Pups are here!

First pup was born 12:50 am on Dec 18. The first two came one after the other and then China took a 2 hr break. #3 and #4 showed up and we were done. 4 pups, all boys with three of the four presenting breech! #1(the only black and white) was hung up for a bit and I was afraid for him but with a little help, we got him out and breathing. When he found his lungs he let us know! The others (all sables) were born more quickly and suffered no ill effects. Everyone is healthy and happy and because China has plenty of milk, growing quickly.

Puppy Preparations

I spent time over Thanksgiving weekend setting up a whelping area for Miss China in our guest bedroom closet. It is private, quiet spot, has a nearby comfy bed for the human midwife and a bathroom for cleaning up. I took a suggestion from a fellow breeder and bought a piece of cheap vinyl flooring to lay over the carpet in the closet. This gives me a cleanable 4×10 area that pups can use once they are able to escape the whelping box. We can eventually expand their area out into the bathroom. Prepping this early means that China should feel comfortable there when the time comes. I feed her in there and we hang out in the adjoining room and watch TV in the evenings. I’ve got a puppy cam set up so I can monitor activity remotely. Now I guess I just twiddle my thumbs for 3 weeks!

At some point there will be a gate across this doorway and puppies looking out! You can see the whelping box in the background.

And we’re live!

After a few challenges getting my domain figured out, I have successfully migrated my site content (now updated) to a new server. The puppy questionnaire is now a web based form you can complete and submit right from the website (how cool is that?). Since computers are not really my deal, I view this whole thing as an accomplishment! You all will have to bear with me as I learn the ins and outs of blogging but I will be posting updates on our upcoming litter here as well as on FB. Be sure and check back.

Welcome to the new and improved site!

I’ve spent some long muscle cramping hours parked in front of the ‘puter giving my website a long overdue makeover and enjoying the walk down memory lane as I revisited old stories and photos. Time has flown! It’s hard to believe I got my first ES 20 years ago. Our upcoming litter is descended from those first dogs. I’ll continue to work on things so check back soon!