Cleone's puppies turned 6 weeks old on Wednesday, and Flora's turned 5 weeks old at the same time. They have officially reached the most fun, playful stage of puppyhood. Their favorite parts of the day are visits with people - whether the people are myself and my husband, or visitors. We have had the opportunity to have various children (my siblings, my sister's children, and others from our church) come over, as well as a few adult visitors, and they love the opportunity to be petted and to chew on shoe laces, pants, and skirts. They are eating like little hogs, and they love to play in their water dish, dump it out, and drag it off when they are done drinking. (I finally swapped out the dish with a small bucket so they hopefully can't keep dumping it out as easily.) These puppies are all so fun and full of life that it's hard to choose any favorites among them, but if I had to choose, I think Rosie, Jolly, and Boone might be my favorites. I really like Silver Bell too - maybe partly because I've spent extra time with her and have a soft spot for the smaller puppies. It's really a tossup in my mind between her and Jolly - I like how friendly and, well, jolly, he is, but something about her more reserved, yet confident nature attracts me. The short of it is: they're all great pups. A few folks have contacted me with concerns for the puppies in this chilly weather we have been having, but I assure you all, there is really no need to worry about them. You see, dogs are social animals and they like to be together as a pack, and puppies in particular really like to stick together. When cool weather rolls in, they all sleep together in a pile, and the shared body heat keeps them all warm. (In fact, they are staying warmer than the big dogs these nights!) If the forecast continues very cold for this weekend, I will likely put their puppy heating pad (which is supposedly more or less indestructible) out in the kennel for them and cover the big dogs' crates with blankets to help retain heat, but for the most part, the dogs actually seem to enjoy cold weather. I also feed them as much as they want to eat so they have plenty of calories to burn to create warmth, and they do just fine. Here are the puppy pictures (taken yesterday with the help of my friend Yesi, who volunteered to carry each of the pups out into the yard to be photographed individually.) They are tricky to photograph at this age because their biggest goal in life is to run back to me to get petted, lick me, and chew on whatever part of me or my camera they can reach. Hence all the pictures of them running directly toward the camera. Enjoy! Cleone's litter: Boone (originally Jingle) has settled down a bit, though he is still one of the most outgoing pups in the litter. He loves to be with people and enjoys playing with the other puppies. He does not seem particularly dominant, but he's somewhere near the top of the pecking order, and he always manages to find a good spot at the "milk bar" whenever one of the mamas is around. Loki (originally Wenceslas) is just as mischievous as his name implies whenever there are shoelaces to be chewed, but he has a sweet, submissive nature. He is less exuberantly confident than most of his littermates, but he enjoys being petted and handled. Looks like he will have one blue eye and one possibly green eye, but green eyes are tricky - sometimes you can't tell what color it will actually be for quite awhile. Jolly has become the most enthusiastic, outgoing, and biggest puppy of the two litters. As you can see in the pictures, he was not interested in having his photo taken; he wanted to stay as close to anyone who would pet him as possible. Though he can be somewhat dominant toward other puppies, he is submissive to people, and readily rolls over to have his belly rubbed. He reminds me very much of Cleone. Sadly, Jolly has become available again through no fault of his own. If you are interested in him, please send me an email. Rosie (originally Holly) is as friendly as Jolly, but a little calmer. As you can see, she also did not want to sit still for her pictures because she wanted to be with us to get petted. She likes to lick and is very sweet and attentive. Snow has been one of the friendliest and most confident of Cleone's puppies right from the start. She is a big, healthy puppy, and she will be a wonderful companion for the right person. Sadly, the couple who were going to take her had to release her, due to an unexpected change in their living situation, so she is available. Millie is a little more laid-back and cautious than her more outgoing sister, Snow, but she thoroughly enjoys attention and loves it whenever a person comes out to see her and her siblings. I apologize for only taking these two pictures - I'm not sure how I managed to forget to take more. (Maybe I'll blame it on pregnancy brain!) Anyway, Millie is a good, middle-of-the-road kind of puppy, contented with her position somewhere in the middle of the pack. Flora's litter: Garmr (originally Frosty) is a chubby, happy, fairly calm puppy. He enjoys chewing on shoes (or anything else he can get his teeth into) and wrestling with his brothers, sisters, and "cousins" in the other litter. (The litters are not actually related, though.) Fat and happy are probably the best words to describe him, and it looks like he will be a stocky, medium drive dog like his father. Star is a happy, fairly calm pup. He likes to chew, bark, growl, and wrestle with the other puppies, but he is somewhere near the middle or bottom of the pack order. He seems to be a medium/low drive pup (for a Border collie, that is), and he should make a great family or personal companion. Maverick (originally Snowman) is Garmr's "twin" in almost every way. He is lighter in color, so they are easy to tell apart, but their personalities are very similar. He's a chunky, happy pup, and he will be a wonderful companion. Tannebaum has become one of the more confident, slightly dominant males in this litter. (They're all pretty laid-back, though, so it doesn't take much dominance to outdo his brothers!) He has also constituted himself the pack watchdog, and he likes to bark (minimally) at visitors and even sometimes at me. I guess he heard about his Doberman predecessors at his new home and decided he'd better start practicing if he's going to live up to their precedent! He is a very friendly, happy, and fun puppy. Kora (originally Tinsel) is one of the most striking pups in the litter, with her heavy "blush" and "eyeshadow." She is confident and friendly, but not overwhelmingly so, and while she won't stand too much trampling and roughhousing from the other pups, she doesn't (usually) seek out a tussle with them. Una (originally Mistletoe) is a happy, confident pup. She's still on the smaller side of her litter, but has just about caught up to the others. In spite of her size, she won't take sass from anyone and will happily engage in any playfight that comes her way. With people she is all joy and friendliness, and she seems to have a cheerful outlook on life. Silver Bell - how to describe her... Silver Bell is the smallest puppy in her litter and seems to have a very serious outlook on life (perhaps because it's so hard to find a good spot at the "milk bar.") She makes up for her size with her attitude, though. Unlike many smallish pups, she is very confident, outgoing, and curious. She doesn't wag her tail much, but she appreciates being petted. In fact, she reminds me very strongly of her mother, Flora, who is more of a one-person/family dog, though she is friendly to strangers as well. Flora is the type who will not wag her tail or seek out much attention from strangers, but who gives her whole heart to those she loves and who have gained her trust. When the right person comes along to train and raise Silver Bell, I think she will give them her whole self, just like Flora does to me. By the way, I am giving her extra time with her mama (by themselves in a crate) to help her gain a little weight. She's not unhealthy at all, nor is she skinny; she just could use a little extra to hopefully help her catch up to some of her littermates. Ziggy (originally Lebkuchen) is a beautiful, strikingly marked pup with grayish eyes (the eye color may change, though.) She tends to hang to the back of the pack and stay inside their doghouse sometimes, rather than joining in the rambunctious activity outside, but she is friendly nonetheless once she comes over to see me. She likes to curl up and sleep quite a bit, but sometimes she surprises me - like yesterday, when she somehow managed to climb into a 5 gallon bucket which I had left in the pen, thinking the pups couldn't get into it. Of course, once she was in, she desperately wanted out, but she couldn't get out until I discovered her shortly afterwards and set her free. Little rascal! I doubt she'll try that again, even if I had left the bucket in the pen (which I did not.)
She is the stockiest of Flora's females and will be an exceptionally pretty dog.
2 Comments
Bompa
1/28/2022 04:22:58 pm
I like Kora the best. her attitude, the way she holds her tail, and the light brown markings on her head. Has that smart look.
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Donna Francke
3/10/2022 08:59:52 am
Do you have any puppies still available?
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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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