I wrapped up Kinta stalking butterflies. Try as he might to catch them, the pipevine swallowtails were too quick for him. He is now six months old, a gawky age for a pup. His rabies titer is done and he will be clear to go home in September. We’re going to miss him around here. He’s full of play and snuggles.
Stalking Butterflies
Meet Sailor, he’s my new boy. At 17 months old he’s still a puppy discovering his world. This morning, it was ducks on the pond. He kept running to the pond then returning to me…Look! Ducks! Come on, DUCKS! Yep, Whimsday Bliss!
The highlight of my week was sharing art with my friend, Noriko. She arrived last week to meet her puppy, Kinta. The puppy is living with us while he waits for his health clearance to go home to Japan. (See Puppy Bliss)
You may recall from Puppies, Friends and Bliss, that Noriko is an artist. She has worked mostly in oils, and more recently in pencil and pastel.
Noriko at my desk, exploring watercolor. A beautiful friend and artist.
She was curious about watercolor and we invited her to give it a try. We introduced her to the brushes and tools. In no time she was bringing life to a stunning image.
I think you’ll agree, sharing the art experience with friends is bliss.
Her first watercolor. Isn’t it stunning? She captured Kinta perfectly. Kinta by Noriko Akiyama 2014 (c)
He’s pretty doggone cute if I ignore the fact that this was one of my favorite shoes.
The impish look comes right before the paper shred. Don’t worry Rhythm, the book was saved in the nick of time!
Sneaking a little bliss with Tim’s pens… shhh, he doesn’t know 🙂
Saturday Night Kintaro of Akiyama – Kinta helps me haul firewood.
Meet Saturday Night Kintaro of Akiyama. We call him Kinta. He will be a guest at our home for several months before he is able to join his family in Japan.
Japan is a rabies free country. Kinta was born in Montana, USA. The US is not a rabies free country. He comes from Saturday Night Golden Retrievers.
The procedure goes something like this, Kinta will receive a rabies vaccination as soon as he is old enough. Then he will receive a booster a month later. A month after that, his blood will be tested for rabies titers. If his titer level is high enough, he then must wait for six months before going home. Once in Japan, he will be observed for several hours prior to being released to his family. He will also undergo many other health certifications prior to getting a green light to breed. It is a lengthy process.
Kinta checks out the pond. He’ll be swimming in no time.
Our friends Noriko and Yoshi are very dear to us, so we are happy to assist them with a foster home for Kintaro. We have fostered two other pups for them, Sakurako and Jutaro. Noriko and Yoshi are dedicated breeders of competitive golden retrievers in Japan. They take care to select genetically sound parent stock.
Kinta enjoys some Northern California sunshine.
For the next 10 months or so, I will get to enjoy, train, and share the love of a good pup. His family will visit from time to time, we take care to be sure he knows them and knows their scent.
Handsome boy watches down the driveway… are those quail he sees?
Kinta on the move – this is his standard pose.
Here are a few shots and a quick watercolor sketch of Kintaro.
Saturday Night Kintaro of Akiyama – watercolor by MaryALivingston
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“The U.S. Constitution doesn’t guarantee happiness, only the pursuit of it. You have to catch up with it yourself.” – Benjamin Franklin
Sneaking Bliss 