DANI'S 2008 PUPPY JOURNAL DANI & MOOSE LITTER BORN JUNE 21st, 2008 Click here to see parents Click on any thumbnail below for a larger image MY LAST PUP LEFT TODAY (Saturday, Aug 29th) August 29th, 2008 - The last of my pups left today and I feel like there is a hole in my heart ... it is so difficult to let them go. Kahn is the last of my boys and is my little couch potato. Of all the pups, he is the one who wanted to be with me all the time. He loves attention and really likes being with people more than animals. So, he is going to a companion home where he will get the love and attention he craves. I'm getting lots of emails and photos from all my puppy people who each think they have gotten the "perfect" puppy ... looks like I've done my job ... to make sure each pup went to the home that fit it best!! ENYA LEFT TODAY (Saturday, Aug 23rd) August 23rd, 2008 - Of all my pups, I guess Enya is the hardest one to see go since I had pretty much decided to keep her for myself. Unfortunately, physical frailties make it impossible for me to keep her. However, she is going to a working home here in Florida where I will be able to see her from time to time, so it is not too bad. Her new family seem to be very interested in doing whatever is necessary to bring her up properly. I look forward to watching her grow up. SULEY LEFT TODAY (Tuesday, Aug 19th) August 18th, 2008 - Suley's new owner came all the way from Nova Scotia to pick up her new baby! I had been looking forward to meeting her after all our many conversations and postings on email ... and, I wasn't disappointed. What a nice lady!! Suley will be living with horses and will be much loved and spoiled in his new home. I look forward to lots and lots of pictures as he develops. KEMAL & TOLI LEFT TODAY (Monday, Aug 18th) August 18th, 2008 - Linderland Transport picked up Kemal & Toli today to take them to their new homes in Colorado. Their new owners will get them Wednesday morning. I am really happy with this transport service ... they are real dog lovers and do everything they can to make the trip as painless as possible for the pups. Previous puppy people tell me that their pup seemed so happy, totally NOT traumatized, when it arrived at its destination. MELEK FIRST PUP TO LEAVE ME AT 8 WEEKS OLD (Aug 17th) August 17th, 2008 - Melek left me today on his way to Arizona as a working livestock guardian. His new owners are very nice people and were more than happy with him. They could not believe how calm and affectionate he was ... I had to warn them that they just happened to pick him up during puppy nap time when they were their calmest, so don't expect him to be an angel all the time ... although he is a real sweetie most of the time. I'm gonna really miss him . I look forward to lots and lots of pictures as he grows up. HEALTH CERTIFICATES AND FIRST SHOTS TODAY (Friday, Aug 15th) August 15th, 2008 - All of the pups went in for their health certificates and first set of shots today. They were also tested for worms and checked for defects, all pups passing with flying colors. They especially loved all the attention they kept getting from the staff that kept popping in while they were there. Everyone was amazed at how calm they were and how they put up with all the poking and prodding with typical Anatolian stolicism. They also took the cuddling and petting as their due in true Anatolian fashion! PUPS AT 7 WEEKS OLD (Aug 8th & 9th) Aug 8th & 9th, 2008 - Here are the pups at 7 weeks old. These are such good pups. I really am going to miss them when they are gone after next weekend. Even after all the litters I have bred, it just never gets easy to see them go. Especially now when they are at their cutest!! Those of you getting puppies from this litter are getting some of the most laid back, easy going pups I have ever bred. They love to be picked up and held; and will stand up on your legs asking to be petted. This weekend they were allowed out in the "big yard" while I scrubbed down the cement area in their puppy pen and wiped down the inside of their den and let everything dry. They had a blast playing in all the big piles of leaves around my yard after I had a roofer come out and clean off my roof from all the bad storms we have had in the past two months. Even Dani was playing in the leaves with them. After about an hour though, they were ready for a nap, so everyone went back in the puppy yard and headed straight for their den. I am calling all the pups by the call names their new owners have given them so they will be a little used to them when they go to their new homes. A couple of them already seem to know their names and will prick up their ears when they hear it. Only one more week