Sunday, September 22, 2002 -- How it All Began

I stop by a hotel in Denver to pick up a puppy for my best girlfrienda Jennifer and her hubby and kids. Well guess what? After seeing this puppy pile, I left with Jennifer's dog, and one extra. Sigh, yeah, I know. One hell of an "impulse buy". I don't recommend anyone doing that. However, it worked out for me, because Moose is a wonderful addition to my home.

Jen and Mike's dog is Heidi, the one on the right side of the pic with the "monk's cap" (brown dot) on her head.


The breeder brought two litters, born one day apart. Heidi was part of the short hair litter. You can see a little guy (butt up next to Heidi's) with a beautiful mask and long fur. I was drawn to him immediately. I thought he was beautiful. The breeder called him "Bear", and said he wasn't "show quality" and didn't have an owner yet. With a face like this, how could I leave him behind? I even took this pic way before I knew he'd be coming home with me!

I take Moose and Heidi to Colby, Kansas, so Mike could pick up his new pup!
Mike was surprised to pull up and see two puppies! He thought I was crazy. So did everyone else. So did I! :-) But it all worked out. Here's Heidi and Moose saying goodbye.

You may wonder how the dogs ended up with their names. The breeder's litters have AKC names that start with "Simply". Mike and Jen's puppy was from a litter whose names began with an H. My dog had to be named after a liquor. Thus, Moose! Short for "Simply Moosehead's Heinous Hangover."
The new parents! I looked like crap; the Kansas wind and parking lot dust had sandblasted all the makeup off my face. And Moose is filthy. He got scared when some people came up to pet him and crawled under my car and got greasy from the parking lot.

It was a rough first day!

Pics from Moose's first week home!
Moose would bounce around the bunny cages like a maniac, wanting to play. At first the rabbits freaked out. Then I noticed McGwire would lay next to the cage and put his nose up to Moose's nose. So after about a week I decided to supervise some "out of cage" time for all the animals. The rabbits ran around like crazy. At first Moose chased them, so I held him back. Then I noticed that the rabbits weren't going and hiding from him, they would run by him at top speed trying to GET Moose to chase them! So, I let klutzy Moose lumber after the rabbits. They had a bunch of fun, but Moose still got tired. So, McGwire ran by him a few times and noticed he wasn't chasing any more. McGwire (above) goes up to Moose and says, "Hey, aren't you gonna chase me?"

Moose doesn't even bother chasing them any more.

A puppy's work is never done!
I make Moose earn his kibble. After vaccuming the whole apartment and changing the oil in my car, he gets a well-deserved rest.

Moose is pretty laid back. If he's chewing on something he's not supposed to, I say "NO" and replace it with an appropriate toy. He never tries to start chewing on the off-limits thing again. He's an incredibly smart dog.

Here Moose enjoys a burger. Aaah, how nice it would be to be young again and not have to worry about cholesterol! ;-)
Don't hate him because he's beautiful!
Moose's Parents

Mom: Simply Priscilla

Dad: CH Pontatoc's Emerson
Moose was born on July 13th, so these pics were taken at 10 weeks. He weighs a little over 20 pounds. Moose is not "show quality", but that didn't bother me. He's such a sweetie, and a smart dog! His breeder was Ali Collins of Simply Saints in Wyoming.

However, there are many GREAT St. Bernard dogs that need homes, puppies and adults! If you're in Colorado, visit the Colorado St. Bernard Rescue Foundation, or if you're in another state visit the National St. Bernard Rescue Foundation. Saints are a loving and intelligent breed, and you'd be lucky to find one to "own" you! So, check those sites today!
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