TRYING TO KEEP UP.

 Well  I have been catching up on emails so it is a good time to catch up here on the blog. I brought my new little girl home. She fits right in with everyone and she thinks that she can be the boss. And they all let her except for Dodger, he is very jealous. Every time I pick her up and hug her Dodger has to have some love too. He will snarl and wait for me to pet him. I have been taking him to agility class so I think that he thinks I belong to him. We are starting up class again on Saturday and hopefully with that attention he won't be so jealous. Trudy does not care about his snarling, she takes it all in stride. She has a wonderful temperament and she is quite smart. She is tough for sure. I bought Trudy, aside from being so pretty, she is Sam's granddaughter. Sam was mine a couple of years ago and I let him go and truly wish that I had not done that but he has been in a wonderful breeding home and doing very well.So this is why Trudy is here and she does remind me of Sam. She absolutely loves to play ball. She will go and go..I really did not need another Sheltie but she is easy and I am enjoying her and she will be my last puppy.So I want to do as much with her as possible. And maybe next spring I may show her in the Maine spring shows. Of course she has lots of growing up and maturing to do. It is going to be fun to watch her grow and develop into the dog that we think that she can be. 

This humidity has been rough on all of us. The dogs especially do not like it. They love the AC as much as I do.They come in and they all curl around on the floor where they can feel the cool air. Just a couple more to brush out and then they will all be comfortable. This has been the hardest year for shedding. I get them brushed out and they start all over again. I have never seen so much loose hair. Two to brush out this afternoon. Then I will be done until they start all over again. I am so ready for fall and some cooler days and nights.

                                                 TRUDY

FOUND THIS ON FACEBOOK, IT IS SO TRUE!

 

This is so perfect, something to remember and live by. I Love looking out the back window and watch my beautiful Dodger trot across the yard. He has such a stunning gait. And only 7 months old. Maybe he will hit the show ring some day too.

I love whelping my puppies and wonder what they will be like when they are three or four weeks and then again at 8 weeks. It is a miracle and joy to watch the birth of these special babies. 

Another joy is my new little girl Trudy, she is so  sweet and loving and smart.

                                                               Trudy

NEW FAMILY MEMBER COMING TOMORROW

 Tomorrow Trudy is joining our family. She is the granddaughter of Illusions Living the Dream, known as Sammy. We are excited to have a Sammy granddaughter living with us. She is a lovely girl and will add much to our breeding program. She is a lovely tri factored sable.If she develops into the potential she has, she will get me into the show ring again. I am looking forward to that. It has been almost 6 years since I have shown the dogs. I will need to practice and show train Trudy. I also need to exercise more so that I will be able to run in the ring with her. Not fast but steady. Hopefully I will be able to manage. I will start training Trudy as soon as she settles in. I will need to update my grooming skills for sure. I am excited to see just what I can do.

Tomorrow three friends are going with me to pick her up and to see the other puppies.We will have a picnic lunch and make a nice day of it.Hopefully there will not be as much rain as there is today. Although we will deal with it. Nothing is as exciting as seeing a litter of puppies. Bonnie is barking at me like crazy. It is 3:30 and they normally eat dinner between 3:30 and 4. And they do know the time. Their clocks work very well. I can't put feeding off for too long. It would be chaos for sure. 

I may not write tomorrow but I will get some good pictures of Trudy and post those.

Hopefully  we can all stay dry.

                                                        

                                                TRUDY

CAN't SEEM TO KEEP UP, MUST BE THE PUPPIES.

