More Puppy Pictures (10/30/2020)

 As I believe I have mentioned, my sister-in-law has a small litter of mini-goldendoodles and I am helping her find great homes for them. She is in the process of moving up to the Petoskey MI area, so we got to see Lucy and the puppies today for a couple of hours. They are ADORABLE!!!

The puppies are just (almost) 2 weeks old, so their eyes are not open and they still don't walk around. That's very normal.

Lucy (the mom) is so comfortable around people. I had never met her before and she let me get right down and pet her puppies. She is so sweet!

Anyway, as promised, here are some pictures I took this afternoon.

The light puppy leaning on Lucy is "Mr Yellow" the only boy in the litter. His yellow collar appears to have come off

The following picture was my naive attempt to have them all in a row laying next to each other. It lasted for 1.4 seconds.

L to R: Mr. Yellow, Miss Blue, Miss Green, Miss Purple (darker color, facing lighter puppies), and Miss Red

Yellow, Blue, Green, Purple Red

Mr. Yellow

Clockwise from Miss Purple: Miss Green, Miss Red, Mr. Yellow, Miss Blue

A Whole New Ballgame (10/26/2020)

Well... The unfortunate happened last Friday. It was determined, via ultrasound, that Penelope is NOT pregnant! It was a sad day. Fortunately, it was also a day we spent in breeding "Piper" - a cute little fluffy girl who has been part of our Guardian Home program since she was just 2 months old. We'll be able to confirm her pregnancy in about 3 weeks.

I also received some good news on Friday that will help some of you faithful followers. My Sister-in-law, Janice, is the person who helped us launch our puppy adventure years ago. Every once in a while she has a litter of puppies, and that time is now!

Janice has allowed me to offer her 5 puppies to people on our wait list since we have now had 2 straight pregnancies fail.  I have begun to reach out to people on our list, and I hope to have some clarity in the next day or two.

Here are the details:

• First of all, it's not our litter. That's not a bad thing, Ijust like transparency. We aren't raising the puppies, and they do not live with us.  The puppies are all cute and adorable, and the Mom (Lucy) is a wonderfully sweet little girl. I just want everyone to know I won't be the one you'll be dealing with. I'll help Janice by posting pictures, etc., but it's her litter. All of this is very positive and I'm only posting it for clarity.
  
• Lucy (the mom) is a 19 pound F1 Mini-Goldendoodle. The dad, (Harley) is a 16 pound AKC miniature poodle, and we have used him for breeding too. This makes the puppies F1B Mini-Goldendoodles and they will probably grow to about 20 pounds.
  
• Janice is offering  the puppies (4 girls and 1 boy) at $2,500 each, and that is the same price we would offer them for. $250 deposit holds your position/puppy and that comes off the final price.
• As I move down our wait list, I will give her contact info to people who confirm they are still looking for a puppy, and are interested in one of these puppies.
• If someone is interested in a puppy now, or is no longer interested at all, I will remove them from my list, which will bump everyone else up some. It's the best I can do right now...

 Here are a couple of pictures of Lucy, and her puppies. The boy is "Mr. Yellow" (collar color).

 

Update: (10/7/2020)

News regarding our next litter:

We bred "Penelope" on 9/22. We will know in a couple of weeks whether she will be having puppies (via ultrasound)

We used Artificial Insemination with "Harley" a 16 pound miniature AKC poodle. We are hoping for puppies that will grow to about 25-35 pounds. 

We currently have 16 people on our No-Commitment waiting list. Not all will follow through on an adoption, but it is a long list...

Here is the approximate timeline:

• Day 1 (which happened 9/11/2020): Penelope enters her semi-annual "heat cycle"
• Day 11 (approximately 9/22): Penelope ovulates, and begins her "receptive period" - this is the ONLY time she will be willing to breed/mate. This time frame lasts about 5-7 days.
• Day 12-19 (Occurred 9/22/2020): We bred Penelope via AI with "Harley" - a 16 pound miniature AKC poodle (Pictures of Harley on "Daddy Page")
  
• Day 35 (SCHEDULED for Friday 10/16): Vet performs ultrasound to determine if (confirm!) Penelope is pregnant.
• Day 75 (somewhat approximate): Penelope's expected delivery date. Dogs deliver almost exactly 63 days (9 weeks) after breeding.
• Day 110: Approximately 4-5 weeks after delivery, Penelope begins weaning the puppies. We start introducing solid food (at first blended up into a liquidy mess) and cautiously remove Penelope from her nursing responsibilities. Most Mom dogs are excited about this time, as the puppies will start having their teeth come in, and it's a much harder toll on the moms as the puppies grow.
• Day 125: At roughly 6 weeks of puppy age, we start the process of families selecting their puppies. Deposits will have been collected, and the puppies will start having obvious personalities begin to show. (Details on this process often differ due to puppy maturity, weekend availability, and global pandemics)
• Day 160 (roughly Mid-January): Assuming the puppies are maturing as expected, we schedule a Vet visit and check up on the first Friday after the puppies turn 7 weeks old. Once they receive a clean bill of health, the puppies are ready to go to their new homes. 

