The Story of Thunder: Golden Pup-in-Training
Have fun following Thunder's continuing adventures in his training journey, thanks to Golden Mom Lillian Robinson and Trainer Ronny. It all began in November 1998, with Thunder being certified in August 2000.
 

 November 24, 1998
Well, guess what? Golden breeder, Lillian Robinson, just let us in on how Thunder's training has already began. Even before she leaves with him for Norway, Ronny has instructed her about what she can be doing to get Thunder on his search and rescue way. She is making training one big game and it is lots of fun for him. Thunder can already heel, sit, and drop & retrieve an article.

Last night, Lillian began to do a little bit more serious work. First, she let him see where she had but his article, and then she told him to "Serk." That is how 'Search' is said in Norwegian, as Thunder will have two languages to learn. Well, anyway then after showing him where it was, Lillian put Thunder inside and she dug down in the dirt, under a bush, burying the article and leaving no trace of her digging. She then got Thunder out & made him sit. Then, she asked "Where is it??" After a while, Thunder got excited because he was wondering where his article was.

Lillian said "Serk" again. He was confused at first, but she then took him a little bit closer and repeated the command again, so he could use his nose to smell. Well, Thunder got to where it was and then went, "Woof!! Woof!!" So, she dug it out for him and rewarded him and played.

Lillian did this again, and Thunder caught on to what he had to do. Again, he found his article and "Woofed!" But, this time she did not dig it out for him. Instead, she used a very excited voice and said "Come on get it!" At the same time, she patted the ground and moved the dirt a little. Well, guess what? Thunder then went crazy digging & FOUND IT!! What a big day it was for him (and also for Lillian), don't you think!
 

November 27, 1998
We got a note from Ronny today who talks about how eager he is to meet Thunder. He will begin his training for Search & Rescue when he gets to Norway, but it will only be to learn to know what to look for, and to recognize and follow command words. However, when Thunder is about 10 months old, he will begin training to find people that are hiding from him, which Ronny says can be a lot of fun.

November 28, 1998
We received a new report on little Thunder, who is 12 weeks old, and everyday becoming more of Lillian's little treasure. Today they went to the pet supply store and bought a harness. That's much better than Thunder learning to pull on a lead with his neck. Then Lillian went to the big shopping mall, and found a seat on the ground in the shade, so allowing Thunder to sit beside her.

As you'd expect, it didn't take long before they had quite a crowd of people wanting to pet this adorable little guy. There were little children, old men, and lots of women. And, there was plenty of activity, with shopping carts and cars passing through. Well, Thunder passed all of the tests on socialization. So, mom was proud, and Thunder came home and fell asleep a very tired little pup after his exciting morning out! It's very hot in Perth today so he will get another treat later. Lillian plans on taking him in the pool for a swim which Thunder just loves. Now, is this a lucky little guy or what?

December 3, 1998
Thunder is now 13 weeks old, and as these pictures show, living the good life. He is really the little swimmer, and constantly on the move. Mom Lillian says he is really a little character, doing silly water tricks that no other Golden has invented. Here is one of his favorites, which involves using Mum as a boat to get rides on! And, then when he has dried off, he likes to catch some fine rays!

Of course, Mom Lillian is still doing lots of his fun search and rescue training games. You know, where she buries something, and then has him going to search for it and digging it up. The photo below shows him during one of these adorable investigations.

The local school has a Pet Day coming up this Saturday. Lillian's friend's little boy wants Thunder to come along, of course! This is a perfect opportunity for some more socialization, for the more exposure and discoveries he makes, the better.

Lillian also just met a man at work (she works as a veterinary nurse) when his police dog got hurt on duty. Now, she has been invited to bring Thunder and go to see how the police train their pups. How exciting!

