Getting so big!

Seven weeks old now!

They have the most luxurious coats--absolutely stunning!

Loving our crate!

Halia's litter is 8 weeks old!

Can't believe how fast time passes!

Bella's puppies are six weeks old!

These are the sweetest bundles of fur. Their interesting coat colors continue to develop--Pink, Red and Yellow are chocolate sables, Purple is a black sable. Green and White look like they are staying dark black, and Blue is still dark chocolate. All the puppies have the most luscious, fleecy coats--just gorgeous.

Fun in the Sun! Halia's litter is seven weeks old!

We decided to do candid shots this week of Halia's litter playing in the yard. Such fun! By the end of the photo session, the puppies had found the muddy patch from the raspberry drip line, so it deteriorated to a mud bath--but that will be another post :)

Drum roll, please.....and the father of Halia's litter is.....

SPANKY!

As we suspected, results of dna testing confirm that Spanky is

the father of all the puppies--sorry Harvey!

Six weeks old, and all the puppies are showing Spanky's

gorgeous, silky coat and sweet, gentle nature!

Bella's puppies have such unique coloring!

Every day their distinctive colors develop more fully. Blue boy is dark chocolate, Pink girl, Red boy and Yellow boy are chocolate sable, Purple girl is black sable and White girl and Green boy are black.
The chocolate sables will lighten over time to cafe cream with possible chocolate tips. The black sable will lighten to silver gray with possible black tips. Right now the sable coats have a marbled appearance. Several puppies have lovely white accent patches. I'm excited to see how they continue to change.

The way Yellow boy's color around his eyes is changing, it looks like he is wearing a mask--should we call him Bandit, or Zoro, or Mister Incredible or Rocky Racoon or ?

We already have been calling little white girl "Little Sox" for her four white feet. She was the first to walk and the first to get teeth. She has almost reached two pounds and is slowly catching up to the rest of the litter--pretty good progress for a puppy that only weighed 4.1 ounces five weeks ago!

Interesting puppy colors!

A few of the puppies in Bella's litter have very interesting colors developing. We're watching them progress--at this point, though, I think we have four that will be sable--three chocolate and one black (purple girl). A couple of the chocolate puppies even look like they have some phantom markings appearing, so we may have some chocolate sable phantom puppies--how exciting!

I'm awake....wanna play??

After a busy day visiting with their new families, the puppies were totally exhausted--I could hardly wake them up long enough to eat their dinner. At midnight...they finally woke up!

Wanna Play, continued.

After about a half hour of hectic activity, the puppies finally wore themselves out and crashed for the night.

And they just keep growing!

It's unbelievable that another week has flown by!

Halia's Puppies

White Boy, Lime Green Boy, Purple Girl, Blue Boy, Yellow Boy, Aqua Boy

Red Boy, Dark Green Girl, Tan Boy, Orange Boy, Pink Girl 

Bella's Puppies

Halia's puppies sleeping

These puppies look and act more like dogs every day! After a great breakfast and playtime, everyone settled down for their nap. Of course there's always at least one that likes the litter box--go figure!--there's the group that gathers around the "water cooler," some like the "cave" under the Kuranda bed, some just crash where they land. Such fun to watch these puppies grow into little dogs!

REAL FOOD!

Bella's litter started on solid food today....
the first meal is always such an adventure!

The puppies wear as much as they eat.

Not only does the dish hold yummy food--
it's so fun to play in when it's empty!

So proud of our Little Sox--

she stopped eating, ran over to the litter box,

put one toe in and went potty.

Does that count as hitting the mark?

In my book, at this age, one toe in is a grand success!

Serendipity wants to play with the puppies so badly--

she and Red boy greeted each other through the fence.

Mama Bella kept a close watch on the meal.

I let Bella in at the end to clean everything up.

She polished the bowl, then let
everyone have a drink before bedtime.

She climbed onto the top "bunk" of the Kuranda bed,

the puppies crawled into their "fort" under her,

and everyone slept for several hours.

How can that possibly be comfortable!

Amazing how fast time flies!

Bella's litter is three weeks old already! and Halia's litter is four weeks old!

Food Fight!

Well, it's just dinner, but it does get messy! Mama Halia just couldn't keep up with feeding all these puppies, so a few days ago we started them on real food--and they love it! We start the puppies off with a thin gruel of goat's milk and baby rice cereal. Then we begin adding softened kibble to the mush and over the next few weeks we'll gradually make the mush thicker and chunkier.

The first few meals the puppies wore almost as much as they ate, but they caught on quickly to standing around the dishes rather than in them. We let Halia in at the end of the meals to tidy things up--she does the dishes, mops the floor and gives everyone a bath. A few of the puppies always take the chance to grab dessert while she is preoccupied with her housekeeping duties. Then we change the bedding, and everyone settles down for a few hours of sleep.

Snacks and Naps

EAT, SLEEP, GROW!

Puppies got new collars today, so now we can tell who's who much easier!

I love how Purple Girl is sprawled across Bella's neck.

Bella held perfectly still until the puppy moved. What a good mama!

Mama Bella with her babies

Bella's puppies are two weeks old!

