Feed me...

These are BIG puppies.  Enormous.

I've never had such fat little puppies before.

It's an easy explanation...there's only three of them.  No fighting at the buffet and no jostling for a meal.

This does not mean that they will be big dogs, nor bigger then they should be...they will drop all the baby fat they're putting on once I wean them.

But right now, these boys are a solid 3 1/2 to 4 pounds each!

Mr. Orange looking for momma.

Mr. Red trying to teeter on wobbly legs.

And Mr. Blue looks like a beached whale.  He has no trouble finding his way to the food trough.

They have finished their Early Neurological Stimulation exercises and will be opening their eyes very soon.

FINALIST!

Way to go Turq!!!

He was a finalist in the Canadian National at only 2 years old.

Momma Darbi and I are so proud!!

Poopy...and puppies!

Well, poopy.

Lost Darbi in the first series of the Canadian National today.  Hard to explain, but she had some bad luck and not ideal wind conditions.  It was a very wind dependent test and dogs with bad wind either ended up not finding birds, or going to birds they weren't sent for.

Two previous National champions and one of the top pointed dogs in the US this year also went out in the first series, so at least we were in good company.

It was a downer for sure, but she's still my bestest dog.  She has some good trials left in her aging body and she still wants to work hard, so we'll keep moving forward.

But time for puppy pictures!!!

My Three Amigos.

Miikka, as usual, is a wonderful mother.

The little guys are doing very, very well and getting their daily Early Neurological Stimulation exercises. 

18 and counting...

Libby stayed behind in Colorado when we travelled north for the Canadian National.

I just got word that she WON the Derby at the Rocky Mountain trial in Colorado with our client, Kathy, running her. Kathy had only run her once in training, ever, and it did not go well. But it seems Libby left her run around in the training field and ran a great trial for Kathy!

This puts Libby at 18 points and counting. She has 4 more derbies to run before she ages out.

I told my friend to give Momma Miikka an extra cookie tonight.

Speaking of Peanut...her and the pups are doing great! The little guys are thriving and growing like weeds.

Canadian National starts tomorrow morning. We've worked hard all week and we're as ready as we'll ever be.

Keep fingers crossed for Darbi, her son Turq and the rest of the Horsetooth gang!!!

All clear

A quick note as I have horrible cell here and no Internet. We're moving tomorrow, so hopefully the reception is better and I can get online on my computer, instead of just my phone.

Preliminary autopsy results surprised us. Seems the little boy pup had a similar birth defect as his sister, except there were no external signs like she had. His digestive system wasn't functioning properly and never would as it was mostly undeveloped. Nothing could have saved him.

The vet checked out the three amigos today and said they were in great health and showed no digestive issues at all. It seems we're out of the woods.

I'm ready to move forward.

The "boys" had their dew claws removed today as well and are now back at home nursing and sleeping.

I can't wait to meet them.

Another angel

And another devastating loss.

One of the little boys died today.

He was doing well first thing in the morning, and a couple of hours it all changed.

My friend called to say he was off by himself and seemed lethargic. I told her to make sure the little guy was warm and try to get him to nurse. In 20 minutes he wasn't improving, and we made the decision to rush him to the vet.

My friend put them all on a heating pad in the back seat of truck, and took Miikka along for good measure.

The poor little guy passed in the 20 minute drive to the vet. My wonderful vet suspected that he had aspirated some milk, but we're doing an autopsy to be sure.

What a nightmare.

The rest of the pups and mom are doing great and he sent them back home with a bill of good health.

I have pics, but won't post them yet. The little guy is in them and I can't bring myself to do it.

It's a coincidence that one had a congenital defect and one most likely aspirated, but it just doesn't seem fair.

Many breeders have experienced similar pain, and some have horrifying stories of loss. Breeding is not for the faint of heart, and we do it for the love of our breed and the dogs itself.

Keep the rest of the pups in your prayers.

