Good-bye to Aspen

Last Saturday we said good-bye to Aspen, our lovely caramel parti boy whom we had hoped to use as a stud but who had a bad overbite, making him unsuitable for breeding.

He is going to a lovely rural property in Haliburton, about 3 hours west of Ottawa, where he can enjoy a fun time with his new family. Derek & Judy are a retired couple who enjoy dogs and outdoor fun and will provide a great home for our lovely boy.

Aspen had a grooming session Saturday morning and was all spiffed up and smart-looking when Derek & Judy arrived with their daughter to pick him up. He greeted them joyously - as he does everybody!! - and went with them without qualm or hardly a backward look.

I do miss his friendly presence and happy outlook on life. Aspen is a great dog and would have made a wonderful stud. He loved to play with our puppies and demonstrated a keen interest in them from the time they were born. He was always friendly and happy.

There is one positive thing about his departure - my underwear is now safe from being chewed to bits. (!!!) And with the imminent arrival of another litter, we did need to make space for more dogs at home. We still need to place Leo and either Scarlett or Ariel.

I am sure Aspen is enjoying himself out in the country right now! Good luck to you, dood!

A new home for Aspen, too!

I am very pleased to report that our boy Aspen has finally found a forever home of his own. On Easter weekend, Aspen will be going to a lovely country property in Haliburton, about 3 hours from Ottawa, to be family companion to Derek and his wife. Between now and then he will have a dental procedure to "amputate" his lower canines so they don't poke holes in his upper palate, which is the current situation owing to his overbite. He will be neutered at the same time. (Ouch!)

Aspen is a very friendly, exuberant boy who absolutely loves people and is eager to please. I will miss him. (My kids say they won't, as they think he is a bit of a wimp, but I really like his personality.)

That just leaves Leo, Galaxy and Scarlett in need of a home. I'm hopeful they'll all find forever families before the next pups arrive!

Aspen in search of his forever family

Aspen arrived here at the end of September, 2011, as a stud prospect puppy. Unfortunately, he has turned out not to be of breeding quality, though a very find dog indeed, so we are looking to sell him as a pet.

Aspen is a caramel and white parti male with a lovely disposition. he will be six months old on February 1, 2012. He currently weighs around 10kg (22 lbs), standing between 16”- 17” tall at the shoulders. We expect him to mature to around 30 lbs and 18”, which makes him a medium Australian Labradoodle. He is a lovely dog with a sweet and very friendly personality. He is a big suck, always wanting to say hi to everyone and get snuggles and cuddles. Aspen is completely house-trained and rings the bell to go outside. He likes to play outside even in the cold winter weather (unless it gets VERY cold or messy). Aspen loves the puppies – he has been interested in them from the time they were born, and now they are big enough to play with him decently, though he is still much bigger than them! But he is generally gentle, seeming to realize that he can’t play rough with these little critters. Aspen loves to go for walks and off-leash romps. He is good at coming when called. He is friendly with other dogs, though a bit nervous of meeting other big dogs – he is still interested in saying hi but he wants to be sure they’re friendly back.

Aspen will do well in a home where he can have lots of attention and play time. A family with children age 4 and up, another dog (or cat?), a couple where one is home at least half the day, or a retired couple or single person would be ideal.

We are asking the pet price of $2500 for him, which includes all his vaccinations. For that you get a fully house-trained dog who is past the worst of the puppy phase.

If you are interested in being Aspen’s family, contact me at roma@dragonramdoodles.com or 613-552-3066 or Linda at cooldood@doodlepuppies.ca or 613-720-5589.

Aspen & Amore meet Santa

Last Saturday afternoon, after the morning romping at art lessons, we headed out with Aspen & Amore to cut our Christmas tree. It is an annual ritual with us to go to a local tree farm and select and cut our own tree.

Last year we had taken Amore along to the tree farm we have been to many times in the past, along with our friends and their little dachshund, Jenna. In previous years no one had commented on Jenna’s presence and we had met other dogs there, too, so we expected no hassles, but we disappointed upon arriving to be told “No dogs allowed.” So this year I hunted for another nearby tree farm and called in advance to be sure we could bring the dogs. Fallowfield Tree Farm was happy to welcome the dogs and we even met their German Shepherd roaming freely around the property.

While we waited for the tractor wagon ride to take us to the tree cutting field, we roasted a couple of marshmallows by the fire, and then along came Santa, so of course we had to introduce the dogs!

