Showing posts with label pets. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pets. Show all posts
20 September 2010
02 September 2010
Puppies!!!
We have puppies!!!
Four beautiful little darlings, to be precise. They arrived in the wee hours of the morning yesterday, September 1st – right on schedule.
Mo had been acting a bit antsy during the afternoon, according to Nanny & the kids, but when I got home from work she seemed a bit more settled. We even took her out to the field after supper with Pigster and played out there for an hour. But as soon as we got settled for bed, it became apparent that she was in serious labour – and that I wasn’t going to get much sleep at all.
The kids were asleep by 9:30 and I had almost fallen asleep by 10:00 when MoMo woke me with barking and scuffling. I got up and let her out to pee, after which she jumped onto the kids’ bed and settled there. That lasted for all of about 3 minutes, then she was up and pacing back and forth from kitchen to bedroom, pawing in her crate, pawing in the whelping box, jumping on my bed and off, and about a half hour later barking again. That was the pattern for the next 2½ hours. Button slept through it all, but Mustang awoke around 10:30 and couldn’t settle again what with MoMo being so unsettled. So she kept me company with MoMo until half past midnight, at which point MoMo headed straight for the whelping box and settled down to push. We saw a puppy sac begin to emerge, so Mustang rushed over to wake Button and tell him the puppies were coming. That puppy went back in, though, and it actually took another hour before the puppy finally popped out. The others followed in short order and within an hour we had four little darlings.
However, an ultrasound in late July had shown 5, maybe 6 puppies developing or so the vet said, so we were expecting another two or at least one to arrive. But MoMo didn’t seem to know that. She settled in to nurse her pups and didn’t act at all like there was anything more happening. After an hour of waiting with nothing happening I sent the kids back to bed, promising to wake them should another puppy arrive, and sat down to keep watch By 5 am nothing had happened so I headed to bed myself. Nanny arrived at 7:15 and tried to sneak into the house (I’d posted a notice at the front door to alert her we were sleeping) but MoMo barked a bit which woke me. I went back to bed for another hour, but the kids got up to show Nanny the puppies.
After breakfast I called the vet and said I wasn’t sure whether to be concerned about the lack of puppy/ies #5 and possibly #6 or not, as MoMo didn’t seem to be labouring any more. They recommended coming in for another ultrasound to be sure, so just before noon – after having taken Mustang to the dentist and slept a bit more – we bundled the pupsters into a little basket and took them with MoMo to the vet’s office. The ultrasound revealed that no, there were no more puppies in there – so four it is!!
Four beautiful little darlings, to be precise. They arrived in the wee hours of the morning yesterday, September 1st – right on schedule.
Mo had been acting a bit antsy during the afternoon, according to Nanny & the kids, but when I got home from work she seemed a bit more settled. We even took her out to the field after supper with Pigster and played out there for an hour. But as soon as we got settled for bed, it became apparent that she was in serious labour – and that I wasn’t going to get much sleep at all.
The kids were asleep by 9:30 and I had almost fallen asleep by 10:00 when MoMo woke me with barking and scuffling. I got up and let her out to pee, after which she jumped onto the kids’ bed and settled there. That lasted for all of about 3 minutes, then she was up and pacing back and forth from kitchen to bedroom, pawing in her crate, pawing in the whelping box, jumping on my bed and off, and about a half hour later barking again. That was the pattern for the next 2½ hours. Button slept through it all, but Mustang awoke around 10:30 and couldn’t settle again what with MoMo being so unsettled. So she kept me company with MoMo until half past midnight, at which point MoMo headed straight for the whelping box and settled down to push. We saw a puppy sac begin to emerge, so Mustang rushed over to wake Button and tell him the puppies were coming. That puppy went back in, though, and it actually took another hour before the puppy finally popped out. The others followed in short order and within an hour we had four little darlings.
However, an ultrasound in late July had shown 5, maybe 6 puppies developing or so the vet said, so we were expecting another two or at least one to arrive. But MoMo didn’t seem to know that. She settled in to nurse her pups and didn’t act at all like there was anything more happening. After an hour of waiting with nothing happening I sent the kids back to bed, promising to wake them should another puppy arrive, and sat down to keep watch By 5 am nothing had happened so I headed to bed myself. Nanny arrived at 7:15 and tried to sneak into the house (I’d posted a notice at the front door to alert her we were sleeping) but MoMo barked a bit which woke me. I went back to bed for another hour, but the kids got up to show Nanny the puppies.
