Rabbits and Puppies

My Chinchilla's litter of ten is all still alive and healthy.

I really like the color of this rabbit's fur. Depending on the light, it's a light silvery gray, or a dark gray. Either way, he's silky soft and should make some wonderful mittens in the future. 

I got a new pup yesterday. He is 6 months old and his name is Rex. He has a tail! 

To borrow from an email I sent a friend earlier: "...though he's been in a kennel for much of his life and is very uncertain about life outside of it, he has a very nice temperament hidden underneath. I just need to get it out-I've seen a few glimpses of it so far, manifested in his staying quite and calm in the kennel in the car for over 6 hours, and then finishing up the rest of the trip (2 more hours) curled up between my feet, sleeping, even though he is scared of me, a stranger. When he has a wall between him and the outside world, (i.e. kennel door) he feels much safer, and was pressing up to the bars and licking the fingers of my siblings and nieces/nephews. However, when he's out of the kennel he feels a little more uncertain and lays flat on the floor, though he still wags his tail and licks the petting fingers, and eventually will stand up and cuddle close. I brought out some food and he brightened up considerably, even going so far as to put his front paws up on my leg. I really like him already."  

You can see below what he looks like when I first take him on his walk. Notice how his head is low and he's sniffing the ground,(sniffing is a stress signal) his whole body is crouched, and tail is tight and between back legs.

After 10 minutes or so, and after playing a bit with Bonny, look at his posture now. Head up, tail loose and relaxed, and body much less crouched and rounded.

 

Meanwhile, Kate is stuck on top of the straw stack because she got up and can't get back down. I eventually had to lift her down, though she wasn't too happy about that either.

Mom got a Golden Retriever puppy. His name is Kimber. The temperament difference between a Golden and a Border Collie is remarkable. The day this pup came her, he sauntered around the barns, checking everything out, playing with all the strange dogs and people. A Border would be sulking around eyeing everything with suspicion.

Buck, one of Bonny's puppies that the Boys are taking.