(We found the perfect Christmas tree, and it’s now standing well-decorated in our loft, where Aspen can’t get at it as he’d no doubt strip off all the ornaments he could reach and chew them to bits… )

When we got home that evening, Aspen was totally exhausted after all that activity! He went into his crate (something he doesn’t often do voluntarily) around 7pm and didn’t make a noise (highly unusual when crated!!) until 10pm when I let him out before hitting the hay myself. Then he went straight back to bed and slept soundly all night long!

Playtime!

Last Saturday, as usual, we took Amore and Aspen to play in the ball field outside the place where the kids have art lessons. Since their lessons overlap only half an hour out of a three-hour stretch, most of the time there is one kid with me and the dogs to play.

This past Saturday there was a bit of snow on the ground, so we put jackets on the dogs, parkas on ourselves, and headed out. Aspen’s jacket didn’t stay on long, what with the rip-roaring good time he and Amore were having. Amore loves to chase the ball, but Aspen isn’t really into ball – not yet at least. He just wants to tussle with Amore! (Typical guy.)

  

My son was also very tired after a VERY late night the previous night, so after making a couple of snow angels he mostly just lay on the ground and rested, while I threw the ball or just watched the dogs play.

 

Some nice pix

Here are a few pictures I didn’t get around to posting earlier. These are from our gorgeous Thanksgiving Saturday back in early October. It was 26 above (Celsius) and just like a summer day!!

Autumn leaves

Every autumn we carry a rake out to the small urban forest near our home and pile up the leaves for some autumn fun. With Thanksgiving weekend so lusciously warm, we headed out on Sunday afternoon (yes, back three weeks ago!) for our annual celebration of fall colours.

The pups had a grand time romping through the woods and fields, and once they learned that a pile of leaves makes a soft landing, they jumped and frolicked in it with abandon.

The kids also buried me in leaves, which took a passing couple rather by surprise when I greeted them from under the pile!!

Welcome to Aspen & Kodiak

DragonRam Doodles is pleased to announce that we have acquired

Melorich’s Kodiak

 a beautiful deep dark chocolate stud prospect puppy

from Melorich’s Labradoodles in Ohio.

Kodiak was born 3 August 2001, so is still a young pup at 2.5 months of age. He arrived in Syracuse, New York, on Saturday 8 October direct from Cincinnati, and was picked up and brought into Canada by Linda of Canadian Doodle Puppies, who co-owns him with us.

We chose his name, “Kodiak,” after the Kodiak bear, which lives in northern BC, Yukon and Alaska. The name therefore captures both his deep brown colour and his Canadian residence and American. Melorich is the name of the kennel where he was bred – thanks, Rich! He adds a whole new line of Tegan Park and Rutland Manor to our breeding program – some old Australian lines that we don’t yet have.

Kodiak has found a home with Sylvia & Gary & their two sons and one other dog, Snickers, in southern Ottawa. We know he is well-loved and well-cared for there!

We have also acquired

Desert Winds Aspen

a gorgeous caramel-and-white parti stud prospect,

from Desert Winds Labradoodles in Colorado.

Born 1 August 2011, Aspen is just two days older than Kodiak. He arrived a bit earlier than Kodiak, on Monday, 26 September, also flying into Syracuse and brought into Canada by Linda of Canadian Doodle Puppies, his co-owner.

The name “Aspen” was chosen for the well-known Colorado ski resort in the Rocky Mountains, which reflects his Colorado heritage and his snowy white (and caramel) colour. Desert Winds is his kennel of origin – thanks, Tracy!

Unfortunately, at his initial vet visit we discovered that Aspen has a serious overbite and his lower teeth were making holes in his palate. He underwent dental surgery on Tuesday 4 October to alleviate the situation and give his lower jaw the chance to catch up with his upper. If this does indeed happen it will indicate this issue is developmental and he is good to use as a stud; if it does not, it will indicate a genetic issue and we will not use him.

Linda kept Aspen for the first two weeks, but he is now with us where is very much enjoying playing with Lyra & Cassi. Ssurprisingly, it’s been Cassi more than Lyra the action figure that has been more engaged in playing with him – maybe Lyra knows not to beat up on such little pups!

Welcome here, boys!

Autumn leaves

Every autumn we carry a rake out to the small urban forest near our home and pile up the leaves for some autumn fun. With Thanksgiving weekend so lusciously warm, we headed out on Sunday afternoon (yes, back three weeks ago!) for our annual celebration of fall colours.

The pups had a grand time romping through the woods and fields, and once they learned that a pile of leaves makes a soft landing, they jumped and frolicked in it with abandon.

The kids also buried me in leaves, which took a passing couple rather by surprise when I greeted them from under the pile!!