After breakfast I called the vet and said I wasn’t sure whether to be concerned about the lack of puppy/ies #5 and possibly #6 or not, as MoMo didn’t seem to be labouring any more. They recommended coming in for another ultrasound to be sure, so just before noon – after having taken Mustang to the dentist and slept a bit more – we bundled the pupsters into a little basket and took them with MoMo to the vet’s office. The ultrasound revealed that no, there were no more puppies in there – so four it is!!
Introducing:
Sapphire Sea Star
born at 1:48 a.m. – a lovely dark chocolate girl (the only girl of the litter) who came in weighing 175g.
born at 1:48 a.m. – a lovely dark chocolate girl (the only girl of the litter) who came in weighing 175g.
Zircon Ocean Spume
born at 2:01 a.m. – a lighter chocolate boy, weighing 230g.
born at 2:01 a.m. – a lighter chocolate boy, weighing 230g.
Carnelian High Tide
born at 2:34 a.m. – a cream-coloured fellow, who was a hefty 290g (Mo really had to push to get him out; I helped along a bit).
born at 2:34 a.m. – a cream-coloured fellow, who was a hefty 290g (Mo really had to push to get him out; I helped along a bit).
Jasper Jellyfish
born at 2:44 a.m. – a darker apricot-coloured guy who already seems to have the calmest personality of the lot, weighing in at a mere 174g.
born at 2:44 a.m. – a darker apricot-coloured guy who already seems to have the calmest personality of the lot, weighing in at a mere 174g.
Stay tuned for more pix as they grow and develop!!
05 July 2010
11 May 2010
A visit with Garnet
On the last Saturday in April we made a trip to city where Garnet lives, about an hour’s drive away. After our usual Saturday morning chores we hopped into the car, complete with a gift for Garnet (bought at Lovely’s training session the previous night), and set off. It was a great day – sunny, warm, relaxing. We arrived in time for lunch – my contribution being a lentil salad and a honeydew melon – and after tucking in for a bite, spent the afternoon having fun! Garnet’s family has a trampoline in the backyard which the kids played on most of the afternoon while Mama Garnet and I chatted about life, dogs, the nanny situation, and everything.
Garnet has grown a fair bit since we last saw her at the end of January, though she’s still a lot smaller than Lovely. Her family expressed some concern that she’s not growing faster. I think she might end up being a smaller dog at full growth, though she does still have a good six months more of growth coming. (I hope the slow weight gain is not related to the loss-of-weight spell she had when she was 2 months old. She seems now to be perfectly healthy now!)
It seems to me that Garnet has mellowed somewhat since small puppyhood. Just somewhat – she’s still quite lively and active, but didn’t seem quite so prone to bugging Lovely as when she was little. She and Lovely got on fairly well, except when Garnet tried to steal the ball Lovely was playing with! (Actually, they mostly ignored each other, but that’s an improvement from when Garnet would bug mama and Lovely would snap at her!)
Late in the afternoon we visited that city’s version of an off-leash dog park by the river, which was a first for all of us. It was quite pleasant and not nearly as crowded as the one we go to at home. Then we had a supper of barbecued hot dogs, chips, salad and fruit.
After supper we all headed off, in separate vehicles, to another town about halfway between our two cities where Mama Garnet had seen advertised that the African Children’s Choir would be performing. When we got there – just as the concert was about to start – we were both surprised at the small number of cars in the parking lot, thinking this concert would have a big draw factor. Once inside, it became apparent that we were victims of (somewhat) false advertising – it wasn’t THE African Children’s Choir, but the Canadian-African Children’s Choir from our home city. Still, we stayed to enjoy the music, which was quite good. As nine o’clock approached, however, and we less than halfway through the printed program, I decided we’d leave at the intermission as we were all getting tired and it was getting late! But as soon as I made that decision the organizers jumped to the last two items on the program, effectively cancelling intermission, so we stayed until the end of those two items. Before heading home we availed ourselves of the yummy snacks laid out in the church basement.
It was a long day but lots of fun, and so nice to visit Garnet (and her family of course!).
