dogs

Not only did I have a remarkable, and memorable time raising this litter of golden doodles, these dogs went to fantastic homes and very nice people.  Hunter's family even gave me a gift for raising him!  I was so surprised and delighted to get this pretty package with a teapot votive from Victoria Trading Co.

This is Hunter's new family, he left on the 4th of July.  The people who chose him had spent a lot of time with him previously, including a sleepover for Father's Day.

Most of the pups had regular visits from their people.

Pip's mom met him when he was just a few days old and came by every week for snuggles.

 Wolfgang's dad would drop by on a break from work or with his kids and wife in the evenings.  It meant a lot to me that these folks were so excited to get a new pup that they wanted to be a part of the baby's life from the very beginning.  It was good for the dogs to know they were loved.

Bella's family was too far away for visits, but they sent her a blanket for the litter to sleep on, so that when she went home, she'd have their scent.  That told me that they were good people who cared about the little girl.  

Ashlynn Ella went to the stud's owner, who is going to sell her.  I've spent some time with this breeder and know she is going to find a perfect home for our little gal, but it was hard to see her go. It helped that she was going to go stay with a dozen or so half brothers and sisters with five acres to run on before she found her forever home.

And of course, Sugar found a decent home too…  

There was a lot of debate going on in my head, but I'm glad the influence of the grand fairies won out. This is a smart pup, and is much loved by us, whether we needed a fifth dog or not. 

Over the last 25 years, I've had 11-12 litters of puppies, the rest all yorkies.  I've been very strict with myself, keeping only Marty, and Agnes Rosebud earlier, then when they died, I kept Albie and Dorothy from Twinkle's last litter.  It takes a will of steel to be able to love the babies for weeks and send them on to new homes.  I thought I could do it this time too, but didn't reckon on 4 grand fairies begging to keep one.  

And I wasn't prepared for how emotionally attached I'd become to everyone of these (not so) little guys!  

It is a good thing there was such a strong market for the pups because if they'd been hard to sell, I'd have been tempted to keep them ALL.

If I'd had a dozen, I could've sold them all easily.  But 6 was the perfect number of babies, I had plenty of one on one time with them, 6 was a manageable amount of pups to love.

It might have been the time of year, the great weather, and ideal circumstances, but having this litter of doodles will be a treasured memory and a very special time to me.  

Or is it that Doods are just plain, amazing dogs?  

Oh, there was some destruction, I lost a wicker rocker, one window screen, a flip flop, the Xmas lights on the gazebo, and a lot of plants from curious, little chewers.  And I spent a lot of time scooping poop.  

But I was so enamoured with these guys, I just didn't care.

Now that they are going to new homes, hopefully, my blog can return to normal… It has been highjacked by fuzzy cuteness for a while, thanks for your patience with all my overflowing doggie pics!

(But I did mention that we are keeping one, right? Be warned, there will be more puppy photos coming)

 

 

We are down to three pups now.  Ashlyn Ella is with the owner of the stud, and is still for sale if anyone wants a dog from this magnificent litter of spectacular cuties.  Pip is with his new Mom and Bella has a forever family too.  The other two are on their way to their new homes as soon as their new owners get back from vacations.

And of course, Sugar is our own baby to keep.

We like taking the pups and the other four dogs on walks in the woods behind our house.  

Now that they are bigger, we let them explore the creek. Or if you are from Indiana, the crick.

At first, they were cautious, but it didn't take long for them to go for it, and start splashing.

The water isn't very deep, this is where we drive the 4 wheeler across to the back acreage.  There is a little swimming hole to the side, and that is where Dewdrop hung out.  In her jammies, splashing in the muddy water.

Everyone was a muddy mess, so we took turns soaping them up in the wading pool.  My assistant was in charge of rinsing.

Of course, no one stays clean around here very long, the boys ran right into the bushes after they were bathed.

Dirty already!

It was a day of firsts for Sugar, after the creek, we went to the lake and took her along.  

She floated with us, swam a little bit, took a two hour nap, then waited to tinkle when we got back to the shore. She has the  makings of a great lake dog!

Well, I had a feeling that I wouldn't be able to resist this cutie's sweet snuggles as well as the little grand fairies pleadings.

Yep, we are keeping her!

This is Sugar, who is staying with us and with her mom, Honey.  And yes, there are a couple of catchy tunes that go with those names and yes, they are crooned over and over around here.

 She can sit, shake, and sometimes stay.  She comes when called and potties on command. So far, this is looking like a good choice. What a smarty pants!

 

There is a looming decision to be made.

To keep her, or not to keep her.  I've put it off for about as long as I can.   The litter is scheduled to go to their new homes the first week of July.