Thunder will be leaving Perth on a British Airline to go to London, then Oslo, and finally onto a local flight to Melbu, Norway. But, Mom Lillian will fly out on a Cathy Pacific flight to Hong Kong, where she will have an 8 hour wait. Then, she will be taking a Scandinavian flight to Copenhagen, Oslo & Elvines. They are traveling on different flights, as Thunder's is a quicker, more direct route. And, that's the most important thing, says Mom Lillian. Stay tuned for our next check in at the airport for Thunder's flight, as we all look forward to his safe and successful journey!

December 28, 1998
We just got word from Lillian that today is hers and Thunder's big day. Lillian took Thunder in to see the government Veterinarian, and he had a special worming completed. He happily passed with flying colors. Lillian says Thunder is a happy and relaxed fellow, nothing ever seeming to bother him. And, he sure is a big boy, weighing in at 21 kilos. But, Lillian says he has no fat. He's just a very solid little boy!

Now, comes the complicated part. Lillian's flight is before Thunder's, and she will leave today to go to the airport to begin her part of the journey. In the meantime, Thunder is staying at her friend's boarding kennel until tomorrow. Her friend called already to say that Thunder just jumped up on the kennel bed & acted like he had always been there. Goldens are good like that, you know!

At 5:00 PM on December 29th, Thunder will take off on British Airlines for London. There, he will be placed on another plane, and will be taken to Oslo. But, Thunder's plane does not get into Oslo in time to catch the forwarding flight to Ronny's place, & no one would have been able to be there to take care of him. Luckily, Ronny called a friend of his in Oslo who takes in rescue dogs. Well, we know how wonderful rescue folks are! She is going to go to the airport at Oslo, and will take Thunder home until the next morning. Then, she will put him on a flight to Evenes, where Lillian and Ronny will be waiting for him. All were really worried about how this would all work out, but Ronny was able to organize these special plans through the Veterinarian and Customs. Let's all wish them G-d speed!

January 1, 1999
Well, we've had some problems! Now don't worry. . .everyone's okay, but there have been some complications. Some kind of mix-up caused Thunder to miss his connecting flights, so he has had to remain by himself at London Heathrow Airport. Lillian is worried though, as he left Perth, Australia on December 29th and now has been away from Mom for five days now. We certainly don't want this to change his happy-go-lucky attitude. Thunder is hopefully (we'll keep our fingers crossed) due to arrive in Melbu, Norway on Monday January 4th.

On a happier note, Lillian tells us that Ronny's German Shepherd, Saco, is simply adorable. She has already fallen head over heels, in love with him. He has a delightful nature and loves puppies, so she's sure Thunder will get along well and love his new home and family.

January 3, 1999
Ronny has just written to say thanks for letting lots of folks in the Golden world know about Thunder's plight at Heathrow Airport. On Saturday, January 2nd, Lillian and Ronny called the Quarantine Center at the airport. And, Thunder was doing just fine. He had food and water, and of course, one female member of the staff at his beck and call! Thunder has gotten to play several times a day, and when Lillian and Ronny called, had been right in the middle of a play with her. The staff member did not know that this Golden fellow's name was Thunder. Boy, was she grateful to have this information. When Thunder heard her call his name, he immediately woofed back several times. He sounded so very happy. Thankfully, it does not seem like this big ordeal has affected his fun, outgoing nature, as this special boy seems to take everything in his stride.

Here is a picture of Thunder just before leaving his home in Australia. He was being taken care of by two very special people. One was the government veterinarian, shown here on the left. What a lovely but serious pose (he probably knows that the good doc means business)! The other was Lillian's special friend, Sheryl. She helped a lot in getting Thunder safely off to begin his journey from Australia. Now, you know that Thunder had surely won over her heart long ago! But, that's not a hard trick given his affectionate ways and easy going attitude. We think Sheryl will be missing this Golden boy as well.

While there must have been lots of last moment errands that needed to be done, Sheryl took the time to grant Thunder one last playtime in Mom Lillian's beautiful backside pool. Of course, we already know how very much this little boy loves to swim. Do you think he will be able to continue with this sport in Norway? Just send Ronny a little e-woof and you can find out for yourself. His email address is ronandr@online.no. Here's a good chance to put Postman Ollie's Golden Posts service to work!

