June 29, 2012

The kids are really going to town becoming more and more alert, inquisitive and social.  They all lick my nose and ears now, they don't mind being picked up and held on their backs any longer and they wag their tails.  We're making progress.
They also seem to be "getting" the concept of eliminating on the pee pads.  I have pee pads spread all over and they use them!  Fingers crossed that they keep that up.  Pee pads will migrate to a corner of the pen and will go wherever they go, including outside with them someday, and then will slowly disappear, either with me here or in their new homes.  I will like this.  I tried the pieces of lawn, but that was awfully cumbersome and I was too lazy.  I kept digging up yard and replanting it.  That stuff is HEAVY!!!  The lazy curmudgeon loves the light weight pee pads!!!

Bobbi says that they DO spend lots of money on toys and look what she likes!!!!

No pictures of baby babies today.  Colorado Darby has a new favorite toy, ice.  Bobbi sent a picture of her playing with that.  You get to smile at it like I did!

Let's face it!!!

Boy, Lightening Bug

Lightening

Morse and Jeanette

Connie

Connie

Drew

Drew

He should have been a blue, but he isn't!  Zipper

The Dame

Dame

Dame

Zipper

Drew

Connie

Morse head on!!

Head pictures, as promised!  Thank goodness for Jeanette.  She reveled in the puppy breath while I snapped away.
Well, there they are, up close and rascal-y.  The puppy breath IS hard to resist.  Very cute babies.  But, the Curmudgeon is prejudiced.
More, soon.

Sleeping beauties

Well, I didn't get anyone to help me take their pictures this weekend (because I didn't ask), but will tomorrow.  Just wasn't organized enough, stripped dogs instead!  Boogers!!!  I get distracted sometimes.
Jeanette and I will photo every face tomorrow both from the front and the sides.  Their heads seem to be outstanding at this juncture.
They are more and more mobile every day.  I saw one today motoring around completely up on leg.  No more swimming!!!  They do go to the edge of the pen and look out now.  The two yearlings stand there looking in and it is fun to see the "exchange" of sniffs. 
The rascals will soon be transferred to the kitchen and all the paraphenalia that entails.  They will love the "wide open spaces" and all the new things with which to play!!!  It is fun to watch them explore.

Sleeping makes for rested and FAT puppies.

Here is the rest of the pack!

We had visitors yesterday.  Everyone agrees they are fat puppies.  Healthy looking!!!  They were not happy when everyone arrived, but after they had eaten, they were sweet and quiet.  It does make quite a difference.
Cloudy today with a 30% chance of rain.  Yesterday we had a 30% chance of rain and it was sunny except for the 30% of the time when it rained.  Today is cloudy more than anything.  No rain so far.
The grass is taller than I am.  I may not be able to find anyone to mow it this year.  It would be nice for the hay fever to get it cut down, baled and sold!!!  Beautiful grass this year. 
Rats in tunnels weekend after next, Kent, Washington....
c

Guess who?

So, guess who started PLAYING at 0318 this morning!!!!  The little rascals awakened me with a single loud yip, and, when I went over to the elevated puppy crate, there they were, mouths open on each other, tumbling around playing.  Sweet, sweet, sweet.  They have really started looking around since yesterday or the day before.  It takes a few days after their eyes open for them to be able to see more than vague shapes and just colors.  They seem to be noticing their world now as their vision is changing and becoming more and more focused.  Cool to watch their attention to surroundings increase.  Unbelievable to see how fast they progress once they get started.  Humans are so much slower it is amazing.  The difference between predator and prey....

Guess who get to sleep in after playing during the wee hours!!!!!!

Yes, there are still six!!! One was hiding in the other pictures.

This is at work!

So, I'll try to take more pictures over the weekend and put them on the blog on Monday.  I'll try to get some close up pictures so that you can see the faces.  Fantastic heads, it looks like to me!  The two light boys are just "lighter," not that light!  Maybe it is just that the others are much darker.  Semantics!
The Curmudgeon wishes everyone a good weekend.  It will be rainy here!  Who woulda thunk it, and with summer officially here?!!!

Eye Opening Experience

Taylor and Cash dutifully sit on the floor with a nervous breeder standing by.

Cash was a sweet boy cradling the baby.  He liked the calm one much better than the wiggly one.

Touille decided to help Taylor.  That's a little girl in her lap.  Look at that muzzle!  The girl behind Taylor is Pip.  Remember her?

Sweet kids.  They will be here a lot this summer.  Lucky pups.  Last weekend they had my granddaughter.  She's 13.

Mab, now Darby, in her yard in Colorado.  Wow!!!

