So, the puppies were going on 8 weeks old and we were so excited and running around getting things ready. Puppy proofing the house. Getting new chew toys, puppy collar and leash, food, and a big bottle of Petzyme! We were just about ready for our new green collar girl to come home.
Then, just days before we were going to pick her up we got some bad news. We were not the first on the list to get a puppy and the person who got first pick chose "our" green collar girl! We knew we were second on the list but, with 6 puppies to choose from, we figured the odds were good that the first person would pick one of the other 5 puppies. But, no. Of all the puppies, they took the green collar girl. I was in tears. What now? :(
Crista Forest's Animals & Art
A blog about animals including wildlife, horses, dogs, cats, and other domestic animals, as well as the artwork I create from them.
Oct 23, 2018
Aug 26, 2018
Seven Week Old Lab Puppies Playing
Here's one of the earliest videos of our new baby girl. These are all three girls from the litter of six puppies. We were only interested in a female pup so the breeder only brought out the girls here. They are so cute! But, then again, are there any puppies that aren't cute when playing? :)
Aug 21, 2018
A New Life for a Labrador Retriever
In my previous post I talked about the loss of our beloved Labrador Retriever of nearly 14 years, Hannah, last August (2017). But I didn't want this blog to become about loss of a loved one. I wanted it to be about the joy of a new love. So this post is to introduce that new love, another yellow Labrador Retriever. Today is her 1st birthday. She was born on August 21, 2017, the day of the solar eclipse that was visible right here in the Pacific Northwest where I live, and where she was born.
I wish I had started this blog back then so I could tell her story as it was happening. But, unfortunately, that didn't happen that way for a number of reason, not the least of which is that young puppies are a handful and don't leave much time for blogging! So, on the anniversary of her birth, I'm going to start here from the beginning.
No, it's not quite as mundane as you'd think ... puppy comes home, puppy gets potty trained, puppy is teething, etc. There will be a little bit of that but that's not what I want to focus on. I want to share the quirks and surprises, some strange turns of events I would have never foreseen, some funny photos and videos, etc.
But let's start with the intro. Shortly after Hannah crossed The Rainbow Bridge and I spent several days crying I decided I could not stand living in a dogless home. I had to get another Lab. I knew the new dog would never replace Hannah, but s/he could still bring many of the joys Hannah did, like playing fetch, going on walks and hikes, and all the cuddles and kisses a dog gives.
I researched a number of reputable Lab breeders for upcoming litters. (Don't get on my case about not adopting a rescue dog. Labs are so popular here they never end up in shelters and even breeders often sell out before puppies are even born. There are no "rescue Labs" around here!) I decided on one particular breeder, McCain's Eaglesnest Labradors, because they had puppies coming soon, they were close, and they were yellow/red labs.
I have a preference for yellow Labs but, because Hannah had recently passed, I didn't want a yellow Lab that looked just like her. I was afraid a new puppy that looked just like her might be too much emotion to bear for me or, even worse, I might resent the new puppy for looking like Hannah, but not living up to her qualities. So Eaglesnest was the perfect solution because they breed "fox red" yellow Labs. Fox reds can be very dark red but they are still, technically, yellow Labs. Great! I could have a yellow Lab that doesn't look exactly like Hannah. Problem solved.
So I contacted the breeder and put our name on the list. The night of August 21 comes along and the breeder posts on FB that Mommy is in labor! Puppies are coming! Here she is, Eaglesnest Carmel by the Sea, in her birthing pool, waiting for puppies to pop!
Poor girlie, she does not look comfortable! Though she is a standard yellow Lab the sire, Cimarron's Red, was a fox red. So there was a good chance of red pups coming. Here's a picture of him.
But on to the puppies! And, here they came! On the evening of August 21, 2017 six puppies were born, one yellow and five red, 3 females and 3 males. We wanted a female so we went straight to the "girls" photo, two reds and one standard yellow.
I was instantly drawn to the pup with the green collar girl. Not sure why. I think because she was still close to the standard yellow Lab but just a shade darker so I would not feel she looked too similar to Hannah. I showed the pic to my husband. I did not tell him my preference but asked him which puppy he would want. He also was immediately drawn to the green collar pup. That was it! Our new girl! Yay! We had decided! Now all we had to do was wait 8 weeks and our new girl would be home with us!