Now, here are the new plans. Thunder is due to fly to Norway from London at 7:45 AM. He will then stay at the Oslo Airport for about 6 hours before leaving on his final flight at 5:15 PM. Hopefully, Thunder will then arrive at Evenes airport about one and a half hours later for Ronny and Lillian to pick him up. We certainly are looking forward to seeing those pictures of joy.

Ronny and Lillian are really eager to see Thunder - Ronny for his first time and Lillian, because she has really missed her little boy. To get Saco ready for the homecoming of his new canine brother, Lillian has been using some of Thunder's toys from Australia. Saco has been smelling and getting use to Thunder's scent by playing with these toys. Ronny thinks that these two will be good buddies as soon as they lay eyes on one another. Saco behaves so well with puppies, as he does with dogs in general. Although Saco knows that he is an Alpha dog (the one in charge), he doesn't need others to know that in any other way than by showing the natural body signals.

Ronny is having fun seeing Saco learning some English, as well as Lillian some Norwegian, as they become closer with one another. Ronny tells us that Lillian now wants to do what any respectable pet person loves to do when they travel to a new place. And, what is that? Well, of course - to visit the area pet store! Lillian wants to see what goodies there are in Norway shops. And, then she probably wants to spend some (of Ronny's) money (hee! hee!).

January 4, 1999
Well, we just got confirmation that Thunder finally made it and is doing well!! The plane he was on was very late, though, and Ronny & Lillian didn't get home from the airport with him until almost 1:30 AM, Tuesday morning. Everyone is really tired, so we will have to stay tuned for the details (hopefully coming tomorrow)!

January 5, 1999
We just heard from Ronny and Lillian who are doing well, now that they have their Thunder home, safe and sound. Here are the details. Thunder left the London Heathrow Airport at 7:45 AM and arrived in Oslo at 10:50 AM (which includes a one hour time difference between Oslo & London). The government Veterinarian saw Thunder and he was really impressed with how well he looked. He said Thunder was in very good health to have traveled that far without ANY drugs. Because of this, he said he will be trying to keep from using drugs on dogs when they are in planes.

Thunder's paperwork was fine, so he was sent onto Evenes as planned. But, when Ronny and Lillian got to the airport, they saw that the plane was late, over two hours late!! Finally the plane arrived at 8:35 PM, but they had to wait until 9:15 PM before they were allowed into the cargo part of the airport. A cargo employee went to the area which housed animal crates to get Thunder, but came back to say that his crate was empty. Oh my, can you imagine how shocked Ronny and Lillian were? Well, they went into the area and began looking around. Boy, were they relieved when they saw Thunder inside a LARGE new crate which had been made for him in London. Upon opening up the crate, little Thunder was up and running immediately. What a trouper!

As soon as Thunder arrived him, he was greeted by his new pal, Saco. Of course, tired or not, at 1:15 AM the two guys needed to play some. The playing has continued and Thunder has gotten to now experience his first snow. In fact, he has already had his first bite of it!

January 19, 1999
Thunder continues to be doing well in Norway, shown here in all of its incredible beauty. He recently went for his 16 week vaccination, and of course, the veterinarian commented on his calm attitude. Thunder has really been having a glorious time experiencing Norwegian snow and ice. Running and leaping through the snow, he appears like that of a young Fawn. At one point, though, Thunder lost his footing and went sliding down a steep decline. Fortunately, he then relaxed his body, thus remaining unhurt. After a few attempts, Thunder then learned how to use his claws to dig into the ice and snow, and made it to safety!!

Lillian is amazed at how much Thunder adores Ronny, constantly wanting to remain close to him. What a special feeling it is for her to to breed a puppy and then watch how such bonding takes place. Thunder has certainly settled in very well. And, it already seems as though he and Saco have always been together.

