I remember the first night we brought Jasper home. It was almost three years ago and we decided that we wanted to get a dog. I fell in love with this little Shepherd / Husky mix from the Humane Society. After a few meetings, interviews, and providing stamped engineering documents describing the technical details of my fence they let me take him home. Upon arrival he began sniffing every room in the house in rapid succession. When he got to the living room he started running around in circles. He went faster and faster until you couldn’t see him anymore. At one point he was spinning so fast that I thought he was in a state of flux breaking apart the space-time continuum. That was my first and only moment where I thought we might have been better off with a calmer pet like a clam.

Having a high energy dog changed my life. All of a sudden my main forms of entertainment were walking the dog, going to the dog park, or attending agility classes for the dog. Somedays it

was a chore for sure but I found a profound happiness in the energy of this animal. I’d take him to a field and he’d be the happiest dog ever; I’d lock him in his kennel and he’d be the happiest dog ever; the vet would stick needles in his bum and he’d be the happiest dog ever. The fact that I will probably never own a Ferrari didn't seem worth being sad about after being around him.

I believe that it's always good to give everything 100% (except donating blood) and Jasper did just that when I moved to the forest; he seems determined to sniff every tree, chase every squirrel, and eat every stick. I felt he was adjusting to country life well but my ex wanted to add a second dog to the mix. Not just any dog though; she had her heart set on a white Shepherd / Husky mix she found living in foster care that had extra high care requirements.

Both dogs are reservation-rescues and both had problems early in life. Saturn is timid of people but gets along well with

other dogs. We've been working hard with her to overcome her fear issues and she has been making lots of good progress. One of the amazing things about animals is their ability to drastically change their behavior with proper training. I'm happy to report that Jasper has been a perfect gentlemen and now our dogs are best friends too.

As Saturn becomes more comfortable with me her personality has been showing itself more and it's pretty adorable. She is the great Killer of Bugs and watching her chase butterflies or play with grasshoppers is really entertaining. When you rub her tummy she spreads her legs and makes everyone involved feel really uncomfortable. I'll have to be extra careful not to lose her in the Winter because she kind of blends in with snow.

I'll keep up with the puppy reports every so often to let everyone know how they're progressing and inform you of any new adventures they have.