Polo has been safeguarding his buddy Monte's ten pups for the last two weeks. This weekend he gets to play. Here is Polo at AKC Agility Trials in North Olmsted, Ohio this morning with a JWW clean run.
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Day 15: Sire Monte goes fishing and Uncle Polo gets a ten puppy break too!
Polo has been safeguarding his buddy Monte's ten pups for the last two weeks. This weekend he gets to play. Here is Polo at AKC Agility Trials in North Olmsted, Ohio this morning with a JWW clean run.
Meanwhile Sire Monte is off fishing in Utah this weekend! What is mama Kamea doing? OK - she is with her pups. Later this will change when weaning commences but for now she prefers where she is and that's also good! Such is the good life of Dalmatians and their happy owners!!
Polo has been safeguarding his buddy Monte's ten pups for the last two weeks. This weekend he gets to play. Here is Polo at AKC Agility Trials in North Olmsted, Ohio this morning with a JWW clean run.
Friday, April 27, 2012
Day 14: Puppies are Two Weeks Old!
The puppies weigh close to two pounds each, their eyes are opening and they are exploring their surroundings on wobbly legs.
We hear puppy like yips and lots of lip smacking. Yet, sleep is still a large part of their day.
These five girls have just finished nursing and their mom Kamea is thoroughly cleaning them up!
The four boys ( two greens, yellow and blue) and white girl, are also sleeping out in the ex-pen to give their mother a break.
The puppies can't scale the short wall out of the whelping box yet but that time is fast approaching.
Two ex-pens carve out their cushy space on the protected hardwood floor. The floor is layered with heavy ml vinyl, carpet pad remnant and quilted whelping pads. This will serve for another week at least before pups move downstairs into larger accommodations. Five are nursing and five are sleeping with Uncle Polo's safeguarding.
We hear puppy like yips and lots of lip smacking. Yet, sleep is still a large part of their day.
These five girls have just finished nursing and their mom Kamea is thoroughly cleaning them up!
The four boys ( two greens, yellow and blue) and white girl, are also sleeping out in the ex-pen to give their mother a break.
Two ex-pens carve out their cushy space on the protected hardwood floor. The floor is layered with heavy ml vinyl, carpet pad remnant and quilted whelping pads. This will serve for another week at least before pups move downstairs into larger accommodations. Five are nursing and five are sleeping with Uncle Polo's safeguarding.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Day 11: Conga Line-Up!
Ten little puppies all in a row
Six girls dancing on the left:
Red Velvet Cupcake,
Then one flew over
five dancing girls and four cheering boys
there they grow!
Today the pups average 30 ounces each, nearly 2 pounds a piece - they are beginning to stagger about upright on their wobbly legs - good acrobatic pups!
Ten little puppies all in a row
Six girls dancing on the left:
Red Velvet Cupcake,
Purple With A Purpose,
Platinum Cloud,
Sugar Maple Leap (Orange),
It's Pouring Pink In Cleveland, and Outback Valentine (Red Blk)
Four boys dancing on the right:
On The Hunt (Dk Grn),
Ivy League (Lt Grn),
River Birch Blue,
Champagne Toast (yellow)
Then one flew over
five dancing girls and four cheering boys
there they grow!
Today the pups average 30 ounces each, nearly 2 pounds a piece - they are beginning to stagger about upright on their wobbly legs - good acrobatic pups!
Monday, April 23, 2012
Day 10: Ten Puppies' Wild Woodland Theme Litter
What's going on outside the puppy nursery? A plant nursery seems to be appearing. Many flowering trees and shrubs are delivered today. The digging for the new irrigation has started as well. Lots of interesting sounds come in the open window from the wider world today.
Today we have trucks and digging equipment all over front and back. Tomorrow we place the plants - none of course have poisonous anything - no leaf, berry, flower, twig or fruit that some child or dog may chew gets planted on the two acres. Kamea and Polo use the side kennel for now while all of this transformation takes place. By the time the pups can run out back they will be playing in a park!
Satisfied the workers are supposed to be outside doing what they are doing, Kamea investigates some of the items used here in her puppy nursery. She prefers the fresh laundry. At least she steps into the whelping box and stands there and looks at me expectantly as if to say "Okay get on with it!" And she doesn't lie down until I've switched the mats.
Such a Lady Kamea.
We will have a very nice approach to Noble Kennels soon! This sugar maple grove is the inspiration for "Sugar Maple Leap" female liver girl.
The wild thicket didn't get pushed back all the way - you can see it greening up behind the new fence in the "outback"
There are reasons one of the pups is nicknamed "Outback Valentine"
Kamea tied w Monte on Valentine's Day and we cleared the wild thicket "outback" to expand the kennel area.
What's going on outside the puppy nursery? A plant nursery seems to be appearing. Many flowering trees and shrubs are delivered today. The digging for the new irrigation has started as well. Lots of interesting sounds come in the open window from the wider world today.
Today we have trucks and digging equipment all over front and back. Tomorrow we place the plants - none of course have poisonous anything - no leaf, berry, flower, twig or fruit that some child or dog may chew gets planted on the two acres. Kamea and Polo use the side kennel for now while all of this transformation takes place. By the time the pups can run out back they will be playing in a park!