Thunder is also beginning to learn some Norwegian words, and it seems like he actually understands some of the basic command words. Unfortunately, the weather has not been too good for training. It has been raining, and then snowing, and then raining some more. The result is that its very icy nearly everywhere they turn. Of course, Thunder is too small to handle these kinds of conditions. But, Ronny is confident that the weather will soon change. Once it's not too slippery, Thunder will be able to be outside for longer periods of time. Then, he will begin to understand the environment in which he will be living and training.

January 26, 1999
We have just heard from Ronny and Lillian who tell us that Thunder and Saco continue to be doing just great together. But, the weather is not cooperating too much with their training plans. That's why Thunder has so much time to play with all of his many woobies. Just look at this adorable Golden pal of his. What a pair!

Right now in Norway it is very cold and icy. And it is just too slippery and cold for a pup to be outside for a long period of time. But, Ronny says that Thunder, being the smart guy that he surely is, now understands the basics. They are doing some indoor training and he is coming along quite well. Mom Lillian must be so proud of this adorable guy! And what do Goldens do after a hard training day? Well, that's an easy one to answer. They curl up for a nap with one of their many woobies.

January 30, 1999
Ronny tells us that they've got some snow at last. Unfortunately, it only lasted for one day before changing to rain. But, lucky for us, the three guys (Ronny, Saco & Thunder) did get in some time for both playing and training. They had a lot of fun as you can see here. Then, they all arrived back home wet and tired. So, they slept for about two hours and then they were ready to go at it again. Lillian is having a wonderful time in Norway, but wants it to snow "big time" so that she can build a snowman, or is that snow-woman?

Ronny is hoping that the weather will soon be better so that he can begin to train properly with Thunder. He is growing very well, and his coat is getting thicker and more Golden in color.

Thunder also seems to have a keen interest in looking for things. He is doing just as Ronny's German Shepherd Saco does. Obviously, he is watching his new brother closely so that he, too, can be a cool dude. Saco has to smell and investigate everything, and is always digging down into the ground. So, that is just what Thunder is doing. We all know that it will not be a problem to train this incredible Golden guy.

And, Thunder certainly does love the snow here at his new home. What a great white playground he has to play, and soon, to work in!

February 23, 1999
Ronny tells us that Thunder will soon be six months old, and boy is he growing fast. From week to week, he can see the difference. Just last week, Thunder was only about 26 kg. And, this week he is already 30 kg. Ronny's Saco is only 32 kg, so Thunder may be passing him soon. Whooooaaa!!!!

You can see by the pictures here that Thunder is becoming a nice Golden color. This was very important for Ronny as Thunder must be easily visible in the snow.

He is such a good pup who so wants to learn. And, is he smart! All he has to do is watch Saco working, and he does the same. Basic training is going fine as Thunder is really easy to train. And, get this! He likes it too! But, he also is Mr. Silly who loves playing in the snow (and Norway is certainly the right place for that).

March 2, 1999
Today's story is about Golden Mom Lillian. She has just arrived home in Perth, after having made a very sad goodbye to Ronny & Saco, and her baby Thunder.Of course, in this picture Thunder doesn't look like her baby anymore. Just six months old and looking so serious and grown up!

Lillian had quite a bumpy and maybe too exciting ride home. She left Norway at Evenes to Oslo, but could not land due to fog. After getting to a small landing strip, she bravely got on a small plane with twin propellers and left for Copenhagen. And, boy was it foggy and bumpy. Lillian then boarded another plane for Singapore. But, one hour into the flight, her leg began to swell and she was soon having lots of pain. Lillian was taken from the plane and rushed to Changi Hospital. The doctor said she was suffering from Deep Vein Thrombosis. After getting care at the hospital, the doctors decided to send her back home on a flight with a Doctor on board.

Safely home now, we are all hoping that Lillian is going to rest and get well. She has spoken to Ronny, and he told her that Thunder and Saco were missing her, as much as she was them. Thunder looks so big here in this picture that Lillian took before she left. But, he probably will always be her little baby guy. Now, she must pay attention to the Golden family she left behind in Australia. It was wonderful seeing her older gentleman Toby and her Jemma. Lillian says, in his excitement to see her, Toby nearly did cartwheels! And, she can't wait to go and see the adorable puppers that he sired while she was away.