and a couple of days ... how sad! PUPS AT 32 (July 23rd) & 35 DAYS OLD (July 26th) July 23 - 26, 2008 - It's been raining all week this week, with some severe thunder & lightning, so I haven't been able to get any really cute photos of the pups playing since I opened up their full play area, including a 15'x15' area of dirt! They now have a 15'x30' area to play in and they are taking full advantage of the dirt. Not one accident on their covered cement area since they discovered the dirt area unless it is raining and they have to stay under cover. They really love their "den" when it rains, and pretty much stay in it until the "noise" stops. I was able to get one photo of them right after they finished eating on Wednesday, the 23rd, but of course it was of them sleeping. They love piling on top of each other to sleep. On Saturday, the 26th, they all got a bath and each one got some long quality time with me. We started doing nails and deworming (Nemex2) at four weeks, so that has to be done every weekend now. They are getting to be very cuddly and really like being held. I try to pick up each pup and cuddle it a little when I do the four daily feedings, so no one feels left out. They have come to really expect it, some more than others. They have started to develop very specific personalities and it is getting easier and easier to tell them apart. It will be very hard to let these little guys go. I already love their sweetness. If you look at the difference in sizes from the above photo in the "food" pool and the below photo in the "food" pool, you can see how fast they are growing ... like little weeds [[grin]]. PUPS AT 27 & 28 DAYS OLD (July 18th & 19th) July 19th, 2008 - The pups are outside now and you would think that would make it easier to take care of them. Okay ... you tell me ... here is my daily schedule: 5:00am - Fix puppy food; put "food pool" in pen, line with old sheet, put food bowl in, put pups in; while puppies eat ... pick up poop, scrub pen mat and wipe it down, take out old sheets and mat from "den" and replace with clean sheets and mat, hang up dirty sheets and mat in order to rinse poop and pee off before throwing in the washing machine. When pups are through eating, wipe off each one thoroughly before taking out of the "food pool" and placing on clean mat where they immediately go find a place to poop and pee AGAIN, then head to the den for a nap. While they sleep, pick up "new" poop, scrub pen mat and wipe it down AGAIN. Dust mat with diatomaceous earth. Empty out poop bucket, puppy wash bucket, and bucket holding bleach water to wipe down pen. Rinse out "food pool" and lean to dry. Rinse "food pool" sheet and throw in washer. Rinse out food dish and take inside to wash. It is about 6:00am when I finish. THEN, I feed the adults!! After I take my shower to get ready for work, I then go out and take sheets and mats out of washer and hang up to dry before I leave. Except for feeding the adults and me getting ready for work, this pretty much repeats three more times each day ... so you tell me ... when does it get easier?? LOL!! PUPS AT 20 DAYS OLD (July 11th) July 11th, 2008 - Today, the day before the pups turn THREE WEEKS OLD, they are finally starting to feel comfortable in the outside puppy pen. Mama Dani keeps a pretty close eye on them so she can protect them from all the "big bad" squirrels we have in the vicinity! Daisy is very interested, but not brave enough to actually go in the pen with these little strangers that all come to their feet and bark loudly at her when she sticks her head in ... I expect that will change once they get used to her and especially since she loves puppies!! They are starting to get really rowdy with each other and today they looked so cute I couldn't pick just one or two photos ... so you get a pile of them. Enjoy!! PUPS AT 19 DAYS OLD (July 10th) July 10, 2008 ... The pups did a little better today. Didn't get quite as messy as yesterday, but still had fun in their food!! They actually ate most of it today, and, as you can see, it was nap time as soon as they finished. Dani really likes cleaning up after they eat!! LOL! PUPS AT 18 DAYS OLD (July 9th) July 9, 2008 - The pups went outside and had their first taste of real food today ... what a mess!! Mostly they just went swimming in it. Dani thought it was great, since she got to clean them all up. And, she did a really good job too! Hardly ate any of her supper that night after taking all that food off the pups! LOL!! PUPS AT 16 DAYS OLD (July 7th) July 6, 2008 - Well ... they're out!! Last night my darling puppies found out that if you stand on one (or more) of your sisters or brothers, YOU CAN FLIP RIGHT OUT OF THE WHELPING