Puppies (3 days old)

I am sorry to say Jinx took a turn for the worse and passed to Rainbow Bridge today.  We had a good fight, but there is no suffering for her now.  She will greatly be missed.

Enough of the bad, in with the good.

The five boys are doing very well.  I took their weights and have compared them to yesterday's.

                                                                     Weight
                                         Yesterday                                    Today

Duke (blue merle)              7.5oz                                            8.3oz
Split-Face Merle                5.6oz                                            6.1oz
Freckles (blue merle)         7.3oz                                            8.4oz
Bi-Black Boy                     5.6oz                                            6.3oz
Tri Boy                               9.5oz                                          10.2oz

Everyone has gained, with a couple of cute pictures to boot.

The Fantastic 5



Freckles with his close-up 

 Freckles

 Tri Boy

Duke's rear

Big Tri Boy

Puppies (2 days old)

The puppies are here! The puppies are here! Thank God almighty, the puppies are here!  :)  We have six beautiful puppies: 5 boys and 1 girl.  So far, only two have names: Jinx (the tri girl) and Duke (biggest blue).  There is also a bi black boy, two other blue merle boys, and a big tri boy.  Enjoy the pictures and updates as they grow!

The Boys



Smaller Blue Merle Boy



Big Tri Boy

Split-Face Blue Merle Boy

Duke

Little Bi-Black Boy

Jinx (Tri Girl)

Pup-Date

The moment is getting closer where little pitter patter paws will be running the halls.  Two weeks from today is Ellie's first due date, and we are excited!  Getting everything together everything is just as much exciting as nerve-racking.  I can feel the little buggers poking at their mommy's tummy, and their repositioning to get more comfy.  We still don't know how many, and we obviously don't know what colors yet, but I am confident we will get exactly what we need. 

It's a sad weekend indeed

I woke up on Saturday morning to find Skipper had passed in the night.  I haven't been able to think of much else, but thanks to my friends Erin and Ashley, I have been able to cope well.  My parents were kind enough to take the kids for the weekend, and Terry is a great supporter. Even though he had surgery Friday, he has been doing so much to help me through the tough parts.

My family and friends are the best I could ever ask for, and all I can say is thank you everyone for all your well wishes, condolences, and love. 

Spoiledness

Ellie has been enjoying her life as a hopefully pregnant, spoiled bitch.  Yup, I said it.  ;)  She's just lazying around the house, chilling with me on the couch, and eating table scraps.  How is that any different than the usual?  It's not.  Every one else has the same comfort in turns.  Loretta at the moment is passed out on her favorite couch (which is the love seat) and she is taking up the entire seating area.  Karma is curled up on the bigger couch, and the rest have just found spots in the floor.  Skipper, as usual, has found his nap spot by my feet under the desk.  Once Ellie is out of heat, Shaine will be able to join the pack once more.  I don't need any surprises in my litter, thank you. 

While I give you an update on how Ellie is in my wishful thinking pregnancy, Skipper is doing very well in his ripe old age.  He has lost a few teeth, and it has made it more difficult for him to eat, but he does so willingly when given the opportunity.  I can tell it is becoming more painful for him to move around, but he isn't showing me any signs it might be his time so I'm giving him a while longer.  He may not be able to jump up in the bed any more, but that doesn't mean he doesn't get up there once in a while with me. 

Rose, who is only a year younger than Skipper, is also doing well.  She shows a bit of arthritis, but nothing to be concerned about.  She still barks and has all of her hearing and sight, wagging her tail this way and that. 

Ta ta for now.  If you are interested in a puppy, feel free to e-mail me at jcampbell@anukennels.net.

The Deed is Done

Ellie has been artificially inseminated with Jove Juice.  If it is successful, the litter will be due July 3-5.  Now we just sit and wait, and we'll see what comes of our time and effort.

WOOT!

Ellie's in heat, and I'm SO excited. We did change a couple of things, though. Ellie will be bred to BISS Ch Icon Drops of Jupiter "Jove" owned by Sharon Sampson of Icon Shelties. I have already updated the litters page, and hope to give regular updates on the project.

Explanation

I have been waiting on Ellie to come in to heat for about 6 months. I'm thinking she is only coming in once a year. I felt I needed to explain why I keep changing the dates on my litters page. Regardless, we have been working more agility, so we hope to start trialing by the end of the year with Ellie and back into the game with Shaine. I think I'll be putting more effort in training in performance and putting conformation on the back burner for a bit. We aren't doing well in the venue, so I feel it's time for a break. My camera has gone ka-put, so there will be no new pictures for a while, but I have a camera attached to the phone, so we'll see what we can do.
I now have a new computer, so I'll have a better chance to update more regularly. Time just comes and goes so quickly.

OFA. Update and. Litter Plans

As told on the Puppies page on my website, Ellie is going to be bred to Ch Belmark Lo and Behold. The litter is expected in December, and I have some high hopes, but I am pretty easy go please, so maybe that doesn't say much. ;-)
Ellie was taken to the vet today, and x-rays were taken of her her hips and elbows and sent to OFA. Dr said they look good, so I am excited. I don't know how long it takes to get the official results, but maybe it won't take longer than a week or two. Excited to the MAX!

Hello Again

I can't believe it has been six months since our last update! Don't worry, you haven't missed much. There hasn't been anything outside the family happen. Luke is doing well with potty training, he actually pooped in the potty today. Terra is on the verge of knowing she can follow the dogs around. She hasn't quite gotten there yet, but she's working on it. I have decided that conformation will be put on the back burner to agility for a while. I really want to get back to showing in agility, I miss it so. My heart lies with with agility, so it seems justified to do so. I'M JONESING FOR AGILITY!!!! I am excited to get Ellie in agility. I think she will be my MACH, if anyone I train will do it, she will. She has the need for speed kind of mentality about her. UGH! I love it. :)