March 8, 1999
Today was a basic training day for Thunder. It was a very sunny day - but cold, and Ronny took Thunder out for a walk before the training. Then they went home to get the car and headed off to the training spot at Stokmarknes. There were about 25 people with their dogs. First out was Saco, who did well, like he always does.

At about half time, it was Thunder`s turn to do some training with the other dogs. Everything went very well. He did great with heeling, sitting, dropping, and coming on a recall. When doing a long down with the rest of the dogs, Ronny stood about two meters in front of him. Thunder looked up at him the entire time. And, he laid there for five minutes, unmoving. That is very good for such a young boy. Boy, I wish Ronny could help me out with my training with Darcy.

Everyday Ronny and Thunder do some training, but they have lots of fun too. I love this little game, that all you guys with snow will have to try. It is called "Searching for Hotdogs in the Snow!" Just cut some hotdogs up into small pieces and throw them all out into the snow. Then watch your Golden pal as he or she goes looking for him. It is a very funny thing to see according to Ronny. I can't wait to try it, but fear that I will have to wait another season for snow.

March 13, 1999
Today was a day for Search and Rescue training. Saco was the first up, and he did well. But, Ronny thought he could have done better, and was a bit out of training. He is not worried, though, and says that he will just have to go a couple of steps back in the "program" for it to work itself out.

Thunder had his first search, and Ronny began with two things for him to search for. Thunder found them in about three minutes, also getting some help from Ronny to do it. Then, it was time to play, so Ronny got Saco out of the car and they played together for some time. Then, Ronny roped Thunder up to a tree so that he could watch what Saco would be doing. Ronny has found out that works well for Thunder. Of course, he has to be careful Thunder doesn't learn anything he doesn't want him to learn.

Now, Ronny had Saco doing the same thing as Thunder had just completed, but with TEN things hidden. Saco found them all in five minutes and brought them to Ronny. I bet we couldn't have found them. I know I'd still be looking out in all of that snow! Now, it was Thunder's turn. Ronny hid all ten things and Thunder was searching very well, copying the movements of Saco, and even looking for them at the same spots. At first he didn't find anything, but then found his first thing. You should have seen how proud he was, walking like a king with his find. But, then Ronny took it from him and told him, "Search!"

Then, Thunder went out running and looking for more. After ten minutes time, he had found nine of the ten things. He even found two items at the same time, and got them bought in his mouth. That is called being a "collector." My Ollie and Darcy both must be collectors, as they relish in the ability to get as many woobies, balls, you name it, as possible into their mouths at one time.

The last thing Thunder did not find, but Ronny had buried that very well, so he was not worried about it. They have not been training to do such a feat yet. First, Thunder has to get the idea about what this is all about. Ronny is sure that it won't be a problem. And, he sounds like an incredible trainer to me. Boy, I wish I could get him to come up my way in Maryland to work with my darlings!

March 16, 1999
Today was a group training day. Ronny began doing some group training with some dogs that were having difficulties. First, they all talked together for a while so that they could get to know each other better. In that way, Ronny could better determine what the specific problems were that the dogs and their owners were having. Two people had dogs that were aggressive toward other dogs. Two people had dogs that were scared by other dogs. And, one person had a dog that was scared of nearly everything.

When they began the training, the dogs were in the lead the entire time. First, Ronny took out Thunder, but he could see that he didn't much like this, so he got Saco out of the car instead. Saco isn't bothered by other dogs at all, so he is good to use to help other dogs that are aggressive or scared. He has a very good, clear body language and signaling ability. One of the dogs that was aggressive suddenly tried to suck up to him, but that was not a good idea. Saco just turned his back on him and walked away from him. He was saying, "that is not the right way to contact me." So, the other dog tried again. But, Ronny told the owner to take the dog away from Saco and go in the opposite direction to get him more relaxed.

