Sera writes: I wanted to give a plug for Magestic Pines Ranch... the wonderful breeder we got Lucy from in Oklahoma.

I am proud to announce the newest addition to our family, Lucy. She is a beautiful, 3 month old Labradoodle (Labrador/Standard Poodle Mix).

Yes, I know it sounds funny, but she is a dog bred for her low to non-shedding, hypoallergenic coat (from the poodle) and "smarts" (Lab & poodle).

Labradoodles were originally bred and raised as seeing-eye dogs for the blind who have allergies to most dogs (as I have). Most labradoodles have curly coats. Lucy's is wavy but may get curlier once she gets her adult coat in.

Lucy is already proving herself to be quite smart and always wants to be right by our side. The children love her and love having an extra playmate. Of course, Joshua is very curious about Lucy's water and food bowl and chew toys (right). We will soon be taking her to puppy school to continue working on her "Sit", Lay", "Heel", etc. commands. We love her very much!

Karen writes: This is not a great year for the bluebonnet but since I grown them in my yard I was able to get a pretty good shot of Snickerdoodle at about 31 pounds and very tall. Monday, 4-3-2006, Snickerdoodle will be 4 months old. She has met most of the neighbors and they remark how calm she is. I always attribute it to her socialization at Magestic Pines Ranch.

Snickerdoodle learned the dog door on Wednesday. With that out of the way, she has been able to come in & go out as she pleases. She helped me garden 2 days this week. She loves to steal my gloves or trowel. She just steals them...she has that soft lab mouth & she only chews on HER chewy toy. She has lost 3 teeth this week.

She has adjusted so well . . . she has been so good in the house; once she got the dog door down there have been no accidents. She is eating well, does pretty well on leash and knows her sidewalk when we return from a walk. As for fun, she loves to play ball-especially on the fly. Her retriever genes are strong. She will soon be coordinated enough to actually catch it every time.

It started raining late Friday night. She didn't mind the thunder and lightning. She doesn't seem to mind being wet, either so the only problem is wiping her down each time she goes out. I am trying to train her to come in and sit on a rug, waiting to have her feet wiped.

She is SO sweet! She has paw prints all over our hearts. God Bless You for bringing her into our lives -- she is loved!