Vaccine links

For those that wondered(I did get a couple of emails about this), here are some wonderful articles concerning vaccinating puppies as well as the information on the new protocol for adults dogs.

http://www.abrl.org/files/vaccinesWDJ0808.pdf

http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/13_8/features/Annual-Pet-Vaccinations_20036-1.html

http://www.weim.net/emberweims/Vaccine.html

I follow this protocol, for the most part. A lot depends on the dogs, what they do, where they travel and what vaccinations they have had before, if they haven't been with me their whole lives. The biggest change overall is that for most puppies, it's not recommended to give a first series of shots at 6 weeks of age. I think that goes along with the change in the fact that most breeders don't sell puppies at 6 weeks old but most hold their puppies till they are 9-10 weeks old.

Just something to chew on.
Later gators....
C

Weekend in review

Remember that list from hell? I think I got most of it done!!

Saturday we got the chicks, all 100 or so-eeek! Had a blast with the little roo, Buffy, hanging out on my lap all morning getting petted. Someone took photos so I'll have to post those at a later date. Run home, drop chicks off, go to show.
Max was shown by Alec on Saturday and went WB and BOW for another point. 4 more to go! Liz was so happy and made the trip back to WI much more pleasant. We'll see her more after her daughter's wedding in May.

Sunday-bright and early and major ring conflicts. Connor got select all weekend, no biggy, we know why and you just make a note of what type of or color of dog to take to the judge in the future. I got to help show Treeing Walkers and looks like Alec's got a hound special to show later in the spring. He took BOB in Walkers and Plotts.

Group rolled around and well, Cara being the only pem, went and played. Shelley was so excited to see her in the big ring. But man was she excited, gaiting was good but she couldn't stand still to save her life. Bounced off Alec more then a couple of times.

BUT.....
Some how she managed to charm the judge, Katie Gammill, and well, um, GROUP 2!!!!!!! Behind Kent's very nice GSD. Shelley's just a little excited and Cara will be playing with us for the month of April or until she drops her coat.

I'm packed, or as best as I can for the trip this week. I know I'll forget something, like the dog???

Later gators...?
C

Apologies rampant

First apology-I have only one new photos of the babies. They move too fast and typically by the time I get where I can take a photo, they are gone in another direction. They've been playing outside with the big dogs, well, Connor and Auntie Pete. They will have their first shots when we get back from Philly next week--my vet and I have a little different time schedule on shots, due to the newer research that shows that puppies that get vaccinations too early on, can have immune issues later in life.

Here's the best photo of recent--when they are sleeping.

Second apology-this one is a proactive one, I'm sick and I pray that I don't infect the entire showsite over this week with the crap I have. It's a cold, body aches, cough. Sorry!!

Third apology-leaving my hubby with 6 week old puppies and gulp, 100 new chicks! I didn't expect to get that many!!! But we have a lot of meat birds for the freezer, the Ms has some Brahma's and maran's too!

Later gators...
C

Grant

Andrea just sent me some photos I had to share. This is Grant, one of the kids out of our very first litter of cardigans. Psycho Chick's brother as well as Finchy Foo's. Man if only that color had covered his eye....

Thank Andrea for being Grant's special person, couldn't have aske for a better home!! Hard to believe that they are 9 now!

Later gators....
C

I must be nuts

So this weekend consists of......
Friday:
Run errands at lunch
Go pick up Hubby
Meet Vicki at Walmart, get 30 chicks
Go get the Ms at G'ma's
Tall Kid is getting grooming in Dubuque for about a gazillion dogs
Go home
Hope Shelley made it to our house
Let dogs out
Let dogs in
Get chicks settled
Go to Dinner with FIL and girlfriend
Go home, get things ready for tomorrow
Wash a load of laundry
Take care of puppies
Do assorted animal chores
Crash into bed

Saturday:
Get up at the butt crack of dawn
Shower
Let dogs out
Let dogs in
Shelley and Tall Kid off to show in Dubuque
Wrangle two chickens(Wellies and Buffy) and two or four ducks(????) into crates
Find extra xpen-what extra one?
Load up and head to Barnyard Days at the bank on the FAR side of town
Oh fudge, forgot, load up Pete and Moose
2 hours of holding poultry and making sure Moose doesn't wander off.
Run to Marion, get more chicks
Take all chicks home, put in brooder
Unload chickens and ducks
Turn around, go to Dubuque
Fudge, go home and get show clothes(I have to help in group)
Hubby drops us at show site, runs his errands in town
Walk to Bluff Street, get TEA. MUST HAVE TEA!
Home
Unload
Lather
Rinse
Repeat

Sunday:
I'm not even sure I'll make it to Sunday!