After this, Ronny took Thunder out, and he sat chatting with some people with the dogs beside them. In this way, both the dogs and the owners could get relaxed. And, the dogs could get used to each other's smells. But, not one of the dogs was in direct contact. There are a lot of reasons for that, but mostly Ronny did not want any conflicts between them.

Thunder is doing very well, and he does enjoy training with other dogs. He loves "talking" to them as well :-). And, he is doing very well when he has to stay home alone with Saco. They both can be found together sleeping in the hall, waiting for Ronny to get home. Sadly, Ronny had no pictures for us at the time of these last three reports, but says that Thunder has grown a lot. He is heavier than Saco, but very contact. And, of course, Ronny just loves his temperament as Thunder is such a good and happy dog :-)).

March 28, 1999
Today was the day that Thunder began with his Search and Rescue training! They began by hiding one man for him to find. He was not hidden that well, though. This was because it was important for Thunder to start out successfully with this new 'game'. Well, Thunder did well with his first game of person 'hide & seek' so he was then rewarded with a "playtime." After about thirty minutes, this game was played again. But, this time a woman was used to hide. Thunder found her easily as well.

Before and after Thunder's Search and Rescue training, he also did some Basic Obedience training. Ronny is so proud about how well Thunder is doing here as well. Today, in the company of ten other dogs, Thunder remained in a 'down stay' for five minutes. He didn't once try to get up out of this stay, and Ronny was ten meters away from him at the time!

This week Ronny also taught Thunder a trick - sitting still while something rests on his nose until being told to "get it." The first time Thunder did the trick perfectly. But, lots of times later he was not getting it. But, the whole time he still thought it was fun. Thunder doesn't seem to tire of training, and is probably what some in the Golden world call a "thinking dog." He really wants to do all the time, and will go at it anytime he can find an able partner. Ronny has to tell him "It is sleeping time now" to get him to stop.  

Thunder loves to play and he and Saco go at it lots in the house. Their favorite game is running up the stairs. And, Ronny says they can do that for a loooong time. But, after that, they are both off for some major snoozing!

June 2, 1999
Thunder is growing into quite a big boy, soon to be nine months of age. Training is going very well, as he still enjoys all kinds of training. Right now, Thunder is handling a track that is about 300 to 400 meters. Here, he has to walk in the tracks to someone - to end up finding that someone or things that the person has lost in the track. Thunder is able to go and find all the articles left on the track, pick them up, and then stand waiting for Ronny to come and get it. At the end of the tracking exercise, Ronny uses a kong in a rope to play with Thunder. He thinks this is the funniest toy he owns and loves playing with this toy. But, Ronny is pretty smart here, only using this special toy when training. That, of course, makes training a very special and fun activity.

Ronny has begun "field search" training now. This activity is more difficult to learn, so much more training has to take place for it to be done properly. Ronny can now hide one thing in a field, about 10 x 10 meters, with Thunder able to find it and get it back to him.

Thunder is doing great in his obedience work, as he maintains excellent attention with his trainer. He holds eye contact with Ronny constantly, always looking up to his eyes for acknowledgement that he is performing correctly. While heeling, Thunder can go to a stand, sit, or down position easily. He also does great turning to the left, right, and all around.On a recall, which hasn't been trained much, Thunder has no problem coming and going to Ronny's side. What a smart boy he is!

Thunder still loves to explore a lot around where they live. He loves to run after the cats when they are on Ronny's land. Unfortunately, they jump the fence when he gets too close. Then, Thunder is left standing there looking after them, saddened that they don't want to play with him. He also likes to go and explore in the mountains. Not too long ago, Ronny and Thunder were on the highest mountain on the island. It is about 700 meters high and very alpine, but they actually climbed it to get to the top! On their island in Norway, there are lots of sheep up in the mountains in the summertime. Thunder has done well when he has met sheep during his exploring. One time, though, they came upon a sheep trying to protect its lambs. It was certainly not too friendly, so Ronny and Thunder just turned away and went in another direction.

