It Happened Overnight

Once a female has given birth for the first time, I have noticed a few things that change with any subsequent pregnancies. One of those things is how quickly they begin to show! It seemed as if over-night, Blue just POPPED! Her thin frame clearly shows a bulge on her right side, with her left side growing in girth. Counting the days!

It's That Time Again

Blue is far enough along to palpate and I felt what I think is one on the left side. The first step in trying to confirm a pregnancy, but with Blue, you never know. She has small litters,  the most being two puppies. That means there could very well be two in there, maybe more. Time will tell and whelping will confirm. Right around Mother's Day, Blue should again, be a mother!

Updates From Hotel KZ

With Chicatoo in her first official heat, how fitting is it that she will get to spend it her mom Chica, who is also in heat! Karen snapped this picture and tell me she doesn't get her amazing good looks from her sweet momma?!?! Chicatoo isnt in her standing heat yet. thats somethign we weill get to contend with after we get home. But you can guarantee she will get some pointers from her mom while she's there!

And then of course there is Blue - the TEASE! Karen's boys are being kept in the other room and blue would be the first to sway and coo in front of the gate to get them all wired up. She does the same at our house. But she also is a jumper. Where there is a will there is a way in her mind.

Bakin' Um Inside & Out

My plan has worked (my Ace and Blue plan that is) and they have tied several times now. Ace is walking tall and proud - Full of the confidence he needs.  Blue on the other hand is an experienced mommy. She jumped up onto the back of the chair this afternoon to soaked up the sun and even without the rays, she seems to glow! She is such an amazing mommy and we are all looking forward to see what she will produce with Ace. We are expecting to see chocolate, black and hopefully blue!

One Popped and One Will

With about three weeks to go, Colada finally POPPED! When I say popped I mean, her belly expanded and you can actually feel bulges in her abdomen. When a female experiences her first pregnancy, they usually take a bit longer to show. After their first, the signs appear much quicker! Colada is moving along beautifully and has started to also slow down on her playtime and activities. She seems to be spending a lot more time napping and lounging than anything else - Oh yeah - and cleaning herself. Looks like I need to set up the whelping box and get her used to what will be her new home for the next month!

And while Colada IS expecting, Blue will soon be. We have planned on breeding her to Ace this heat and just like clockwork, her cycle started this week. She is an expert  at the whole process and will be able to pick up the teasing where Capri left off and if all goes as planned, we should have our second litter of the year due around Mother's Day!

She Finally Did It!

THIS would be why we don't leave Blue in the camper without us.

She jumps nonstop at the door, trying to open then door. And when she takes a break from jumping, she uses her nails to scrape at the screen on the screen door, finally tearing right through, make a hole large enough for her to slip out when the main door is open. I see a piece of Plexiglas in our near future!

Blue's Turn

The camping Gods must have been watching over us because Blue's heat didn't arrive until AFTER we got home from our camping trip this weekend! Thank goodness! Can you image us all in our cramped vacation dwelling with 10 other dogs, six humans and a park filled with countless other wild animals? Oh my word did we get lucky. And now in the comforts of our own home, Blue is separated from the others in a much more manageable environment.

It's so sweet! Mimi is experiencing round two of the heats and being the young one in the house, could care less about the hormones and such. Al she wants to do is play. She roams from "group" to "group" and sticks around who ever will fulfill her playful needs. Lately it has been Blue - So atleast she has a constant companion that isn't "dominating" her.

Adding Her To The Mix

CC is back for a visit and the timing is perfect! With the other girls here in heat, she fit right in since she too is now in her first heat! One thing I love about dogs is how they so quickly adjust back to our house and pack when they come for visits. Since CC will be here for close to two weeks, it makes it so easy to dog-sit! And she is totally loving the screened porch and access to the backyard - Boy is she into running around free! One thing I have noticed though is how much like her mommy, Blue she is! Look at this! She LOVES to curl up in the chair just like Blue! She will sit up on the back of it too and soaks in all of the action.

Blue's Spot

Blue may not be our dominant female (That's Baby's job) but she loves her task of being the pack watch dog! She loves to sit out in or screened room and watch out into the yard. She will sit up on the back of a chair and just take it all in. The smells, the sights and the sounds. She is the first to alert the others of squirrels and seems to really enjoy the cardinal pair that frequent our oak tree beside the house.

Blue Is Amazing!

Just look at her! Eleven weeks ago she gave birth to two puppies and she is totally back to her pre-preggy self! Not only is she an awesome mommy that produces the most amazing puppy-plumping milk, she has this unbelievable ability to bounce-back almost immediately!

Comfy Ya Think?

Look at um! Just chillin in the doggy bed with their mommy. And Blue is such an attentive mommy! Still demanding she sleep with her girls even at the age of 6 weeks!

While the girls are out for several play sessions throughout the day, their evenings are spent relaxing with their mommy - A true nightly tradition.

Breakfast Anyone

Now this is a moment captured! Like I said before, we are leaving the new harness vests on the dogs for the entire trip to test their durability. 24/7 for 3 straight days will surly do the trick! Well, Blue is still letting her pups nurse from time to time and the pups have figured out how to get their fill even with the harness strap across her belly.

Think They Like It?

The girls are 4 weeks old today and as I approached the pen to get them for their new photo session, THIS is how I found them - Mom and babies comfortably napping in the newly furnished crate. Tell me this photo doesn't speak volumes!!!