Monday:
Head to PA, Collie Nationals here we come. God willing...

Later gators...
C

Puppy Picinic - it's official!

For those interested, the puppy picinic will be April 7th. Anyone is welcome as we evaluate the litter(though we have done a pre-evalution already), temperament testing and general bs'ing, eating and maybe some adult beverages.

Just RSVP so I know how many brats to put on the grill.

Later gators...
C

National Water Day!

I arrived to find a water bottle on my desk with a note about forming "the water habit" and the benefits of water. Thought I might pass those on....

Forming a Water Habit
How much water? Best is to form a routine: drink a glass when you wake up, one with a meal, one between meals, and be sure to drink before, during and after exercise. Try to keep from getting thristy.
Carry a bottle with you where ever you go!
Set a reminder every hour to not forget to drink.
Substitude for another beverage when out.
Filter your tap water for the bottled water taste.
Drink before, during and after a workout.
Track it! Keep a log of how often you drink.

9 Powerful Reasons To Drink Water
1. Weight Loss: Great appetite suppressant;water has no fats, calories, carbs or sugar
2. Heart Healthy: Those that drink more then 5 glasses of water a day are 41% less likely to dire from a heart attack.
3. Energy: Being dehydrated can zap your energy;if you are thristy, you're already dehydrated
4. Headache Cure: A symptom of dehydration is a headache.
5. Healthy Skin: Drinking water can clear up your skin and gives it a healthy glow.
6. Digestive Problems: Our digestive system needs a good amount of water to digest food properly.
7. Cleansing: Water is used by the body to help flush out toxins and waste products from our bodies.
8. Cancer Risks: Drinking a healthy amount of water has been found to reduce the risk of colon cancer by 45%;Drinking lots of water can reduce the risk of bladder cancer by 50% and potentially reduce the risk of breast cancer.
9. Better Exercise: Being dehydrated can severely hamper your athletic activities;Exercise requires additional water, so be sure to hydrate before, during and after exercise!

So I raise a glass of crystal clear water to your health today! Drink a glass, it's good for ya!

Later gators...
C

Just kick me please!

So ran across a "breeder’s" website the other day, needless to say though I shouldn’t be shocked, I still continue to be about people claiming to be responsible breeders producing health and genetically perfect dogs.

So let me back track some. This particular breed is in the middle of an upheaval. I tend to follow the antics of other breed clubs and this one has been brewing for some time. Decades in fact.

You all know what a mini aussie is? Right? Okay, without getting into it deep, many years ago a person decided to take it upon themselves to miniaturize a breed that was specifically breed for a particular size and structure to do a specific job. Currently you will find mini and toy aussies. When the breed club of those dogs decided it wanted to join the AKC, all heck broke loose and I totally agree with the parent club of the Australian Shepherd. When you talk to a true blue aussie person, one mention of mini or toy will get you booted out of the building. To say it’s sore subject is an understatement.

Currently, after a couple of years of wrangling, the aussie parent club has agreed to allow the mini to join the ranks of AKC dogs…but….with a few rules. First the standards are pretty much the exact same and will stay that way, though there will be disqualifications in the minis for too small(not allowing the toys) and too tall. An audit of the AKC records show that in fact there are a lot of the “regular” aussies registered that are actually minis and for a time the books will be open for those dogs to move to the mini registry. They will also two separate breeds. No varieties like collies, beagles or dachies. There will be no breeding between the two. And the greatest change….the name. Aussie club would not allow the use of mini aussie to be used, really emphasizing the discord between the two groups. The new name for the mini aussie is Miniature American Shepherd.

