For those who have Wyatt babies....

Just received these pics from his guardian (and she takes amazing pics of him)!  Wyatt is like a fine wine, he grows on you.    :+)

Those of you that have babies that favor him, just watch the praises come when they are mature.  An easy care coat with a great conformation is very pleasing to the eye (and pocketbook!).

Love to see this.

Daisy and Brinkley love interacting with each other.  It just makes me smile watching them.  The bond they are making will be strong and when Brinkley finally goes to her guardian home, Brinkley will remember her first home very well.  :+)

Brinkley is a clone of her mommy in looks and temperament.  Both AWESOME!

Notice those back legs straight back?  Typically a sign of strong hips.  I love to see this in a pup!

Let's talk about a guardianship - the benefits and the downfalls.

BELLA RUE (now CHRISTIE 'BRINKLEY') HAS A GUARDIANSHIP!

Brinkley at 11 weeks with a tiny stick in her mouth.  10  3/4 lbs

We are being very diligent in finding the right guardian home for Brinkley. A clone of her mom, Brinkley is a delightful pup!  A guardianship is not for everyone.  It is a relationship that has to be fair to all parties involved - the dog, the guardian and myself.  This is why I prefer someone who works part time, or can bring the pup to work with them or is retired, works from home - you get the picture.

What are the benefits?

• Pick of the litter puppy!
• Fully tested at a year that I pay for in full.
• A much reduced cost ($1,375 that is fully refunded if the dog's testing proves it is a quality breeding candidate.

What are the downfalls?

• Your doodle needs to come to me for about 7 weeks when she is having and raising her pups.  However, you do have visiting privileges!!
• There is always the possibility that at a year, the doodle may not pass the testing criteria to my standards. I always want my breeding dogs to be 'a cut above'.  If I should decide that for any reason, this candidate falls short, we will need to decide if you still want the doodle or it be returned to me for a full refund of your initial deposit.  There will be circumstances when I will require the balance of the pet price (an additional $1,375) if the reasons for a non breeding candidate are not a health concern but rather a 'below average' test result that has no impact on the quality of life for the doodle. An OFA 'Fair' IS a passing score, just not for a breeding dog in my program.  Each doodle is an individual and each guardian contract reflects this - they are not duplicates.  
• Of course, there is more to the contract than what is written above but it is straight forward and easy to understand.  :+)

What is Brinkley like?

• Brinkley is calm, gentle - does mouth but does not bite.
• A doodle temperament - smart, easy going, curious, likes people and other animals.
• Coat is soft, wavy and flowing.  It will need professional grooming every 6 to 8 weeks.
• No shedding.
• Goes to her safe zone and settles very quickly.  Last potty at 10 pm and she is up around 6 am.
• At 11 weeks, she uses both the potty box and the dogie door very well.  Still makes mistakes but getting better every day.
• I am taking her on car trips daily and she is adjusting.  She does not vomit or salivate in the car but needs time to settle.  I used both a car harness and a crate.
• She knows her name and comes and sits; also sits for her food.
• Brinkley is decent on a leash, still learning.  :+)

If any local family or person is interested in knowing more about this subject, please contact me at 207-676-5579.  Local is defined as being within an hour of my location (North Berwick, Maine) or my vets (Rochester, NH).  

Brinkley will be 11 weeks tomorrow! Guardian Home Candidate! 'PLACED!'

Yesterday, through that blinding rainstorm we had, I finally got Icy, Brinkley's sister to the Manchester Airport.  She is finally with her owners in Arizona.  Icy's Flight Nanny was wonderful and made sure Icy had plenty of lap time on her very long flight (with delays due to bad weather) until in her owner's arms late last night.

I expected Brinkley to have a difficult night without her cuddle friend but she settled immediately and went to sleep after her last potty around 9:30 pm.

This morning, she was very happy to mingle with the adults here and especially delighted that Daisy loves to play chase and wrestle with her routinely in the pup yard.

I am now insisting that Brinkley sit before placing her food bowl down and rewarding her with pats and coos when she sits in front of me.  Brinkley uses the dogie door very well but not 100% yet!  I will be getting her use to the car restraint harness system today.  We will visit Tractor Supply for some socialization.  :+)

This is a great pic of her gorgeous coat.

Sitting pretty.

Watching me rake.  

Brinkley and her Snuggle Puppy.  Apologies for the muddy floor but it is still wet here!

Icy is finally on a plane to her owner!

This rarely happens but Mother Nature really turned the screws on getting this sweet girl to her owners in Arizona.  The good news is that she will be traveling in 'first class' style with her Flight Nanny and will have so many people telling her how cute she is.  Icy LOVES attention!  Her calm nature is a people magnet.  :+)

Back home, Brinkley was a good girl but certainly misses her dear friend.  Now I need to spend time socializing my sweet Brinkley and begin gentle training.

The most interactive toys are not expensive at all.

This is a plastic gas funnel that you can get at any Dollar Tree Store.  Along with a braided rope toy snaked through it and knotted at the end, you have hours of entertainment!

Icy and Brinkley play with this toy constantly - one always has a head in the funnel end while the other grabs the rope hanging out the other end.  Between tugging, pawing at the funnel, chewing either side or just playing 'Catch Me, If You Can', this inexpensive and fun toy is always a hit!

We are keeping our paws crossed that Icy will finally go home to her owners tomorrow.  We are scheduled to meet her Flight Nanny at the Manchester Airport.  We are suppose to get lots of rain and thunderstorms (of course!), so there is always a chance of a last minute cancellation.

I know Brinkley will miss her friend greatly but her family is anxious to have her home and I am anxious to start on Brinkley's social and training schedule!  Send us good vibes for a safe trip tomorrow, please.

An Icy & Brinkley saga.

Great day today, so I got out my puppy carriage and prepared to take both pups for a walk in it.  I love this carriage and try to use it as often as possible.

Here is how their conversation went:

'Icy, this room has funny windows.'

'Oh..wait, there is a second floor but I don't know where we are!'

'Icy, come see!'

'Oh, this IS better.'

'Oh, ya... this is really cool! ' 

'The 'rooms' keep changing and there are some things that.....

'What is that? grrrrr...  'I don't know Icy but...

I think I am going to hide.'  'Don't worry, Brinkley, I will protect you!'

'Awww, I wasn't REALLY afraid, Icy!'