Nesting for puppies

Tooey says: I don’t have to go to the Spa for Hot Girls to have puppies. I can stay home to have them. In fact, I found the perfect place: a nice cozy spot under the deck.

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Puppies redux!

Tooey had her ultrasound today, and the vet saw 6 puppies, more or less. Little beating hearts inside puppies lying on their backs. (Last time, the vet thought he saw 4 puppies, and she ended up having 10.)

Russ put together a video of the ultrasound images:

The sire this time is JJ (aka Ch Whistlestop’s John Jameson). He’s the son of HRCH Ch Whistlestop’s B All You Can B CD SH RN “Joey” x Ch Whistlestop Journey To Freedom CD RN JH “Journey”. Joey is one pass away from an AKC Master Hunter in the retriever world, and Journey is a real performance dog, most recently working in musical freestyle.

Here’s JJ in a photo taken at a dog show in January 2012:

JJ in January 2012

And here’s a still from the ultrasound:

Tooey ultrasound 6-10-2013

You can kind of see a little puppy, lying on its back with its head down. The vet tech told Russ that the bigger red area is the heart, and that the other colors were developing organs.

I’m sure that the best part, as far as Tooey is concerned, is that the vet said that she could have free range food. No more watching her weight for that girl until puppies are weaned.

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Orange has his someones

Orange has found his Someone. Or rather, his Someones. David and Shirley came this evening to pick up my sweet Orange and take him home with them.

David, Orange, and Shirley

I was reassured to meet them both this past weekend, and watch them interact with Orange. And then just a day or so later, Shirley texted me, saying they were thrilled with him. I know what they mean. I would be thrilled with him, too.

In a parallel universe, Orange is my dog. But in this one, he’s Shirley and David’s. I hope he turns out to be every bit the heart dog and companion for them as I would hope he’d be for me.

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Purple has new people

Purple went home today with his new people, Susan and Denny. They took the opportunity to really spend some time with him yesterday, and they decided that they wanted him.

Lucky Purple! His new people live in Seattle at a house with beach rights. If Purple has inherited his mother’s adoration of water and swimming, he should be one happy boy.

Mr. Purple

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Mr White on the Oregon trail

Here are Mr. White and Mark, just as they were ready to hit the road on the way home to Oregon:

Mr. White and Mark

Both Colleen and I met Mark at last January at the Rose City Classic in Portland. He was there looking at dogs and breeds, hoping to find a new companion. Made me smile — that’s where I met Irish Water Spaniels and their people for the first time, too. Maybe it’s a good omen.

Mark heard that there were plans to breed Tooey, so he had been keeping in touch and following the blog. Then he found the portrait of Mr. White that Russ took on June 2nd, and that was it. Mark liked the philosophical expression on Mr. White’s face, and so he wanted White. He came and visited the puppies a couple of weeks ago, held most of them, watched them play and gait in Colleen’s back driveway. After that and a chat with Colleen, he still wanted White.

By this time, Mr. White has probably reached his new home, in one of the quadrants of Portland, Oregon. It’s an auspicious day — July 4th — and with all those fireworks, it can be a scary one, too. But that’s like life, isn’t it? White has the benefit of being loved his whole life, and really wanted. Let’s hope it just gets better from here for Mark and Mr. White.

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Baby Blue goes home

I just got word that Kathy has landed safely at the airport with my first favorite puppy, Mr. Blue. He’s a sweet puppy with big feet, a curly head, and an even disposition. He’s brave without being reckless. Motivated to be with people, but not clingy. Interested in food and toys without being obsessed. A nice balanced dog.

Here’s a picture of Blue with Kathy taken on Sunday afternoon in Colleen’s back yard.

Kathy and Mr. Blue

I like Mr. Blue. In fact, I like him a lot. I liked him immediately when he was born. I don’t know why — maybe because he was first. Maybe because as a first-born myself, I feel a little kinship. Maybe it’s his crooked tail. I think that little crook in his tail just adds to his intrigue.

Blue is going to live near Chicago with his 4 people: Kathy, her husband, and their two boys. I’m sure he will keep them all on their toes and thinking of ways to keep him occupied and channel that sweet puppy energy. I hope he enriches their lives the same way that Cooper and Tooey have enriched mine.

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Pink and Red go home

Pink and Red left this morning for their new homes in Canada. Both Pink and Red are opinionated dogs who like exploring and playing with toys. I’m sure they’re very eager for new adventures with their new families.

Pink confident on the wobble board

Red jumping through the ring

 

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Tooey x Cork Puppies at 49 Days

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Orange heartbreaker

Maybe you are someone who can relate to this:

When Russ and I chose our first dog, we chose the puppy who ran up to us, the one who came when we called, the one who seemed to want to be with us. That was our beloved Kayak, the Malamute-mix who was with us a very-too-short 14 years. We didn’t do performance activities with her, no Obedience, no Rally, no working tests. We just went for hikes, walks, and trips, stayed home, and hung out. We loved her. I’m sure she loved us.

