Ruby's pups spent a day together at Carmel beach yesterday before saying goodbye to brother "Tak."  Sharon, Tak's new mom,  flew into San Jose on Monday evening and had a "red eye" back east on Tuesday night.  That left us with a whole day to have some fun with the pups.  The weather had been quite cold these past few days, but we had an absolutely beautiful day in Carmel yesterday with the temperature topping out at about 60 degrees F.  Tonya brought Lego, and Ruby had her first taste of "freedom" since having the litter in October -- boy did she run!!!  Both Lego & Ruby enjoyed splashing in the waves and playing frisbee. 

Carmel is a very dog friendly beach and the pups met a number of other dogs that were out walking with their families.  There was one particularly pudgy pug that really loved the pups and found them very curious.  Of course, where there are cute puppies, people gather around, so the pups met a lot of new people, too. Big dogs, small dogs, big people, small people ....all very friendly, and the pups socialized like little champs.  After about an hour or so, we returned to the car and loaded up.  The pups were so tired, they immediately went to sleep.

While the pups were sleeping, we had a very lovely and leisurely luncheon at Casanova's -- wild Pacific salmon dish that was to die for.  From there, we toured 17-mile drive and headed back to San Jose so Sharon might have a few hours to nap before her red eye flight. 

I took the pups back home for baths and final preparations for Tak leaving.  The pups all had a bath and quite a rigorous playtime before calming down to sleep.  I spent some quiet time with Tak and then Lance, Ruby, Tak and I headed to the hotel to pick up Sharon.  Ruby said goodbye in the car, and I walked into the airport lobby to help Sharon while she checked her bag.  I gave Tak a kiss and told him to be a good boy -- my last vision was watching Sharon and Tak disappear up the escalator towards security and their gate.

The dynamics of the three pups left at home now is "quiet."  No one pup has emerged as dominant yet.  Perhaps they have noticed that their siblings are beginning to disappear and they are worried so they are on their best behavior...

Also, before Trudy left, we took her to our Annual Pawdemonium Holiday Party for socialization with fellow team members and their children.  Below are a few photos from the party.

After the party, we delivered Trudy to the Mabry Family at their hotel.  Ruby went in with us to say goodbye.  Below are a few shots from earlier in the day before we left to meet the Mabry's and attend the holiday party.  There are also a few shots at the hotel as Trudy settles in.

When we arrived home that evening with a pack of four instead of five, it took some time for the pups to settle down.  They had to figure out the new order now that one was gone.  Winne (Trudy) and Satch (Tak) have both been vying for the "alpha" position in the puppy pack.  With Trudy now gone, Tak has firmly established himself as in charge, and he has settled into a position where he is confident of his status.  The past few days, a new "sweetness" has emerged from Tak.  Yes, he is still full of himself," but there's a really sweet side to him as well.  It is interesting how the pack dynamics change as each pup leaves.  The litter is full of confident pups that have had a lot of socialization and no bad experiences in their lives.  These pups have delightful temperaments.  Ruby continues to play with them and teach them valuable lessons.

For the next few days over Christmas, we have my daughter's Farmdog visiting -- Milly.  I will work on getting some more photos and video to capture these interactions.  Milly is only 19 months old and still quite the puppy herself.  Whenever she visits, she tries to challenge Ruby for her position.  It's a love/hate relationship.  On one hand, Milly & Ruby love to play together.  On the onther hand, Milly is continually looking for "one step up" on the pack ladder.  In her home, as an only dog, she is on top.  In our home when she visits, she is #4.  It usually takes a day or two for her to accept that.  Echo has taken quite a fancy to Milly, and was the first pup to really engage her.  However, it didn't take long for the whole pack of pups to initiate play with her.