ZZ litter, whelped June 16th
Mercy bred to Justice
1 sable female, 3 black & tan females, 1 sable male & 2 black & tan males
Mr. Yellow (now “Raptor”) went to Montana for Search & Rescue. Miss Green (now “Breeze”) went to Colorado to be a therapy dog and compete in obedience. Miss Pink (now “Zinnia”) went to SW Wyoming for nosework competition. Mr. Blue went to Colorado for obedience, rally and nosework competition. Mr. Red (“Zoom”) went to Colorado for Search & Rescue. I kept Miss White (now “Zest”) and Miss Gold (now “Zeal”) for nosework competition, therapy dog work and hopefully breeding.
background information
pedigree
See the ZZ litter’s Police/Narcotic temperament test results
See the ZZ litter’s Search & Rescue test results
See Zest’s page.
See Zeal’s page
Zion (Celhaus Zooming Zion) at 10 months
the former Mr. Red (whom I called Zoom)
Zion joined Hamish from the HH litter.
Photo 1: “Got your mailing and let both boys sniff the contents before pulling them out. Zion really got big and sniffed all over, Hamish not quite as much. I finally got a snap that was not too super blurry. JollyPets makes a soccer ball for dogs that lasted more than a half hour of hard GSD play. Between first Hamish and then Zion, the ball has only one small puncture. Soft enough for Hamish to “taco” it, but durable enough that Zion jaws and his razor teeth have not destroyed it. Would not leave it alone with him but….”
Photo 2: “Sorting Hat or Dunce Cap? And, no, he’s not in trouble. I use the cone for rehab exercises and just put it up out of the way, but he was sitting so nicely under it that I had to take a photo.”
Zion at 8 months
“Walks with big brother, Hamish (HH litter)“
Zach (Celhaus Zeppelin’s High Flyer) at 34 weeks
the former Mr. Blue
“Zachary went to visit Radik (from the RR litter) today. Terri and I talked and had a fun 1.5 hrs. while the dogs ran in the river and snow at Teri’s ranch. He finally is taking a nap. Radik and Zachary are fast friends. They are the same size so hope Zach doesn’t grow any more.”
Photo 2: “Zach meeting two horses.”
Photo 3: “Zach on the left and Radik on the right.”
Zinnia (Celhaus Zinnia Elegans) at 9 months
the former Miss Pink
Zinnia joined Ursa from the UU litter, who is also a Mercy son, so he’s her half-brother.
Photo 1: “I took Zinnia with me to Dubois.”
Photo 2: “National Puppy Day: Zinnia takes a rare moment of stillness to show her new pedicure.”
Zinnia at 8 months
(9/10/23): We helped put on the WYO 131 Gravel Grinder last weekend. Zinnia worked her first bike race aid station, Ursa met a Mythical Creature, and the both played non-stop. Attached is the latest photo for you. We practice informal down stays while we eat, and last weekend we had a little cuddle fest happening that I was able to capture. Hugs to all.”
Breeze (Celhaus Zephyr in Summer) at 10 months
the former Miss Green
She joined Charis (JJ litter)
“I love the way she stacked herself.”
Breeze at 9 months
Photos 1-3: “We hosted a playdate yesterday for 2 of my friends & their dogs. My good friend Sandy has two tiny Shelties. And my friend Brittany brought her big, very sweet Rottie named Ren (short for Renegade) along with two young, long-haired GSDs she has been fostering & training. It was quite a pack with 7 dogs, including my two. It was good for her to learn she is not “queen of everything” as she tends to be with just Charis, who is very tolerant and patient with her.”
Photo 4: “I took Breeze to the local mall today to buy a gift for my daughter-in-law at Bath and Body Works. It was very crowded but she was a perfect lady. She was also in her element with so many admirers. Here she is after we got home in her sunbeam with her beloved ball.”
Breeze at 30 weeks
Photo 1: “I let the furkidz out for about 10 minutes. They came in looking like this.”
Photo 2: “Silly girl was barking at that sketchy-looking dog in the glass door, protecting Gary from it.”
Photo 3: “I took my truck in this morning to have it serviced & took Breeze along for socializing & some obedience practice. The heeling didn’t go so well. She was way too distracted. But she was in her element greeting people. She was especially attracted to two older men. But the bonus was when we discovered the dealership has a “shop” dog, who comes to work with one of the employees. She is an almost exact double to Breeze, but she’s a little bigger – 11 months to Breeze’s 7 months. But other than that, they could be sisters, but Breeze is cuter with her “eyebrows” & ear tufts. (Breeze is wearing the red collar.) After some getting acquainted, they decided they were friends & wanted to play together – not a good idea in a small room filled with glass display shelves! If we could have put them in a big yard together, I’m sure they would have had a blast.”