Halia's puppies are three weeks old!

Hard to fit eleven....

So Much Cuteness!

Really?? Box o' Puppies Revisited.

"You've got to be kidding--you really think we still fit in this box?
Yeah, yeah, it was cute the first time, but this is just plain crowded!"

A Celebration!

Hooray! Our tiny little four ounce puppy has doubled her weight! Today "Little Sox" (named after her four white toes) weighed 8.3 ounces! At 10 days old, she has reached the birth weight of her bigger brother--he has doubled his weight, too, so he is still twice her size :) This is a determined little girl--she's getting bigger, but just following her own growth curve.

We're walking.....we're walking......

Bella's litter is one week old!

Our little bitty girl that weighed just four ounces at birth, weighed in at 7.8 ounces tonight! She gained .8 ounces today, and didn't need to be tube fed! She gets stronger everyday--I think she is finally out of the woods!

Photo session today!

Halia's litter--two weeks old!

Girls collar colors are Purple, Pink and Dark Green
Boys collar colors are White, Lime Green, Blue, Yellow, Aqua, Red, Tan and Orange

Pink girl could not stay awake! Our conversation went like this:

Pretty Pink girl....open your eyes.
Do I have to? I'm soooo tired!
Please little girl, everyone wants to see your lovely eyes.
I....can't....hold....my....head....up............zzzzzzzzz........

Dog Food Review

I am pleased to report that Earthborn Holistics, the food we recommend and feed our dogs and puppies, received top marks in this review of dog foods currently on the market!
http://www.reviews.com/dog-food/#home

Box o' Puppies!

So tired after being weighed, doing Early Neural and Scent Stimulation exercises and whelping box being cleaned. It's a good thing we have no concept of personal space....

What a mom!

Halia refused to get out of the whelping box to eat dinner tonight, so I brought it to her. She ate her entire dinner without changing her position--the puppies draped across her front leg never stirred.

Mixing it up.....

Sometimes I sits and thinks...and sometimes I just sits.

What good mama dogs!

Halia and Bella are taking such good care of their babies! Both mama dogs are at maximum capacity, and yet their babies are still well-cared for and gaining weight. Bella has a tiny baby that is gaining very slowly, even with tube feeding. The little girl finally was able to latch on today--Bella carefully lay on her back while the puppy drank its fill. So proud of our girls and their beautiful babies!

Bella

Halia

Halia's litter is one week old!

This is the best we could do today for one week old puppy shots! I promise all eleven are in the pictures....if you look very closely at the middle picture in the collage, you'll see a toe right next to red girl's head--one of the puppies is tucked up at the top under the pig rail.

Everyone is doing well and gaining weight--it's such a miracle to watch them grow!

Bella Mia's puppies are here!

Way to go, Bella! Seven puppies in two hours--four boys and three girls! Bella is a natural mama.

Let the cute sleeping poses begin.....

It's a walking watermelon!

Bella is so ready!--Hard to believe our petite mini girl has SEVEN puppies in there!

Puppies are here!

On June 9th, thirteen puppies were born over 14 hours! Mama Halia was a real trooper. Guardian parents came to help with much of the delivery--it was good to have the company, and Halia was so happy to see her family. Sadly, one puppy was born with a birth defect and another was too preemie to survive, but we have eleven gorgeous and healthy puppies. Congratulations Halia, Harvey and Spanky!

Is it time yet?

Hard to get comfortable with a belly full of puppies!

Two days to go!

Puppy count xray--what a surprise!

Puppy count xray today shows 12-13 puppies!! No wonder Halia looks like a barrel!

Halia is pregnant!

Third try's the charm! After two missed breedings, Halia is finally pregnant! At least two puppies seen on ultrasound. Due date is June 10. This is a dual sired litter, dna testing after the puppies are born will identify each puppy's father.

Left to Right: Mama Halia, Papa Harvey, and Papa Spanky

Under foot....

Cassie, Rose and Serendipity are tucked up under my desk--doesn't leave me much foot room.....

Ooh-la-la!

Cherry Lane Standing Ovation aka "Merlin" came for a visit today and he is sooo beautiful! We did his OFA preliminary hips and elbows xrays this morning and groomed him this afternoon. He is as sweet as he is lovely--can't wait to see the puppies he produces for us!

Best Friends

Rose and Serendipity have become best friends. We need to find a guardian home for Serendipity soon before I can't bear to give this little girl up!

Going on a drive!

Let's all pile in the car and run errands together!

Left to right adult dogs: down in front is Rose (Cassie's daughter); standing in back is Cassie; down in center is Whimsey; standing on the far right is Spanky. Whimsey and Spanky are the parents of the puppies in the crate.

Keep Away!

What a great game of keep away today!

Eight Weeks Old!

What a delightful litter this has been! Puppies are going home this week--we'll certainly miss this bunch. They have been named by their new families--Pink girl is St. Remy, Green girl is Harper Lee and Blue boy is Spenser. Purple girl is staying with us in our program. We've named her Serendipity--call name Seri. Now to find the perfect guardian home for her!

Fun Outside!

Can I help?

Pink girl was positive I needed help unloading the dishwasher....