Back to the website I stumbled across. I’ve actually stumbled across it a while ago and been following it in attempt to see if they follow the trend or how the site matures as the owner does. It doesn’t

So first off, dogs are NSDR registered. Did you know that all my dogs can be NSDR registered, it’s pretty simple, cheap and hey, it’s a registry, puppies have papers, that makes them good, right? Totally nothing against NSDR, but when I can’t get a list of accepted breeds, standards, events, the site hasn’t been updated in what, years and one of the questions on the application is tail length? Anyway they still don’t have the link updated with the correct name for the mini. For what it’s worth, you also have no way to access pedigree information or stats—another thing that makes me wonder how worthwhile and trustworth a registry like that can be.

Next red flag, all my dogs are healthy and free of genetic issues such as having good hips. No record of OFA, CERF, etc—their vet says their healthy. Please don’t be fooled people—a local farm vet has no clue on how to evaluate hip structure or that just because the dog doesn’t run into the wall, they must have good eye site. This is actually a breed with huge health issues—PRA, hips, elbows, other eye disorders, dentation issues. Oh and MDR1-the breeder talks about it on their website, but no mention of their dogs results, just you might want to test your puppy and avoid thiese drugs-which is actually the best thing to do instead of testing. Come on? Seriously, push the health of a puppy on the new owners and giving them little if no information on the parents of the dogs other than our vet says they are good dogs.

Want more? Are they following the breed news and is there any where on their website about the AKC letting the breed in, how dogs are registered and the name change? Nope. To me that’s a huge no-no. You always follow what’s going on in your breed, know the current health topics, what dogs are now being allowed to do(lure coursing for instance). Especially when such a giant change is occurring that will in fact change the course of your breeds future.

Hum, what else? Granted I know things happen-bitch starts whelping early when you aren’t there(some can be predictable, some bitches just aren’t reading the rules on whelping). But to me not watching and waiting with your bitch as she whelps? Finding them in the morning outside having whelped in some distant spot. Granted I know that some LGD’s whelp their litters in the barns, sheep pens etc as this is where the dog will live and grow up, but not someone proclaiming to be selling the perfect pets and wonderful companions to Joe Blow.

My last key here I think not only applies to this website and breeder, but many others, is what is missing. Some of the things I’ve run across are that a dog is a great family dog, loves to show and placed lots—missing information-dog only is around his own family, gets dragged to shows and is so scared it doesn’t function, just there and places at the bottom of its class. Dog is healthy—now, missing information-no CERF, no hip exrays yet dog has relatives with eye issues or dog itself has had back and other health issues. I can go on and on. What is it that I preach—full disclosure? Mine right now—Dove had a shoulder injury as a pup-went to the vet, xrays, chiro etc. Soft tissue and it was due to either her climbing the gate to the horse pasture or one of the horses clipping her after she fell in. We can definitely determine, it’s not an issue she will pass on to her pups—well, the gate climbing maybe.

I shouldn’t be shocked, this happens all the time – that is people thinking they are great breeders, promoting their pups and selling them to whoever, because the general public can be so naïve. I’ve said it before, we are a society of instant gratification. We want it now and people have a way of saying things to make it happen now. Frustrating on my part as I don’t feel it’s right. I have to keep telling myself that I need to just watch and learn what not to do.

Off the soap box and out in the sun enjoying an early Iowa spring!

Later gators...
C

The hairy truth

I've had a few people ask me about fluff puppies, how can you tell and what age are you certain. Figured a pictorial lesson is the best. Most of these are puppy photos at 4-6 weeks of age, with a couple of random adult photos thrown in. I'll have a few more comments at the end.
This is a fluff.
This is not--any guesses who this cutie is?

Fluff.

Not a fluff(wasn't Red Dog an adorable baby?)

Fluff-yes this is dear Emmett(aka Buster) He lost the gamble with his father having both the fluff genes.

And his lovely non-fluff brother, the infamous phone book dude, Jeff Fa Fa!

Fluff-can't forget the other brother, Monti!

Definitely a fluff :)

This one too.