BOX!! So, now they have been moved to an escape proof area with a TWO FOOT HIGH barrier. I was only up until 1:00am changing the two areas out. If they get out of that, you guys are in trouble!! LOL!! Good thing I saved my baby x-pen from the last couple of litters ... I almost lent it to a friend of mine, but, luckily, she decided to go ahead and buy one so she would have it on hand. I would have used it from the first, but it was easier for Dani to use the round plastic swimming pool. Also, the pups were too small for the first week and could get caught in the cross bars. Now, at two weeks, they are too big to get through the 2" x 4" cross bars. I always wrap the x-pen in sheets anyway just to make sure. So, now, I have several pups that are loudly letting me know that I have spoiled all their fun!! And, Dani is not too sure what to make of it, but she knows that if she lets me know she wants in, I let her in with pups right away. She just comes up to me and gives me that soulful look and a little whine and I know exactly what she wants. She is down to nursing them 4-5 times a day now so that's not too bad, except, of course, for the one at 1:00-2:00am!! One more week and they will be outside and, hopefully, I won't need to get out of bed in the middle of the night ... oh well, I can dream, can't I? PUPS AT 12 - 13 - 14 DAYS OLD (July 2nd, 3rd & 4th) July 2, 2008 - Pups are 11 days old and their eyes are just starting to open ... it will be a couple of days before they are fully open, but that does NOT keep these little guys from running around the whelping box and wrestling with each other. They are all up on their feet and MOVING. They growl at each other now, sometimes with a warbling sound that is so cute I just have to laugh. The amount of "stuff" coming out of these pups is HUGE!! I'm changing the whelping box three times a day now (that's a lot of laundry!). Dani is starting to get a very "worried" look on her face at the amount she has to clean up (lol)!! I can't wait until they are big enough to go outside to their puppy pen. Whew! PUPS AT 1 WEEK OLD June 28, 2008 - Well, Dani and pups made it through the first week with flying colors ... pups now have color coded collars to make it easier to tell them apart. All the pups are gaining weight as expected and are right on track. The two girls seem to be the ones most likely to let you know when they don't like the way things are going. And, they like to eat FIRST!! Boys are all very nearly exactly the same size, so it is a good thing that they each have distinctive markings. I am already seeing some very distinctive personalities ... can't wait until they open their eyes!! That should be happening in the next few days. I noticed today that they have all started to try to stand up and walk around instead of moving around on their little tummies ... it's like watching your kids take their first steps!! I wonder who will be first out of the box! PUPS AT 2 DAYS OLD June 23, 2008 - Pups had their dewclaws removed today; they were NOT happy about that and were VERY vocal ... I thought Dani was going to go through the door to get to them every time one whimpered. She really is a great mom. We actually had a couple of pups with double rear dewclaws. I think I can safely say this is one of the most consistent litters I have bred. The pups are strong and are already doing little perimeter checks around their whelping box at least every couple of hours to make sure there are no predators hanging around!! LOL!! You see great heads, nice length of body and strong shoulders; and there are a couple of very opinionated pups!! It will be interesting to watch this litter develop. PUPS AT 1 DAY OLD PUPS JUST AFTER LAST PUP WAS BORN WE HAVE PUPPIES!! June 21st, 2008 7:24am - Male - 1 lb, 6 oz - Blue collar Fawn w/BM, medium chest blaze 7:58am - Male - 1 lb, 6 oz - Purple collar Red Fawn w/BM, LF white stocking; RR & LR white toes; chest blaze; white tail tip 8:47am - Female - 1 lb, 5 oz - Pink collar Red Fawn w/BM; LF white stocking; RF white toes; chest blaze; white tail tip 9:30am - Male - 1 lb, 7 oz - Red collar Red Fawn w/BM; LF & RF white boots; full chest blaze; white tail tip 10:16am - Female - 1 lb, 5 oz - no collar Red Fawn w/BM; LF white stocking; RF white boot; rear white toes; small white spot on back between shoulders; white tail tip 10:49 - Male - 1 lb, 6 oz - no collar Fawn w/BM; LF white boot; 3 white toes; full chest blaze; small white tail tip I am so tired I think I will sleep for a week!! Dani is also tired, but the pups are awesome; her weight is back down to 115#. Dani is such a good mom. If one of the pups gets behind her, she whines for me to come move it before she lays back down. Anyway, I