 I can't believe that I missed the whole month of July and half of August.I guess that I have to blame having puppies. Quinn had three beautiful babies..Also keeping the pups parasite free was a big job. Looking back it is hard to remember what took my time. Seeing my granddaughter was a big part of my time.  I also had a get together with some Sheltie friends in July. We had a picnic lunch and let the dogs play. Of course that took time and planning and everyone wanted to see the pups. And Walter came back for a visit. Just for the day but he and Kaelyn had a nice visit and enjoyed seeing each other. One of the pups did not go home when his litter mates left. So I spent alot of time working with some basic training and he did so well. I called him Buddy after my old boy Buddy who I hand fed for 13 years due to a cleft pallet. Unfortunately I got very attached to the puppy but he really needed his own people and home. I finally found the perfect home for him.  He is there now and I really miss him. But he is doing so well and very loved so I know I made the right choice for him. I hear often how he is doing and I know that he is in a wonderful home. But it was one of the hardest things I have had to do in a while. We both were so bonded. Then Dodger had his rear dewclaw surgery and it was a pretty major surgery. He has to wear an E Cone and he really hates it but he is being so good for me.But I can't trust him to leave his leg alone so he needs to wear the cone until his stitching comes out. He has been on Antibiotics for 7 days which messed up his digestive system. He has had an occasional accident and he usually does not.He is 6 months and a very active puppy. Keeping him in the cone and away from his foot has been a challenge. I can't wait for the next 7 days to go by and then he will be free of the cone and he will be able to get some exercise. He needs a good run in the worst way.This is keeping so wound up. Almost like a rubber band ready to snap. With patience we will get through the next 7 days.

We hope to have a litter late fall or early  winter but the girls are very slow with coming into heat. So I really don't know for sure when we will have pups. It is hard as there are so many inquiries and I can't give more details until mother nature brings the girls into heat.

We do have a new puppy coming this Saturday. A pretty little girl who is a Sammy granddaughter.  Sammy used to be ours and I do miss him. So something to look forward to.

Well I guess that is all the news good and bad. Once again I will try to keep up with the blog. I do get busy and the dogs do need a lot of attention and time

                                                                  DODGER

THUNDERSTORMS

We had quite the storm last night. Thunder and lightning and torrential down pours. It was like the storm you would see in haunted house stories. About 1:30 in the morning every one was barking and carrying on. Quinn mother of the pups was so scared. The pups were fine and even though they can hear now the noise did not seem to bother them.Quinn was jumping at the gate and just wanted a place where she could hide. Chanel, my visitor was barking and jumping at the gate in the kitchen. I was surprised that she was so upset. She is a calm and easygoing dog. But this storm was pretty scary. The rain was hitting the house so hard you wondered if it would stand up to all that rain. This house was built in 1753 and I am sure that it has withstood many storms. I came down and spent time with the dogs. Finally it was not so bad sounding out there that I gave everyone a treat and went back to bed. Sleep was not to be. With every boom of thunder everyone barked and carried on. I could not take them out to potty as the rain was coming down way too hard. Even my cats jumped on the bed and got a close to me as they could. They were bothered but not the way the dogs were. Even Panda my old tomcat was a little rattled and just nothing ever bothers him. This storm did upset him. He got as close to my back as he possibly could.Things finally settled down about 2 am. Things must have calmed down a little as it was quiet enough to sleep. More barking a little after 4 so I got up and took every one out. The thunder and lightning was done but it was still pouring. They did go potty and came right back in. Now while I am writing everyone is in their favorite spot and sleeping.I will hold off on breakfast for a little while and let them all sleep,I am not quite ready to get this day going. All I have to do is stand up and they are immediately ready to go. They get so excited to do anything when I stand up, even breakfast. Once we get breakfast done and everyone out again for a bit and then back in we can actually start the day. I will miss my walk with Zoe as we both are trying to lose weight. I pick up her leash and she gets so excited. She loves the walks. I used to be able to walk three or four dogs at a time but I am not up for that now.It is a lot to keep everyone going straight and not changing sides or wrapping around the back of me. So one dog at a time is the safest way to walk. I could probably manage two and be safe. So I go out into the large fenced yard and play ball and other games with them. They will be in and out a lot today due to the weather. They are happy and don't complain as long as we can be together. They keep me moving. They are my family and are so loved. I would be lost without them.

 

                                     Quinn and her babies!!
 

Eyes and Ears are open, so cute !!

