The Purdey and Diggor Puppy Blog

5 Girls and 1 Boy  - Born April 8, 2011

"Purdey"	"Diggor"

Sire:  CH Rowansgaard Diggory Venn CD MH NA NAJ WCX ** "Diggor"

Dam:  Gamekeepers Side By Side  "Purdey"

Pedigree:  Purdey and Diggor Puppies

Sunday, June 19, 2011:  Well, it has been a whirlwind of activity around here since my last update.  Sandy lost her beloved girl Skye on May 31st, so I jumped in my car and drove Marlowe to Illinois so Sandy could have a puppy to love to help her with her grief.  As bonus to the trip, I was also able to deliver Zinny to the Buntrock's so they would not have to wait until I returned from Maryland to come to Ohio for her.  The day after I returned from Illinois, I packed and left for Maryland for the FCRSA National.  It was a wonderful trip, good friends, good dogs, HOT HOT HOT weather!!  Ellie (Miss Yellow) went home the day after I returned and is now loving life in Texas with the Jones'.

Sandy Muer with Marlowe (Miss Rainbow)	Gordon and Kathy Buntrock with Zinny (Miss Pink)
Cecil and Melinda Jones with Ellie (Miss Yellow)

The biggest surprise of all is that Mr.Blue is still here!!  A series of events made me decide that it would be best if he stayed here with me and the little fellow has firmly rooted himself into my heart.  Clearly he inherited his Grandmother Charm's bequiling ways so Mr. Blue is now known as Prince Charming.  So the little ones have all gone onto their new lives and the house is much quieter here.  We wish you all long, full, loving lives.

Monday, May 30, 2011:  Beth Garland was here last week and we had a great visit.  She brought Diggor and Pilot for some field training with Mitch and to visit the puppies.  Diggor was fairly unimpressed with his offspring, but he definitely remembered Purdey and thought perhaps he was back for another romantic tryst.  Purdey set him straight on that score right away though!  I did get this lovely photo of the happy couple by the Siberian Iris the day before Beth headed back to Virginia with the boys.

The time has come for the puppies to begin their lives with their new families.  On Sunday, Miss Purple, now known as Ellie, went to Michigan to live with her new family Geoff Denstaedt and Kristen Cable.  Erica Bergman, her son Justin and her mother Wilda, came out to the farm on Sunday as well and spent the day with the pups.  This morning, after a hearty pancake breakfast cooked up by Chef Mitch, the Bergman family left for New Jersey with Miss Scarlett.  Justin has decided that her name will be Jenny.  We wish you well little ones!

Thursday, May 26, 2011:  Sorry I have been remiss in posting any updates lately, the puppies are doing wonderfully and have grown into lovely, lively imps.  Unfortunately, we have had some other very sad news here lately that has kept me away from the computer.  The puppies Grandma Binti has been ill and she passed away yesterday.  She was 11 1/2 years old and was still training in the field everyday.  Just three weeks ago, Mitch, Linda and I were discussing where to run her in Master in June.  However, two weeks ago, she slowed down and a vet check revealed a large tumor on her spleen.  We removed her spleen, but unfortunately she did not respond to further treatment and went into a decline.  Yesterday we knew it was time to send her on her way.

Wynflat's Binti Wa Amani RN SH WCX

 October 15, 1999  - May 25, 2011

We will miss you dearly little girl!

We did have a chance to do some bird testing with the pups and they all loved the pigeons.  Mitch spent some time with me and we debated who should go where and we think we have it pretty well sorted out.  The first puppies will leave for their new lives over Memorial Day weekend.  Stay tuned for photos of the pups with their new owners.

Tuesday, May 17, 2011:  The puppies had a wonderful full weekend.  They had their first baths.  They graduated from rick-rack and got their "big dog" puppy collars.  And they had lots and lots and lots of visitors!