The babies have opened their eyes.  AND, they got to experience children today.  School is finally out in Port Angeles and the office manager brings her daughter and son to the office during the summer.  Lucky puppies!!!
I'll try to get eye opened pictures tomorrow.  The kid event was the meaningful happening of today though.
Ciao,
Curmudgeon

2012 National Specialty!!!!

Well, as you have surmised, I DID get to go to the Specialty.  We had FUN too!!!!  Zinger and I went and met Star and Norman.  Zinger and Norman are littermates from Touille X BB, born Nov. 14, 2010.  Zinger's registered name is Elwha The B's Knees and Norman is Elwha's Little Rascal.  Star Ott showed both of them and did a fantastic job.
Zinger placed second in a large "Open" class and almost took the girl points!!!
Norman was a close second to Best of Breed!!!  He took FIRST AWARD OF MERIT.  The Curmudgeon has to brag on her kids!!!
Zinger spent most of the time in my lap at ringside and her sweet temperament was admired all the way through.  People made fun of me not being able to sit or go anywhere without my girl.  "Do you always hold a dog?" they kept asking.  The answer was, "Only when I can!" 
I came home to puppies that are fat and big.  Eyes will open next Tuesday, probably.

Zinger's win picture.  Will put Norman's up when Star sends it to me.

6/8/12

What healthy babies!!!  They always look like baby seals in the way that their coats have a sheen to them at this age.  It is beautiful to me.  They fight to get at the milk bar and if I pick them up to move them toward it.  THEY don't know I'm not trying to eat them!!!
Probably no blog over the weekend, and maybe not next week, as I may get to go to the National Specialty.  We'll see.  

Eleanor's new buddy.

Colorado Darby and her new best friend.

Colorado Darby  in her yard!

Eleanor in her yard bringing the toy back to Jody.

I will put in some pictures of Darby and Mab, now Eleanor and Darby respectively.  All the puppies are LUCKY to have the best homes in the world for them.  Boyle, now Cooper, has boys, and Mab, now Darby, has a girl who is going to show her and take her places!!!  Eleanor gets to go to work with her person and everyone at work loves her.  Lucky kids.  Danny Boy is now Zeke and he has two adults with grandkids adoring him and taking him all kinds of places, wearing him out playing with him.  Lucky dogs!!!

Yesterday, 6/6/12

How's that for a birthdate?!!  We who get one won't have to think hard about that one!!!

It all happened last night, with the last boy being born after 11:00 PM.  Two boys first, to set the tone, then two girls to give a person hope.  Then, the topper, two more boys!  The next to last boy was no problem telling what sex.  He looks all boy, even without looking at the plumbing!  I couldn't believe it, how Y chromosome he looks!  Wow!  All of the pups are huge and healthy.  All grizzle, although both Walker and Touille each have a blue gene.  1/4 of the puppies should have been blues.  Maybe they all have a blue hind quarter?!  Silly me!

Touille seemed to have an easy time of it.  She is a great mother and growls whenever Pip comes near her domain.  Pip, of course, is very curious.  Pip is therefore just using her nose to try to read what is going on.

They may look blue, but they aren't!  Hours old!!!

They all seem to be feeding well.  Touille must be making good milk.  No one is screaming as if they were hungry!  I'll weigh them in a few.

Dewclaws tomorrow.

Yes, I got a BIG latte on the way to work today.  Gotta stay awake somehow! 

Tired Curmudgeon, but happy that all went so well.

More soon.
c

6/6/12

Temp this AM, 99.4.  Nesting ensues.  More to come, I hope.  She's tired of waiting, and so is everyone else!!!

c

6/6/12

As Kathleen and Margaret point out, today would be a nice date which puppies could call their birthdate.  Nice symmetry, of sorts.  I love numbers.  Once thought I would be a mathematician.
Temp this AM was 99.4.  Touille has started nesting in earnest.  I feel no contractions yet.  On her.
We, Pip and I, are supposed to go to Nose Work class this evening, but it may not happen.  The teachers said we could make it up though.  I even remembered the boiled jars, boiled so they would have NO scent in them.  ORT test soon that we should be able to pass!  Exciting fun for the kids, if any of you have a chance to take yours through a class and start playing that game.  Pip loves it.  So do the others at home. 

Touille in her nest/den, rearranging the blankets at a high rate of speed.  Making her pant.  Is this exertion or labor?  We'll see.

Later,
Curmudgeon Time

Any day now!

Just a quickie:  Touille is big and ready to pop!!!  She isn't quite as uncomfortable as she looks in these pictures.  She actually jumped out of the car today on her own.  I just hope she didn't knock anyone off the uterus early!
She is not eating today, not even Natural Balance cut into nuggets nor Yummy Chummy, salmon treats, old standbys that she usually eats with gusto when she will eat nothing else.  Wouldn't even eat canned food yesterday.

Her temp last night was 100.4.  Will take it again soon today.
The middle picture was taken June 3rd and the other two were taken this AM.  For anyone getting a puppy, here are the only in utero pictures!!!  Just thought you might want before and after pictures.
Sweet dreams from the old Curmudgeon!