am going to try to get some sleep now, since I didn't get any AT ALL last night. June 20th, 2008 - Dani's waist is 38". Her temperature was 99.2 this morning ... I think we are looking at puppies late today or early tomorrow. Looks like she is right on schedule so far. June 19th, 2008 - Dani's temperature was 101.5 this afternoon; then 100.5 this evening. She pretty much sleeps around the clock now. Moving very slow ... June 14th, 2008 - 8 week update - Dani weighs 133# and her waist is 36". Dani has turned into a complete Prima Donna ... wants her food just so ... won't eat if I am looking at her ... wants to be fed first and be finished before other dogs are fed or she just pouts and won't eat ... I expect she will have a rude awakening after the pups are gone and she goes back to regular dog food. ONLY ONE MORE WEEK!!!! June 11th, 2008 - 7-1/2 weeks - Dani weighs 130#; waist is 35". Dani was x-rayed today and we saw six "little fishies". Now we just have to wait nine days to see how many boys and how many girls!! June 7th, 2008 - 7 week update - Dani weighs 128# and her waist is 34". Today is Dani's birthday (she turned 7 years old today), so on the way home from having her checked, we stopped off at the Annual Chiefland Watermelon Festival (Yup! That's what it's called ... really!) for a little "kid fix". Dani loves to get petted by as many kids as possible, but today we didn't stay long (just did one lap around the vendors) since it was already in the 80's. We were early enough that it wasn't overly crowded, but it was starting to get that way when we left around 9:30am. Most of the vendors are there every year and always have water buckets at their booths for any dogs that show up. Dani is a favorite with them, and she came away with her favorite, a SNOW CONE, that our friend Bud gave her. She finished it off once we got back to the car and I could dump it in a cooler for her. As soon as we got home, she headed for her spot in the dog room right in front of the two cooling fans I keep in there and has been sleeping every since. I expect she will do more and more of that in the next two weeks to conserve as much energy as she can before having pups. Dani goes in this coming Wednesday to get a puppy count, and I will let you know how many we see as soon as we get home. ONLY TWO MORE WEEKS UNTIL PUPPIES!! June 4th, 2008 - Dani is sleeping a lot! She has made herself a den under my grandmother's old Magnolia tree .. the roots make a great support for her den. Her waist is up to 33" as of today, and she is starting to look a little like a "beached whale" when she is laying on her side!! We will be doing x-rays one week from today to see how many pups we are looking at. May 31, 2008 - 6 week update - Dani weighs 122# and her waist is 31". Increased food another 1/4 cup per meal. Dani has gotten more guardy this last week; she is very protective of the cats, Daisy, Safa and me. Looks like those "motherly" instincts are kicking in!! Only three more weeks until pups are due. May 26, 2008 - Started Dani on 1/3 can Beef tripe every other day and 5 drops of raspberry tea in 1 ounce of goat's milk twice a day. May 24, 2008 - Dani went into the Vet today for 5 week checkup. She weighed 115 lbs and her waist was 29". Her appetite has picked up a lot, so I have increased her food 1/4 cup per meal, and she seems to be in very good spirits! Doctor said she could not get more healthy than she is. She is still sleeping most of the day. We are 99% sure she is pregnant. Only four weeks to know for sure. May 15, 2008 - Dani pretty much stopped eating today ... morning sickness? She is sleeping a lot! She has also gotten very affectionate, not that she wasn't already, but she is really wanting to be with me all the time now. April 19 & 20, 2008 - Moose successfully bred Dani once each day, making pups due about June 20th. Moose is such a romantic ... he always has to woo her before making her 'his woman' .. LOL!! Dani weighed 110 lbs and her waist was 27". April 14, 2008 - Moose came to stay with me and get to know Dani better {{grin}}. They were so cute when they first began to play together ... Moose was kissing Dani in the face when she went into a 'play bow' and off they went chasing each other around the property. It never fails to amaze me how fast these dogs are! April 9, 2008 - Took Dani into the Vet today for complete physical checkup (including uterine flush and vaginal smear) and brucellosis testing. Doctor gave her a clean bill of health and said she should be fine for the breeding. April 4, 2008 - Although I was not expecting her to come in until June, Dani came into season today. Anatolians do tend to do things in their own time schedule.