Belle on Parade

Three of the sheltie puppies are snoozing...but Belle is in a playful mood so I let her run around in the living room. She seems to really be enjoying chasing her daddy around.

Deep snow...good enough to wear on your face

Here we are playing in the yard with the shelties. I laugh myself silly when Newton bellies out bouncing around through the snow!

Outside in the snow

Having a very snowy winter this year. Our senior sheltie Indy is so thrilled by the snow, he just LOVES to go out and eat snow!

Nick's night out

The puppies are now 20 days old and getting adventurous. They tasted solid food for the first time yesterday, baby rice cereal (they didn't like it). Tonight we shot a little video of the puppies in the Xpen enclosure, and Nick took a little cruise out around the living room floor.

Trial move into the great room

Here are the puppies trying out the new enclosure for the afternoon. They aren't quite ready for the big move, but it will be soon!

Christmas...BAHH HUMBUG

Christmas morning at our house. Newton seems a bit disgruntled with the whole process. Emma is delighted to be ripping up a cardboard tube from wrapping paper. Mommy Sasha is pleased to escort me back to look in on the puppies in the whelping box.

Sasha's Snow Carols born December 2010

Sasha gave birth today to four puppies, three girls and one boy. We're calling this litter "Sasha's Snow Carols" as it is snowing today and we are approaching the Christmas holiday. The father of this litter of pups is Newton. The pups are, in birth order:
Noel - sable, female - 7.4 ounces
Nick - sable, male - 8.5 ounces
Jingle - sable, female - 7.9 ounces
Belle - sable, female - 9.1 ounces

Emma herds the TV

Lots of TV/DVD watching today as Russell is recuperating from his oral surgery to remove 4 wisdom teeth. During a pause in the DVD, I noticed Emma watching the screen intently. Then she REALLY got interested in the TV logo bouncing around on the pause/save screen. Here's the little video of her "herding" the TV:

Indy the senior citizen sheltie

Indy is now a grand 15 years old. He has his health issues which include arthritis, hypothyroidism, and congestive heart failure; all complicated by progressive hearing and vision losses of an undetermined cause "aging changes" according to the vet. He gave us a terrible scare Tuesday night when he tumbled down the basement steps. Indy has a habit of sleeping across doorways; and with his arthritis he now "flops" to lie down instead of settling with control. He apparently flopped...and rolled and rolled and rolled. No injuries, thank goodness! Here he is the very next day; strolling around the backyard looking rather dignified.

Another great Adoption Day!

Phoenix and Roxy play with the Steggin' Egg on the porch. The Steggin' Egg dispenses kibble treats as the toy is tipped from side to side. The puppies LOVE it!.



After some play time on the deck (no backyard play as it is raining) then Georgia and Albert are ready to take their new baby home. Roxy, you are going to have a great time with your new family!


After Roxy left, Phoenix seemed quite content to play with a tennis ball on the deck. We let him play until he was tired so that he would sleep well.

Puppy zoomies plus mommy

Phoenix and Roxy zoom around the great room, and mommy Sasha joins in to the play.

Adoption day at Lavendel shelties!

Big day at our house as two of the four Cadets are adopted!

First Fletcher was scooped up by Christopher. Don't they look like a great team?


Then Stella lavished her new mom with kisses as they had their farewell movie time.

Four clips of outdoor puppy play

The puppies really enjoy playing outside, rolling in the grass and chasing each other and the grown shelties.

Here Roxy, Phoenix, and Fletcher romp around the tree while Stella snuggles against my legs.


In this little clip Phoenix and Roxy have a great time "chatting" with each other.


Here the puppies play quietly outdoors...very unusual for my bunch of shelties as the adults tend to bark at all passing cars, birds, butterflies, etc.


Here the puppies and dogs get a song from Janet. The "popcorn song" is a favorite of my dogs!

Two short peeks at puppies and cats on the deck

Our cat Diamond Jack Stubbs aka Jack is getting the hang of being an indoor to outdoor cat. He hangs out on the deck with the puppies investigating for a bit, then exits with dignity.



Then Alan takes a short video of the puppies losing their little minds as Janet sings and talks in baby talk. Short video..as the camera battery croaks during the video.