But, wait, not so fast .... (to be continued)
I wish I had started this blog back then so I could tell her story as it was happening. But, unfortunately, that didn't happen that way for a number of reason, not the least of which is that young puppies are a handful and don't leave much time for blogging! So, on the anniversary of her birth, I'm going to start here from the beginning.
No, it's not quite as mundane as you'd think ... puppy comes home, puppy gets potty trained, puppy is teething, etc. There will be a little bit of that but that's not what I want to focus on. I want to share the quirks and surprises, some strange turns of events I would have never foreseen, some funny photos and videos, etc.
But let's start with the intro. Shortly after Hannah crossed The Rainbow Bridge and I spent several days crying I decided I could not stand living in a dogless home. I had to get another Lab. I knew the new dog would never replace Hannah, but s/he could still bring many of the joys Hannah did, like playing fetch, going on walks and hikes, and all the cuddles and kisses a dog gives.
I researched a number of reputable Lab breeders for upcoming litters. (Don't get on my case about not adopting a rescue dog. Labs are so popular here they never end up in shelters and even breeders often sell out before puppies are even born. There are no "rescue Labs" around here!) I decided on one particular breeder, McCain's Eaglesnest Labradors, because they had puppies coming soon, they were close, and they were yellow/red labs.
I have a preference for yellow Labs but, because Hannah had recently passed, I didn't want a yellow Lab that looked just like her. I was afraid a new puppy that looked just like her might be too much emotion to bear for me or, even worse, I might resent the new puppy for looking like Hannah, but not living up to her qualities. So Eaglesnest was the perfect solution because they breed "fox red" yellow Labs. Fox reds can be very dark red but they are still, technically, yellow Labs. Great! I could have a yellow Lab that doesn't look exactly like Hannah. Problem solved.
So I contacted the breeder and put our name on the list. The night of August 21 comes along and the breeder posts on FB that Mommy is in labor! Puppies are coming! Here she is, Eaglesnest Carmel by the Sea, in her birthing pool, waiting for puppies to pop!
Poor girlie, she does not look comfortable! Though she is a standard yellow Lab the sire, Cimarron's Red, was a fox red. So there was a good chance of red pups coming. Here's a picture of him.
But on to the puppies! And, here they came! On the evening of August 21, 2017 six puppies were born, one yellow and five red, 3 females and 3 males. We wanted a female so we went straight to the "girls" photo, two reds and one standard yellow.
I was instantly drawn to the pup with the green collar girl. Not sure why. I think because she was still close to the standard yellow Lab but just a shade darker so I would not feel she looked too similar to Hannah. I showed the pic to my husband. I did not tell him my preference but asked him which puppy he would want. He also was immediately drawn to the green collar pup. That was it! Our new girl! Yay! We had decided! Now all we had to do was wait 8 weeks and our new girl would be home with us!
But, wait, not so fast .... (to be continued)
Aug 10, 2018
The Life of a Labrador Retriever
I stopped blogging about my art and products because, frankly, no one seemed to be interested in posts of just new art, and new product featuring my art. Successful art blogs teach art style and techniques and, honestly, I'm no good at giving art instruction. I'm really not even sure myself how or why I do what I do with my art.
So, I'm switching to something more widely appealing for a while ... puppies!
We lost our beloved Labrador Retriever of nearly 14 years, Hannah, in August of 2017. I was absolutely devastated. I loved her more than I'd ever imagined I could love any animal, and I'd had many dogs, cats, and horses throughout my life. But Hannah had found a way to burrow into my heart like no other. I remember previous pets but I don't miss them. I will miss Hannah with all my heart until the day I die. She was a special and beautiful soul.
But, this blog won't be about Hannah and my grief over her loss. It will be about the new fur babies that have entered my life. I will introduce the first one in my next blog post. For now, I just want to say RIP Dear Hannah. I will love and miss you always!
So, I'm switching to something more widely appealing for a while ... puppies!
