Dear Candice and Larry,

Sorry I haven't updated you for such a long time. I have been so busy at work and at home. I am on vacation this week, so I thought I would take a few minutes to write you. Ra is doing very well. He goes for a walk and runs nearly every day. I have a neighbor boy that I pay to walk him because he is so big and strong that I don't feel confident handling him away from home. He is so energetic and exuberant. We took Ra yesterday for his one year check up and he is fine. He weighs 88 pounds and is quite large, but not fat. At first, we thought he would be small like his mother, but it turns out he looks more like his dad. I don't have any pictures to send (Earl has been sick and not doing much with the camera), but Ra looks very much like his brother Neko. The major difference is that the white area on Ra's chest is a little smaller than Neko's. I will send pictures when Earl is feeling better and gets back in action.

Best Wishes.

Fran

Dear Candice,

We are all getting along very well. I think Ra has doubled in size. We got him a bigger collar and some more new toys. Earl takes him out nearly every day and the two of us take him out on weekends. He has been inside Petco twice, visited an ROP classroom, attended Eric's football practice, and has been to the grade school several times.

He now sleeps on our bed along with Coco. He likes to put his head on my feet. He is full of energy, chases Coco, attacks the furniture, and runs all around the yard. He's eating six cups of food a day and loves doggie biscuits.

That's about it for now. I will try to get Earl to take a picture or two this week-end and send them along to you.

Best wishes,

Fran

1-22-2007

Dear Candice and Larry,

I have attached several pictures of Ra. The teenagers in the pictures are our grand kids, Katie and Eric. Ra has settled in nicely. He plays with Coco and with us, is 99% toilet trained, and has gained some weight. We are making sure he sees new people every day, so that he will be properly socialized. Yesterday we took him to Petco. He had a ball in the store. A little girl tried to pet him and when he barked in play, she ran away with Ra right behind her.

I will e-mail you again next week.

Fran

1-17-2007

Hi Candice,

This evening our grandson, Eric, named him Ra for the sun god because he has such a sunny temperament. When his sister, Katie, named Zeus, we promised Eric that he could name the next dog that we got. He liked Thor and Ra, so we all voted on it and Ra won the election. He just doesn't seem like a Thor to me. I hope you like it, or at least don't hate it.

I will send another update in a couple of days. I will see if Earl will take a picture and post it. Seems as if Finley Ra has grown since Sunday.

Best Wishes,

Fran

1-16-2007

Dear Candice,

We took Finley to our vet today for a check up. Our vet said that everything looked good. She gave us some kaopectate for the diarrhea and it has already helped. Finely and Coco are getting along great. They both seem happy. He is eating well and has about eight toys to play with.

I will write to you in a few days to let you know how he is doing.

Fran