2005 has been a brutal summer for Chip and Sam as they still want to be out in the yard in the blazing Illinois sun. Sam's black coat just sucks in the sunshine until he's hot to the touch, but the silly goose is reluctant to come in!

Chip was our first dog and we were lucky to get such an easy first dog. She was 3 when we acquired her and so we missed puppyhood. She is now nearly 9 and while she may be slowing down a touch, she's still happy to play fetch until she drops, especially if it is a tennis ball being thrown.

Sam was our puppy. After reading about an abandoned mother about to give birth to puppies on the Labrador-L internet mailing list, I inquired about getting one of the pups once they were ready to go to good homes. Sam's mother's rescuer and I exchanged many emails and finally when he was old enough, we met in Champaign, IL, and I took a little black pup home. We survived his puppyhood chewing and now he's nearly 4. He loves to play chase with Chip, but he's never quite taken to fetch.

Both dogs love to play in the snow. The deeper the snow the better. However, after a long winter, both dogs are very excited by Spring and happy to spend more time out of doors.

Sam is not a happy camper!