We lost our beloved Labrador Retriever of nearly 14 years, Hannah, in August of 2017. I was absolutely devastated. I loved her more than I'd ever imagined I could love any animal, and I'd had many dogs, cats, and horses throughout my life. But Hannah had found a way to burrow into my heart like no other. I remember previous pets but I don't miss them. I will miss Hannah with all my heart until the day I die. She was a special and beautiful soul.
But, this blog won't be about Hannah and my grief over her loss. It will be about the new fur babies that have entered my life. I will introduce the first one in my next blog post. For now, I just want to say RIP Dear Hannah. I will love and miss you always!
RIP Hannah
Nov 25, 2003 - Aug 1, 2017
Jun 17, 2017
American Unicorns for Independence Day
I have a some new unicorn artwork available on shirts through Merch by Amazon. These were designed to celebrate the American 4th of July holiday, so these little cuties are wearing patriotic red, white, and blue colors and decorated with stars and stripes. All are available in a variety of shirt colors and sizes for men, women, and kids.
Jun 8, 2017
New Dog Lover Shirts and Father's Day
Recently I have created several new dog lover shirt designs with some of the most popular dog breeds including Labrador Retrievers, Dachshunds, German Shepherds, and Corgis. Since some of these lovely pooches come in a variety of colors I've also made a few different color versions. Since Father's Day is just around the corner I'm going to share the "Dad" versions of these dog shirts I made, such as Lab Dad, Corgi Dad, Dachshund Dad, and Beagle Dad.
Let's start with the dog breed that has been #1 on the list of most popular dog breeds in the U.S. for a record-breaking 26 consecutive years, the Labrador Retriever. I have a cute, cartoony version as well as a more realistic, yet stylized, version in black, yellow, and chocolate.
Now let's move on to another very popular dog breed, the beagle. For the adorable beagle I have the classic black, tan, & white version, the red & white version, and the yellow & white version, also known as the Lemon Drop Beagle.
Next up we have the adorable Welsh Corgi. I have both short and long tailed Cardigan and Pembroke corgis in a few different colors.
And now we move on to the adorable Dachshund, aka the wiener dog. I have black & tan, solid black, and the more common red.
And, last but not least, we have the wonderful, loyal, and noble German Shepherd.
All these shirts are available in several sizes and colors. Click on a your favorite dog design to see all the options for that shirt.
And stay tuned. More dog breeds to come!
Let's start with the dog breed that has been #1 on the list of most popular dog breeds in the U.S. for a record-breaking 26 consecutive years, the Labrador Retriever. I have a cute, cartoony version as well as a more realistic, yet stylized, version in black, yellow, and chocolate.
Now let's move on to another very popular dog breed, the beagle. For the adorable beagle I have the classic black, tan, & white version, the red & white version, and the yellow & white version, also known as the Lemon Drop Beagle.
Next up we have the adorable Welsh Corgi. I have both short and long tailed Cardigan and Pembroke corgis in a few different colors.
And now we move on to the adorable Dachshund, aka the wiener dog. I have black & tan, solid black, and the more common red.
And, last but not least, we have the wonderful, loyal, and noble German Shepherd.
All these shirts are available in several sizes and colors. Click on a your favorite dog design to see all the options for that shirt.
And stay tuned. More dog breeds to come!
May 16, 2017
Unicorns for Birthdays and Graduations
I've added some new unicorn designs to my Amazon Merch T-shirt store. These are pretty little cartoon unicorns in a variety of colors that are perfect for little kids, especially little girls, who love unicorns.
I have blue, pink, purple, and rainbow colored unicorns. Some are for birthdays with sayings like, "The Prettiest Unicorns Are Born In June" that would be great for your child to wear at her birthday party. Others are designs with "Class of 2017" perfect for your child's graduation celebration. I also have some versions of unicorns with no text that are great for your kid to wear any time, just because he or she loves unicorns. Here are a few examples:
See more Unicorn shirts in my Amazon Store.
I have blue, pink, purple, and rainbow colored unicorns. Some are for birthdays with sayings like, "The Prettiest Unicorns Are Born In June" that would be great for your child to wear at her birthday party. Others are designs with "Class of 2017" perfect for your child's graduation celebration. I also have some versions of unicorns with no text that are great for your kid to wear any time, just because he or she loves unicorns. Here are a few examples:
See more Unicorn shirts in my Amazon Store.
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