updates...

Unfortunately we have lost 3 of Tink's puppies. They were born too early according to our vet. The last one is still hanging on, but he doesn't look good. Tink is now nursing 3 of Ginger's puppies, and Ginger has 3 of hers plus Tink's last puppy. Thank-you for all of the kind thoughts. This has been very hard for us. I will post some pictures of Ginger's puppies in the next few days.

These photos were taken on Friday. Molly's puppies having their first bath!

And our newest addition...my mom surprised me with this little one on saturday. She got her on wednesday and kept her tucked away until the weekend. In the midst of all of our issues with the new puppies born just a day after her arrival, I forgot to mention our new little Miley. She is doing very well though, and getting along famously with the big dogs here. She can definitely hold her own!

not so good news...

well, the last few days haven't gone as expected. Tinkerbelle's puppies are not doing very well for some reason. My mom and sister are giving around the clock care and there hasn't been much improvement.

It started on friday...they didn't seem to be drinking very much and were getting weaker. Tinkerbelle had 4 puppies, and a few hours later, Ginger had 6. Ginger's are prefectly fine...all fat and healthy, but Tink's are not. We have talked to the vet and he just says keep doing what we are doing.
Ginger has 6 apricot puppies - 4 boys and 2 girls.

Tink has 4 boys - 1 cream, and 3 brown and white partis. They look like holstein cows, but with brown spots not black. This was our first litter of partis, and it is not going so well. We are trying to be optimistic but it's not looking good.

puppies are coming!!!!

Tink is in labor....so far we have 2. I'm not giving away anything about the colors, but you will be shocked! This is going to be a surprise so stay tuned!!! Let me tell you that my mom called me yelling in such an excited voice!! I believe her exact words were, "CAN WE KEEP IT, CAN WE KEEP IT, PLEASE!!"

I know the suspense is killing you! But you will have to keep on waiting...

our new dog food!

We are now using TLC dog food. It is all natural, with no wheat or corn. There are 3 meat proteins and no by-products. It is a Canadian made food as well.

Our dogs are really liking it!

Use this link and code to receive $5 off your first order. http://www.tlcpet.com/  Code: 30422-1025

Once you are in through that link, you can read more about the company and dog food and see a list of ingredients. It really is the best that I have seen. Over the years we've tried many different brands and we've always come back to using Royal Canin. Not anymore. We are going to stick with TLC now.

The food is not found in stores. It is ordered online and delivered fresh to your door in 1-3 days. There is no delivery cost either. I hope that you will give it a try, and when you do, let me know how it goes! Remember to switch slowly as this food is protein rich. My dogs are being switched slowly over the course of a week.

puppies are doing well!

Molly and babies are doing just fine. She is such a great mom. She is fine with a few of the dogs walking around but we keep a blanket near her babies so that we can give them some privacy if things get too rowdy in the living room! She doesn't like the others rough housing near her pen! I can't blame her!

We are still waiting for Tink and Ginger to have their puppies. They don't seem to be in any rush at all.

Tomorrow Finny will go back with his family. He has been here for babysitting for the last few weeks. Our dogs enjoy the extra playmate!

Mackenzie went home with her guardian family last night. I hope that everything works out and that she can become a big part of their family. When people adopt older dogs they must be aware of an adjustment period. Mackenzie for example has been with us since birth. We are her family and having another family take her was difficult for us, but in the end, I know that she will get a ton of attention and love. She is such an affectionate girl to begin with!

We are switching dog foods! After dealing with ear issues for the last year and seeing the change in a few of my mom's dogs on this new food, I have become a convert. I will get my first bags sometime this week. There is no corn or wheat, and there is 3 kinds of proteins. My mom switched Ginger and Prince (her 9 year old poodle) first and everyone could see the difference! For the past few years, Prince has really acted 'old'. He is a puppy again, and his ears are finally clean. He has always had really bad ears but now they are under control! Ginger was the same way...always a struggle to get her ears under control and now they are great! I hope that this will help Missy. As some of you have seen, Missy does not like to be touched on the head! This started about a year ago now and we have gone through every ear cleaner prescribed by a vet. I have even ordered different products from all over in an attempt to help her. She does not have dirty or hairy ears, but then vet can find no problem. But you can plainly see that something bothers her. I'm sure that this new food will fix her!

we have puppies!

Molly had her puppies today! She started around 11 in the morning, and finished (we think...) about 2 hours ago.

Here are the stats...

Girl 1 - 11:14 am
Boy 1 - 1:00 pm
Boy 2 - 1:24 pm
Boy 3 - 1:47 pm
Boy 4 - 2:08 pm
Boy 5 - 3:10 pm
Boy 6 - 3:56 pm
Boy 7 - 4:30 pm
Boy 8 - 7:08 pm
Girl 2 - 7:45 pm

We have 10 puppies - 8 boys and 2 girls. A very heavy boy litter! We have both fleece and wool coats, all varying shades of chocolate. All are doing well. Molly and the puppies are sleeping nicely. Molly's guardian family came and watched the event for the day! What a great excuse to get out of school!

puppies due any day now!

My how the time has flown by!

We have puppies due any day now! Molly is staying with me and is about ready to pop! It is just a waiting game that this point.

Ginger and Tink are both due as well, and they will have and raise their puppies at my mom's house where they live. We are taking bets on the number of puppies!

My guesses are:
Molly - 8 puppies
Ginger - 4 puppies
Tink - 3 puppies

I wonder if I will be right!

wednesday, November 3rd

Yesterday was my birthday! Happy birthday to me. I'm not going to share any embarassing photos this time though! You have a lot of control when it's your blog!

Wow it has really gotten cold lately. I can't believe it.

Mowgley went home this past weekend. We also have a new visitor, Finnigan. He is back for babysitting. I'm very excited for our upcoming litters! Mona, Molly, Ginger, Cola, Tink....oh my gosh it's going to be busy! Cola, Ginger and Tink will be at my mom's house, but we are still deciding where Molly will raise her litter. I'm lobbying that she comes to me!

I finished my first teaching practicum on friday. It was so amazing. I loved teaching. It is definitely the place for me. I taught grade 11 biology - the genetics unit. I loved that unit and I was able to relate my own life into the work that we were doing. The kids were fascinated (or stunned!) that I had 7 dogs and that Jake and I breed. They were really getting into different traits and looking at different diseases. I gave them dog breeding case studies, which they really liked.