I just couldn't resist the last two. But there's something useful there. Well at least with the collie photo. Collies have a similar coat gene, and similar to the cardigans, it either produces a short or long coat. IE, the rough collie vs the smooth collie.

Here's the key kids-fluffs are fun, they make perfect pets and long time breeders have told me that by eliminating the fluff gene we also tend to lose the correctness of a proper coat. I don't really know if that's true or not. But what I do know is that it's a simple cosmetic issue. There are far worse things in this world then fluffs-horrible structure, incorrect movement or crappy temperaments. I personally I am more concerned about that then I am about producing a fluff. And for those not knowing, fluff is a simple recessive gene. Both parents must carry it for it to be expressed in the pup. So if you see a fluffy puppy, both parents carry the gene.

Yes a fluff can be shown. Most judges look down on it. It's a serious fault. Hello, have you seen Eddie lately? Notice though that he has two letters at the beginning of his name and several others after it. We were blessed that judges on multiple occasions saw the what was underneath all the blue fuzz. But you have to be careful. For a new person in the breed, I wouldn't even chance taking a dog like that in the ring. Nor unless the dog has superb structure, risk it. I say it again, it is a serious fault, not a disqualification. A kin to a wry, overshot, or undershot bites, straight or fiddle fronts, shyness, small or pointy ears, weak bouncy toplines or the one thing I see all the time--high tail sets! All these things are rewarded in the ring all the time, so why should showing a fluff coated dog be any different?

I've been muttering this through my brain all weekend. Coats will always be an issue in cardigans, and yes it is something we should be concerned about. For a breeder, you need to think long and hard about a lot of things, coat included. For a newbie, it's even more important that with your first show prospect to find a dog that has as few outstanding faults as possible(remember nothing is perfect!) that makes your first show dog a pleasure trip, rather then a up hill marathon to finish. The other thing I thought was interesting is how breeders fail to say what they think-oh this might have too much coat, fluff, not enough coat, instead, aren't they cute? Lovely head. Great length, wonderful shoulders, etc.

Anyway, that's one of my many ramblings--I've got notes all over the place on other stuff, but thought this was a fun one to start with!

Later gators...
C

Totally random

Seriously, I have so many things running around in my brain that it's going to take a few posts to cover it all.

First and foremost, it's much easier to post here then send tons of emails to everyone. Puppies are open for visitors!! After having had issues in the past with people coming to visit the puppies when really young, I tend to be on the conservative side and wait till the pups are around 5 weeks to allow visitors. We have a special visitor coming this weekend and if anyone else wants to stop by, give me a jingle. Visits will be on hold while we are in PA, but the special evaluation aka the puppy picnic is going to be either the 7th or 14th---still confirming the date with one key person. Check back--love to have anyone up who wants to see the process of evaluations and temperament testing. The more the merrier.

I have rants on vets, eye checks, fluffs, new show people and I loved Shelly Camm's sportsmanship post-- I think I've had a few posts like that.

Also updates on the weekend-SaPaDaPaSo, apple trees, chainsaws, dinner with friends and rocks. Lots and lots of rocks.

More as the afternoon progresses.....

Later gators...
C

Coming soon to a pond near you!

Back in January I made contact with a lovely gracious woman in FL who offered to send me some indian runner eggs. Not just any eggs mind you, but penciled eggs! They arrived towards the middle of February. Of the eggs sent, 3 were broken(we learned a little about shipping eggs) and that left 7.

I have a nice easy to use incubator and set it up in the study. It has it's own rotator, thank goodness and has been used successfully by someone else for chick hatches. We added the 7 eggs, set up the humidity trays and plugged it all in.

I candled the eggs last night, as by some figures, they should hatch in the next 3-4 days. We also took them off the rotator. Of the 7, looks like the Ms should be expecting 3 for sure, with one more that might be a day or two later then the rest. Not bad for a first hatch.

Now I've got the bug and ready to try something else!!! But no, wait, brooders are cleaned out because next weekend, we pick up the bank's spring hatches-ugh. Not just the three branches from last year--all the Linn Cty locations. I'm going to be overrun with chicks again and I'm leaving my lovely hubby with them for a week. Heehee.

Later gators...
C

Jeepers Peepers!