Such a Lady Kamea.
Meanwhile, life inside the wildwood puppy nursery moves at a bucolic pace. Here, Kamea drinks her mid-morning "second breakfast."
"It's Pouring Pink in Cleveland" is named after all the flowering shrubs we are installing to lighten up the green everywhere look here at Noble.
"Purple with a Purpose" for fragrant lavender and wins!
"It's Pouring Pink in Cleveland" is named after all the flowering shrubs we are installing to lighten up the green everywhere look here at Noble.
"Purple with a Purpose" for fragrant lavender and wins!
There has been much progress outside while the ten puppies, have slept through most of their 10th day at Noble Kennels in the wild woods of NE Ohio
We will have a very nice approach to Noble Kennels soon! This sugar maple grove is the inspiration for "Sugar Maple Leap" female liver girl.
Kamea tied w Monte on Valentine's Day and we cleared the wild thicket "outback" to expand the kennel area.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Day 9: Ten Puppies Growing Fast: A weighty report!
Here we see some spots starting to show. Look closely and we can see eyes just starting to open. When they scramble now, they keep their feet under them to push - good athletic pups!
We also see the value of "pig rails" in a whelping box. The pups congregate in one corner and pile up to sleep when they need a bit more warmth when Kamea is resting outside the box. When she returns she gently curls her body over them and noses them awake, spilling them out of their pile-up, stimulating them, turning them every which way. As she slowly lays down among them she expects them to scramble out of the way. The rails leave a small crawl space between mom and her pups should anyone get trapped behind her. After everyone's been fed and mom is sleeping among them - the pups fan out across the whelping box for a cooler lay down. The simple space works great!
Here we see some spots starting to show. Look closely and we can see eyes just starting to open. When they scramble now, they keep their feet under them to push - good athletic pups!
We also see the value of "pig rails" in a whelping box. The pups congregate in one corner and pile up to sleep when they need a bit more warmth when Kamea is resting outside the box. When she returns she gently curls her body over them and noses them awake, spilling them out of their pile-up, stimulating them, turning them every which way. As she slowly lays down among them she expects them to scramble out of the way. The rails leave a small crawl space between mom and her pups should anyone get trapped behind her. After everyone's been fed and mom is sleeping among them - the pups fan out across the whelping box for a cooler lay down. The simple space works great!
The rail makes a good head rest too? Not so sure how comfortable that is! Kamea has her ten right where she wants them, however, so she's not moving herself.
She just finished drinking an inch of water from a water dish positioned between her front legs with a spoonful of honey at the bottom. She knows the honey is there because she gets a lick off my fingers from it whenever she starts nursing. We believe in rewards for such marvelous motherly behavior! I have just removed the empty bowl and that's what gives her the rather awkward position. Eventually she skootches down and stretches out and lays flat and snoozes.
Time to change those mats! The blue waterproof pads have a quilted cloth covering that helps the pups get traction when scrambling or pushing up to nurse (below). We have a dozen of these pads to layer four at a time in the bottom of the box. It's easy to whisk them away, and replace with four sanitized, warm ones, fresh from the dryer. Keeps the nursery smelling of fresh laundry.
Ah! That's more like it - fresh laundry and freshly weighed babies.
Let's see how they have grown in nine days time: Their average birth weight on 4/14/12 was 360g, their average weight today, 9 days later, is 717g and their average weight gain is 357g. The easiest time to weigh is after a feeding, after which we put them in the basket where they snuggle down to sleep. Then it's easy to take them one at a time from the basket and weigh the drowsy pup. By morning all of them will have doubled their birth weight.
Good girl Kamea! Your puppies are growing just as they should.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Day 4: Dew Claws Removed
Kamea "Hurry up! Bring me my babies! I know they left by this door and by this door I will remain!"
There you are my beauties - let's go home!
One last weigh in and good night Connor!
off to see Dr. "Hutch" and a good weight report too
Dr. Hutch's individual exams revealed ten perfect little pups without physical defect, at great weight and heft. Their dew claws were removed, there were no double or hind leg dews.
Kamea "Hurry up! Bring me my babies! I know they left by this door and by this door I will remain!"
One last weigh in and good night Connor!
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Day 2: Ten Contented Puppies
eat and sleep and dream
We have plenty of help when it is time to weigh them and record their weights twice a day and give snuggles!
"Let me back in the puppy pile:"
Sugar Maple Leap
Sugar Maple Leap
River Blue, Purple With A Purpose, Ivy League, Champagne Toast and Platinum Cloud
Ten contented puppies get fed in two groups by day and have a free for all at night!
Day 1: Kamea X Monte Litter Photos (April 14, 2012): No Patches!!
Purple With A Purpose: Female, White/Black
Champagne Toast: Male, White/Liver
Outback Valentine: Female, White/Black
Ivy League: Male, White/Black
It's Pouring Pink In Cleveland: Female, White/Black
Red Velvet Cupcake: Female, White/Black
Sugar Maple Leap: Female, White/Liver
On The Hunt: Male, White/Black
Platinum Cloud: Female, White/Black
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