Garnet has grown a fair bit since we last saw her at the end of January, though she’s still a lot smaller than Lovely. Her family expressed some concern that she’s not growing faster. I think she might end up being a smaller dog at full growth, though she does still have a good six months more of growth coming. (I hope the slow weight gain is not related to the loss-of-weight spell she had when she was 2 months old. She seems now to be perfectly healthy now!)
It seems to me that Garnet has mellowed somewhat since small puppyhood. Just somewhat – she’s still quite lively and active, but didn’t seem quite so prone to bugging Lovely as when she was little. She and Lovely got on fairly well, except when Garnet tried to steal the ball Lovely was playing with! (Actually, they mostly ignored each other, but that’s an improvement from when Garnet would bug mama and Lovely would snap at her!)
Late in the afternoon we visited that city’s version of an off-leash dog park by the river, which was a first for all of us. It was quite pleasant and not nearly as crowded as the one we go to at home. Then we had a supper of barbecued hot dogs, chips, salad and fruit.
After supper we all headed off, in separate vehicles, to another town about halfway between our two cities where Mama Garnet had seen advertised that the African Children’s Choir would be performing. When we got there – just as the concert was about to start – we were both surprised at the small number of cars in the parking lot, thinking this concert would have a big draw factor. Once inside, it became apparent that we were victims of (somewhat) false advertising – it wasn’t THE African Children’s Choir, but the Canadian-African Children’s Choir from our home city. Still, we stayed to enjoy the music, which was quite good. As nine o’clock approached, however, and we less than halfway through the printed program, I decided we’d leave at the intermission as we were all getting tired and it was getting late! But as soon as I made that decision the organizers jumped to the last two items on the program, effectively cancelling intermission, so we stayed until the end of those two items. Before heading home we availed ourselves of the yummy snacks laid out in the church basement.
It was a long day but lots of fun, and so nice to visit Garnet (and her family of course!).
06 April 2010
November 2009
Sun 1 Nov: Kids & I attend the first of the season’s kids’ concerts. This series is targeted at young kids, ages 4-8, but Mustang (9 ½) still enjoys them.
Wed 4 Nov: Get a call from a fellow in the next province over; do we still have Diamond available? YES!!! He seems like a serious and very interested buyer. Call back, send over my questionnaire for prospective purchasers. Another visit to ophthalmologist; surgery booked for Dec 4th.
Fri 6 Nov: Review the completed questionnaire, call back & talk to the fellow. He’s actually buying as a gift for his girlfriend; yes she knows (or will) and wants a dog; she’s had her heart set on a Labradoodle but could only find breeders way out west. He came across my website from the ALAA links page and was very excited to see a breeder so close by (well, a four-hour drive, but that’s better than a five-hour flight!) with a puppy available. Can he come tomorrow to pick Diamond up? YES!!!
Volunteer at Villages in the evening. Laolao & Laoye and kids have been there since after school, preparing for the evening volunteer supper and helping out with whatever needs doing. It’s a bit too bad that Chuckles isn’t a coordinator anymore, in the sense that she had a good way of getting the young kids involved – she’d always find little jobs for them to do. This year, rather than cash I’m working at the Living Gifts table (where I can sit). The kids sometimes sit with me and work on their Christmas gifts for Laolao and Laoye. They’re knitting scarves (I can say this because Christmas is long past!!!), and it’s been going pretty slowly. Last fall we spent an hour or two every Saturday morning on our Christmas gift craft project, but this year there’s art on Saturday mornings so that doesn’t work. Other times just don’t seem to suit. So I’m hoping they can make some progress here at Villages sales. As they find the progress slow I get them to do four rows, then I do four (or six). That way they can see it growing faster and they each get a break. (After all, fingers can get sore.)
Sat 7 Nov: Head over to Villages after art to do some shopping and enjoy a borscht lunch. (Since we’re not working today we have to buy our lunch. That’s find; all tea room proceeds go to the Food Bank or another local charity.) In the afternoon we say goodbye to Diamond. It’s sad, but also a bit of a relief. Now just Garnet is left with us, and she has a home arranged with our friends, though she’ll be with us another few weeks.