O M G

Once again, warm weather means shutting off the furnace, opening the windows and inserting ear plugs to be able to sleep at night. Yes folks, it's that time of year and my ears are still ringing this morning.

The Spring Peepers are back!

I might go mad but good news is that I don't have to listen to them for a week. That's as long as Pennsylvania doesn't have them. If they do, I might have to keep driving until I don't hear them any more.

Later gators....
C

4 week photos

Between chicken wrangling, 4-H classes and trying to get ahold before we leave for a week, look! We managed 4 week photos. As I termed it to my assistant, the Ms, no squishy puppies. Well, some of them are still squishy but I'd say, not to darn bad for the first official stacked photos!

Ringer-black and white male, brindle pointed

Mr Bates-brindle male, comedian, goof ball, always on his back getting attacked by his sisters.

Annamae-dark brindle girl. Very sweet, always causing trouble.

Splash-black brindle girl with a little attitude added for fun.

And last but not least, Ms Chalice. Lovely lines, nice brindle with a little red shading.

Already the pro at stacking!

What I'm loving about these guys is the consistenancy. We also got more bone, which we needed, nice typy heads, good rears(really nice rears to be honest). Depth of chest is pretty good as are the shoulder laybacks and length. Right now the length through the body is coming in like it should. I really hate to see long puppies before 4 to 5 weeks, those tend to be too long in the end.

What I would like to see more of? A couple of pups need a little more chest, couple need a little more neck--I'm a neck fanatic. But the balance is there in most. Annamae has a little higher tail set--we figured that might crop up. Still not sure if Ringer is a fluff or not, love it if none of them are!

So let me know what you think!!! Remember, first stacking photos kind of throw some of their angles off, but you get an idea.

Later gators...
C

Gone to the birds...

Photo heavy warning!

Well, this weekend Jackie and Michael came over and took the cayuga ducks and also grabbed the two Welsummer roos. Little quieter out in the poultry yard, leaving me Mr Roadrunner(Ancona Roo), the American and Buffy the prehistoric Buff Brahma roo. Girls are much happier.

But in order to get the ducks then the chickens, we needed the help of the handy dandy herding
dog named Moose.

Let's just say you don't herd chickens. There is not title for it and I understand why, but don't tell that to Moose. He does an awesome job of it. The ducks headed for the pond, I said no swimming, therefore his job turned to the flock on land. I might also add, in the entire two times he went in with us(Sat and Sun), he never ever once thought about putting a paw or tooth on any of the birds! But man does he have a stare down that will make mountains move.

I'm still looking for someone willing to work with him in herding and put some titles on him. He's not doing 4-H this year and other then getting his CD this spring(yes I'm going to try again), he needs a job!! Give me a jingle and we'll talk!

This is Buffy the brahma--wondering if he will ever grow into his legs! Jackie assured me, a few more months and he'll look grand. Let's hope he looks good for the shows in June!

Please ignore the construction zone. Reglazing the windows and general clean up after winter going on. And fixing the entrance door. And laying gravel for the new Chateau Quack(to the left), and...and....It was mighty hard to get him to stop, he wanted to keep moving them around and around. He also kept going to the duck-a-loos and walking in on the salmon Americana hen who was sitting on a pile of eggs. Not an issue at all about going in and shooing her out.

That'll do Moose, that'll do.

Later gators...
C

Pupdate

Sorry folks, no photos, we spent the weekend cleaning, moving and chicken herding!

But the babies are now in the puppy pen in the study. Much to the dismay of mom, who seriously thinks they need to stay hidden for much longer. But Unca'Eddie is beyond thrilled and makes a bee line to the pen gate every chance he gets, as does Auntie Pete.

They are grueling, but not that interested in it yet, mom's doing too good of a job of feeding them.

Photos tonight, I promise!

Later gators...
C

What next?

http://www.crufts.org.uk/news/clumber-spaniel-fails-crufts-vet-check

Interesting news.....wonder why it failed and which breed will they attack next?

Later gators...
C

What I've learned....

It’s hard to believe that 9 years ago we had our first litter. I’ve learned so many things since then…..

