Week One Portraits

Well, we almost got it.  We did these last night which was day 8.  I had forgotten how hard it is to get decent photos of 1 week old puppies.  Man can they wiggle and move!  I will use my better, faster camera next time.  Anyway, here they are:

The Girls

 Miss Pink

 Miss Yellow

Miss Blue/Purple

And now the boys

 Mr. Orange

 Mr. Red

 Mr. Teal

And after their photoshoot they were all tuckered out.  Five of them got in a row on the heating pad and one was off in a cooler spot.  It's interesting to see them develop preferences for warm and cool areas at this age.

First Visitor

The puppies had a special visitor today.  Their other Grandma, Alison came to meet them.  She stayed for a nice long visit and enjoyed holding and watching the puppies.  She has always owned boy dogs and this was the first time she got to see puppies this young...I think she liked them.

Meet The Kippenhill Babies!

Here they are, just as cute as six little black puppies can be. 

This is shortly after everyone was born...just a few hours old.  Marlene is a great mother again.  Even more relaxes this time too.  She lets her daughter, Bernadette give them little licks.

 They are a day old in this photo. They have been very good eaters since the begining.  Everyone is nice and strong.  They get such a good latch on that sometimes Marlene will stand up and they'll still be hanging on!

Since all the puppies are black this time it was hard to keep track of everyone.  It's important to monitor weight and activity of each puppy to be sure they are growing and progressing as they should.  We decided the best method to mark them with was little crocheted yarn collars.  They are soft and somewhat stretchy.  We thought about different color nail polish, but the one we tried it on was hard to see against the black fur.  The girls are pink, blue and yellow/white and the boys are red, orange and teal.

Look at this cute little guy with his tongue out.  Adorable!

It's been quite a while!  There has been a lot going on here over the past 2 years....some good, some a bit more challenging.  But we are excited to report that Marlene has puppies again!!  This is her second and will be her last litter.  A week ago today she had 6 beautiful babies.  3 boys and 3 girls, all black.  The daddy of this litter is "Hunter" GCH UR SHR Wingmaster's History Repeats CDX JH RE WCX CGC HOF.

 Hunter is a lovely dog.  He is very talented as well as beautiful and has earned many titles in conformation, field, obedience and rally.  He was inducted into the FCRSA Hall of Fame in 2011.  In conformation he has earned a JAM (Judges Award of Merit) at an FCRSA National Specialty as well as at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.  He has a charming personality and his owner describes him as one of the easiest dogs to live with that she has ever owned.  He knows no strangers and gets along with all other dogs.  I have watched Hunter grow up and he has always been one of my favorite dogs to know.