Sun 8 Nov: I’m starting to work with the SS kids on the Christmas pageant. For the past few years I’ve been the assistant rather than director/organizer, which suits me fine. For this year, the director has chosen to do the sequel to the play we put on last year, which makes it easy. Generally I work on the script & staging with the kids while she rehearses the songs and does the overall coordination. Roles that suit us both.
Wed 11 Nov: Remembrance Day. I get the day off (so Nanny does too) but the kids have to go to school. Poor things. Laolao, Laoye & I go to the school for the morning assembly. Then home. Can’t remember what I spent the day doing.
Sat 14 Nov: Villages in the aft.
Fri 20 Nov: Villages in the evening.
Sun 22 Nov: Attend a dramatic reading of Jacob Two-Two and the Hooded Fang. I had expected a staged reading, but it was just a lady sitting in a chair reading. Well, not “just.” She had all the voices, drama and suspense. Very nicely done.
Wed 25 Nov: Say goodbye to Garnet at suppertime. The family’s birthdays are approaching so they come to pick her up, with son in tow. He is surprised, appears pleased. We are happy and sad at the same time. No more puppies. Wah. (No more pee and poop. Yay!) Garnet is close enough, we’ll be able to visit her from time to time.
Sat 28 Nov: Villages in the aft, and stay for pack-up. Then set up for a supper catered by WH – a fancy alternative to the pizza chow-down we have most years, or the restaurant visit or days gone by. Very yummy, very nice to sit & chat about the success of this year’s sales and the upcoming Christmas season. Kids & I leave early so’s to get to bed not too late. We miss the awards ceremony, at which they get an award for the youngest volunteers (or something like that).
Sun 29 Nov: First Advent (already!). Kids are keen to decorate; we haul out the boxes of Christmas supplies and go to town. No tree yet, but all the other trimmings.
Wed 4 Nov: Get a call from a fellow in the next province over; do we still have Diamond available? YES!!! He seems like a serious and very interested buyer. Call back, send over my questionnaire for prospective purchasers. Another visit to ophthalmologist; surgery booked for Dec 4th.
Fri 6 Nov: Review the completed questionnaire, call back & talk to the fellow. He’s actually buying as a gift for his girlfriend; yes she knows (or will) and wants a dog; she’s had her heart set on a Labradoodle but could only find breeders way out west. He came across my website from the ALAA links page and was very excited to see a breeder so close by (well, a four-hour drive, but that’s better than a five-hour flight!) with a puppy available. Can he come tomorrow to pick Diamond up? YES!!!
Volunteer at Villages in the evening. Laolao & Laoye and kids have been there since after school, preparing for the evening volunteer supper and helping out with whatever needs doing. It’s a bit too bad that Chuckles isn’t a coordinator anymore, in the sense that she had a good way of getting the young kids involved – she’d always find little jobs for them to do. This year, rather than cash I’m working at the Living Gifts table (where I can sit). The kids sometimes sit with me and work on their Christmas gifts for Laolao and Laoye. They’re knitting scarves (I can say this because Christmas is long past!!!), and it’s been going pretty slowly. Last fall we spent an hour or two every Saturday morning on our Christmas gift craft project, but this year there’s art on Saturday mornings so that doesn’t work. Other times just don’t seem to suit. So I’m hoping they can make some progress here at Villages sales. As they find the progress slow I get them to do four rows, then I do four (or six). That way they can see it growing faster and they each get a break. (After all, fingers can get sore.)
Sat 7 Nov: Head over to Villages after art to do some shopping and enjoy a borscht lunch. (Since we’re not working today we have to buy our lunch. That’s find; all tea room proceeds go to the Food Bank or another local charity.) In the afternoon we say goodbye to Diamond. It’s sad, but also a bit of a relief. Now just Garnet is left with us, and she has a home arranged with our friends, though she’ll be with us another few weeks.
Sun 8 Nov: I’m starting to work with the SS kids on the Christmas pageant. For the past few years I’ve been the assistant rather than director/organizer, which suits me fine. For this year, the director has chosen to do the sequel to the play we put on last year, which makes it easy. Generally I work on the script & staging with the kids while she rehearses the songs and does the overall coordination. Roles that suit us both.
Wed 11 Nov: Remembrance Day. I get the day off (so Nanny does too) but the kids have to go to school. Poor things. Laolao, Laoye & I go to the school for the morning assembly. Then home. Can’t remember what I spent the day doing.
