Thanksgiving Puppies!

Thanksgiving is that time when friends and family gather to break bread and eat together in peace and harmony.  Thanksgiving is also the time when some who might harken back to old slights and fights of family members should truly forgive over the calming influence of tryptophan and pie.  

Melisa, another puppy raiser, had invited Fred and me, Willow and Coach, over for Thanksgiving.  We were extremely grateful and I had made a 5 layer chocolate pie and a Jack Daniels Pumpkin Cheesecake as desserts.  

Coach panting by the side of the house.  He is looking off the right at Bo, who is not in the photo.

Willow is pleased as punch and looking up at me with a big smile on her face.

When we arrived, Dave and Petey, St. Pete's first puppy, were already there.  Duke and Lil Bo Peep live there, so they were there too.  Melisa's parents, Judy and Jerry and her partner Ed were also there.  Willow was wearing her pretty princess sparkly pink crystal collar, which she rarely gets to wear, so she was feeling fine.

Melisa is passing around the delicious baked olives. Her mom is on a swing chair to the right and Fred is making a grab for more olives.

Melisa had cooked up a feast: cheddar wrapped olives and stuffed artichoke hearts for appetizers, which were very tasty were just the start.  The weather outside was perfect.

The boys: Fred, Dave, Jerry and Ed sunning themselves on the patio outside.

The dogs seemed to get along, until Petey decided that being head of St. Pete meant that he was the boss of everyone.  When Coach realized that he and Petey weren't actually playing but were doing a dominance contest, Coach was desperate to get out of it.  Coach is a live-and-let-live kind of fella.  So we separated the two unnuetered boys and kept them out of each other's way the rest of the night.  Coach got his confidence back playing with Bo and Duke as you will see in the video.

Petey spent some time in Duke's crate and he got a peanut butter kong later in the evening.  Bo, Duke and Coach figured out someone was getting a kong and it might as well be them, so they tried to influence Dave into giving Petey's kong to one of them.

Dave is at the counter filling a kong with peanut butter.  He is watched by Coach, Bo and Duke.

They even followed him to the door in a last ditch effort.  But it didn't work.  They are nothing if not persistent.  

Bo, Coach and Duke followed Dave to the door and stand outside the door hoping he won't give the kong to Petey and will bring it out and give it to one of them.

In the end, they were able to coexist with each other and here they are at the end of the meal breaking bread, or rather staring at bread and thinking about eating it. 

All five pups in a semi circle around a bowl of rolls.  Of course they are being held back by Fred, Ed and Dave.  Petey is the only one on a loose leash.

It was a photo op, not an actual treat moment. We hope you all had such a lovely and tasty Thanksgiving Holiday!

Enjoy some puppy exuberance in the video. Coach and Bo are BFFs!