4 month old, perfectly tempered and athletically gifted Drew (Nel x Blu) joins pre-med undergraduate Thomas at nearby Dartmouth College. Thomas hails from Los Angeles, a neuroscientist heading off to med school -with Drew- after he completes his undergraduate work.

Drew trades the fields of Thundering Paws Farm for Webster Ave, the Dartmouth Green and Hanover running paths. I could not have asked for a better person and home for my Drew. What a sweet life he is going to have! Thank you Thomas!!

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Day 1 Update from Thomas:

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Day 5 Update from Thomas:

A professional trainer that I sometimes recommend to new owners needing training assistance looked at the video and wrote this back to me. Way to go, Thomas!

At 4 months, the pups in the Nel x Blu litter of 10 are coming into their own. I am very impressed by this litter. Three are off to new homes. The remaining 7 are under development. It is going to be very tough not to keep them all.

This from Jeff Tiedrich’s column this morning.

“In December 2016 — before Donny was even inaugurated — Norwegian artist Christian Bloom created this political cartoon.

that was nine years ago. how f***ing prescient was Bloom?”

About half the females here are in or approaching or exiting their estrus cycle –that is to say ‘in season’. Nature synchronizes the female’s reproduction cycles. 2026 is a no-breeding-year. And yet, we are already dealing with ‘accidents’, seen and presumed. The urge to renew in dogs is strong –much stronger than in humans. Dogs will do just about anything to procreate.

One young female did THIS while I was away doing errands. Happily, the males were locked up in steel crates. That is 5/8 in plywood she tore and ate through!

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When renewal is successful (and planned), it brings forth beauties like this…

16 week old Trey (Nel x Blu) joins Erin, Mark and their border collie, Rue, on their farm in Upstate New York. Erin is a former horse trainer. Mark is a medical doctor. They have owned border collies since 1993. Erin prepares fresh healthy meals for her collies. No more kibble for this pup. I’ll miss Trey, but he is going to have a great life! Trey was one of the four run-aways on Groundhog Day.

8 month old Jet coming into his own. This is what my #1 dog, Peter, produces! Better than his sire, thanks to James McCloskey’s Nel.

When you’re a Jet,
You’re the top cat in town,
You’re the gold-medal kid
With the heavyweight crown!

[West Side Story]

16-week-old Skye has been promoted to the adult kennel. She will join littermates Jac, Mindi and Nova, remaining on the farm. She was jumping all over me with excitement to have her own kennel, a heater and blankets.

Skye is the reason I keep my pups longer. She went from scattered to focused in week 16. She is showing ‘all the right stuff’. Some show early. However, it pays to wait to see who the pups were and are likely to become.

I have never retained so many pups, but this litter (Nel x Blu) is full of riches. Pups I would normally keep will go to new working homes.

Full up with super pups, I have no plans to breed more in 2026.

I support James…

See him with Stephen Colbert on YouTube …censored by CBS to appease #1.

17-Feb-2026
From James Talarico

Washington Post

13-Feb-2026

Since the 1970s, the Earth — fueled by greenhouse gas emissions — has been warming at a fairly steady rate.

But 2023, 2024 and 2025 were far warmer than previous trends. A Post analysis shows the warming rate over the past decade increased by 42 percent. https://wapo.st/4qv6eHn

https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/climate-tipping-point-hothouse-earth-global-heating-b2918752.html

Between 10 and 16 weeks, puppies start to show their temperamental and working aptitude distinctiveness. Mindi, Nova and Jac, now 14 weeks old, are finalists for retention on the farm. They are the pups with the combination of temperament and working aptitude I look for in breeding. While I focus on them, the remaining pups in the litter will be available for new homes.