All puppies on deck!

With all of the sudden rainstorms recently the puppies have been getting their outdoor play time on the deck. Alan took several little videos of the puppies hopping, scampering, and wrestling on the deck.

The Cadets are six weeks old now!

The Cadets are now six weeks old and every day they seem a big fuzzier, a bit faster, and a bit funnier. They had their first vet check today and all is well and where it should be; a clean bill of health for all 4 pups. They also managed the entire trip without a complaint, even when receiving the dreaded puppy booster shots!

Here are a few videos of the pups having a blast in the yard on Cinco de Mayo:

Its Puppy Time!

Rainy days outside...so the puppies have to make do with playing in the great room in the expanded Xpen enclosure. Alan and Russell brought out the big toys for the puppies and they have a good time playing jungle gym on my legs as well as Elmo, Nemo, and the Tomato.

Visitors!

Saturday started off quite nice...sunny, moderate temperatures. The puppies were jumping and playful so I took a little video of the morning rumpus.



Then I went out to garden. At noon, Chris and his parents arrived to see the puppies. We took them out to the yard and it was good for a little while. Suddenly the wind picked up, the temperatures dropped 15 degrees or more, and rain clouds rolled in. So back inside for pictures and a discussion of names. Hiro is now renamed Fletcher.



A little later in the day Georgia came by to see Celeste, whose new name is Roxie!

Friday afternoon in the Spring with Shelties

Today was just gorgeous, gorgeous...so of course it was a work day! As soon as I got home we rounded up all of the shelties and took the puppies outside to play in the backyard. Perfect temperature outdoors, beautiful afternoon/evening, and lots of rowdy shelties. Emma is finally recovered fully from her spay surgery, so she is charging around the yard trying to make up for lost time. Sasha and Emma are still sorting out their feelings towards each other given that Emma enthusiastically nuzzles and bathes the puppies and Sasha does not really want to share her babies. Emma also bosses the guys around, herding them away from the pups.

Outside adventure for the puppies!

With beautiful weather we took the puppies outside for a "new environment" exposure. They did just fine but after about 10-15 minutes they were starting to get a little cold and I took them back indoors.

Sheltie puppies out on the dance floor

The Cadets had a little time out on the tile floor of the great room today. Its important to expose puppies to different surfaces, different textures, different sounds, and different people EARLY (before week 7) so that they will adjust to new environments and not be too shy or fearful.

The puppies seem to enjoy the outing. Newton (as usual) takes great exception to Russell getting up and moving around.

Walking, bouncing, hopping, rolling puppies

At 2.5 weeks old Sasha's Cadets are showing significant improvement in their leg strength and coordination as they bumble around the whelping box with their little bellies held up OFF the blanket! Yes, they still lose it and roll around a lot, but they are now able to stand tall! Go Gabriel! Go Celeste! Go Stella! Go Hiro...Hiro...wake up Hiro!

Two week old puppies in cameo videos

Tonight each puppy got time in the limelight as they each had their first puppy grooming session (clip nails, rub and "buff" the fur on face, ears, paws, belly, back) and then a short to moderate individual video clip.

The boys had rowdy video sessions as Newton, Angus, Figaro, and even the cat Jack came over to nose about during the filming. Celeste's video is short as she was too wiggly and with Sasha present she became DESPERATE to get to her mom.

Anyway, here are the little video clips of each puppy:

Winky, wobbly, bobbly puppies at two weeks old

The puppies are now two weeks old, and their eyes are OPEN. Celeste opened her eyes on Easter Sunday, took one look at Russell and SCREAMED. LOL. She was NOT prepared for the look of the world and spent most of the day squirming around squeaking to herself. Gabriel opened his eyes Monday, and Hiro and Stella on Tuesday.

Here's tonight's videos of the puppies bumbling and bobbling around the whelping box. Emma is away at the spay-neuter clinic and so we've left the bedroom door open. Angus, Newton, and Figaro mosey in to peek at the puppies. Sasha doesn't seem to mind Newton's presence; but the combined stare of Angus and Figaro makes her curl her lip.

