Weaning Puppies Onto Raw

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Luke enjoying his first solid meal.

Luke enjoying his first solid meal.

Tula’s pups have been nibbling at her dinner the last few days, so we decided it was high time to wean them. I tend to feel less of a rush for weaning when I’m dealing with a mom like Tula, who has remained fat and happy throughout this entire litter. Her kids are both chubby and healthy, and Tula is still flowing with milk. Still, all good things come to end, and it’s time for Luke and Leah* to start eating solid food.

In the ‘old days’, I weaned onto rice pablum mixed with goat’s milk, eventually adding in some raw meat. The last few litters, however, I’ve gone straight to raw and the pups seem to just love it.

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A great big photo update

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Mouth wars! Pammy and Delilah

Mouth wars! Pammy and Delilah

Sean and I have been busy passing the flu back and forth. I got it at work, then gave it to Sean, and he somehow managed to give it back to me again. He said it’s because he’s all about sharing. Awww… generosity. Apparently it’s over rated.

About the only useful thing I’ve managed to get done in a week is a mammoth photo update. Oh, I also shot some video – but it’s still sitting on my hard drive, waiting to be crafted into an actual video. Not gonna happen tonight, that’s for sure. I’m off to bed with a cup of tea and a heaping dose of Nyquil Cold and Flu.

Photosets below the cut, or on Flickr as follows –

ALL of the pups enjoying playtime

Delilah’s pups at six weeks

Tula’s Pups at one month

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Faithful Dogs Waits For Family At Accident Scene

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Ella waited for her family at the scene of their car accident for 13 days.

The ‘faithful dog story’ is a (lucrative) Hollywood staple. This winter in theatres we’ll be able to watch “Hachiko: A Dog’s Story”, starring Richard Gere, and based on the apocryphical Japanese tale of the Akita who returns every day to the train station where he waits for his deceased master.

In a real life story that even Hollywood couldn’t rival, a dog named Ella held a solitary vigil at the crash site where she last saw her human family. As the article puts it, “For thirteen days, Ella waited”.

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Help the Missouri Fight Bust Dogs

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Missouri Dog Fight Bust Pit Bulls

Unlike some agencies that solicit for funds to ‘help fighting dogs’, this charity really is going to use your donations for the daily care and well being the dogs seized in the Missouri fight bust.

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Thinking with your head instead of your heart

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Pickle with her red ball (Leah in the background)

Pickle with her red ball (Leah in the background)

I’ve been a bit down all weekend.

As time progressing, it’s becoming clearer and clearer to me that Pickle isn’t shaping up to be a show prospect. Aside from the fact that she still hasn’t quite caught up from her self imposed fasting, her front isn’t perfect and her head is a little plainer than I’d like. All of this is forgotten, of course, when she jumps up into my arms and insists on kisses, preferably right at face level, or when she falls asleep on my shoulder, curled into the line of my jaw.

When I can be impartial – or when I borrow the impartial eyes of friends – I know she’s not what I need to keep from this breeding. Her brother is simply stunning – big and bully and heavy boned, with jaw dropping movement and attitude to spare. Her other two sisters have gorgeous head pieces, dead straight fronts with deep chests, and strong rears. Pickle just can’t compete, other than in terms of personality, which she has to spare.

Being a breeder is all about progress – picking the best of our litters, the puppies that have what we need, complement what we have already and help us to move forward with improving our lines. Breeders are supposed to think with their heads first, their hearts second – but oh, that certainly doesn’t make it any easier.

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