Never underestimate what a bitch will do. Some nest, some dig, some hide and some just are more than happy to whelp puppies in the vet’s bathroom. Some stand up, some lay down. Some don’t want your help and some go what the f is that??? Be prepared for the best and worst with each litter.

Always, always, always, have your vet in the loop on what’s going on. The best laid plans can go horribly wrong. Stuck puppies, bitches whelping days early, vet’s significant other having a stroke, back up vet had parvo case in clinic day before, 2am emergency sections, training husbands and boyfriends in what to do. Have a trustworthy, reliable vet who you can talk to and can talk you through it all.

Know your dog. What is her personality and what is out of the ordinary for them. Don’t second guess yourself, go with your gut. Use of whelping devises is great but many times fail and it’s left up to you to pick up the pieces.

Never count your eggs before they hatch. Ultrasounds are not near as good as an xray for counting skulls and spines, and the keen eye of a well-seasoned vet. If she says 12 then jokes 13, take her very seriously. Look at the x-rays, measure skulls to pelvis, note the position of the pups. Do your x-ray with the bitch on her back!!!!! You will be able to tell where they are laying, where they are in the horns, who’s twisted, who’s too big to go through the pelvis and what to anticipate. Though at some point, besides knowing counts, it would be awesome for color x-rays to determine colors and sex.

Though you can spend lots of money on expensive whelping supplies, sometimes the best is the tried, true and inexpensive. I use a childs wading pool, human heating pad and a plant warming mat. Thought about a nice whelping box once. Actually had one, hated it. Puppies got in corners, under the rails, got lost because of the size(though totally recommended for type and size of dog). Was okay to clean but boy were those puppies hard on the thing. Storing and keeping intact for next litter was also a pain. Pool, kids 4’ wading pool. Sides are slanted so mom learns to slide down the side and not lay on a puppy. Circular so no puppies get lost in a corner. Easy to clean-it’s plastic, you bleach it. Once puppies are old enough to climb out, then it’s time to turn them into the puppy pen. And if it’s old or what not, just use it in the yard for the dogs during the summer for its intended purpose—a wading pool.

You can scrub, you can put papers down, special fleece or fake lamb wool, litter pans and pee pads, but puppy pee(and poo) will get everywhere, especially once mom stops cleaning up after them. Wood floors suck for puppies-they are slippery, can’t be bleached or disinfected. Poo gets in the cracks. Carpet, definite no, unless you have figured out a flooring to go over it that will be water(pee) proof. And still can’t disinfect as it goes down in to the pad and subflooring. Vinyl-to me that or concrete are the best. Also always layer-even if you have something over the top of the main flooring, add another layer of something. Our puppy pen(used from 4 weeks till they go home) consists of a base of vinyl remenant, with a tarp underneath, all over my permanent vinyl floor. For the first few days/weeks, the puppies are given rugs or pads to walk on. Make sure you have firm footing. Puppies are uncoordinated. Slipping is not good for undeveloped joints and bones. Until they are confident on their feet, have their rears and fronts under them, make sure they can grip, have toys and objects to climb over. Also it's set up so I can add crates to the pen, boxes to climb on, things to get into.

Litter boxes are the world’s greatest invention. Going on our 4th litter with a litter box. In a matter of days they figure out where to go, though sometimes the boys do miss the mark-front feet in, rear feet out, oops. And yes, sometimes you have a puppy like, um, Charlie, who thinks that’s the ultimate spot to snooze. But they keep themselves cleaner, they house break easier, clean-up is a breeze and the smell is so not there. We use a mix of wood shavings(same as we use in the Chick Chalet/Chateau Quack/Horse Stalls) and alfalfa pellets. Now at times there are little wood shavings all over, but usually that’s just when a frap occurs and they run around and through it. Reminder though, paper shreds aren’t the best litter, it sometimes turns them into paper shredding monsters. A recent phone book incident comes to mind.