 The pups grow so fast. They are cuter  by the day. Trying to stand but not quiet ready. Their expressions are so cute when they hear something they have never heard. Soon they will recognize my voice and in another week or so will be jumping up to greet me. These are the best weeks coming up. The best time to socialize since everything is so new and their brains are developing so quickly. What they learn at 6,7 and 8 weeks they will remember for their whole lives. When you start training at 8 weeks it is so easy as they learn so quickly.I just love this age and probably too much time is spent with them. Every bit of time and handling is so good for them. They learn to trust me and they are always happy to see me. Considering the trauma of their birth they are doing so well, growing and gaining so fast. Of course with only three pups there is plenty of food to go around. I won't start weaning the pups until they are in their fourth week. Today is their first worming with nemex for round worms, whip worms and hook worms. We worm them once a week for two weeks in a row.

I look for the best possible homes for my pups. I want a home where someone will be home with them through their first young weeks. An 8 week old pup cannot be alone for 8 or 9 hours a day, it is too long without human contact and they are eating 3 times a day. They would be lost if alone all day long.  Next I do like people with Sheltie experience. It is not essential but a good idea to research the breed if it is your first Sheltie.Retired people are great as they usually are home during the day and the pup will have plenty of company. Mainly I want people who will love and care for the puppy and do some basic training with them. Feed them a healthy diet and  stay current with their vet. They should not be off leash unless in a fenced area.I have put lots of time and love into my pups and they deserve the same from their new owners. I am always available for questions and help. 

Here are pictures of mom and dad!

Quinn

                         

                                                 

Quinn is a super sweet girl, she loves everyone and is very gentle. She is a little reserved with new people but warms up soon.

Flash is a sweet boy, full of energy and vinegar. He is a fun dog and loves being with you. Flash is a little reserved with new people at first but warms up soon. Initial reserve is normal for a sheltie. They like to make friends on their own terms.

   Flash  

                    

                                       Tri boy with white collar on back of neck                                                                        

                                                                               Tri boy

 

 

 

Bi Black female, almost no white on neck.She does have a white chest and 4 white feet.

THE WAIT IS OVER! PUPPIES CAME!

 Waiting is over. Quinn started labor around 4 pm Monday afternoon. By 7 pm she was in regular labor, water broke and I was awaiting the first puppy. The first usually comes a short while after the water breaks. By 8 pm labor was strong but no signs of a puppy. I got out my book by Myra Savant Harris to read about difficulties in whelping.I was not ready for any problems with heading into the late night hours. There were different maneuvers that I could do, the Woods Maneuver, the wheel barrow maneuver, This opens some space in the pelvic area so the puppy can pass through. Also walking her and walking her up and down stairs. Finally did some massage on the rectal floor. As the puppy was lying beneath that. Well 10:30 rolled around and I was getting worried.  I called a friend for more suggestions but I had pretty much exhausted the suggestions. I decided that I would try a few more things that Myra suggested. By then I could feel the puppy was there, I did some massage on the perinium and all of a sudden there was a nose. I was able to reach the shoulders and help the pup down. He was out. It was midnight, it took 5 hours and I was very determined to not to have to do a c section.  Lots of vanilla ice cream to keep the contractions going. I could feel the puppy, it was another big one. alive and some movement. Since the first pup finally came I did not have to do quite so much work. It took two hours but finally I was able to get a hold of it. It was tight but I was able to  help him slide out. Another 12 ounce puppy, 12 ounces is large for a newborn Sheltie. Not too bad only 2 hours since the frist one, it was 2 am and I was tired and so was Quinn, she did a lot of pushing, she was such a good girl. I got her up, took her out and walked her some. Started contractions then. It was 10 minutes after 3am. I caught  the pup on her way down. Still 12 ounces but much easier. I think that with the lubrication and massage it helped to get some movement.I did not think that there were anymore but I stayed up until 5 to be sure all was ok.She was resting and pups were trying to nurse and soon she was closing her eyes. I did go lie down for about an hour and then checked on her and the pups. She was laying there pups were nursing and she was cleaning. I needed to clean her up also. All that time for three pups but I thought that first one might have been stuck. I believe it was and I was amazed he was delivered alive.Truly a miracle.

Now I really do need a break from another litter, hopefully 8 to 12 months before that happens again.  

Pictures soon!