Sat 14 Nov: Villages in the aft.
Fri 20 Nov: Villages in the evening.
Sun 22 Nov: Attend a dramatic reading of Jacob Two-Two and the Hooded Fang. I had expected a staged reading, but it was just a lady sitting in a chair reading. Well, not “just.” She had all the voices, drama and suspense. Very nicely done.
Wed 25 Nov: Say goodbye to Garnet at suppertime. The family’s birthdays are approaching so they come to pick her up, with son in tow. He is surprised, appears pleased. We are happy and sad at the same time. No more puppies. Wah. (No more pee and poop. Yay!) Garnet is close enough, we’ll be able to visit her from time to time.
Sat 28 Nov: Villages in the aft, and stay for pack-up. Then set up for a supper catered by WH – a fancy alternative to the pizza chow-down we have most years, or the restaurant visit or days gone by. Very yummy, very nice to sit & chat about the success of this year’s sales and the upcoming Christmas season. Kids & I leave early so’s to get to bed not too late. We miss the awards ceremony, at which they get an award for the youngest volunteers (or something like that).
Sun 29 Nov: First Advent (already!). Kids are keen to decorate; we haul out the boxes of Christmas supplies and go to town. No tree yet, but all the other trimmings.
19 September 2009
Puppy update
The pupsters are now a bit over six weeks old and turning into real little doggies! They had their first vet appointment today, for vaccinations, de-worming, and a general check-up, and did fairly well. No major upsets, though our little chicken-dog, Peridot, did get a bit shivery with fright.
They’re all between 1500g and 2kg now – hard to believe that a mere six weeks ago they were so small they could in my hand, whereas now they’re getting so you have to hoist a bit to pick them up in one hand and they are very, very wiggly! They are mostly weaned now, eating puppy chow two to three times a day, though they still attack Mama’s teats when they get a chance and are hungry. And attack it probably seems to Lovely, seeing as their teeth are growing in so that when they bite down you can really feel it!!
And their personalities are starting to show through:
Opal, our black boy, is fairly lively though not so much as Diamond. Boy, does that pup love to run! Out on the lawn, down the street he’ll go if given half the chance. Or scoot from puppy corner to front door if we so much as crack open the gate to let him out. He loves to chew on the puppy teething ring I picked up a few weeks ago.
They’re all between 1500g and 2kg now – hard to believe that a mere six weeks ago they were so small they could in my hand, whereas now they’re getting so you have to hoist a bit to pick them up in one hand and they are very, very wiggly! They are mostly weaned now, eating puppy chow two to three times a day, though they still attack Mama’s teats when they get a chance and are hungry. And attack it probably seems to Lovely, seeing as their teeth are growing in so that when they bite down you can really feel it!!
And their personalities are starting to show through: - Diamond is the big boisterous boy of the litter. The first-born and first at everything else: size, stamina, energy level, eagerness to play… He is the one to pounce on his litter-mates and start chewing ears and tails, at least until they pounce back or squeal at him to stop. Always hungry, he is first at the food dish and has been known to sneak into Mama’s food when he gets a chance.
- Peridot was second-born and she is about as opposite to Diamond as opposite can be! Shy and quiet, she’s the one to hide away in the crate when the others get to rowdy, though we have caught her giving a few pounces of her own from time to time. She was born the smallest and has remained so ever since, truly earning her nickname, Petite Princes Peridot. Shy at the food dish, I often give her a dish of her own so she doesn’t have to compete with her rowdy brothers and sister. She is always ready to give you a snuggle and a kiss!
- Garnet is the last-born. She is very much what I imagine her mother was like at that age- sleek fur just beginning to develop some soft waves, very snugly but not lacking in energy, sociable and active. She gives her brothers the run for their money in the pouncing department! She had a short stint as fattest dog of the pack, but Diamond figured that would never do (beat by a girl?!!?) and has out-eaten her ever since. Still, she’s growing well, as evidenced by her round little tummy!
You can read about the breed, Australian Labradoodles, on my breeder website: www.dragonramdoodles.com.
P.S. Anybody want to buy a puppy? Diamond and Opal are available.
