Good Bye Prime

FC AFC Tartan Prime Time

2001-2011

Prime (left) winning the Amateur at Centennial in 2009.

Darbi (right) getting the second in the Amateur behind Prime.

He was unbeatable that day.  And on many other days.

It's hard to find the words to say how sad I was to hear that Prime passed away 2 days ago.

He was special to me in so many ways.

I first met Prime when I loaded Darbi into my car and made the 16 hour drive to Colorado to breed her to him.  What most impressed me about Prime was his consistency.

I would not know for some time after that breeding, but that road trip changed my life in so many ways.  I got to see Prime every day the past year or so and it was still his consistency that awed me.  He shared a special relationship with his owner Barb and it was an honor to watch them run as a formidable team.

Prime placed in the last Open he ever ran last year and I was there to see it.

He leaves a legacy with many, and most of all in his many "kids".  I was fortunate enough to have 7 great pups by him and although they have big paws to fill, I hope they make their daddy proud.

My heartfelt condolences to Prime's family, Barb & Jim Howard.

Nose to nose

Orange had a nice nose to nose visit with his mom.

Miss Pink decided that she was going to try spooning tonight.

And then Darbi did her one better and showed her how it was done.

Got Milk?

There's nothing like an evening milk moustache.

Miss. Libby says "I don't sit for boring camera shots".

New video!

New puppy video!

Now you can see what I mean about everyone being fat and happy.

Their eyes started opening today, so big milestone day for them!!

Day 10

Pups are 10 days old today!  

Because this is not a huge litter by any means, they all get ample time at the buffet.  The puppies are subsequently becoming little tubs and relish in the all-you-can eat mentality of this whelping box.

The above is a typical picture of the daily goings-ons.  Eat, sleep and eat some more.  As usual, Little Red is sprawled out on something or other...this time he chose his momma's leg.

And you may have missed her in the first photo, but Miss Pink chose a more intimate spot to sleep with her mom.  It's moments like these that make my heart swell.

This is not a good photo, but will give you the idea of how much the little porkers are eating.  There is nothing wrong with being chubby at this stage of course.  The pups are putting on about 3 oz a day now and weigh around 2 1/2 pounds.  So they have almost tripled in size since their birth!

Cute, sweet faces.

Their eyes should start to open in the next day or so.  They are also doing little push-ups on their wobbly legs, so walking should not be far off as well.

No news is good news

No new updates.

I need to take some more pictures of the babies, and will soon.

They are as big as trucks and are fat & happy little guys (and girls).

Days are getting really warm here and training has been great fun.

I promise I'll be better with pictures...tomorrow.

Must sleep now.

Tired all around

There is a lot of sleeping going on.

Miss Pink took her afternoon siesta to a whole new level.

And Miss Yellow thought it best to go off and sleep on her own.

On the other hand, Red is a serial spooner and always needs someone to cuddle up to.

Big foot and little feet.

I think it is safe to presume that Darbi is the most tired of all.

But the creepy chicken is always awake.  Always watching.

Wee Babies

The babies are doing wonderful.

They are gaining 1-3 oz a day and are very content.

Darbi, as always, is a great mom and I don't have much to do at this stage except make sure Darbi is looked after and happy.

I will start the Early Neurological Stimulation on the pups this evening, to go along with their nightly weighing.  I've already cut the little gaffers' nails once as well to keep them from poking mom too much when they nurse.

Little Red decided that spooning was the way to go.

Got milk?

It was a busy night at the buffet tonight.

Pups will get their dew claws removed tomorrow.

Here we go again

For anyone who has been following this blog for a long time, you may remember Darbi's obsession with a stuffed toy when she had her last litter.

It seems she has a new obsession.  The chicken from Miikka's "intelligence building" toy.

I can't take it out of the whelping box.  Hopefully it will make smart puppies.

Miss Pink enjoyed a nap on Momma D's tail.

Cute faces.

The pups had a great day today.  I'm going to weigh them shortly to be sure they've all put on weight in the first 24 hours, but they look fantastic.

First video

I feel like I've been hit by a truck.

I shouldn't complain in front of Darbi.

I hope this little iPhone video shows up okay.

Puppies are here!!

It's been awhile since I worked a night shift.  I had forgotten two things.  1) How exhausting it is and 2) There's nothing on TV other than infomercials in the wee hours.

As predicted earlier today, Darbi had her babies tonight.  There were moments of doubt early this evening though, as her and I had a staring contest that lasted an eternity.  

She did not have the 6-8 I was hoping for and there will be a couple of disappointed people on the waiting list I'm sure.

The delivery went smoothly, although there was a tense moment to start.  Darbi had been in hard labor for almost an hour and I was starting to get worried.  I was minutes away from calling a vet and possibly taking her in for a c-section.  She had been pushing and pushing with no results and we weren't getting anywhere.

Well, out came a little sac.  Then it disappeared and reappeared a few times.  Darbi worked hard for a few minutes, but we weren't making any progress.  So, I just reached in a couple fingers and grabbed some puppy and started to help Darbi out.  I was careful not to pull too hard, but I needed to get that little guy moving.  He came out healthy and strong, and the rest of the pups delivered easily.

So, introducing.

ORANGE: male/born at 10: 24 pm/1 pound

PINK: female/10:42/15 oz.

BLUE: male/11:40/1 pound

YELLOW: female/1:11 am/15 oz.

RED: male/2:41/13 oz.

A nice uniform litter.  Mom and babes are resting comfortably and I'm going to stay up with them the rest of the night.

They are a healthy looking little bunch. 

Darbi is a tired momma.  6 hours from onset of labor until we were done.  She sure worked hard to get the first guy out.

Maybe tonight?

Tonight may be the night.

Darbi didn't want to eat her breakfast this morning, but instead wanted to bury it.  She eventually ate it though.

She then nested a little bit for the first time...a little digging around in her pillows in the whelping box.

Now she is laying in her box panting a bit.  Not much panting, just a little.

She does look like her patience is wearing thin.

All quiet

All quiet on the home front.

Darbi is doing great and showing no signs of any impending delivery as of this morning.

Of course, when the big event starts to happen I'll update here.

I'm looking forward to a beautiful week ahead weather-wise and of course...puppies!

You be the judge

I dug this picture out of my photo archives.  This is Darbi when she was 3 years old...and had significantly less grey.  In this picture she was 6 days away from whelping 8 puppies by "Tiger" (Esprit's Out Of The Woods).

And this is Darbi just this morning in the Texas sunrise.  I imagine she is also about 6 days out from whelping today.  Even though the ultrasound said "5-6 pups"...I'm beginning to wonder if it's going to be 6-8.

She's as big as a house.

And yes Peanut, I see you.

Smarty Pants

While shopping for puppy toys the other day I found this Martha Stewart "chicken coop".  As noted it is an intelligence building toy.  Although I found it laughable (as my dogs are already the smartest dogs in the world), I had to buy it.

There are 3 squeaky chickens inside the chicken coop and Miikka had to go find them.

"I don't get it" was the first response to my ridiculous "find the chicken" question.

Eating the chicken coop was the first action.  Not a good choice.

Oh, there's a little hole in the side?  Perfect.  I'll go digging.

The birth of a chicken.  Way to go Peanut.  Your are officially smarter than you were 5 minutes ago according to the claims on the box.

Darbi vs. the Chicken Coop.

"This is stupid and beneath me.  I refuse".

I'm already stockpiling toys for the upcoming litter.  Miikka is the official product tester in this house.