Now I’ve found that puppy again: the one who runs up to me when I walk into the puppy room, the one who comes when I call, the one who wants to be with me.

And I can’t keep him. My heart has broken into tiny, sharp slivers that make it hard to breathe. I cry every time I think about him. We’ll have to find him a home with someone else. I’m pretty sure I will stand it somehow, I’m not sure exactly how.

Mr Orange at 45 days old

Mr Orange has stolen my heart. He will steal someone else’s heart, too, the right someone who can love and teach a wonderful puppy who will become a heartdog, companion, and friend.

I wonder: Who is that someone?

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Tooey is home again!

Tooey’s home. We are all happy. Cooper is thrilled.

Tooey is not exactly excited that Cooper is thrilled, but she does know she’s home. When we got to within a mile of home, in my rearview mirror, I saw her head pop up and look around. Immediately as she walked in the front door, she ran to check that:

• Her rug is in place
• Her crate is where it’s supposed to be
• Cooper’s crate (she sometimes “borrows” Cooper’s crate) is where it’s supposed to be
• The dog food is in the same location as before
• Her bone is where she left it
• The freezer (which likely contains her frozen chicken wings) hasn’t been left open accidentally
• The middle of the bed is still as comfy as it’s always been

Having determined that the universe has not shifted in her absence, Tooey then located Russ, and leaned on his knee.

The one flaw in this whole arrangement is the strange absence of Tooey food. This just isn’t right, she says — I can see it in her eyes. Such a pathetic pair of eyes. Poor starving girl.

Well, she probably does think she’s starving, and for good reason. We’re not giving her much, especially in comparison. For the past almost 7 weeks, she’s been eating enormous quantities of kibble, raw meat, raw liver, and yogurt, all to help her produce enough milk for 10 demanding puppies. But now, and for the next two or three days, she has to get by on 1 measly cup of food for breakfast and another for dinner, plus a little parsley and sage.

This is one of those cases that being able to explain things to her in English would make this much easier (at least on me). This semi-starvation, plus the herbs, is all to persuade Tooey’s body to dry up her milk.

She started the process on her own. The pups have been eating more and more puppy food for several weeks, so they haven’t needed quite as much milk. Plus, in the last couple of days, Tooey has been doing her best, with low growls and discreet shows of teeth, to dissuade the puppies from nursing. With fewer demands, her body produces less milk.

But even so, her teats are still long and flappy. So we have to help. Not feeding probably doesn’t feel helpful to her, I’m sure, but that plus the herbs and a little massage with cool cloths, is the best we can do. Soon we’ll get back to full rations and a frozen chicken wing for dessert.

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Tooey x Cork Puppies at 44 Days

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Tooey x Cork Puppies at 37 days

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The patio is now open for dining

Puppies are getting stronger, more active, and some are getting more pushy. All of this stands them in good stead for their early forays into outdoor dining. Take a look at the video Russ put together from some of my snapshots and clips from this past weekend:

But they’re also sweet and very cuddly, as both Tooey and I can attest:

Patrice and Mr. Blue

Tooey and Ms. Rainbow

 

 

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24-day-old gluttons wallow in dinner

Cooper is 5-1/2 years old, but he still loves to get his face wiped off with a towel. I think it all comes from the memory of being fed warm food and then getting cleaned up with a warm, wet washcloth.

I hope Tooey’s puppies come away with similar happy memories. Feeding and caring for them will certainly be one of mine.

Mixing puppy food for dinner, with Tooey supervising

Puppy dinner, pre-gluttonous free-for-all

Puppies start to eat

Puppies get food everywhere — faces, feet, bellies, floor

Human cleans while puppies eat

Mom cleans up the puppy food while puppies try for a second course from Mom.

After dinner, wiping puppy feet with a warm wet cloth

Wiping puppy face

Wiping puppy belly

Drying puppy off

Puppies fed, area cleaned, towels changed, and puppies napping. Moms agree: “Good job!”

Just a couple of hours later, it’s time to eat again

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Puppy portraits, plus Mom

Portaits of the puppies and Mom, compliments of Russ Dodd. This was his first chance to see the puppies, and so their first chance at being made (relatively) famous by a real photographer.

First, the producer of this little slideshow:

Tooey Mommy

Now for the 24-day old puppies. Still too wiggly to get a consistent pose. Besides, this way we get to see a bit of their individual personalities.

Mr. Blue

Mr. Red

Mr. Purple

Mr. Green

Ms. Pink

Mr. Orange

Ms. Yellow

Ms. Rainbow

Mr. Gold

Mr. White

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