4 boys and an angel

Tears of sadness and tears of joy.

Miikka went into labor only a few hours after we left for the Canadian National yesterday.

She did great and had capable hands with her.

I was in constant contact with the girl who was whelping her and the labor was progressing nicely.

When the first pup came out, we all knew it was not good. The little girl was 6 oz. (normal weight for my pups is 13-16 oz). And the pup had a wound on her abdomen. I told my friend to stop the bleeding and immediately called my friend, Mark Edwards, who is a pro trainer and was staying down the road.

Miikka cleaned the little girl up and she was trying to nurse, but struggling. Mark arrived and grabbed the little puppy and rushed her to the vet. Miikka was not at all concerned when she was taken, so that was a telling sign for me.

I spoke to the vet a short while later and she said the little pup had a birth defect and would likely not survive on her own. I told her to put her to sleep and end her suffering.

In short order, Miikka had 4 big, healthy males, all weighing 16 oz or more.

Those little guys have a big sister that will watch over them forever.

It's the first pup I've ever lost, and I'm sad I wasn't there, but me being there wouldn't have changed a thing.

I'm sad for the loss, but happy that she's not in pain. The boys are thriving and all have gained 2 oz already.

Miikka, as usual, is being a great mom and is very content.

I'll post up a couple pics later as we're still driving.

4 boys and an angel.

Sunset Swimming

We get some gorgeous sunsets at our place.

Ahti tries to keep us with Momma D and Auntie Miikka.  Those two have been at it for years though.

Miikka swims pretty good in her brace.

A new member of the pack!  Loki tries to keep up to the big dogs.

Heaven.

Miikka is very big...but not so big that I think there are more then 6 or 7 in there.

We set up her whelping room tonight and it's hard to believe she's due in only a few days.

A friend of mine is moving into the house tomorrow while we're gone to the Canadian National to whelp her.  She'll also get started on the Early Neurological Stimulation and be Miikka's best buddy while we're gone.  I hate leaving Miikka AGAIN to whelp, I just hate it.  Thankfully she's an easy whelper and I've lined up oodles of help in case my friend is in need.

So, we're off to Manitoba tomorrow and will pre-National for a few days in Brandon before heading over to Winnipeg.

Darbi looks great right now.  Balanced, marking well and high on life.  My goal is to get further then I did last year, which was my first ever National.  I made it seven series last year...here's hoping for eight (or more!).

Swim-By in the Rain

A video of one of the young dogs doing swim-by.

Unfortunately my fingers were over the microphone on the camera...so you can't hear my dialog.

Wyoming Trial

Had a long, hard week-end in Wyoming.

It was a PRTA Trial, and Kenny and I essentially put it on.  

Here's a pic of me running test dog on the water blind with the Luckiest Guy In The World (AKA Kenny) standing behind me.

Yes, I was running test dog.  Darbi went out on the land blind after I couldn't get her close enough to the flier crates and poison bird.  She knows where "trouble" is and there was no way she was going over THERE.

Handlers watching the greatness that is Darbi.

Kenny running Boomer.

What a neat pic.

Libby ran a great Derby to finish 4th.  It was a tight race for sure.  She hunted one bird.

I'm getting more and more excited about her.

Favorite photos - Part 1

I have some favorite pictures of the "girls" over the years.

Some are great and some are of poor quality, but I still love them none the less.

Darbi and me.  My bestest girl.

Darbi and Miikka: The Bridges of Madison County - one of their many adventures.

Darbi and me awaiting our turn at a field trial many years ago.  I love this pic because it shows how much she loves doing this with me.

This one always makes me smile.  Little Miikka hopping in the fresh snow.  Peanut was just a baby here.

The infamous party hat photo shoot.  Miikka was bored with the whole affair.

Miikka always got the stick, and loved to laugh about it.  She is so athletic.

Darbi dock jumping in British Columbia.

The typical Miikka expression.  "Look at me...I'm cute...aren't I cute?"