Happy Monday, folks! The puppies are all doing great. They are starting to learn to sit before I feed them, though we still have some work to do on that before they get it down. They are so funny at this age. I love the way they fling themselves in unbounded ecstasy on me whenever I go into their kennel. (Well, maybe I should say, I usually love it. If they have made messes all over the floor, tramped around and gotten dirty in the messes, and come jump all over my ankles when I walk through the door, I am not thrilled about their ecstasy then.) One of their favorite activities is wrestling, complete with plenty of growling and snarling sound effects, but none of them are really bullies. Treasure is surprisingly aggressive with Winston, even though Winston is bigger and Treasure tends to be a bit shy. Winston Finn (was Auchinleck) hangs in there pretty well with the wrestling, three legs and all, and Gracie just bounces around, growling and wrestling with whichever brother she feels like biting. I had to reschedule the vet appointment, so I'm planning to take them down to see Dr. Harty tomorrow. Hopefully they will get their first round of shots and a clean bill of health, and be all ready to go next Monday. Enjoy the pictures - and maybe a glass of iced tea on this hot January day! Winston (AKA Teddy Bear) This big guy is full of affection, with a trace of his mama's goofiness. He has become very talented at running from the kennel door around to the gate of the run, and back to the kennel door again, depending on where I am, as he begs for me to come pet him, or let him out, or show him attention in any way. At picture time he always finds his way into my lap, which makes him one of the more difficult puppies to photograph. Today he thoroughly enjoyed chewing on my shoe while I took pictures of the other puppies - until Treasure tackled him. Gracie Gracie loves to run. She runs to meet me, runs to chase her brothers, runs to check out some imaginary something or other on the far side of the pen, and runs back to the kennel. She also loves to jump, loves to have her belly rubbed, and loves to lick. She's a loving little rascal! Treasure Remember how in last week's blog post I mentioned that Treasure was acting shy? Well, he still doesn't like my phone for some reason, so he evacuates whenever I try to take a video of him, but he has really come out of his shell this week. He's still not the outgoing, climb-all-over-while-licking-anyone-he-can-reach type puppy, but he is quietly cheerful and friendly, and he seems to enjoy putting both the Winstons and Gracie in their places. It has been fun to watch him grow up this week! Winston Finn (was Auchinleck)
One of the funny coincidences of this litter is that two of the pups ended up with the name Winston. I've always wondered whether I would have two pups with the same name, but I didn't expect it in the same litter - certainly not in a litter with only four puppies. So 50% of this litter is named Winston! Anyway, to get to the point... Winston Finn is doing very well. He's figured out how to walk and run on three legs quite nicely, and though he is still a bit less active than Winston and Gracie, he always comes to meet me and wags his tail nearly off to tell me how happy he is to see me. I'm so happy that he has found his family - and that he even will have a three-legged Border "sister."
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Happy New Year, everybody! I hope that you all had a great holiday season and that getting back into the normal routine isn't too much of a struggle. The puppies are doing great. We had a pretty big group of people over on New Year's day and the pups were a major attraction, especially for the younger girls. I have an appointment tentatively set with my vet for them to be checked over and have their first round of shots this Friday, but I have a couple of loose ends to check before confirming that appointment. The pups are getting big, all weighing in around 6 - 7 lbs, and they are playful and friendly - especially when I'm trying to take pictures and they all decide to climb on me at once. In many ways this is the most fun stage of raising puppies, but they are also more work, as they seem to constantly need to be fed, need their kennel cleaned every morning, need more one-on-one attention, etc. Basically, they are joyful little rascals! Treasure (was "Dalziel") is growing into a handsome, thoughtful, rather shy puppy. He always has tended to be shy and a bit timid, preferring to sit in the background and watch the others before venturing too close to visitors (myself included.) While he does enjoy being handled, I'm working on his confidence level. Hopefully he will learn that even though the world is a big, sometimes scary, place, he can face it with joy and confidence. Winston has a wonderful outgoing, yet fairly calm personality. When I'm taking pictures of the others, he will usually come climb into my lap and sit there, happy just to be close to me. While he is fairly dominant over the others, he's not a bully. All in all, he's a pretty cheerful and content little Border Collie. Gracie reminds me of her mother - she loves to run and she's always running hither and thither and yon. She is going to be a real handful, but oh, is she sweet. Everyone who meets her loves her, and almost everyone comments on her black ear. She's hilarious, loves to be petted and held, and has an outgoing, confident personality. "Auchinleck" remains my favorite puppy, both for his looks and for his temperament. If I was keeping a pup from this litter, it would probably be him, 3 legs and all. (But - I'm not keeping a pup from this litter, so he needs a home.) He usually hovers in the background, like Treasure, but once I touch him, his tail starts wagging like there's no tomorrow. He is a bit of a licker, and loves to climb and chew on me as much as I'll let him. He has the most interesting color I've ever seen - silvery blue with a hint of copper, and very little merling. I definitely want to keep breeding rights to him, and maybe someday I'll have some of his babies around here. We'll see. He's a special pup, still looking for a special home.
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AuthorMy name is Alayna Feldman. I have been greatly blessed and am thankful, first and foremost, to the Lord Jesus Christ, Who has saved me. I am also deeply thankful to my parents, who have raised me in a stable, safe, loving home and taught me about what is most important in life. Archives
February 2022
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