The 'Cat's Meow'!

Today I tossed in a 'cat play tunnel' for the pups to investigate. They thought it was interesting right from the getgo as evidenced below. It is quite the fun item as it crinkles when walked on.














Of course, it is also quite the chew toy.














And it has lots of areas to tug on.














There is also plenty of space for everyone to grab.














I think they like it. :+)

Come, let's take a walk along the stone path.

We are six weeks old today and pretty soon will be using the pens outdoors to explore more of the world. It will be nice when they are comfortable out there so that I can start using the vacuum instead of trying to sweep and mop their pen between 36 feet and nine mouths grabbing me, the broom, the mop and any other moving target!

Here are some pics of them outdoors enjoying a few minutes of Vitamin D taken today. :+)

Our chocolate delight is enjoying his bumpy stroll. (4 3/4 lbs.)











Pink Girl DOES stop to smell the flowers. She is so light in color, it is blinding sometimes. (4 1/2 lbs.)















The ride on the mulch is much to Neon Girl's liking. (5 1/4 lbs.)















As is typical of boys, Blue gets 'physical' with the ornamental grass. Yum! (6 1/2 lbs.)















Parti Girl lets it 'all hang out'! She is just chillin'! (4 1/4 lbs.)















Ahhhh...the smell of Coreopsis leaves is so delightful and Yellow Girl gets a nose-full! (4 3/4 lbs.)
















Green Boy is content to watch the world go round. (6 lbs.)











Silver Boy is hanging on for dear life! (6 1/4 lbs.)















'Life is good' says Red Girl. (5 3/4 lbs.)

The zebra gets the boot!

The pups are ready for a new toy in their pen, so the Zebra went to pasture and the mini playgym is now a very interesting addition! It literally took them 5 seconds before they were investigating every nook and cranny. A very curious group, I must say. :+)

Important Dates - Please note:

Hello,

I do have some dates that I have personal business to take care of as well as puppy appointments, so I am not available for pup visits. I will keep you abreast of any changes.

Sat. - 6/28
Wed. - 7/2
Wed. - 7/9 - first temperament testing scheduled
Sun. - 7/13
Tues. - 7/15 - first set of puppy shots
Tues. - 7/22 - second temperament testing and notification of assigned pups expected
Tues. - 7/29 - all boys will be neutered and microchipped
Tues. - 8/5 - girls will be spayed and microchipped
Tues. - 8/12 - all pups will be eye certified (CERF'd)
Wed. 8/13 - all pups will have their 2nd. set of puppy shots and health certificates

• Final payments are due before July 31st. Please and thank you! Personal checks are acceptable in this timeframe only. (Payments made later must be in cash or Postal Money Orders. Thank you.)

• Beginning Friday, August 15 through Wednesday, August 20 - all pups must be picked up. I leave for New York on 8/22 for wedding activities with our daughter. :+)
  

We are 5.1 weeks and we had visitors!

We had a busy week here at the Homestead as anxious clients were very excited to see the litter. Tuesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the pups were oooohed and ahhhhhed over as each one was held and cuddled. Lots of smiles all around and very tired pups after each visit.

As the pups mature, visiting times will increase and more than one family can visit and interact with the pups. Right now though, we still need to be very careful about possibly bringing Parvo to their space, so footcovers and hand washes continue.

For the first time in a while, I was very happy to watch Harriet play with Willis and our two 6 month old pups Olive and Clara Belle. I hope this is a sign that she is beginning to feel better. :+)


Yellow Girl begins our show weighing in at 3.12 lbs. She just finished eating and was quite the handful to capture!















Neon Girl looks demure and delightful in this photo. She belies her 4 lb. weight this week.



















Quite possibly everyone's favorite - Green Boy tips the scales at 4.12 lbs.

















Perky Parti Girl is the lightweight at 3.6 lbs.



















Maine's Black Bear contender is Silver Boy whom I thought would be the 'Fat Boy' this week, but surprisingly he is not! He grunts when you pick up his 5 lbs. of 'muscle'. :+)



















Dainty Pink Girl wants to be sure that her nail file matches her collar. What a priss she is at 3.9 lbs.



















Blue Boy got all glammed up for his photoshot. I should have had him pressing barbells as he continues to reign as heavyweight - 5.4 lbs! He is chuck full of cuddle though.















Chocolate Boy has finally risen from last place in the weight department. He is a 'hefty' 3.10 lbs. Another favorite. :+)




















Miss Red Girl had to be wakened for her photo. She doesn't look too pleased. Might have something to do with her gaining over a lb. from last week (4.9 lbs.) - had better lay off the ice cream, girlie!

Their world is so much more interesting now.

Here is a group of the pups noticing that I had placed these hanging toys to entice them to smell, pull and taste. I don't believe they can see the colors, but I like to think they do. :+)














This bunch is enjoying a wrestling match. Parti Girl is giving Green Boy a run for his muscle! She is holding her own rather well given the weight difference.














A nap is welcomed after all that wrestling!
















Ah.....some warm milk from Mommy - always a treat after a big meal served by the 'other' mommy. :+)

FOUR weeks!

Happy Father's Day to all those dads! Having some of our children over to celebrate the day gave me an opportunity to have a few more hands to help with pics! Yippee!!

Here is the four week pup pen arrangement. The pups enjoy the crate and I enjoy the new waterproof pads I bought for them to sleep on. You can see their feed bowl in the back and the
potty area in the front. Unfortunately, you can't see all the pups as they are piled all over each other! But I did take individual shots as you can see below. :+)












Blue Boy - 4.1 lbs! The 'Fat Boy' of the group!



















Parti Girl - 2.8 lbs.



















Chocolate Boy - 2.8 lbs. He has caught up. :+)



















Yellow Girl - 2.12 lbs.



















Neon Girl - 2.15 lbs. (a smidgen under 3 lbs.)



















Green Boy - 3.12 lbs.



















Silver Boy - 3.12 lbs.



















Red Girl - 3.5 lbs.



















Pink Girl - 2.9 lbs.

After dinner playtime!

As is typical, puppy growth requires pen changes on a regular routine until they go outside. Before they turned 4 weeks old, it is a good idea to make changes in anticipation of this growth because the fourth week of life should be as 'change-free' as possible. It is one of those 'critical stage' phases.

One of the big changes was their 'bathroom'. We have gone from the 'two seater' to the 'king size commode'. Complete with wood pellets (a new change). To help with the transition, I have placed a pee pad on top of the pellets to entice them of the correct area for pottying and to help them associate the old with the new. Eventually, the pee pad will be eliminated totally and I will only be using the pellets. Several are investigating the new facilities. :+)














Turquoise Boy is a curious fellow and wants to see if there is something interesting under the new toy.














Yep! Girls and bathrooms.














I have placed the colorful zebra in the pen space for them to sniff and snuggle with.














They just finished their dinner and although you can see 'milk pawprints', they do pretty well with cleaning up the dish. Now it is a burst of wrestling and play.














Everyone getting into a pigpile!














Silver Boy is checking out Zebra, while Red being a girl looks over the bathroom yet again! Parti Girl has her sights on Blue Boy whom you can barely see.