As you can see, from the first indication of Penelope, or any dog, entering her heat cycle, we have about 4 1/2 months before puppies will be ready for their new homes. This MAY seem like forever, but once this process begins, it blows by in a flash - or seems to.

Then what happens?

In early 2021 we expect Penny (not to be confused with Penelope) to enter her heat cycle in February, followed by Piper (a new mom to us), Biscuit (another new Mom), and Lady (in the Summer). 

We are always on the lookout for opportunities to provide wonderful puppies to loving homes and families, so we MIGHT have other news down the line. Stay Tuned!!

Thank you for your interest!

All Puppies Have Been Adopted (7/30/2020)

I frequently get calls and emails asking about availability of puppies, so I'm posting this to let people know all the puppies we currently have are adopted. They will go to their new homes in the next 2 days.

Our next expected/hopeful litter will be with "Penelope" as the Mom. She has not entered her "heat season" where she can have puppies as yet, so I can't promise a specific time frame. However, if I discovered tomorrow that she was in heat, the earliest her puppies would be born would be early-mid October and they would be ready for their new homes about 8 weeks later.

**I don't say that as a commitment, or promise. I'm just letting you know what to expect.**

I will start taking names for our "Interest List" once we have successfully bred her - whenever that is. I don't accept deposits until after the puppies are born. That way, everyone is free to pursue whatever option is best for them, and I will know how many boys/girls there actually are.

I will post any updates here, as they occur. Feel free to contact me using the contact information on our Home page, or on the "Contact Info" in the menu.

Thanks for your interest!

Down the Home Stretch!

Sorry for the delay in posting more. It's been a hectic time, and, well, time got away from me. But, the good news is that all of the puppies are doing great, and they are all healthy, cute, adorable, fun, playful, and adorable (deserves two mentions!).

The puppies will all go home this coming weekend. We have our Vet appointment this Friday, and the first few pick up appointments are scheduled. (I'll be in touch with others soon!).

Here are a few videos to show how the puppies are doing. I took them today, which is incredibly hot, so you'll see them all panting (normal), yelping some in the background (none of them want to be ignored), and from time to time you'll hear my sandals as I try to get out of their way. I really didn't edit the videos, or try to "fancy" them up. These are just a snapshot of what your life will be like next week! It'll be awesome!

Mr. Green - He can be a little shy at times, but he loves to play, and he loves to be snuggled! He has adorable white paws, and a white patch on his chest.

Mr. Blue - He is very playful, fun loving, and quick to grab a new toy. He loves to wrestle with his sisters and brothers, and has a beautiful coat.

Miss Orange - She has a beautiful light coat to go with her beautiful personality. She LOVES to be held and loves belly rubs! She is adventurous, and very playful.

Miss Red - She loves to run and have fun. She is frequently and instigator of wrestling matches with her siblings, and is also usually the first to run to me when I am near. She loves all people!

Miss Purple - Well, she is a cutie. It will be hard for you to see too much in this video (sorry) because all she wanted to do was play with my sandals and it was hard to get her into the screen very much. She is gentle, and also determined. She loves attention.

Bonus video: I can't get enough of watching these puppies in slow motion, so here is a long video of them running around and playing in the yard. Enjoy!

Selection Time is Soon! (Update: Appointments are scheduled!)

The puppies turn 4 weeks old tomorrow and we start weaning them this week. That means the time for people to select their "fur baby" is coming soon. Originally, I had hoped to do the selections this coming weekend, but I think it will be better for everyone if we shoot for the weekend of the 17th.

This "change" is not due to any negative concerns, rather it is because of the wonderful attention and love that Lady gives her pups. By this time (4 weeks), most nursing moms are getting sick and tired of the process and are more than ready to be done. Lady is so attentive that she is still eagerly nursing her puppies and gets anxious when more than one person is near them. Waiting another week will give us extra time to know more about their personalities and demeanor. This is a good thing!

I'll start communicating with everyone this week to look for times that will work to come out to see the puppies, play with them, and select which one you would like to call your own. I usually give people about an hour to go through this - I understand it can be a nerve-wracking experience for people.

When you come out, feel free to bring friends and/or family with you. We are happy to have a lot of people (within "social distancing" regulations) and we will be outside - weather permitting - so there will be plenty of room.

