Just one left!

Well, the puppies are in their final stretch with us! Last week they said goodbye to their Mama Topaz, who rejoined her guardian family, and had their first vaccinations and their temperament assessment. Over this past weekend we have gone through the allocation process with our new puppy families.
Whisky will be joining Katie and Matt in Hamilton.
Rosie will go to a family not far from us in Ottawa - Janet, Drew and Quinn.
Chewie will be heading to Toronto to live with Melissa and Stephen.
Rover will join Eva, Thuan and Josh near Montreal.

One last puppy, Jackson, is still in need of a home though we have someone who is very interested so we are hoping he will find his forever family this week as well!!

Tomorrow the pups are going for neutering - the last big "milestone" before they head to their new homes. After several days of recuperation, the first of them will start the transition to their new families.

Today they joined us on our July Doodle Romp. It was a small Romp - only three dogs joined us - but a good one nonetheless. With the heat, it was more of a "Doodle Flop" - we wandered slowly through the woods (with several people herding the puppies along and making sure they didn't disappear into the bushes beside the path!), crossed the road, and then all flopped down in the shade of some trees in the field. Some of the dogs had plenty of energy to play, and the puppies were busy exploring, running around and being active - at least for a while. By the time we all headed home an hour and a half later, three of the pups were worn out, but Jackson and Whisky were still going strong!

Check our FAcebook page tomorrow for some photos of the pups and other dogs at the Romp-Flop!

Five weeks old!

My, how time does fly!

I have been very remiss in these blog posts (or lack thereof) since the pups were born. It can be challenging to balance pups, kids who play soccer several nights a week, and the usual household and work duties. Thankfully, my daughter has done a good job of posting pictures on our Facebook page, so you have not been totally devoid of input to satisfy your puppy cravings! (She is definitely the picture person and I am the word person…)

But here we are – the pups are just over five weeks old and getting more active and playful with every passing day! From tiny blind and deaf creatures that you could hold in the palm of one hand, they have grown to over 1kg (almost 2kg for the big boy!) – still can be picked up one-handed, but now you could do some basic weight lifting with them!!

These ones were a bit slower to open their eyes, with the red boy the first to get eyes and the rest following a bit after two weeks of age. Red boy was also the first to actually stand and take a few steps instead of doing the crocodile swim-stroke to get around.

Now, of course, that mode of movement is ancient history. They are walking, running, jumping, and boy do those little tails ever wag when we pet them, play with them, go into their corner of the kitchen… Mama Topaz is no longer spending her entire days with them, but goes in to feed them every few hours and spends most of the rest of the time with the other grownup dogs. When we let the pups out to roam the house – good to get them used to activity, people, and to stimulate their curiosity and adventuruousness – mama Topaz will play with them too.

We have started to take them outdoors to play in the grass. Being outdoors and able to roam freely in the grass is excellent for puppy health and development, exposing them to novel sensations, textures, sights and smells. We do keep a close eye on them out in the field so they don’t wander too far and get lost! 

Keep watching our Facebook page for more picture updates, and I promise to update the blog a few more times over the next few weeks as the pups progress through the final preparatory stages before heading to their new homes.

Three of the pups are reserved but we do still have two available – so let your friends and neighbours know!

Winner of the Topaz Edition (Guess How Many Puppies)

So...

The winner for the Topaz edition of our Guess How Many Puppies contest is...

Emma P,

who guessed 5 puppies with the first botn on May 20 at 15:30 - so she had the number right and was within a mere two hours (and one minute) of the first birth!!!

Emma will receive a $10 gift card to Tim Horton's or Chapter's.

 

CONGRATULATIONS!

Topaz's puppies have arrived!!!

We are pleased to announce the arrival of Topaz’s puppies!!

They actually arrived on Wednesday, May 20 - very conveniently around the supper hour. The first one "popped out" at 5:30, and she was done by a bit after 8pm. The "important people" (i.e., those with reservations on or interest in this litter) received prompt notification. But this time of year is so busy, the rest of you have had to wait a few days to get the news. (As in - Thursday was my daughter's birthday, Friday was house cleanup evening, Saturday we worked at the spring yard cleanup at our church in the morning and ran in the Ottawa Race Weekend 5km in the afternoon, Sunday we volunteered at the Race Weekend handing out medals for the marathon and half marathon... And of course walking dogs, watching and weighing puppies, feeding dogs...)

Anyhow, we have - as predicted by the ultrasound a month ago - 5 beautiful babies!

Puppy #1: born at 5:30pm, male, red parti, weighing 227g

Puppy #2: 5:47pm, male, apricot, 174g

Puppy #3: 7:02pm, male, red, 180g

Puppy #4: 7:08pm, female, apricot, 133g
                (I think she is the smallest puppy we have ever had!)

Puppy #5: 7:51pm, male, red parti, 244g

Pups and Mama are doing well.

Here are a few shots of the beautiful babes!!

Happy birthday Lyra, Cassie, Corona, Gatsby and Ziggy!

Here's one more – they’re turning four!!

Garnet’s first litter is already FOUR years old! (That means Garnet herself will be six in summer – where did the time go?!) We’ve seen Lyra and Cassie quite frequently over the years, and even Ziggy has joined us for a Romp once or twice over the years all the way from Montreal. (It helps that he has human family here in Ottawa.) Gatsby and Corona, if you’re reading this, let us know how you’re doing!!

 

What with the two new litters born earlier this month, this is now the fourth May litter we have had in our program, and the seventh spring litter (counting March as spring). That's one-third of all our litters born in May - as well as both my kids and my mom! Popular month, that.

Happy fourth birthday!

We wish you many new exciting adventures in the coming year.

(Oh, and happy birthday to my daughter, too, who is now in high school!)

Topaz: Almost there!

At just over 8 weeks’ gestation, Topaz’s puppies could be born any time.

During this third trimester, the foetuses have completed almost all essential development except for eyes and ears, and spend most of their time gaining weight and size. Their bones have calcified and they have fur. 

With Topaz being a fairly small girl, she’s getting nice and fat, which makes it easy to see the movement of puppies inside. Topaz will be joining us tonight so we can begin to monitor her temperature for signs of imminent whelping. Given her issues with delivery of her first litter, we may give her extra calcium up front to ensure things go smoothly and we don’t lose any puppies this time. The whelping box will go up today or tomorrow and we’ll set her crate aside, so we can keep a closer eye on her.

Stay tuned for a birth announcement likely by the end of the week!

Happy birthday Harmony, Brio, Shiva, Darwin and Rusty

You’re one year old today!

These were Topaz’s first puppies – and within a short while they’ll be joined by her second litter, due in about 10 days!



Harmon is one!

We are using a musical theme for the names we give Topaz’s puppies, which have now been joined by the new names some of the families gave them:

• Harmony
• Brio
• Darwin Caprice
• Rusty Rococo
• Shiva Piccolo

Harmony is a regular Doodle Romp attendee, and one of our breeding prospects. Next spring maybe we’ll be welcoming her first litter, who knows? We’ve also had a chance to meet Brio a few times with his family at a couple of Romps. We’d love to see Rusty again, as he’s close enough to attend, though he and his family lead a busy life. Shiva lives in Montreal and Darwin in Toronto so the chances of meeting up with them are rare, though pictures are always appreciated.

Happy first birthday! Many spring romps through the fresh green grass!