Photo 4: “PLEASE throw my ball…”
Breeze at 29 weeks (no photos)
12/29/23: “Beautiful day here. Breeze really wore herself out scooting the jolly ball all around the big back yard, yelling at it the whole time…silly girl. That meant I had a nice, tired puppy for our training session today. She did really well even with the distraction of geese flying low overhead, “talking” as they always do. I also introduced the dumbbell. I was surprised she resisted as much as she did. She carries her toys around all the time. Fortunately, good Charis was there to lend a paw & show her what was wanted. After that she did much better. She is nowhere near fetching, but she was willing to take & hold it…baby steps! I do love how the older ones teach the pups. And Charis, as I always say, is SUCH a good boy!”
Breeze at 28 weeks
Photos 1-2: “Breeze and her BBB (big blue ball). I had to stop her playing with it because she pushed it around until her nose was bleeding. I thought she had bitten her tongue.”
Photo 3: “She’s getting tall!”
Breeze at 26 weeks
“I had Breeze down to Centerra shopping center (very dog friendly place!) & got many compliments on how beautiful & well behaved (after she calmed down a bit) she was. She is relentless with that ball!”
Breeze at 25 weeks
“Breeze loved the PBS show about wildlife in Canada. She barked at the foxes and wolves.”
Breeze at 24 weeks
Photo 1: “Tug game.”
Photo 2: “Watching a Hallmark Christmas movie (and her ball…).”
Photo 3: “She does love her ball!”
Breeze at 22 weeks
11/23/22: “Happy Thanksgiving! No special news. Just than I am very thankful for so many blessings from the Lord, not the least of which are 2 beautiful, wonderful GSDs. Praying your day is filled with many blessings, too. Breeze loves to ‘hold hands’ & she has the warmest paws. She’s also a “be-with” puppy, wanting to be close to us, within reach, so we can pet her. Charis is my very good boy, always. He wants to be nearby, but not within reach. I love them both so much!”
“I thought you might like these photos from Puppy Kindergarten. She’s heeling nicely – with a little incentive (treats). Did you notice the little tan tufts in her ears? I think they’re so pretty. And she has a tan ‘bandana’ under her chin. I hope she doesn’t lose them as she gets older”
Breeze at 20 weeks
“She’s getting big!”
Breeze at 19 weeks
Photo 1: “She loves to play with her toys upside down.”
Photo 2: “Breeze’s first encounter with snow. ‘This white stuff is as fun as grasshoppers!’”
Breeze at 18 weeks
Photos 1-2: “Making friends at Puppy Kindergarten playtime.”
Photo 3: “Making up to the teacher. People are still more interesting.”
Photo 4: “She was so tired afterwards that she only made it to the front hall before she collapsed!”
Breeze at 15 weeks
10/3/23: “Her obedience training, oh my!! She does a beautiful front, close in, looking into my eyes (Thanks, Cel, for the manding lessons). She also knows “place” & does it quickly ending in a beautiful heel position. She also knows “swing”, though she does have a tendency to want to cut between my legs. She’s heeling beautifully, head up, (with bait), & giving me an automatic sit. She’s starting to turn nicely both left & right (Thanks, too, for the rear end training). She knows “down” but doesn’t want to stay there, especially if I try to walk around her. But she is getting the idea of waiting in place for me to call her. She has quite a few other skills & – get this! – ALL off leash! We still have a way to go, but I can hardly wait to introduce her to the obedience ring. She is going to blow the judges away! So proud of my brilliant little girl.”
“My beautiful fur babies.”
Breeze at 14 weeks (no photos)
9/22/23: “Breeze has discovered that flat, dead toads aren’t all they’re cracked up to be. She picked two up on our walk today before I could yell, “Leave it!” but immediately dropped them. Guess they don’t taste so good. Now grasshoppers on the other hand… I’m still strictly limiting them, but they are SO much fun to chase. And she is so funny, jumping when they do & then play bowing at them.”
9/23/23: “Breeze, the little stinker, has learned the art of staying away from us by positioning the table between us & her & circling so we can’t catch her! She had something in her mouth last night & I had to get Gary’s help to catch her. It was a landscape rock fortunately too big to swallow. I’ll be glad when she outgrows the goat (eat everything) stage & gets to the GOAT (greatest of all time) stage. She’s growing like a weed too. I’ll be interested to see what she weighs at her next vet appointment. There’s a neighborhood picnic today, so she will have a prime socializing experience.”