As a word of caution: it has been my experience that the more people who come for selection, the longer it takes to make a decision. I'm VERY happy to have lots of people, but larger families or big groups of friends can make it an overwhelming process for some people. My daughter and I can help you answer questions about the puppies, but just be aware we fully understand it may take a while for you to decide. No worries! Come and have fun!!

As a reminder, here is the ordered list with preferred sex of puppy. I will contact people from the top down and schedule with each person/family before I contact the next person.

1. Janice - Girl - July 18 - 1:00 PM
   
2. Clarence - Boy - July 18
   
3. Stephanie - Boy - July 18 - 2:30 PM
   
4. Alisha - Girl - July 18 - 3:30 PM
5. Chrissie - Girl July 18
   

COVID comments: We will try to do all of this outside, which should make it as safe as possible. I will try to keep distant from you and/or your family and we ask that you try the same. We will ask everyone to use hand sanitizer when you arrive, and when you leave. We (my family) will have masks for us to wear if you would like us to. We will NOT require masks, but if you ask us to wear them, we will gladly oblige. Obviously, if you are ill, please do not come over. We try to operate on good, old-fashioned common sense, and we ask you to do the same. If you have questions, or concerns in this area, please let me know!!! We can make it work. Thanks!

Three Week Update - Cuter and Cuter!

The puppies are now three weeks old, and they are growing as expected. Their eyes are now fully open, and they are gaining strength in their legs as they walk more and more. Lady is being a wonderful mom - she always is - and she is taking great care of her pups.

Next week we will start the weaning process - right on target. We will start out with replacing one meal a day with blended up dog food. We put the puppies in a special area, away from Lady, and mix dry kibble with a lot of water, and blend it up. This lets the puppies "eat" from a bowl and yet not need to chew anything. They basically slurp it all up - and get it all over themselves!

Over the course of a couple days, we gradually increase the number of feedings that are "dog food" and decrease the number of nursings Lady provides. This allows for a gradual transition for the puppies - and for Lady. By this time, Lady has been feeding them 24/7 for over a month. She's ready - and so are they!

As soon as the puppies are comfortable, and we can ensure Lady is transitioning safely, we stop the nursing and begin 100% feeding for the puppies. Lady will go home to live with her Guardian Family - who misses her so very much! - and we will continue to raise the puppies and teach them all about becoming family dogs.

Over the course of the following weeks, until the puppies are ready for their permanent homes, we introduce them to many environments. We get them into the grass and sun to feel the outside. They learn about other people (who often come to visit) and not to be afraid of them, as well as other dogs (ours and friendly neighbors) and how to interact.

When the puppies are in their play area, they will hear lawnmowers, weed whippers, cars, planes, birds, and many other sounds, sights, and smells. They will also encounter numerous other people as they learn to socialize with people. We live in a very friendly, and walk-able, community, so people are always coming over to play with the puppies. It is tremendous fun, and a great learning tool for the puppies.

OK. Enough of my typing... On to the pictures!!! The pictures almost always involve me, sitting on the floor, holding a puppy in one hand, petting a nervous and cautious Lady with one hand, holding my phone in another hand and trying to take clear pictures of squirming puppies while trying to keep me out of the pictures. It sounds easier than it is!!

Let's start with Mr. Green: He will probably end up with a wavy/curly coat. It's hard to tell for sure at this age, but based upon what we are seeing, his coat will probably be curly (not a super tight curl) that will transition to wavy if his coat is kept a little longer. He's a cutie with a little white patch on his chest.

Next up, Miss Red:  She has the darkest coat of the litter, a deep reddish brown. It looks like she will have beautiful waves in her coat as well. She is very relaxed when being held, and seems to really like mu daughter!

Trying to find a comfortable place to rest

Miss Purple: She probably has the second darkest coat, after Miss Red. She has a beautiful face and serious, yet playful look in her eyes. She's a cutie!

Mr. Blue: Yes, he's adorable, and he's also a very committed sleeper! Whenever he is picked up - to change towels or just to have someone hold him - he yelps out like he was just having the best sleep EVER and we just woke him up. If we hold him for a moment or two, he relaxes, but he is not currently fond of having his sleep interrupted! (My kids know I am the same way...)

Last, and definitely not least, we have Miss Orange: She is the first one people see when they look at the litter, and they always say, "Wow. Look at that light one!! Can I hold her?" Yes, she has the lightest coat, and probably the straightest, as well. It won't be "retriever" straight - it will have some wave to it - but it will, most likely, not be very curly. She definitely gets the attention when people see her. She is a gentle cutie!

Happily wedged into the corner

In the upper right corner, with her white paws.

I have to post these now, before they grow any older and the pictures are old....

I'll post more soon.