Hello Puppy People! A few of you have questioned me about the second deposit I mentioned earlier. Well, sitting down and actually getting the invoices sent has been one of those back burner things. Finally got them sent off today though so keep an eye out for them in your in-boxes. The deposits go toward cropping which has been scheduled. If the pups had been born just one day earlier, I probably could have gotten them to you in time for Thanksgiving but as it turns out the pups, the rest of the crew and I will be feasting together. We may or may not have leftovers. Our cropping date is set for November 29th and these darlin' Dobermans will be ready to join their new families the following day. I hope everyone is actively preparing for what will be some active additions to the family. With that said, they are becoming more active by the day. Poor Majestic is no longer sight unseen and it seems it's a tackle for the goods when she steps in the box. The pups are starting to walk.... still pretty feeble attempts but they're trying. Brown boy was the first noticed to get up on all fours and actually walk. Blue is turning into a dog already and has learned how to bark! I've had some long and busy days lately but take some time each day to touch and handle the babes. Now that their eyes are open, I cuddle them up and look 'em straight in the eye. From there I move to their nose and then their cheek where they receive kisses and whispers of sweet nothings into the ear. In essence I breath love and gentleness into them and they breathe sweet puppy breath back in return. And I'm in heaven! I've begun to wrap up each session by placing the pups on their backs on my lap and scratch or massage them until they relax. Red seems to have calmed and was actually one of the quickest pups to relax today. Blue let me know what he thought about things at the completion of his session by offering up an endearing rolling bark! There's something else I noticed about Blue... something unique and something I happen to like. Blue has a very small ridge of white located smack in the center of his chest dividing his rust markings into two perfect halves. He's the first Doberman I've had with a white mark on it's chest but in readings it's not uncommon. It's also not a fault in the show ring as far as AKC is concerned as long as it doesn't exceed a half inch in size. Blue's mark is very small, very unique and truly just a ridge of color. It will be interesting to see how evident it is as he matures. Well, I guess that's about it for now. The pictures below are just a few I snapped last night before retiring for the evening -lulled to sleep by the sweet and gentle hum of a pack of pups. Not exactly what I anticipated but I've learned over the years to go with the flow. The flow for me almost always centers around work it seems. And plans are made simply to be broken. Today I had the only tree that Matthew put a hurtin' on taken down. Dead for some time it finally began to snap at the base held in place by a large branch of a neighboring oak. Added to the pile was the last remaining water oak. And I burned. And burned and burned and burned! Things are still smoldering away as I write this and I'm hoping to find nothing more than a pile of ash in the morning. It's doubtful, highly unlikely actually, but there's hope. I'll be happy, ecstatic in fact, if I can lift that which remains unburned so I can pile it up, stoke it up and be done with it by this time tomorrow. I had helpers. The dogs provided the moral support I always rely on. One at a time they came out ready for the challenge. Mid way through the day, I decided I might as well get the camera. My thought... they're not puppies... but they're something. They're basically my everything and they are Dobermans. Jess even came out for an evening jaunt with me. She wasn't real excited however to be out by the burn pit. Too far away from her pups I think. So.. we took a much appreciated break from our duties and simply sat, took in a breath of fresh air and enjoyed the rest. When we returned to the pup den I flipped on the light and immediately noticed something different. One of them appeared to be looking around. I took a closer look and and low and behold I saw eyes!!! My highlight of the day!!! Awareness!!! Big changes -huge changes come with the opening of the eyes. From here on out the pups change rapidly and are a joy to watch. The development of personality begins to form! They become fun! Below are a few scenes of the day. Remedy and Skye, the fire and a slight hint of some eyes just beginning to open. Well, I guess it's safe to say your pups survived their first Hurricane. Although I do love the beaches I'm feeling pretty good about living inland tonight -and grateful we didn't suffer any damage. It did get pretty windy and the trees were swaying a good bit but they remain standing. I'm amazed and thrilled we didn't loose power!
Looks like our state was pretty lucky in general. I cancelled cable some years back and since have relied on the internet to keep abreast of what's going on. It's times like these I find myself missing the TV but between Facebook and the headlines on my homepage I keep fairly well up to date on what ever interests me. It appears much of our state was spared the full wrath of Matthew but it looks like my favorite little town of St Augustine took a pretty bad hit. Sad to see. Haven't heard much or researched how the towns north of St A's fared. Tomorrow's another day. Thanks for checking in Joe and Ellie. I'm glad to hear the storm didn't cause you any grief. I was worried about you. A few people and pups from previous litters checked in with me... Received thanks from Niko's mom in a comment on Facebook for making the pups storm proof! Angela's Niko, pictured on the bottom claims his side of the couch. Sally Beth's Harmony, who had to evacuate, is pictured at the top. And in the center,, Jana and Stefan's Diesel is seen in his little sisters bed, resting up and conserving energy so he can properly greet their incoming evacuee's. None of them look particularly worried... or spoiled.
