I want to share with you guys something different, something special, something friggin rad! My Anatolian Shepherd Puppy, Razi.    Razi is short for Terazi (which means ‘libra’ in Turkish). He’s a turkish dog and was born oct 1st.  I’m a libra as well.  So it just made sense 😀 He’s the 11th dog of the litter and was born 10-1-11.  Pretty cool, eh?
We picked him up from Siginak Anatolians in Napa, California after wonders Nick and Kim called me to let me know last minute that they had a little monster that was going to go to a breeder in florida but was passed up on last minute because he was a little wobbly and deemed not show dog material.   I hopped  in the car the following sunday at 3am to beat the Thanksgiving weekend traffic and drove for the next 6 hours through the thickest, eeriest pea soup fog i’ve ever experienced.  We arrived in Napa at the breeders’ ranch around 1pm, and I got to experience a rarity that very few can claim to have witnessed:  An anatolian puppy stampede! 😀    So friggin cute and, unlike most puppies that are spastic licking machines, these little puhppies ran up, gave me a few select kisses and ‘oh hai’s’ and were quickly on their way exploring the property.  All the while, their mom stood by with a big smile on her face, not at all worried about this new person that was with her puppies.  Anatolians are outstanding judges of character and have been bred to discern a threat in a heartbeat. Some even say they can hear things before they happen. In either case, Razi’s momma ‘Inci’, greeted me with a waggling butt and literally twisted into a pretzel when I get her some much needed butt scratchies.   After having chomped on some tacos and drank some kick butt ‘cellar wine’ (cheap wine in Napa is awesome by normal standards), we went out to pick up Razi and say our goodbyes. First, I can’t express enough how different our experience was with Nick and Kim of Siginak Anatolians compared to my stereotypical conception of buying a puppy from a breeder.  They made sure we were a good match for an Anatolian, invited us to lunch that in their own home, and really, really, really are in love with their dogs.  Nick had a super hard time saying bye to Razi (who we referred to as ‘Mr.Black’ until I was struck my a moment of inspiration of came up with his name).  He had really bonded with this tiny creature only 8 weeks old.  I knew right there that these were precious dogs to them and assured Nick that Mr.Black was in good hands.   Razi a.k.a. Mr.Black, had a picture-perfect Disney moment when it came time to say goodbye to his momma ‘Inci’.  She could tell that we were adopting her little boy, and started to walk away and distance herself from him–all the while Razi followed her and tugged on her tail.  It was heart-breaking to watch. But she came around for a few last goodbye snuggles with Razi and even inspected my car to make sure it was safe for her puppy.  Twelve hours later, we were back in San Diego with our ‘little man’, who literally was the most well-behaved and calm puppy i’ve ever seen–especially for a 10 hour car ride home through crazy traffic.  Razi was 20.9lbs November 28th when we took him home at 8 weeks of age.  The tiny ‘little man’ that took to sleeping under our couch has since shot up to a surprising 52lbs of squiggly-tailed gloriousness!  Gone is the wobbliness, and I’m positive that Razi is going to outshine everyone’s expectations.
I literally can’t put my camera down when it comes to Razi.  He has surprisingly cat-like mannerisms with how he ‘stalks’ other dogs in the dog park, and pounces on ice cubes.  Chopper, old adult anatolian, has since taken Razi under his wings and has even been caught spooning with the little guy.  On several occasions, I found myself literally at a loss for words at the uber-cuteness when Razi snuggles with Chopper.  Definitely keep an eye out for tons of san diego dog photography of all of Razi and Chopper’s adventures.