Sandy Muer arrived from Wheaton, IL late, late, late Thursday night.  On Friday, Frances Powrie arrived from Texas.  Linda Lowy picked Frances up from the airport and brought her to the farm.  The girls helped me weigh and worm them  on Friday night.  The results from their 5 week weigh in are...

Miss Pink - 6 lbs. 12 oz.

Miss Yellow - 7 lbs. 2 oz.

Miss Purple - 6 lbs. 6 oz.

Miss Rainbow - 7 lbs. 8 oz.

Mr. Blue - 8 lbs. 3 oz.

Miss Scarlett - 7 lbs. 4 oz.

Saturday morning it was time to get cleaned up so that we could be presentable for the rest of our visitors.  Here are some photos from our first bath.  Aren't we cute?  Miss Purple thought the water was a drinking fountain and she kept sticking her nose under the stream of water.

Saturday afternoon and also on Sunday, the rest of the visitors started arriving.  Susan Waterfall and Greta Ode came over (they also spent the night Saturday night.  It was quite a slumber party!).  Also visiting were Gordon and Kathy Buntrock from Illinois; Geoff Denstaedt and Kristen Cable from Michigan; and Ed Zawodny and Deanna German came down from up by Toledo.  Linda O'Leary also came over.  This was the first time Linda O. has been able to get back to visit since they were born.  She was amazed at how much they had grown!  Some how Greta, Susan and Linda Lowy managed to avoid getting their pictures taken but here are some photos of the pups with the rest of the gang...

Monday, May 9, 2011:  The weather was so nice that I was able to set up the outdoor puppy palace on Sunday.  The puppies have really enjoyed being able to romp and play in the grass.  Here is hoping for several more days of sunshine for them to enjoy!

Saturday, May 7, 2011:  We finally have a sunny, warm day here so the puppies got to go on their first outside adventure!  Joey Laughery, our kennel helper/bird boy, his sister Casey and their friend Troy were over working in the  kennel and yard today.  Their first assignment was to  help socialize the pups and play outdoors with them.  Rough job, huh?!  Everyone had a wonderful time. 

All of the pups were happy to explore their new surroundings.  No one was shy or worried about being in the big, wide world.  Their Mommy and their Auntie Remie played outside with us as well.  Mommy has decided that she has had enough of their sharp teeth so she spent most of her time exploring in the gardens, while Auntie Remie took over the babysitting chores.  Remie has been dying to play with the little ones, so she was in seventh heaven!

The pups had their 4 week old weigh in on Friday and here are the results...

Miss Pink - 5 lbs. 5 oz.

Miss Yellow - 5 lbs. 9 oz.

Miss Purple - 5 lbs. 4 oz.

Miss Rainbow - 5 lbs. 12 oz.

Mr. Blue - 6 lbs. 6 oz.

Miss Scarlett - 5 lbs. 9 oz.

The puppies are eating puppy kibble three times a day now.  They are very playful.  They wrestle each other, carry around their puppy toys and climb over and through their little PVC pipe tunnel.  I am going to have to try and find a bigger one of those for them soon.

Here are some more photos of their big adventure - ENJOY!

Monday, May 2, 2011:  More visitors came by to play with the puppies on Sunday.  We had visits from Sheree Farber, Deb Abbott, Sammy Coons and Laurie Beard.  They were here training with Mitch and could not resist the draw of the puppy room.  Purdey decided that she needed some cuddling too, so she climbed into Momma's lap for some love while her babies were occupied.

Saturday, April 30, 2011:  Whew....it has been a really, really busy week.  Training is in full swing back in Ohio now, which brings many comings and goings around here.  The training group comes over, clients have been dropping dogs off for the training season, private lesson students have been coming by for lessons and best of all Joey Laughery, our terrific young kennel helper/bird boy, is back on the payroll along with his sister Casey Laughery. 

