Emy and Cotton

As I said, Diamond has been bred by Brogue. And I am happy to report that Cotton has been bred by Brogue as well. The first breeding of each was 10 days apart.

Which brings us to Emy, who is in the middle (Di's daughter and Cotton's mother) and who came into season several days after Di and a week before Cotton. Emy was not really enthusiastic this time around... understandable since she had a Spring litter... but since some of you have been waiting for 2 years for the repeat of her and Shadow, I put those two together. To my surprise, Shadow wasn't particularly excited about being with her. The dogs ALWAYS know. However, they did tie one time. (Sort of a "let's keep the human happy" thing?)

I hope... and think... Di and Cotton will have late October litters. And I doubt Emy will. The next month is going to be very interesting. And I am sincerely happy I have 3 girls who get along so well, even during hormonal surges!

Somebody Can Read!

I get an awful lot of email asking me questions that are answered not just in the ad people are responding to, but usually in greater detail on the website. I know many people don't bother... or maybe they don't know how... to click on links in ads or or webpages, but "No Puppies Available" seems pretty clear so I really don't know why I get "Do you have any pups right now?" just about every day of the week. However, today I got an email that shows SOME folks DO follow the links and read... and understand... what is on the site. For proof, I've cut and pasted:

On Sun, 29 Aug 2010 19:45:34 -0600,
vicki@aaa---.com said:
>
>
> If it is important for you to see where your puppy comes from, like all
> the
> books and articles say, I have no problem with you getting your pup
> elsewhere
>
> OK
>

I guess Miss Vicki won't be getting back in touch! (Please note, I've truncated her address so no webcrawlers can use it!)

Are You a Natural Blond?

Remember when Jack Eliot was RED?

More Montana Vacation Pix

Before
and
after

Happy Birthday X 8!

Hard to believe... Emy and Sparky's 2010 kids are 4 months old today. JUST 4 months! Seems like they've been here forever!

Diamond and Brogue
Having consummated their long standing relationship several times last week, Di and Brogue are now in the "wait and see" stage of puppy production. Will keep you posted!

Emy, Cotton
These two girls are BOTH in season. I liked it SOOO much better when they spread it out over several months time.

Visitors
Got a call from California the other day, from a young lady who wanted to come meet my Whoodles. Turns out she is the student of a lady who has a 2 year old Cotton/Brogue puppy and she and her mom are driving cross country, taking her back to school. So the girls (Em and Cotton) and I went into town to meet them. Very nice folks and I was tickled with the stories about Susan's... let's call it affection... for Bode. (He's the one running in the snow.) Em and daughter, after their initial shock at my wanting them to let strangers touch them, settled down and watched the people coming and going in the parking lot. I enjoyed the time out greatly... too much, in fact. As some of you know, I have PAD and standing still is not a good thing from my legs' point of view. I could barely walk the next day! But it was worth it!

And Finally...
In the matter of references... a nice young couple got in touch last week and asked for some contacts. I sent them the list, with a couple new additions. Several of you emailed me, some with copies of your replies to their inquiries, and I'm still blushing over all the nice things you had to say about the pups. It makes me feel good to know so many people are so favorably impressed! And I appreciate YOUR feedback. In this particular case, MY impression of the couple was very positive as it was with everyone I heard from. There have been times when I've gotten negative reports about the inquirers. It's always been with people I already have doubts about which makes it easy to scratch them off my puppy list. Folks, I appreciate ALL your help! Thanks.

Heat's Gone!

Summer has finally arrived! For the last week our temps have been in the low to middle 80s and it has been heavenly! Before the current cold front came through, we set a new ALL TIME record for number of days of 90 or above in June/July/August. As long as they've been keeping track, the most was 47 and we're at 49. Since it's predicted to stay like this through the weekend and into next week, it doesn't look like the number is going to rise any. Which is fine with me!


Jack Elliott pix

Here's Caren's cutie pie, obviously well settled in to his new home and totally in control! He weighed in at 20 pounds at the last vet visit.

All Gone

Spider left Friday evening and is on her way to Connecticut. She weighed just over 13 pounds at the vet's on Wednesday and is no longer the smallest in the litter. I'm looking forward to seeing photos of her... and everybody else!... and getting updates in the future. This was an incredibly nice litter!

Diamond
Apparently Diamond's headache was nothing serious... she and Brogue have been getting along marvellously! Now the countdown has begun.

News Flash!

Breaking news...
Diamond is in heat!
For the last week or so, Brogue has been telling me she's in season but my checks have shown he was getting doty in his old age. Just goes to show: always trust your dog! Brogue was right. Of course, right now SHE's telling him she has a headache...!

I'm planning to keep a female from this litter, which practically guarantees it will be all male. And since I want a color other than wheaten, they'll all be blond. But I can dream, can't I?!

If things go according to plan (Brogue's and my plan) pups will be due in mid to late October, ready for their new homes in mid January 2011.

