New Faces, Flamingo and Penguin

We are pleased to introduce Flamingo and Penguin as the newest members of Lion's Pride Den.  I wanted to introduce them sooner, but things have been very busy with the holidays. We were also in full swing last month picking up Puppy from school while her dad was away. He has since returned, Puppy is back in school, and we still have occasional visits with her. We started care for our new cubs on November 26, 2012. They have a rotating schedule and come 31 hours one week and 11 hours the following week.  We seem to be normalizing now that Christmas is over, and we've gotten adjusted to the new changes in our schedule. 

We are very thrilled to have the girls join our crew of boys and balance things out a bit. Flamingo is a very big helper with the little ones and has a cheerful disposition. Penguin has a contagious laugh and can be very vocal at times trying to communicate her excitement over our puppy, Ace, or immediate need for a snack.

It took some time to find just the right names for Flamingo and Penguin. Because Flamingo is older, she had some say in the matter and took some time to decide which name she wanted out of the several that we had picked out for her. One of the main reasons we chose Flamingo is because of the way she walks around the house on her tippy-toes and performs many ballet steps and jumps. Other names in the running were, Panda and Giraffe because of her long curly brown hair, and for some reason Platypus was on her mind as well. I think it came from her love of Phineas and Ferb. However, Flamingo seems to fit best because of her graceful and delicate way she walks around.

Penguin received her name because she is a little toddler that waddles around just like a penguin does. She also makes the cutest raspberry expression (as if she is cold) with her mouth when she wants a bottle, so we decided it would be a good fit for her as well. We also considered Panda for her because of the desire pick her up and cuddle her cuteness. Sometimes naming cubs is a bit tough, but I am very happy with our final decision. 

Here's a bit of joy that we've experienced with all our cubs since the changes happened. We hope you enjoy all the fun expressions as much as we do!

The Boys Rule

Here is a glimpse of what we experience everyday in taking care of three boys. Lion is pretty popular, especially when it comes to watching diesels or Thomas the Tank Engine. Meerkat is insistent each day to spend time with him watching trains. He even asks for his toast at the same time that Lion has toast. Now Otter is expressing an interest in choo-choos. I am pretty sure Wallaby will join in the fun a little further down the track.

Just before Christmas, we added a new addition to our family and his name is Ace. Meerkat's mom and dad have two dogs, a Lab and a Great Dane. They gave birth to puppies within a few weeks of each other, so they were taking care of 23 puppies all at once. They kept encouraging Rabbit to come see them all before they were adopted out. We weren't able to come to their house for a visit, so one day she brought two puppies to our house so we would have a chance to see them before they were all gone. Well, let's just say that one still did not have a home. He was the smallest of the litter, and he captured our hearts. We never thought we'd be dog owners, but he has now become one of the family. It's also very special that Meerkat and his mom still get to see him on a daily basis. Meerkat and Otter are both very expressive in their commentaries about Ace and Otter's demonstration of him drinking water is especially funny to watch. We have so much adventure around the den!

Thanksgiving Hats