Spa Day for Jonnie.

Jonnie deserved some TLC, so today I gave her a nice warm bath, blew her dry, gave her a bit of a massage and then did some clipping.  She was very good except for wanting to get to her puppies after a bit.

The pool covers I made are a Godsend!  It was a great idea posted on one of the breeder websites and I can tell you - it makes such a difference.  Moms typically want to 'dig and fluff up' their bedding and many times you will find a puppy buried under the folds yelling its head off.  Having these pool covers prevents all that from happening.  I have a nice variety with a couple of duplicate patterns and so grateful I spent the time and effort to have a nice stockpile.  :+)

I can tell you that this girl is chowing down her food.  I switched to a bigger bowl and loaded it with her breakfast and she downed every bit!  When I did it again at lunch, I did not think she could possibly eat that much a second time - but she did!  This thrills me.  Each day as I weigh the pups, I can feel their full bellies and see the contentment.  Hopefully, some of that food is staying with Jonnie and not all going to the pups but it is difficult to achieve that nice balance.  Once I start feeding gruel to the pups, Jonnie will be able to keep more weight on her.  Don't we human mommies wish all our baby weight would 'disappear' like it does on dogs!!!!

Jonnie sitting pretty after her bath and clipping.

Back with her babies.  Don't worry, they are all there but I bet a couple are tucked under her belly.   :+)

Yea! We have more good news!

I am very pleased to announce that Ms. Sadie Benz's mating to Boomer was a success!!  Sadie's Ultra Sound this morning showed six babies 'baking'.  :+)

Hats off to the happy couple - we should be welcoming a new litter around March 9th.

On the top of this view, you can see THREE baby sacs!  :+)

Sadie's litter will be mediums with a weight range of 28 to 33 lbs.  I am expecting a variety of colors - black, cream, chocolate, cafe and possibly a phantom patterned pup.  Both parents are very social and love to be out and about meeting people, kids and other friendly dogs.

List is full at this time but sending in an application for the Wait List is always a good idea because you just don't know what life throws in your path that requires a change in your plans.

For health info and pics, check out both Sadie's and Boomer's page under the Current Breeders tab of my website.

We're back!!!

Bright and early this morning I was getting ready to bring the pups to the vets.  Warmed up the car and the heat pads full of beads to hold the heat for both the cloth carrier that I use to transport newborns; as well as the larger heat pad for the bed they would share with Jonnie for the trip.  I had already fed Jonnie and my other doodles before loading up the car.

Dr. Kelleher carefully checked over Jonnie and asked me the usual questions...is she eating and drinking?  'Yes'.  How are her stools?  'Firm'.  Her heart, eyes, gums all look good but she seems a bit warm.  'She was traveling on a heat pad to protect the pups from chills'. Vet - Oh, no problem then but keep an eye on her just in case.  'Of course, I will'.

Then he took the pups to the surgical area to be fully checked over and to have their dew claws removed.  I have this done so they don't get ripped off from catching on branches, sweaters, etc. or get cut at the groomers.  The verdict?  All the pups are doing great, no cleft palates or concerns and we happily left.  :+)

Once home, Jonnie nursed the pups, ate again, and all is peaceful.  :+)

The pups are perfectly content as mom looks on.

Jonnie's litter - 1 day old!

Given these little angels only began their journey a quarter after midnight on 2/2, I thought you might like to see them in a group.  They love the heating pad underneath the fleece pen cover and cuddle there when mommy is outdoors, eating or having some time to herself.

I had a full nights sleep and felt revived this morning!  Went grocery shopping as Carl puppy sat the group in the office.  :)

This morning, I also weighed each pup to see if they were gaining and to see how Jonnie's milk production was doing and was happy all seven had gained at least an ounce!  Good going Jonnie!  It appears Jonnie loves raw chicken necks and they are very good for her and milk production.  Jonnie gets fed constantly - always something in her dish and she decides when and what she will eat.  When the food is gone, more is put in.  A nursing dog should NEVER be hungry or not have fresh water!  Each day, I add homemade Bone Broth on her food - full of nutrition.

I already had to change their ID collars from the ones they had at birth!  Can you tell the chocolates from the blacks?

Jonnie x Duckie Litter are here!

No Super Bowl babies but it came very close!  Jonnie started showing signs of an impending birth right around midnight.  She was such a trooper!  Never made a sound except for some light panting.

Here is their birth order:

• VIOLET FEMALE - Born at 12:22 am and weighed 8 3/8 ounces.  She is a black and tan phantom with a small white flash on her chest.
• ROSE FEMALE - Born at 12:29 am and weighed 9 ounces.  She is a chocolate and tan phantom and has a large white flash on her chest.
• BLUE MALE - Born at 12:55 am and is the heaviest at 9 5/8 ounces.  He was surely a surprise because he will be either a solid apricot (black nose) or caramel (brown nose/hazel eyes).  I won't know for sure until about 3 weeks or so as pigment takes a while to develop on a newborn.  I don't see any white markings on him as yet.
• COAL MALE - Born at 1:09 am and weighed 7 1/4 ounces.  He is a black and tan phantom.
• PINK FEMALE - Born at 1:43 am and weighed 6 1/4 ounces.  She is a chocolate and tan phantom with a small white splash on her chest.
• TEAL FEMALE - Born at 2:25 am and weighed 7 1/4 ounces.  She is a black and tan phantom.
• GREEN MALE - Born at 3:43 am and weighed 8 5/8 ounces.  He is a chocolate and tan phantom with a white splash on his chest.

Sadly, a gorgeous chocolate and white parti pup was born dead.  She was a beauty but was meant to be an angel rather than a pet.  :+(



IMPORTANT:
I have an appointment on Wednesday for the pups to be checked over, as well as their mom, and once back home will contact all those on my list if they wish to move forward with sending in a $500 deposit for one of these pups.  This will give you some time to consider if this is the litter or the time to bring home a puppy from ADNE.  Go home date is April 5th, a Sunday at 1 pm.  It is a group pick up where all the new owners come at the same time and we have a 'sit down' to discuss your booklet of information and answer questions. The pups will be 8 weeks and 6 days of age.  I expect most of you will have family over on Easter Sunday as will I.  If this date and time is an issue for you, please pass on this litter and I can give you other breeders that may have a better date for you.  I don't keep pups past their pick up day. Plus, I will have another litter here and space is limited.  If you know for sure that you want a pup and the pick up day is fine, you can always let me know right away by emailing me directly.  :+)

I will do individual pics when the pups are a week old.

Jonnie with her 'Cache' of treasures.

Looks like we will be having puppies tonight!

Jonnie is contracting and I expect pups to be born after midnight.  It is going to be a long night for Jonnie and I but we have all our supplies and am ready to welcome these little ones!

Stay tuned for all the updates some time tomorrow!  Exciting time!

Jonnie is nesting in her whelping pool!

She went in there with no coaxing from me and has just curled up to take a nap after 'fluffing' the bedding.  :+)  This is a good sign but does NOT mean she will be delivering right away.  However, it does my heart (and patience) good to know we are finally seeing 'first steps'.  :+)

Sweet Jonnie is getting 'comfortable' for her impending delivery.  :+)