When the weather is fine.....

Puppies everywhere!
Everyone get Sam!
C'mon Sam, I wanna play more!

Staff Photo

These are our poodle raising employees. They don't get paid much, but they love their jobs. They are responsible for the daily handling, rotating, pushing, pulling and manipulating of the puppies. It's funny, if you start searching out puppy stuff on the web, you will come across alot of tests and manipulations ("Bio Sensor") that you can put a puppy through to help ensure you will have a "super dog" when it grows up. Things like feeling its feet, rotating it certain ways, bending and moving their heads and legs. All of these manipulations are to start at the time of birth. There are alot of studies out there that show that puppies that have been handled this way are better dogs in the end. That is fine, and I believe all that, but for me, what works, is handing them over to my three children. Give a 7 year old, a 6 year old and a 4 year old a litter of 8 puppies, and from the time they come out of the womb, they will be turned and moved and manipulated in countless directions. Nothing too scientific here. Of course, I still take the time to trim nails, run the clippers over them, and other skills they will need to know, but nothing beats the love and attention that children have to offer. In thanks for all their hard work, I think we will have to put this puppy sale money towards their college savings.

Cuter Every Day

I'm telling you, they get cuter every day....

Romper Room

I can barely spread out the fresh papers in the box and it seems to be the signal for the party to get started. Here are a few random shots from that scenario. But in the end, when the soft blanket is put in, and everyone has had their time of popping around the box, it ends in a big pile of pups napping. Notice the yawn in progress.

Attack!

A new taste....ears! My daughter is under there somewhere.....

Irresistable

The box needs to be cleaned at least daily now and a clean puppy box is too hard to resist. Clean blankets, fresh paper, 8 pups and one very happy now four year old. What more could a girl want? Maybe a clementine to eat while in there....

Sunshine!

A few hours of sunshine on Saturday, and more mild temperatures called for an outing for pups. It was their first time out, and it was a bit chilly for them, so they weren't out long. But they did enjoy the feel of the sun on their black coats. Some were eager to explore all the smells of the outdoors, and some wanted to just sit and savor it all. I caught three pups doing just that. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to photograph them. When they are on the move, all you get is a black blur. I think I need a camera with less delay when you hit the button. These pictures aren't all that great, but the others were just blurry black bodies. You will notice that the pups have colored ribbons on. It helps to know who is who, but they become their names too, at least for now. So here is Red, Green and Pinkie (girl, of course).
We are all hoping for some more spring like temperatures in the next week. An important part of growing up for the puppies is to get out and be able to explore. It is just too boring in the puppy box, and although, thanks to my children, they often wake up and find themselves in a baby stroller or a carefully constructed bed of baby blankets and surrounded by lovingly laid out stuffed animals, for a dog, it just doesn't beat getting outside in the fresh air!

First Meal

If you were in my dining room now, you would be hearing lots of lip smacking noises, and the air is filled with the pungent and actually, unpleasant odor, of canned dog food. The pups were offered their first taste of "real" dog food. And let me tell you, once it hit their lips, they were hooked. I don't understand it, and don't pretend to understand the appeal of canned, soggy dog food over warm mom's milk, but they are now having a full body (literally) experience. When they are done, it looks like I am raising a litter of piglets. All the blankets and newspapers must be changed, and faces washed. Thankfully, Quincy helps a bit with the washing part. She gets the parts I miss. A big day in the world of the pups--a small step toward independence from their mother.

Nap Time

It is so hard to get a good picture of a black puppy! They are just sooo dark, and so shiny, even the flash will reflect off of their coats and make them look funny in the picture. The pups are now three weeks old, and they are able to get up on their wobbly legs and sit up. They walk, but it is a bit uncoordinated still. The funniest part is when they start to play with each other. They try to mouth and pull on each other's ears, but then fall over in their clumsiness. Then, once they have fallen, they just decide to go back to sleep, no matter which way they have landed. In a heap, usually. This picture is just that, and although it is a bit blurry, hopefully you can still see their contented faces.

Two Weeks!

The puppies turned two weeks old yesterday, and we have the benchmark of the two week age....their eyes are open. Although they still don't really see much, it is still fun to see that first glimpse of blue. My children are always the first to notice such events. They are also starting to move around a bit more on their legs. Not really walking but low to the ground shuffling. And a few are finding their voices! One of the girls found it last night at about 11 pm. It was so funny to hear her try it out, but not so funny when you want to get to sleep!!

Day Three

When the pups were three days old, it was time. I never look forward to the third day. But it has to be done. The pups were hauled up to work, where I work as a vet technician. About 45 minutes later, this was the evidence we left behind. A return trip home to Quincy, and good warm meal of milk, and all was forgotten.

They're Here! February 6th

After 62 days of waiting, Quincy finally went into labor. She started at 4 am with the first female pup born, then finished up at 1030 a.m. with #8! The last one was a male who came out wanting to nurse. She had an uneventful labor, and was quick to clean all her pups right away. I was with her the whole time, and at 6 a.m., all the kids were up and in the whelping box with her. They can never wait to get their hands on the pups. Quincy had 4 girls and 4 boys, and all a shiny black and already slightly wavy coat. Good girl!

Meet Caesar

This is Caesar. He is white, about 27 in. at the shoulder and weighs about 60 lbs. He is Quincy's husband. Yes, husband. They were married at Christmas 2 years ago. First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes puppies in the baby carriage. Caesar had sort of a rough start to life in that he was raised in a show kennel with very little human interaction. His breeder was well known, but had gotten a few too many dogs and couldn't spend quality time with them. Caesar was pulled out of that situation, and ended up with my mom. It has taken some adjustment, and he is completely bonded now to her and never leaves her side. Caesar is a nicely built male, with good size that he brings to his pups. Caesar also has the sweetest dispostion and fun loving attitude and some brown eyes that can melt anyone's heart. He passes all these traits on to his pups.

Meet Quincy

Meet Quincy. She is a brown Standard Poodle. She came to our family 2 years ago. She was 2 years old and had been fully trained as a service dog for a lady who had bouts of difficulty due to MS. For whatever reason, the lady decided she wanted a different dog and Quincy came into our home on a trial basis. Needless to say, she fit in quite well. Once I got used to the fact that, as a service dog, she was supposed to come and stand by me even when I went into the bathroom, and that it wasn't just her being annoying. So, with her intelligence and highly trained abilities...can she be taught to wash dishes?? Her ability to tolerate the affections of 3 young kids, and her winning personality landed her a home here, with us.