Thunder continues to get along with any kind of dog that he meets. He seems to understand other dogs very well, sensing how they will respond. For example, he realizes that younger dogs will want to play a lot, but that older dogs will be a little more reserved. Saco and Thunder, of course, continue to be fast buddies. But, they have a new good friend named Casper. Casper is a boxer who has not always been great with other dogs and people. He is doing better now, though, and has quit attacking them all of the time. Before, Casper thought attack was the best defense. But, Saco and Thunder have helped him to learn better ways to respond.

Thunder is still doing a lot of playing, but now he is in a period where some things seem "dangerous" to him. For example, suddenly there can be a plastic bag or something moving around by itself that seems scary. But, Ronny and Thunder then both go up to the item together, and Ronny lets him smell it to see that it really isn't dangerous at all. Sometimes pups can show this behavior during different periods in their early development. We know about this very well, as Ollie never lessened in his fear to moving plastic bags that seemed to mysteriously have a life of their own. Amazingly, nothing else bothered him, whether it was an aggressive dog or a thunder storm. But, let a moving bag loose on him, and he would say, "Let's get out of here," backing away as quickly as he could.

August 22, 1999
This message comes from Lillian, Thunder's mom. She has been quite annoyed with Ronny who hasn't been keeping us informed of her boy's progress. And, pictures that he was supposed to be sending to Lillian for scanning were unfortunately sent by sea, rather than airmail. Oh my, who can tell when we will ever see them.

Ronny has been quite busy with his Search and Rescue training, which take up to eight hours daily. So, Lillian has gotten us our latest scoop. Thunder is continuing to do great in training. He just loves it and wants more and more. And, get this. Thunder and Ronny will soon be going to Finland to take part in training for Water Rescue. Ronny worked hard to make this project a go and just got his final permission and funding. So, if all goes as planned, Thunder will hopefully be Norway's first Water Rescue dog!

Thunder is also going to be entered in a dog show next weekend, as well. But, the best part of Lillian's message is the funny story she had to tell about Ronny and Thunder's recent hunting escapade. During this hunting trip, Thunder came home with a little baby kitten in his mouth. Ronny said it did not have a mark on it, as he carried it so gently. Well, Thunder has claimed this new kitten as his very own, and now takes it up on his chair with him when he sleeps. Lillian just can't get over her guy becoming a Foster Dad. We think it's awful cute, too. Of course, now we'll have to find out what Thunder's naming his new baby!

September 14, 1999
This is the second message from Lillian (Thunder's mom)who very much wants to keep everyone up to date. Thunder & Ronny are going to Sweden this coming weekend to begin training for Water Rescue. According to Ronny, Thunder learns very quickly. Once he is shown what is required from him, he does it. Ronny believes that Thunder just loves to soak up new knowledge. His SAR training is going very well, and he performs like a champ in his daily obedience training. This is one very busy boy!

Besides all of this serious business, Thunder also got a chance to show off his good looks. In that regard, Mom Lillian thinks he very much resembles his Grandpa Trooper. Recently, Thunder was entered in a conformation show under a Swedish judge. Proudly, he won his class, which included nine dogs!

Thunder also is using his intelligence to get more of what he lives for . . . . FOOD! It so happened that about a week ago, Ronny was out in the garden picking berries. Well, Thunder was with him so Ronny gave him one. He thought no more of it until yesterday. That's when he caught Thunder climbing up to the top of the wood to have a feast of berries on his own! The boy, of course, is always thinking.

August 26, 2000
We just received a special message from Lillian (Thunder's mom) who very much wants to keep everyone up to date. Remember when we told you that Thunder & Ronny would be beginning to train for Water Rescue? Well, guess what??

Thunder is now Norway's 1st Official Water Rescue Dog. Thunder and Ronny had to go all the way to Finland for the training.