The lights are flickering and had a quick black out but so far no actual power losses. Did a quick walk around outside and found all is well. Getting rather gusty at the moment so I'm posting before things fall apart. Hope everyone is faring as well!!!
Figured I better check in before I loose it! Power that is. I've been busy preparing for the storm and all that it entails. While I'm pretty far inland it appears we're still to expect tropical storm force winds beginning around 8 am tomorrow. I figure it's better to be overly prepared than under. I realized today something I've known for some time now... I've got too much stuff! Time to get rid of anything and everything I don't need! I've been trying to simplify and have gotten to the point that clutter drives me bonkers. Moving stuff around in order to accommodate things that really don't fit isn't any fun. But then we don't have a hurricane every day either.
I don't really expect any major issues here, just inconveniences. The house is block and two story. The dogs and I live on the 1st which gives me some peace of mind, It's nice to know we have a buffer in the event one of the numerous trees we've got decides to give up on life and come crashing down on us. The other main concern is loss of power due to the blasted trees here as well as all around the general area. Since we're on a well, no power also means no water. No water and lots of animals needing it isn't a good scenario. And unfortunately they predict if, or most likely when, we loose it it may be an extended period before it's restored. Yesterday I took the time to empty, clean and refill my jacuzzi. That gives me 450 gallons to work with for the horses. I also filled a bunch of storage bins that can be used for cleaning etc and the dogs and I will drink bottled once their rather large outdoor pails run dry. My concerns seem trivial when I consider the concerns many of you must be feeling. Looking at the list over half of you waiting for a pup reside on the east coast. I realize for some of you, this hurricane could be a life changing event. Hopefully most are far enough inland to escape too much damage but listening to the reports is not very reassuring. If any of you recall, we discussed a second deposit would be due when the pups were born which would secure your position for selection. Generally I would have sent the invoices out by now but on top of getting myself prepared for the storm, I wanted to wait and see what Matthew did and what the storm might mean for each of you. If any of you find yourselves needing to hold off on a pup due to circumstances I will certainly understand but please let me know if that will be the case as soon as possible. As it stands I have one available female as her depositor has had an unexpected situation develop and called to see about transferring deposit to a pup from Remedy's spring litter. I take deposits for a reason of course but first and foremost the pups are my main concern. I want them to get off on the right foot. Anyway..... as far as the pups go, they're doing great! I weighed them all today and will post their weights next. Typically, I do a weigh in at about day three but I can tell just by looking at the litter that no one is falling behind. The girls are smaller than the boys but each has grown rapidly. According to DPCA regarding growth, pups should essentially double their weight over the course of their first week and that's pretty close to what we've got. I'll try and get some fresh photos of them tonight. If not tonight, I expect to be stuck inside tomorrow allowing me lots of time with the camera. Whether or not I'll have power to upload is questionable... but I'll have the photos regardless. I wish all of you the best and hope you fare well over the course of the next few days! Good Morning! Hope this note finds everyone in good spirits. The pups are growing like crazy and putting on some puppy fat! They're also actively scooting around the box and attempting at times to get some lift. Red Collar, pretty much from day one told me he was the firecracker of the litter! Yesterday he officially claimed that title. I always have one that jumps out at me. The one who brings himself or herself to the forefront to be noticed. Generally it's not obvious so soon but so far he holds the title. He's an overly eager eater, gets around with ease and loves his momma! Yesterday we had our first group outing, a visit to the Vet, and the exclamation by the Tech in her attempt to hold on to his wiggly little body told me I was right. So, yesterday was a day of travel for us... First a trip to Wildwood to have Remedy's hips and elbows filmed for her O.F.A. The Doctors estimate: good to excellent but the actual certification won't be known for a couple weeks. Naturally I'm hoping for excellent... not that it really matters. A certification is a certification. My second outing entailed tails and we came home eight tails short. Or maybe that should read with eight short tails. The pups tolerated the procedure well, fighting the act, as is always the case, of being held down more than the actual procedure itself. Majestic came along for the ride and all memory of tails seemed to be forgotten as each set to nursing once done. Majestic continues to be a fine mom... she's seasoned now and it's evident. As I typically learn a few things with each passing litter, so it seems does she. I guess that's about it for now in the land of pups and Dobermans... We're hoping mother nature doesn't come and wreak havoc for us and our fellow Floridians. The photos below are a compilation of my view over the past few days. I'm enjoying the babies, the sights and sounds and the company. |
Author GMBD's Archives
December 2016
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