It says it all - They are all loving life down here with us - Soaking up all of the family hustle-bustle and can clearly sleep through it all! So stinkin' cute!

Three Weeks and Sitting Up!

The proof is in the photos! Look at them! They are not only walking, wrestling and over a pound in weight, but they are sitting and posing for their photos! Their eyes followed my every move and they are extremely aware of their surroundings. This is a fantastic sign when it comes to the ability to train a dog once it is older.

I expect the DNA results back this week - By Friday is my guess. Based on my own opinions, I still stick to my original assumption. I think Dixie is J.B's and Ebony is Ace's.  How you may ask? Color aside, their heads - very different from each other and more like their "father's" lines. Also, personality!! J.B. was this active at day 3 and remains that way today at AGE 3! Ebony is a bit more laid back and cuddly.

This Litter Amazes Me!

Blue's super milk is unbelievable! These two porkers are now wresting and gumming each other and are just shy of three weeks of age! Blue is spending more and more time downstairs with us - the sure sign that we need to think about moving her and the pups downstairs soon. The pups don't seem to mind the lack of mommy - if they aren't napping they are playing with each other. Feedings have become less and less - their bellies are JUST fine and content.

One Week Old Today

As with all Blue litters, she has a couple of porkers on her hands. Her puppies always seem to grow so fast with weight gain NEVER an issue. So much so that her 6oz birth weight puppies charted to grow to 6.5lbs but never made it to 4lbs! This litter is following suit with past pups and has doubled their birth weight in seven days.

As they grow, I cannot help but wonder something else. Another unique Blue trait is that while in heat, she accepts males WAY early in her cycle.  Normally it is day 9 or 10. For Blue, it can be as early as day 5!! This is usually a sign of dominance, helping to ensure she gets the boys FIRST! Well, in this instance, it has brought me to a perplexing conclusion.

J.B. attached to Blue on day six of her heat. I didn't anticipate the tie taking, especially since it was very short and so early.  He is our gate-jumper and really does have an unwanted mind of his own!!!! The planned breeding with Ace took place on day 10 - ideal for ovulation on day 13. We all assumed that Ace would be the daddy to this litter but I am now questioning that. J.B. could very well have some super spermies and be the daddy to these girls - or at the least, Dixie Daiquiri. Buddy and Ginny both carry the tri-color gene and the chocolate dilute gene, so I can assume that Ace does as well.  But J.B's grandpa is a a chocolate-tri, just like Dixie! To make sure we know for sure, we are doing DNA tests on all five. We should have the results in a couple weeks. Until then, we will not have them listed as available. Once the results are in we will list them accordingly. I can tell you though, there is a list built already with families wanting Dixie. Watch for updates in a few weeks, but until then, you can enjoy their growing gallery of photos!

Here They Are In All Their Glory!

I finally found a moment to snap photos of the new puppies while the sun was still out!!! The girls are doing SO great and gaining weight very nicely. They are still mirroring each other in weight but not in size.

Dixie Daiquiri
Perfect name don't you think? Cute and cocktaily. Check out the recipe - I would say she shares the shade of pecans. She is up to 6.5 oz at two days old and is still short and stocky. I so love her white sock on her left front leg, but she has white toes on her remaining feet. She also has quite a bit of fawn on her face. I cannot wait to she how it blends as she gets older. I assume we will see more appear on her legs too!

Ebony Babe
She too is 6.5 oz but doesn't share in the amount of white with her sister. Ebony does have a bit of white on some of her toes, but she is mostly black with point of tan (not as "fawn")along her cheeks and down all of her legs. Unique and striking to go along with her more sleek and slender frame.

They Are Here!

After much anticipation and tons of nesting, Blue began the final stage of whelping her litter at 2:45 this morning. Of course, it started in my bed but ended in her whelping box as it should.

At 3:50 am, the first little girl arrived. She is a chocolate tri-color and weighed in at 5 1/4 oz. The vocal one in the group, she went right to eating before she was even detached from her sack!

Her sister arrived at 4:59 am, a much quieter and subdued pup, but cute as ever. A black tri-color with a lot of tan on her cheeks. She looks a lot like her daddy Ace! Weighing in at 5 1/4 oz as well, she is longer and thinner while her sister is shorter and stubbier. Only time will tell if they remain the same size.

And now we sleep. That is if we can. I know for me personally, once I am up I AM UP. Let's see how Blue takes an all nighter!

Anytime Now Dear

Ok, this whelping has drug out MUCH longer than I anticipated. She is clearly feeling every tinge but is nowhere near her final stage. She has spent 90% of the day in my bedroom. When I bring her downstairs, she begs to be back up in my bed.

The contractions are evident - and she is doing a lot of stretching to help get the pups into place. We have made some visits to her whelping box throughout the day too. Now it is just a waiting game...and so we wait....

Today Has GOT To Be The Day

In true Blue fashion, she has told me today she will whelp. How you may ask? With both of her previous litters, she was in the vicinity of my bed and that seems to be her "cave" for delivering puppies. Her first litter was born in the early hours of the morning, with my husband noticing her panting as he got up for work at 5 AM. Her second litter was born on a camping trip, with her in our bedroom in the trailer and on our bed until the first sack appeared. This morning, she refused to leave my bed when the rest of us woke to start the day. She actually dug herself further and further into the covers. I'd say that speaks loud and clear!