On Tuesday, while Joey was out throwing birds for the young dogs with Mitch, Casey helped me set up the puppies in their large play room.  The little ones had begun escaping from the whelping box in waves so it was time to move them to bigger surroundings as Purdey and I were tired of putting them back in the box.  The pups now have a spacious play area in our family room with blankies and beds to sleep on, tile flooring, a crate to climb into, a PVC pipe to crawl through, toys to play with and a potty pan for puppy messes.  Purdey supervised the move closely and was happy to settle down and nurse when all the pups were placed in the new pen.

The pups have gotten so large that they are having a hard time competing for seats at the "bar".  Miss Yellow could not find a way to squeeze in so she came up with a creative solution.  She crawled up over Purdey's back and nursed laying across her mother.  It was so cute watching her try to fight her way in and then problem solve and find a way to get a meal.

On Thursday, I decided it was time for them to start eating puppy food to supplement their mothers milk and begin the gradual weaning process.  The puppy's meal consists of ground up Purina Pro Plan Puppy Formula mixed with warm water and a couple of dollops of plain yogurt.  Miss Purple was the first puppy to figure out it was chow time and she LOVED it!!  At one point, she was laying completely across the pan lapping up food.  Miss Scarlett, Miss Rainbow and Miss Pink were hot on her heels and dove in pretty quickly as well.  Mr. Blue and Miss Yellow were more interested in what I was doing at first, but once I stuck a bit of food on my finger for them to lick, they too began eating with gusto!!  Now, they come scampering when I enter the room, bang the pan and call "Here Puppies, Here Puppies" to get them to their meal.

Everyone who visits spends time snuggling and playing with the pups.  Susan Waterfall was back on Friday night with Nic and Uncle Nic got to visit them for the first time.  He was absolutely fascinated by them and he gave them gifts.  You see, Nic is becoming quite the Agility star and he has won a whole bunch of fleecy toys so he brought his nieces and nephew each a fleecy of their own from his agility prize booty.  Judy Terchek and her son Joe, along with Dan and Courtni Webb paid visits to the pups today and tomorrow the pups will be getting visits from Deb Abbott and Sheree Farber.

Tonight's agenda...toe nail trim and 2nd dose of puppy wormer - Whoopie!

Sunday, April 24, 2011:  Happy Easter!  The pups eyes are open and they are very aware of our surroundings.  They are starting to play with each other and they sit up and try to toddle over to the side of the box when they hear visitors come by the box.  The puppies have also discovered that there is a whole big room outside of their box.  Miss Scarlett was the first one to figure out how to break jail and go over the wall.  She was not quite sure what to do with herself on the outside though.  She was happy to be returned to her box and hang out with her sisters and her brother.

Yesterday, Linda Schmidt came over and visited the pups.  She helped me give them their first dose of puppy wormer.  The pups thought it tasted good!  Tomorrow they are having another visitor.  Linda Lowy is back from vacationing with her daughter's family and will be coming over to pick up Uncle Valor who has been staying with us while she was gone.  I can't wait for her to see them.  She will be surprised by how big they have grown.  If anyone else wants to come and pay the pups a visit, please let me know.  They would be happy to meet new playmates.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011:  It has been a very busy 8 days for the pups since their last blog update.  They have been busy sleeping, eating and growing, Growing, GROWING!!!  Look how big they are now...

Here are the results from this mornings weigh in:

Miss Pink - 2 lbs. 8 oz.

Miss Yellow - 2 lbs. 8 oz.

Miss Purple - 2 lbs. 6 oz.

Miss Rainbow - 2 lbs. 8 oz.

Mr. Blue - Weight 3 lbs.!!

Miss Scarlett - 2 lbs. 10 oz.

As you can tell, the puppies are all pretty uniform in their sizes.  I noticed this morning that all of their little eyes are starting to open.  This means they will all be up and playing before you know it and now I really need to start watching out for the first jail breaker from their puppy box.  Once they start escaping on a regular basis, I will set up their big puppy pen and move them out to the family room area.