18 September 2009
Holiday #1 - Sandbanks
Well, I thought I’d post a bit about what we’ve doing this summer (other than school-learning related activities!!)
This summer we stayed pretty close to home. Our first holiday, which began two days before school was out (owing to my work holiday schedule) was five days at Sandbanks Provincial Park. This is a very VERY popular park, and when I made the reservation back in late February, there were only about 3 or 4 sites available (and I had to modify out travelling dates by one day to get a site).
The kids and I, along with Lovely, drove down in our little PT Cruiser, but this time we didn’t have to pack along much of anything except our clothes, swimming gear, and a few books and toys, since Laolao and Laoye were driving from out west with their camper bus and we’d arranged for them to meet us at the campground.
We got there around 8:45pm, as dusk was settling. Laolao and Laoye had arrived a few hours earlier and were already set up in the campsite, a nice spot not too far from the beach. Although seeing as the closest beach wasn’t open to dogs, we ended up driving out to the dog beach most days.
I can see why this is a very popular place! Not only is it fairly close to a number of major cities, but more importantly it has great amenities and the beaches are fantastic. Being on a VERY large lake, we had almost ocean-like waved coming in to shore, and the shallow water extended way, way out into the lake, so the kids & dog could ride the waves and walk far far out before the water even reached their chests. The sand is magnificent, and one section of the beach has large dunes, small mountains practically, that we climbed up and down and explored. It was handy to have the car along with the bus, so we could drive to the far-away dog beach and the sand dunes, without having to move the big bus around.
The weather was quite good. Not particularly hot (not like one might expect in late June), and we had some rain, but the rain mostly fell at night and being in the bus, it didn’t affect us much at all.
The bus has sleeping capacity for 4, so one of the kids (and Lovely!) slept on the floor while the other slept with me (they took turns!). Given that it was a bit crowded inside, we mostly ate outside, and rigged up a bit of a tarp to keep the picnic table dry.
About all we did was play on the beach, sleep, eat, play some more, have ice cream, swim and play and sleep. It was great!!!
On the way home, we parked the bus at a church parking lot in a small town a few hours’ drive from home, and all climbed into the car for the rest of the trip, because in just five days we’d be coming back this way for our second summer jaunt.
This summer we stayed pretty close to home. Our first holiday, which began two days before school was out (owing to my work holiday schedule) was five days at Sandbanks Provincial Park. This is a very VERY popular park, and when I made the reservation back in late February, there were only about 3 or 4 sites available (and I had to modify out travelling dates by one day to get a site).
The kids and I, along with Lovely, drove down in our little PT Cruiser, but this time we didn’t have to pack along much of anything except our clothes, swimming gear, and a few books and toys, since Laolao and Laoye were driving from out west with their camper bus and we’d arranged for them to meet us at the campground.We got there around 8:45pm, as dusk was settling. Laolao and Laoye had arrived a few hours earlier and were already set up in the campsite, a nice spot not too far from the beach. Although seeing as the closest beach wasn’t open to dogs, we ended up driving out to the dog beach most days.
I can see why this is a very popular place! Not only is it fairly close to a number of major cities, but more importantly it has great amenities and the beaches are fantastic. Being on a VERY large lake, we had almost ocean-like waved coming in to shore, and the shallow water extended way, way out into the lake, so the kids & dog could ride the waves and walk far far out before the water even reached their chests. The sand is magnificent, and one section of the beach has large dunes, small mountains practically, that we climbed up and down and explored. It was handy to have the car along with the bus, so we could drive to the far-away dog beach and the sand dunes, without having to move the big bus around.The weather was quite good. Not particularly hot (not like one might expect in late June), and we had some rain, but the rain mostly fell at night and being in the bus, it didn’t affect us much at all.
The bus has sleeping capacity for 4, so one of the kids (and Lovely!) slept on the floor while the other slept with me (they took turns!). Given that it was a bit crowded inside, we mostly ate outside, and rigged up a bit of a tarp to keep the picnic table dry.About all we did was play on the beach, sleep, eat, play some more, have ice cream, swim and play and sleep. It was great!!!
On the way home, we parked the bus at a church parking lot in a small town a few hours’ drive from home, and all climbed into the car for the rest of the trip, because in just five days we’d be coming back this way for our second summer jaunt.
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