Feeding is best left up to mom. As the human doctors say, mom’s milk is the best. Granted there are times when you have to step up and help, but the studies show, the longer a pup is kept with its mother and allowed access to mom’s milk, the healthier puppies are. Just like a baby, I start with simple easy to digest foods first. Goat’s milk with rice cereal in a slurry for the first week or so. Then slowly we add in raw ground turkey. I love to use products like Honest Kitchen and Sojo’s for puppies. First off they don’t start stinking as quickly and mom is still happy to clean up after the monsters. If we option for transitioning the pups to kibble, it’s soaked in water and goat’s milk and not given till 5 weeks or older. Otherwise, we go to a raw diet and start in with wings and necks-nice for the babies to chew on, rather than my fingers.

What else have I learned? Spring and summer puppies are much easier to deal with then winter puppies.

Having a fun babysitter is always a great addition to the house-Uncle Eddie or Auntie Pete are great at their job.

Oh, don’t let them near the Pomeranian until they are much older(say 6 mos). Tango lets them know in no uncertain terms, she is not a squeaky toy, not a soft squishy ball and that when played with, it’s not a squeak you hear but the evil snarking of a pom gone gremlin. She has instilled a fear of little dogs in many a grown cardigan.

Same goes for the EBB---I have no idea what Lace does to puppies. Poor Shaker and Bear. Granted she is in charge, but she also is like one of those evil head mistresses you see in the movies. Do not piss her off! She will slap your paws with a ruler.

Plug each and every hole in the fence, especially leading to the pasture. Puppies love nothing more than finding the smelliest, freshest pile of doo to play in. Duck ponds are equally fun.

Learning to walk around puppies is an acquired skill. 12 sets of four paws can trip up the most talented circus high wire act. After they leave, you have learn to walk on your own two feet again.

In the end, happy content puppies are made with dedication, hard work and a little luck. Okay, lots of luck and great forever homes.

Later gators....
C

Pretty colors

The funniest part about this is the background. Yes, it's brown outside. Lots of brown, so the color inside the house is a welcome sight. These are my orchids in the kitchen. All but two plants have new leaves, new flower spikes and as you can see, several are in full bloom. The small burgundy one is new-local greenhouse has 1/2 price sales on green plants and orchids this time of year, I could not resist!

Just waiting for the violets to start blooming now---the anytime cactus is in full bloom again too.

Later gators...
C

Pupdates

I've been bad at sharing photos of the gerbils. Sorry, blame it on the batteries. Every time I go to get them out of the charger--someone else has taken them and the current ones aren't ready. A few candids first-play fighting, growling and assorted attitudes are all coming out.

We'll start some gruel this week. After tons of research, unless the dam is having a hard time providing for all the pups, it's best to wait as long as possible to start on solid foods. With the erruption of teeth, Dove has given the-please do something-look, so rice ceral, goats milk and turkey will start tonight. Then we'll move them up to some Honest Kitchen or Sojo in the diet. I've also found that mom knows best on weaning, so as long as she's happy to nurse, I'll let her. Also, no escapees yet? Content puppies but they are starting to figure out that you can climb up on the toys to get a better view over the edge. Puppy pen in the study will get set up on Saturday and get ready for them to move out there soon!

So here we go! Oh and disclaimer, first official stacked photos-some willing, some not.

First up, the girls....Ms AnnaMae-dark brown brindle.

And that is the look of "WTF???" Had to use this one though there is a better one of her stacked.

The Ms favorite, Chalice-brown brindle, though showing some red striping coming in. Of course notice the shirt saying-Quality. Oh that's bad!

The lovely Ms Splash-black brindle. Right now, she's one of the top two pups.

And now the boys....Ringer-black with brindle points. It's so hard to get good photos of him. He's just so dark.

I like his body, just having a time getting past the head markings.

And finally, Bates. I'm smitten with this boy. He's so laid back and easy going.

Five attempts later, this is what you get. He wanted to lay down and nap.
Later gators...
C

Seriously?

For what it's worth....yesterday driving into work is it was a balmy 7 degrees.

Right now? 70.

Tomorrow-back to normal with rain and high around 50.

I'm just not sure what to do!

Later gators...
C

And my vet says this morning....

......Eddie is an idiot.

Now that you have either spewed all over your keyboard or snorted your coffee(as Dawn did), was there ever any doubt?

Later gators...
C