9/26/23: “Her obedience training is coming along nicely too. I worked with her outside (lots more distracting) & was very pleased. She seems aware of her back feet, which few pups are, so she lines up nicely at heel; & she comes in close at front – until she rocks back into a puppy sit. Our biggest challenge is waiting in place until I call her which I expect at her young age, especially when I have the extra-good tuna treats. She does better when I reward her with kibble. We got a bubble wand at the neighborhood picnic which I thought would be fun for the dogs. Charis had a great time, but Breeze was too busy looking for grasshoppers to pay much attention to the bubbles. We went yesterday to a friend’s house. She has a tall black dog who wanted to play with Breeze. Breeze was a little leery at first but warmed up quickly. While they didn’t exactly romp, they did interact nicely. More interesting to me is my friend’s son Marcus who is in his 50s autistic & crippled. He’s a BIG man, about 6’5″ & uses a walker. Breeze noticed the walker but was unimpressed & she loved Marcus. He & his mother, Mary, were both impressed with our little girl.”
Breeze at 13 weeks (no photos)
9/15/23: “She’s tired now. I had them both out for a game of ball. Charis chases the ball & Breeze chases Charis. She remembered the place we played the nosework game yesterday. She hunted for & found a few leftover pieces of kibble. As for grasshoppers, catch is definitely more fun than release! They’re just so much fun to chase & they’re slowing down with the fall. She was hysterical in the big yard today, jumping when they did then play bowing at them. I had to make her drop 3 dead toads yesterday. I hate to spoil all her fun.”
Breeze at 12 weeks (no photos)
“Busy day today. Breeze had a training session this morning, & a walk during which she caught & ate a grasshopper. That was allowed. Small rocks, dead toads (of which there are many), & other miscellanea are still in the “Leave it!” category. She also visited four of the neighbors & got to say hi to Holly, the sweet Lab across the street. She played with Charis a lot. He is SO patient with her, letting her take toys right out of his mouth. And big news, she actually tried to hit the “outside” button with her paw! She missed but still got excited praise after which she went outside & pottied. GOOD girl! She’s getting big. She now weighs 22 pounds. She & Charis are playing chase around the dining room table right now, except she cheats & cuts under it through the chair legs, hurdling the rungs like a champ. It’s good to have 2 dogs again!”
Raptor (Celhaus Zephyr’s Raptor) at 9 months
the former Mr. Yellow
3/18/24: “I’m so inspired! Raptor and I just went to a one-on-one adolescent working training session with a woman I’ve known for years. She has done my CGC tests, and has loved my dogs. She LOVES Raptor, and he had a blast. She does a lot of training with a lot of people and said that he is the whole package of what a working GSD should be. (In her mind , which of course I agree). Great confirmation, excellent temperament, tries very hard to get things right, and loves to learn. Not to mention how handsome he is. He was so receptive to her and all the things she was doing. Big outdoor arena, no leash, lots of fun things. She spent lots of extra time with us because she was having so much fun with him, and he was way into it. I was very proud. He did great with all the foundational things we work on, so that was good. She gave me some good reminders about meeting his busy needs in a constructive manner- good points. I’m even more excited about our future! ❤️”
Photo 1: “Birthday hike with my boy!”
Photo 2: “Raptor and Booker (from the AAA litter) of their own choice while we were trying to move the crate.”
Raptor at 8 months
“Raptor is still way into always having things in his mouth, but not really destructive unless it’s tissue or paper. Loves to watch the toilet flush. And he has started grabbing pant legs and boots again just for fun. I think he was bored and annoyed with his restrictions due to his healing toenail, which seems to be all good now. I’m really loving this boy. He has a huge personality and we are starting to meld together really nicely.”
Photos 1-3: “Raptor weighs 66 pounds now. Had another trip to the vet for a torn toenail, which I’m sure was very painful, although it didn’t seem to slow him down. Wearing the cone at night was a hard adjustment, tough, but we need it to heal without his help. Poor guy. He has been loose at night for a month or so now. He actually is pretty good. He doesn’t chew things up (so far!), but carries things around and usually brings them to me – shoes, socks, gloves, anything we touch. He does shred tissues, toilet paper, newspapers, paper towels, etc., though. Makes a mess.”
Photo 3: “He doesn’t seem too upset.”
Photo 4: “Helping with early spring yardwork. I’m so pleased we have moved into ball chasing vs. “attack the rake, snow shovel, etc.” phase, perhaps. He’s growing up. Had a great day at SAR training yesterday!! Things are coming together. Of course, as the snow is melting I’m finding chewed-up drip lines, shredded tree savers, pieces of things I haven’t even found the source of yet. Sigh.”