CONS:

1. I have FOUR DOGS ALREADY!!!!!!!!!!!
2. We travel a lot.
3. Twinkle is still angry about us getting Honey two years ago.
4. I just finished raising Honey for her first two years of rowdy puppyhood and she is a sweet, calm, adult now, it would be hard to start over.
5. There is way too much dog poop to scoop DAILY  already.
6. It is a big commitment of time and resources, and I am already stretched with all the kids and dogs and chickens and the yard and on and on….
7. I just spent two months tied down to raising puppies and need a break.
8. The little dogs and Honey are just learning to tolerate each other and not fight.
9. Her hair is silky, not poofy and curly like the other pups, what if she grows up to shed???? There is no guarantee with a first generation golden doodle that they won't shed.

 

PROS:

1. What is one more? We have a lot of land, and big areas are fenced.
2. My adult son has an apartment here and watches animals while we travel.
3. Honey doesn't have a pack of her own, since the Yorkies don't like her, she deserves a buddy.
4. The grand fairies adore her. So does Ryan.
5. THAT FACE!
6. She is a very sweet pup.
7. I'll have a big hole in my life and in my heart when the puppies are gone to their forever homes. Having a baby to keep will fill that hole back up again.
8. When she was born, she almost didn't live, and I had to revive her.
9. She is the softest, silkiest dog, and loves to be snuggled.

 

 

 

Oh my goodness, we are enamoured with the puppies!  As their time with us gets shorter and shorter, I get more and more worried about how we will all react with them leaving.

See what I mean?

Such cuteness. And goofiness. They are keeping us laughing too.

And they are getting into trouble.  A suicidal chicken came over the fence for Honey to capture, and being a good mama, Honey shared with her pups.  I came outside to find one of the pups, appropriately named Hunter by his new family, sitting on a dead hen with the proudest look on his face that any dog could ever have.  

We quickly replaced dead chicks with squeaky ones. 

Five are sold, and I am debating keeping the last little girl, the runt, a black pup.

There are inquiries for her, but I am not pushing any of them yet.  We adore her.  But I keep telling myself I'd be crazy to own FIVE DOGS.

Right?

Please stop me, I don't know if I can stop myself…………………..

Help!!!

 

 

 

The pups now can find their way out of the whelping box.  But couldn't get back in when they wanted to nap.

My husband built the box with a cut out segment for Honey to step in and out of, and when the  babies got big enough, our plan was to add a ramp for them. But he was out of town and I had to figure out another plan.

So I flipped it over! Well, DUR. Why didn't I think of that before?  I'd fretted about the best way to make the ramp for them, before I realized one wasn't even necessary.  The cut out entry way becomes a doorway for the pups when the box is turned over.   The black pad at the bottom is a thick, rubber mat meant for a horse stall. It keeps the babies off of the cold cement, and can easily be sprayed off, or just mopped, what ever works out the easiest.

I'm counting on them soon being big enough to stop peeing in the nest and am encouraging them to walk toward the pee pads (covered in paper litter for more absorption because these guys pee in VOLUME, unlike the Yorkie pups I've raised before).  There is a space heater/portable radiator in the room for chilly nights.  I've used it and the step stool to build a barrier that will encourage the tiny tinklers to head toward the litter when they walk out of the nest.  Because as soon as they wake up, they need to go.  And you do not want the pee pads right in front of the doorway, for them to walk directly through.  I've laid a towel in the entry for them to use as a welcome mat and wipe their little footies on.  So that they don't drag that pee smell on wet foot prints into their bedding.

They have graduated to a big kid bed now too.  It is a fluffy cushion that is so cozy that they practically fall asleep the minute they touch it.  To keep it out of the pee zone, I've sat it on a lid to a large, Rubbermaid container.

At 3-1.2 weeks, they don't have all the rules down yet, and still tinkle right on the bed, but they are learning.  And I am doing a lot of laundry.  This cushion, ($10 at Ross) washes up nice.  While it is being cleaned up, they have to settle for towels and rugs.  

I've rearranged the rest of the space too.  The tea cart from my studio is now a nursery changing table.  It holds formula, pee pads,  and other supplies. It has space to hold extra rugs and towels but those are all in the washing machine at the moment. Did I mention that I do a lot of laundry with these guys around?

The back door to the breezeway (where I was standing as I took this picture) is left open all day for Honey to get in and out of.  It has a board across it that the pups can't get over but their mama can.

And of course, the kiddos need some space to run and play, and a lounging area for when they have played so hard that they are too tired to make it back to the nest.  The walls of the breezeway are a few inches off the ground, so I keep them blocked until I need to spray the room with the garden hose to rinse it out.  

Seriously, could there be a more ideal space to raise golden doodles in?  

I have folding chairs in the back corner to set up when guests come, and these little cuddlers get lots of company. Everybody wants puppy hugs!

And there is a wicker chair with a soft cushion for Honey to jump onto and watch her babies when she wants to be near them but still out of reach.