Parker & Payton's Forever Home Update

January 18, 2006
Hi Jan!
I'm sorry to hear about Lainey....I thought some pictures of the boys might cheer you up. Parker and Payton celebrated their first birthday yesterday! Can you believe it? Boy, has the time flown!
Keep sharing your love with all those babies, Jan! You are one in a million, and we all appreciate what you and your team do everyday to make doggies' lives just a little more enjoyable, even if only for a short time.
Take care -
Sheryl

December 7, 2005
Hi Jan -
The boys are doing just fine! They had haircuts/trims in September and are already looking quite shaggy so it is time for another cut. Believe it or not, they get cuter with shorter hair....plus, Mr. Pissy Parker HATES being brushed, and he's the one who needs it most....go figure!
Payton is still a "momma's boy" and Parker is too, to a degree, but it appears that Parker is clinging to daddy more than Payton. I think that's about all to report here. Hope all is well with you and the pups....I noticed that a few have passed in the last couple months, that's always hard.....but they are so lucky to have you all loving them until their very last day! :o)
Michael, Parker, Payton and I wish you a very Merry Christmas! Kisses all around!
Take care -
Sheryl

September 2, 2005
Hey Jan!
Well the boys are now 7.5 months old, and cuter, funnier and wittier every day! Perhaps you could settle a bet for us: Michael and I both believe that Payton is the older brother of the two...is that correct? Do you remember who came out 1st, 2nd and 3rd? Just curious. Payton definitely acts like he is the older brother....he always leads and Parker follows, he always wakes me up in the morning (not Parker), he puts Parker in his place when Parker is being his usual antagonistic self.....
Parker is the one who loves everyone and is not scared of every little thing. Payton, on the other hand, is still fearful of people and strange objects that he has never seen before. His bark is piercing and annoying, but eventually he tires out (until the next person walks in!). Needless to say, it cannot continue forever. I have decided to buy some Bach Flower Remedies (there are 38 different remedies, targeting specific characteristics or emotional states) to try to soothe his anxiety and fear when the occasion arises....so we shall see!
The boys have mastered "sit", as I make them sit for everything (treats, outside, playing ball,etc.). Still working on "coming when called" which is definitely more difficult when you have more than one dog. For the most part, they know "drop it" and are pretty good with "down." Parker loves playing with his little fuzzy cheetah bone that Auntie Jenny bought, and Payton is OBSESSED with playing ball...about 3x per day! They are loving their holistic dog food and chunky carrots, with the occasional cottage cheese mixed in. I have made cookies and brownies for them twice, and they eat them up like there is no tomorrow!
They are happy little guys who receive LOTS of love and constant attention. We still have some training opportunities to tackle, but for the most part I think they are doing quite well!
I think that is about it for now! I have attached a few pics we took in early August...hope you enjoy them! Give the pupsters kisses from us!
Sheryl, Michael, Parker and Payton

June 30, 2005
Lots of pictures for Auntie Jan and Auntie Judy! Hope they come through OK. It's just about time to make a CD for you....I will get on that soon!
Hope all is well out there in White Cloud with all the pupsters....Parker and Payton send their love and kisses to everyone!
They are both doing really well, although Payton still has the "people" issues at times. We are hoping this is corrected once we start puppy classes. However, he was OK with my mom when she helped me take the boys to the vet on Tuesday for their 1st exam prior to neutering (scheduled for 7/22/05).
They both were good boys at the vet....got their nails trimmed a little bit (man, those suckers were sharp!), had a fecal test, bordatella vacc, full round of lepto vacc (since they have seen many cases in our area as of late), dewormed, hearts are good, knees do not appear to have issues, eyes and ears look good....what else.....oh, our doctor just mentioned that we will need to make sure we take real good care of their teeth, especially the bottom front teeth...their underbites are so severe that their teeth are not involved in the feeding/chewing process....not a problem -- I have already brushed their teeth a few times, and they kind of do it themselves --- I just rotate the 3-sided toothbrush in their mouths while they chew!
The boys are just growing beyond belief! Payton now weighs 7.2 lbs and Parker weighs 6.1 lbs. We switched them over to a combination of Innova and Wellness, which are holistic, human-grade puppy foods, and they absolutely love them! We figure our babies should only eat as healthy as we do!
Few random potty incidents here and there, but that's to be expected. For the most part, we have learned when they need to go out based on their actions...and of course, Payton is the one who wakes me up every morning to go out!
All in all, things are going great here at the Burns-Sobieski house! We love the boys more than anything....they have brought so much love, joy and fun into our lives! Hard to imagine life without them now!
So, that's about it. Just lots of playing, naps on laps, and puppy kisses....what more could we want?!
Talk to you soon, Jan!
Sheryl and Michael

June 21, 2005
Hi Jan! Just wanted to drop you a line to let you know the boys are doing well and loving life! They slept through the night just fine last night. It is so much fun watching them tumble all over each other.....and man, is Parker ever the toy hog! Everything Payton plays with, Parker has to try to take it away.....and he usually succeeds! But then Payton just moves on to something else like it does not bother him at all, which is good....at least they're not killing each other over toys!
Right now, they are both laying at my feet.....Payton is under the computer desk sleeping, and Parker is next to the desk on a blankey sleeping. They are adjusting quite well, I would say. They even looked sad when Michael went to work today.
They watched us play foosball in the basement last night, and did not freak out one bit....you know, once the game gets going, it can be kinda loud....but they were fine! We pulled the futon out, so they played with their toys and each other on the futon while we took some quality mommy/daddy time and played our beloved foosball! We are obsessed....it's bad! I usually kick Michael's butt pretty bad, too! ;o) But the whole time, neither one of us was totally on top of our game since we kept watching the boys....that's what happens when you become parents!
Oh, our neighbor Jen brought Ginger (the Peke next door) over on Sunday night....and everyone got along just fine. They mostly sniffed each other and then the boys went back to playing with each other, leaving Ginger out of the picture....typical men ignoring the chicks! ;o)
I saw the recent additions to the Foster Journal and the Happy Endings pages, and they look awesome! Only one thing needs to be changed on the Happy Endings page....my name is misspelled....should be Sheryl with an "S".....heheheheheee! That's OK....it is probably the most misspelled name on the planet....or so it seems sometimes!
So, the bottom line is everything is great! The only real incidents we have had in the house are 3 poops and 1 pee.....I blame myself for one of the poops and the pee incident, because I waited too long to take them out after eating/drinking....my oversight! The good news is, Sunday night Payton had ZERO peepee in his belly band, while Parker only had a droplet, and last night it was reversed....virtually nothing! So, if we can get them used to going outside frequently, praise them vocally and with little treats, we should have them trained in no time at all. I mean, I know it will still take a while....it just might be shortened because of the time I CAN spend with them, versus other people who are not home most of the day! We'll get it right soon!
Anyway, I think I have babbled enough. I will call you tonight, Jan!
Sheryl
P.S. Give kisses to Auntie Judy from the boys!

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