Another Photo

This is Koda in Colorado. He's from Di and Brogue's Fall '09 litter. AND he looks a lot like his full older sister, Emy.

I'm Getting Pictures!

/\     MONTANA (Di/Brogue Fall '09) on vacation!




/\     Beckett
(Emy/Sparky Spring '10)
\/     Tucker

Updates

Fleas, Tapes and other worms, Loose stool - oh MY!

Right about now is when this stuff is going to start showing up. The pups are due for the next (and last) parvo combo shot in the next few days and the flea prevention... Advantage... is starting to wear off. Tape worms... the ones that look like rice... are caused by the dog swallowing a flea. The little buggers do not have to be on the animal; they can be in the grass or hitching a ride on someone's clothing. Generally, tapes are not particularly harmful to the dog BUT they do have a high ugh! gross! factor. One pill from the vet... or if you prefer, there is a monthly heartworm preventative which also prevents tapes. Ask your vet if Iverheart Max is available. It also prevents round worms (look like spaghetti) and probably most of the others (yes, there are others!) as well. Loose stool, at this stage, is usually caused by coccidia and/or giardia, both of which live in the digestive tract and are shed during periods of stress. Both are easily and inexpensively treated with Albon or metronidazole. (The latter is marketted as Flagyl for human consumption for the same problem.)

At home with Beckett Hoagland



Young Mr. Beckett and his Portie roommate.


One of my favorite pictures



Someone sent me this several years back and it always brings a smile to my face!

Dog Foods

Once again, Caren has done all the work for me...


After finding out that what I was transitioning Jack Elliott to was too high in fat, I did some internet research and I came up with a list of brands that fit your criteria. In case anyone else is interested here is the list:

Brand Protein %/Fat%

California Natural Lamb 21/11
Excel Lamb Meal :& Rice 22/12
Eagle Pack Maintenance 20/12
Nutro's Natural Choice 21/12
Nature's Recipe Maintenance Lamb 20/10
Cycle Adult 22/8
Science Diet Savory Recipe Chicken 20/12
Purina Dealer's Pride Economy 18/6
Purina Mainstay 16/6
Natural Life Lamaderm 22/10
Fromm Family Maintenance 20/11
Avoderm Brown Rice, Oatmeal & Chicken Meal Formula Lite 18/8
Avoderm Natural Lamb Meal and Brown Rice 20/10
Castor & Pollux Natural Ultramix Lamb & Rice 22/12

We're going to go with Avoderm Natural Lamb Meal and Brown Rice. I've looked at the ingredients and I like it...lots of Omega 3s, glucosamine and probiotics, and it's available at Petsmart.

Thanks, Caren!

For MANY years I have fed Pedigree which is 21/10 and is available in grocery stores everywhere.

Picture of Remy



Remy is adjusting to life in Salt Lake City, aidded by her uncle, Stewart, who is the son of Brogue.

Growing TOO Fast, Teething

Rob in CA and Caren in TN (Charlie and Elliott) both report that their pups have GREATLY increased their weights in the short time they've lived with them. That is NOT good news. Too rapid early growth leads to a number of structural problems, not the least of which is hip dysplasia. ALL the pups should be on a good adult food with a protein level of no more than 22% and a fat level of no more than 12%. Right now is the time to take care of this problem.

Teething
Caren says this is what she is doing for Jack Elliott:

Teething is in full force. He ate a pair of my sandals (stupid me for leaving them under my desk while he was under there!), so I went to wally world and bought him a dozen of those rope bones, made some chicken stock (don't worry...skimmed the fat twice so it wouldn't be too fatty for him) soaked them along with his nyla bone and kong toy, then put them in a freezer bag. Voila! When he starts gnawing on my foot, he gets a bone and it seems to really help numb his mouth and help with the pain.

And... Spider
This little girl is on hold for payment and is moving to CT to live with Connie.
Guess it's time for Di and Cotton to get busy!

Haskell Invitational & Waiting List

Yesterday... Sunday... the Haskell Invitational was run at Monmouth Park in NJ. A number of this year's top 3 year olds competed and it had all the excitement of watching the sun bake my yard into cement. Sorry, but there simply isn't a 3 year old this year that arouses my continuing interest. No great ones in this crop! One of the commentators mentioned that the 23 stakes races for 3 year olds have been won this year by... wait for it... 23 DIFFERENT horses. Now that is the definition of mediocrity. The Haskell was won by last year's 2 year old champ, Looking at Lucky. Which means he's one race better than anybody else. Until the next race. Ho hum.

Waiting List
For the first time in years, I am opening a waiting list for upcoming litters. I get email daily with questions about the Fall possibilities and they usually end with "please let me know when SO-and-So is bred." I am willing to do that on a limited basis, hence, a waiting list. Families will go through the usual screening and pay a fee to be on the list and will have first option to upgrade to the reservation list once one of the girls is definitely "with pup." Since I have a limited number of litters a year, this seems to be the best solution for people who want one of my puppies.