Kelly (sits down after playing tag with the puppies): Okay. *inhales* Sarah, named after the Labyrinth character, is a spoiled princess black Lab retriever. She doesn't play as roughly as her brother, though she's getting more assertive, but she thinks she's a lap dog. She is under the mistaken impression this lap thing will last after the puppy stage, heheheh. A full-grown Labrador's back is about mid-thigh on me, so that ain't gonna happen. Her brother, Bear, is a brown Lab retriever. He is the more rambunctious one. And don't tell Sarah -- but he's smarter than her. LOL. He isn't much into cuddling, but likes to rough house. Ever since my brother bought a playpen-like fence for them, they've slept a lot better. We think they were too hot in their kennel crates. The tile in the kitchen is way cooler. We started introducing chew toys. The first time we gave them some, they weren't too interested. Now they are. They'll chew on anything. We stuff some cheese and peanut butter in the holes dedicated for that in their chew toys. That definitely gets their attention.
Pearl (pats Kelly on the shoulder): Don't forget to take another breath, darlin'. You're turnin' blue.
Kelly (laughs and inhales): Anyway, um, where was I?
Pearl: Talkin' pups, sweetie.
Kelly (sighs): Yeah. I forgot what I was going to say about them.
Pearl: How're they sleepin'?
Kelly: We try to wear them out. They were barely sleeping at first. They had to go to the bathroom every two hours. Now they sleep a bit more. We've got training pads because, honestly, I just think they're too young for toilet training yet. They understand the concept, I think, but their 6 week old bladders just can't handle it. We also feed them smaller amounts slightly more frequently to keep from dealing with ... well, other issues. They want to explore more. Bear is like Gobo, the intrepid explorer. Sarah has to be in the mood. Actually, they do remind me a lot of Red and Gobo.