Photos 5-6: Booker and Raptor. Raptor is bigger for now, but Booker will undoubtedly catch up. We couldn’t get them to sit or stand still for a “half-brothers” photo though.
Raptor at 34 weeks
“Raptor is still way into always having things in his mouth, but not really destructive unless it’s tissue or paper. Loves to watch the toilet flush. And he has started grabbing pant legs and boots again just for fun. I think he was bored and annoyed with his restrictions due to his healing toenail, which seems to be all good now. I’m really loving this boy. He has a huge personality and we are starting to meld together really nicely.”
Photo 1: “Raptor on today’s 4-mile hike.”
Raptor 2: “Could you turn on the vacuum again? It’s almost as much fun as the treadmill.”
Raptor at 33 weeks
“Raptor at 7 months. Communicating with his expressive eyebrows and playing with a new friend.”
Raptor at 32 weeks
“Raptor is doing very well. He has made some big strides and I am proud of how we are coming along. He can still be mouthy and willful, (and noisy when he doesn’t want to do something!) but we are moving into a good place. He really does want to please, and he is very proud of his accomplishments. Super smart guy that catches on quickly. He moves a lot of stuff around (to show that he can I think), but seldom chews things. Always clothing that I have just taken off, or something that I have touched. Interesting how he seeks out whatever I have been doing, and always has to follow my tracks if I walked somewhere without him. He is still a major nightmare in my gym, which he totally loves. Quite a lovey guy too, unless he senses toenail clippers are anywhere around. He needs a pool in January, otherwise he was building his own mud wallow.”
Raptor at 30 weeks
Photo 2: “Missing his big brother (Sabre died.)”
Raptor at 26 weeks
Photo 1: “Good morning from Raptor.”
Photo 2: “Trail hiking”
Raptor at 25 weeks
“Raptor’s graduation photo from his STAR puppy class.”
Raptor at 22 weeks
“Today.”
Raptor at 21 weeks
Photo 1: “Getting to be a big boy!”
Photo 2: “With his bestest friend.”
Photo 3: “Today’s hike.”
Raptor at 20 weeks
“Not too worried about Halloween décor.”
Raptor at 19 weeks
Photo 1: “”Raptor wallowing in the snow after successfully completing a track – great job! Snow didn’t deter his mission.
Photo 2: “Sharing a bed in the sun with Sabre, whom he adores.”
Raptor at 18 weeks
Photo 1: “Raptor, 4.5 months, 45 pounds.”
Photos 2-3: “Tree pruning. Nothing is safe.”
Raptor at 17 weeks
“I have been helping with window and screen cleaning all afternoon, and I can’t figure out why mom is so annoyed with me right now.”
Raptor at 16 weeks
“Raptor’s graduation photo from his first puppy class. Doesn’t he look like one of those trophy statues?”
Raptor at 15 weeks
Photo 1: “Raptor after his first bath. Kind of a big ordeal getting the soap off!”
Photo 2: “Looks like an angel, doesn’t he?”
Photos 3-4: “Big boy picture and bad boy picture. He finds and carries off any unsecured items he can find for a chewing session. Those were my shoe orthotics. He made it up on the bed this morning after Craig took him out for an early-morning potty. He was in heaven. Quite cuddly. He keeps me hopping at his classes. His last puppy class is this Saturday, and he has made big improvements. I took him to a SAR classroom training Monday night and he was most impressive – a very good boy!”
Photos 5-6: “Raptor doing some climbing on things during training today. He’s doing really well and so proud of himself when he ‘earns’ his reward toy – prancing and strutting back to his truck, very cute. I think he is a very happy guy. He tries very hard and loves to learn. He’s also getting where he likes hi morning and evening love sessions – a sweet boy for sure. He still can be a stinker, though, and remains super busy and needs constant supervision. Such a puppy.”
Raptor at 14 weeks
Photos 1-2: “He is quite cute! The eyebrows are the best, so expressive.”
Photo 3: “Visiting my neighbor.”
I promise to take photos of my girls once I have everyone else’s photos on the website!
Zest (Celhaus Zest for Life) at 9 weeks
the former Miss White
See Zest’s page.
See 10-week-old Zest during morning playtime
See Zest, 65 days old, enjoying her own puppy playtime with the Sheltie.
Zeal (Celhaus Zeal for Justice) at 10 weeks
the former Miss Gold
See Zeal’s page.
See 10-week-old Zeal during morning playtime
See Zeal, 65 days old, enjoying her own puppy playtime with the Sheltie.