and Lois. They are an active, retired couple who moved up to the Lake Geneva area a few years ago. They live in a area where they can play golf, work out, swim, and really enjoy life in and around Geneva Lake. They are dog lovers. How do we know that? When they built their house, a dog bath was included in the plans, in the heated garage, brilliant! They have had many dogs, but the last pair they had was a pair of Golden Retrievers named Toby and Sizzle.  They lost their dogs a few years ago and have been fostering dogs from the shelter when they had overflow, and babysitting neighbors dogs when needed. Their house is packed with pictures of their dear dogs from their many generations of pets. We knew from the first moment that if they wanted us, we REALLY wanted them to help with the dogs. We had a few meet and greets, one with their "grand-dogs", a pair of Pom's that their son Steve owns, and one with a neighbor's dog who will need to get along with our dogs. You know serious dog people when they are this careful about who they bring into their home as far as pets go. (Obviously they let us in so not so careful with people!) Because they have had a pair of Golden's, they are fully aware of the temperament and how do I say this, possible shedding issue with 2 hairy dogs? Joe laughed when he realized he had on a black, fleecy, sweatshirt, which looked like he had brushed the dogs with said sweatshirt, "I guess I won't be wearing this shirt for a year!"

I want to share some of the videos they have sent of the dogs "acclimating" to their new home.

Scout with glove

Nosing around for chipmunks

Can I bore you a few more videos? The dogs are adjusting so well that I'm afraid they will forget us altogether! Of course that would be a good problem as we fretted so about the dogs, and finding them a good home. It is a GREAT home and a tremendously lovely couple who have embraced our "mangy mutts"!

Dogs with toy

Lois thought it was so nice that Bear let Scout win this battle of the toy. I had to clue her in that Scout ALWAYS wins and Bear just deals with it.

We are so grateful to the Haas's for the care, feeding and loving of our dogs. Somehow God got us connected with this special couple and we are just happy it all worked out. So enjoy the videos, I will get better about uploading these things, you can't believe how many times I've tried to make the process easier, by the time I return to the US I'll have it down!