And then there were 2. The first 2 pups went to their homes for Valentine's Day, before we left to ski up in Vermont. Sweet little Noelle joined her big black sister, Sally, and added joy to a kind, patient couple who adore their fur-girls. PENNY NOELLE's crate is now protected by Sally, and Penny is being doted on without any jealousy.
Merry is adding smiles and estrogen to her family of 2 boys and joined her big SISTER, Hammer, (yeah that's right!) as her HU-man is a contractor. Apparently, HU-man has other interests, because new puppy was christened BOURBON. :) Hammer and Bourbon are getting along a little better than when my Em was a new baby and Carly would dump her outta the carseat if I turned by back....(rough years....!)
Donner went to a family also with 2 little boys, one who is a Ginger (yay!) like my Jocelyn. I thought that was fate, as Donner was her favorite, and would crawl up under her chin from the time he was a few hours old, as she held him daily and was chosen as her favorite. So, LEO got traded from one Ginger to another and is keeping them laughing.
Claus, who loved to bark and bite, went to a family with 2 teenagers and a 4 year old Lab. Their house will be even furrier! His forever name is SOLOMON. Love it. Fitting for who (I and others thought!) was the MOST handsome puppy of the litter. We miss the other 5 already, (except the poop, of course!) and know that sweet Cupid will find his forever home any day. I am glad for Eve, though, that she still has a little playmate and doesn't seem to mind one bit.
Cupid is the last of the boys still available. He has the sweetest face and one of the calmest temperaments. I know he is going to make some family very happy.
Tonite someone messaged me asking about the puppies, as her friends lost their Chocolate Lab last week. They are set on another chocolate, and I sent the link to a Connecticut breeder who breeds mainly really nice chocolate dogs, I spoke with years back when looking for Bella. I actually had my heart set on a Chocolate girl, not knowing a thing about colors, just that I had always been a total sucker for Chocolate Lab puppies over the other 2 colors! I didn't know a thing about English versus American, silver (don't even think about it!) versus Fox Red (just a very dark version of yellow, and one i LOVE!) Little did I know that most breeders who breed for yellow, dont breed to Chocolate with their yellow girl, due to a genetic crossing that makes puppies lacking in that dark pigment (black) Lab noses "should" have. (this lighter brown nose and pink eyes dont change a thing though of their temperament and health!) So, a chocolate wasn't available that spring of 200 when Bella joined our family, and wouldnt change a thing! I couldnt ask for a sweeter, more loving dog, and remember that when my heart melts at the Chocolate puppies I see often on Instagram accounts. Or yesterday in town, when the blue eyes of a Chocolate Lab 12 week (or so) puppy almost caused me to DRIVE OFF MAIN STREET. OHHHH, the cuteness!!!
The good news is, I couldn't or wouldn't love my little 10 year old boy, Luke, any less if his squinty eyes were hazel instead of their icy blue. My 17 year old's curiosity would still be as sweet if Carly's thick locks were blonde instead of brown, (but it would probably just mean she had to PAY for that like her momma!!) I wouldn't be as envious of my college girl's amazing hair if it wasn't as gorgeous red as it is, but Joce would still be witty and a great listener. And, my youngest daughter's - high school freshman -- WAHHH! - dimple would still melt hearts (especailly boys, DANG IT!) if her skin had Joce's freckles, but instead it is creamy smooth and quick to let things roll right off of it with a laugh.
What matters is on the inside. Imagine a life where that ruled. We could throw out our scales and our make-up, eat whatever the hell we want (!!!), stop doing our roots, burn our high heels. I know that isn't reality and has nothing to do with dogs, but I would like to believe it does. LESS SHALLOW than my love of dark chocolate and cookies, Does a persons light or dark skin change who they are? Why does it matter whether someone is wearing a Yarmulke, a Topi or a baseball cap? What would the world be like if our initial reaction to someone was the SAME, regardless of what we see? All we can do is start with ourselves and our children to get that world. DANG, its slow going, but so are ALL important things.
In the meantime, remember your dog's color should be the very last thing on the list of factors in deciding on a new puppy, EVEN IF those blue eyes are COMPLETELY irresistible!!!
Even with the increased-poop load from eating puppy food, they are just growing way too fast! I am getting so sad that we only have a week and 1/2 left with all the love, noise and fun! Their individual personalities are so evident, with Claus winning the prize for boy-energy, and Noelle holding her own for the girls. Looks like cuddly Eve (did I pick her, or did she pick me!? :) will be continuing to fertilize our lawn well into spring, and hopefully bring some beautiful light yellow puppies into the world by fall or winter 2017. (feels crazy to write that, and yet it will be here IN A BLINK!!!)
DONNER and Blitzen - no just kidding, 2nd name is really CUPID: perfect for VALENTINES DAY! - are still in need of peeps who will love on them, as the others are spoken for. Donner is in the video below, with a face easy to fall in love with. He and Cupid have very similar temperaments, with Donner having just a tad more curiosity, but both very mellow and friendly as all Labs should be.
They are fed 3 times a day, and are ravenous, as Labs are. With basketball games of freshman daughter, Emily on my schedule several times a week, I have gotten better at knowing ball terms and strategies. Here, these pups do something sweet Em to do better under the hoop: BOX OUT!
What happens when you have a son who spends most of the day out in it. Donner (one of the handsome male pups) got his first short taste of snow,
then warmed right back up with his siblings. I love these puppy piles as much as the nursing. Getting so sad we have only 3 weeks left with these bundles. <3<3<3
So, as a lover/cheerleader of all things birth, I love seeing a sweet breastfeeding relationship. I love seeing a momma overcoming the challenges that it can present, and all the emotional, physical and financial benefits from it are a bonus. I honestly wonder if my (now 10 year old!) baby Luke would have nursed until Kindergarten (ha!) if he hadn't have kept me up all night his first year. I SUPER DUPER miss nursing my little loves and adore watching my 4-legged nurslings. I can sit and watch them for hours, and think it must do to my endorphins what dark chocolate does.
Needless to say, weaning pups isnt my favorite part of breeding. They should start eating puppy food when they get their little teeth, so I started them a few days ago at 4 weeks. Bella is less happy about nursing them than she was a few weeks ago, so it is a WIN-WIN for them. The resulting MAJOR poop clean-up and lack of quiet, therapy-moments :) for me is the losing part. BUT, they still have my heart.
Had a beautiful face I recognized! One of my favorite parts of this journey is seeing families included their 4-legged family member on the cards that go on our fridge ALL YEAR LONG! Happens to be a favorite quote, too.