The weekend brought a lot of excitement as Mitch finally returned home from winter training and got to meet them.  He brought Clint and Sherie Catledge with him and they got to visit with the pups as well.  Mitch, Clint and Sherie all had dogs entered in the Ohio Valley Hunt Test on Friday/Saturday/Sunday.  The puppies' Grandma Charm ran a great Master Test on Friday and Qualified, putting her one step closer to getting to the Master National in the Fall.

Susan Waterfall paid the pups a visit on Saturday and I got some great photos of them while we were doing their weigh in and changing their ribbons.  On their schedule for today, Mitch will be helping me with their toenail trim.  Those little nails have gotten quite sharp.  Time to nip them off a bit.

Monday, April 11, 2011:  It was a big morning for the little ones.  After a hardy breakfast at their favorite breakfast bar, we loaded them up into their travel container, put them in Linda O'Leary's van and headed over to the The Animal Medical & Surgical Center of Coshocton to visit Dr. Cathy Darr for a checkup and dew claw removal.  Purdey was a bit stressed at being separated from them but was handling the ride just fine until at the end of the trip when they were fussy and looking for another meal.  Mom was very impatient to be reunited with them and she laid right down to nurse when we got into an exam room.

The puppies were the hit of the office and most of the staff found an excuse to either come into our room or assist with the dew claw removal so they could have the opportunity to cuddle a pup.  Purdey was very proud to show them off and happy to let the strangers handle her young ones.  The pups were not in the least stressed by their procedure.  Doc uses a laser and it is quick and almost painless for them.  You can hardly tell they ever had that extra little toe nail now.  Doc thought all of the puppies looked just lovely and she was very pleased with Purdey's condition and weight.  Purdey weighed in at 59 lbs.  Not quite back to her svelte pre-puppy figure, but she definitely has a waistline again.

After all the excitement, we loaded the pups up in Linda Lowy's truck (she met us at Doc's) and we made the long drive home.  Mommy and puppies were worn out and slept the whole way.  When we returned home, I quickly cleaned their puppy box and settled every one back down for a nice lunch and a long nap.  Miss Purple found a comfy place to sleep nestled in Mommy's tail.

Sunday, April 10, 2011:  Linda O'Leary left for home this afternoon.  I am so grateful to have had her here to help out for a few days.  There is always so much to do at the farm and the extra pair of hands really came in handy while I was taking care of Purdey and the babies.  I know Ace, Remie, Commander and Chili were particularly appreciative of the time and attention she gave them each day.  Linda will be back in the morning to pick us all up for the puppies first big outing - a trip to the vet!!  Dr. Darr will be checking them all over and removing their dew claws during their appointment.  I am sure she will be pleased with this healthy bunch.  All the pups are over a pound each now!

Purdey is feeling a little less clingy with her pups today and taking yet another page out of Mother Charm's book, decided it was time to go out into the yard and retrieve a bit.  I think she really enjoyed stretching her legs, but she was very happy to race back in and count all her pups to make sure they were all still in the box and doing OK.

Saturday, April 9, 2011:  The puppies are thriving!  Everyone has gained weight and they are all eating well.  Purdey is a thoroughly spoiled and pampered Mommy.  She gets her meals sprinkled with cheddar cheese shreds and a few cubes of ham.  First thing each morning there is a dollop of greek yogurt on top of breakfast - YUM.  But she deserves it, she is taking excellent care of her babies.  At this point, they don't do much be sleep and eat, but we are enjoying every minute of it anyway.

Friday, April 8, 2011:  The real fun began about 1:30 am.  Purdey had clearly entered into the final stages of labor, so I woke up Linda O'Leary and told her it was go time.  She was sleeping in the bottom bunk in one of our guest rooms and she sat up so quick I thought she was going to whack her head!!  At 2:13 am, Purdey presented us with our first puppy.  A GIRL!!!  Hooray, Hooray, Hooray...the power of the "Think Pink" movement proved strong and we broke are recent streak of only having boys.  Welcome to the world Miss Pink.  A mere 9 minutes later, out came pup number two...another GIRL!!  We dubbed her Miss Yellow.  At 3:08, girl-pup number 3 was born and promptly assigned the purple rickrack.  Hello Miss Purple.   OK, now we need to think BLUE!!  I could really use a few boys after all.  Half an hour later and pup number 4 was on the ground...yep, a GIRL...this is getting laughable now.  We call her Miss Rainbow.

Finally, a boy arrives!  Pup number 5 is Mr. Blue.  Followed 20 minutes later by another sister, Miss Scarlett (really Miss Red, but we are going to call her Miss Scarlett in honor of June and Paul's beloved Scarlett who passed away on Monday at 12 years of age). 

Purdey sure made up for her mother Charm in the girl-pup department.  This is all kind of funny to me because Charm is such a Tomboy and Purdey is a real Girly-Girl.  I know it is the boy that determines the sex, but sometimes you really gotta wonder what goes on inside of Mom<G>.

The final line up is:

Miss Pink - Born at 2:13 AM - Weight 14.9 oz.

Miss Yellow - Born at 2:22 AM - Weight 15.1 oz.

Miss Purple - Born at 3:08 AM - Weight 14.5 oz.

Miss Rainbow - Born at 3:36 AM - Weight 15.1 oz.

Mr. Blue - Born at 4:00 AM - Weight 1 lb.

Miss Scarlett - Born at 4:20 AM - Weight 1 lb.

Linda and I got everyone cleaned up, gave a thirsty and tired Purdey some water and we got to bed about 5:30 AM for what little sleep we could grab.  We were back up and at it at 8:00 AM.

Welcome to the puppy room!

Thursday, April 7, 2011 - 4:00 pm:  I did not want to get too excited earlier this morning but at this point I feel pretty confident in saying that Purdey is in early labor.  She started nesting around 2:00 pm and seems to be taking a page out of her mother's book, by deciding she should have the pups in her crate in our bedroom.  I have been busying myself by making sure that the puppy room is all ready and the supplies are out and with in reach of the box.  Linda O'Leary is on her way over and is going to keep me company, take care of Ace, Remie, Chili and Commander and lend a hand if needed when the pups are arriving.  I think it is going to be a long night.  Unlike her mother, I don't think Purdey is going to do us the courtesy of having them in the middle of the day.  I suspect it will be a long night.  Even if she waits until tomorrow, I will be sleeping in the puppy room with one eye open all night tonight for sure!

Thursday, April 7, 2011 - 8:30 am:   Purdey and I went to The Animal Medical & Surgical Center of Coshocton and visited with the fabulous Dr. Cathy Darr on Monday.  Purdey weighed in at 66 pounds!!  Quite a bit up from her normal weight of 53 pounds, but Doc says she is in great shape and looking good for the big day.  We took an x-ray and the film revealed 6 pups.  I am so pleased with this as I felt this might be a smaller litter (3 - 5) so 6 feels like we are going to have a bonus pup!

I think we are getting closer to the big day as this morning Purdey refused to eat her breakfast and she is napping almost constantly.  She seems to want to go into our upstairs bathroom and "den" as it gets quite dark in there so I am letting her do as she pleases.  Normally she is right by my side or at my feet so another change in her behavior indicating that Mother Nature is talking to her.  I won't be at all surprised if the pups put in an appearance well before Sunday.

Sunday, April 3, 2011:   Purdey looks like she swallowed a watermelon!  She is hungry all the time, but still wants to retrieve every day just like her mother Charm did when she was pregnant.  As you can see, it is not easy to find a comfortable position to lay in the sun, but Purdey was finally successful and took a nice nap.  Her naps are getting more frequent these days.  I will be taking her to the vet next week for a final check and x-ray before the due date.  I will post about the visit when it is over and keep you informed as things progress throughout the week.  Expect babies pictures sometime next weekend!