Twitchy Sleepers

Sasha's Space Cadets are very, very contented little pups. Sasha keeps their little bellies round and full, and they just grow and dream and sleep and.....twitch.

Springtime, Sunshine...and barking

Beautiful day on Good Friday, so the dogs got a lot of outside running time in as I worked on clearing out the flower beds and getting things back into shape after our hard, cold, snowy winter. Even Sasha had several sessions in the yard, running around and getting some good exercise in before returning inside to the puppies.

No, the puppies did not go outside today. Their little eyes are not open yet, so they are not ready to leave the security of the whelping box just yet.


Here's a nice little NOISY video of Emma, Sasha, Figaro, Newton, and Angus running and barking in the backyard. Yeah, I know, the grass needs to be cut...the lawnmower is at the repair shop so we'll just have to deal with a lumpy lush yard until its repaired!

Puppies change every day

At this stage the puppies seem to change so much from day to day. They are serious about eating and gaining in size and Sasha is a very loving and accommodating mommy. They've put on the ounces....here's the tally from birth to today:

Stella - 9.7 ounces at birth and 13.4 ounces today
Hiro - 9.7 ounces at birth and 14.3 ounces today
Celeste - 10.2 ounces at birth and 16.5 ounces today
Gabriel - 10.2 ounces at birth and 15.8 ounces today

This group has the "huddle up" routine down pat, when Sasha leaves the whelping box they reorganize into a little puppy pile very quickly...you'll see what I mean:

Sasha's puppies are 4 days old now

The pups are now 4 days old; and every day they get faster, bigger....and noisier! Sasha and Emma are at odds with each other as Emma is SOOOOOOOooooooo wanting to get in and take over the puppies and Sasha is having nothing to do with that idea. If its anything like Sasha's last litter; it will take the girls about 2 weeks to get this all sorted out. In the meantime we're keeping Emma away from Sasha and the puppies. Sasha doesn't seem to mind the presence of our male dogs at all; particularly Newton. Of course, the guys aren't very interested in the puppies at this point either. Emma, on the other hand, goes NUTS when she hears the puppies squeaking.

Here are some videos of the squeakers, taken just moments ago:

Puppy introductions - 2 days old

The puppies are now 2 days old and are getting faster and noisier. The sounds range from creaking and squeaking to bird whistle-type calls. Here's a little video of the puppy nest cuddling together for warmth.

Squeakers ALL NIGHT LONG!

Sasha's new puppies are nursing well and crawling around in speedy fashion for one day old pups! They spent last night serenading me with their squeaks, creaks, and groans. Here's the video from yesterday evening!

Sasha's Space Cadets

Well friends we have had a very exciting morning here. Sasha went into labor around 3:30 am and by 8 we still didn't have a puppy...labor pains intensifying.....I called our local vet for reassurance and she gave me good advice. At 9:35 Sasha suddenly AGAIN produced a puppy into the world feet-first. (In her first litter born in 2009 her first puppy, Trapp, was also a footling presentation pup) I gloved up to assist her by gently pulling on the puppy and at 9:40 Stella was born.


I then had to go to a doctor's appointment, so Russell and Alan stepped up as the new midwives. Russell assisted Sasha, Alan cut the cord, Russ massaged the new pups to help with their breathing and circulation, Alan logged in the birth details. Hiro arrived at 10:15, a nice male pup with lots of flashy white.





By 10:38 a total of three pups had joined our clan with the arrival of Celeste. It seemed that all was quiet in the whelping box. Alan and Russ straightened up the whelping box, gave Sasha some water, and set the pups back in with Sasha for their first meal. I arrived home at noon and was pleased to see three vigorous squeaky puppies and a bright-eyed Sasha. I was on the phone to another sheltie lover when....AH-HA...suddenly puppy number four appeared. Gabriel was born 2 hours after pup #3 and was not breathing and lethargic. After some suctioning and a lot of rubbing and praying, he was hiccuping and pink.



So we are proud to announce that mommy Sasha and her four pups are all doing well. Sasha is again showing what a wonderful and attentive mommy she is. All of the pups are crawling, squeaking, and nursing well.

A happy morning! Videos to come soon!

It's official....we are now puppyless...

Today was the big adoption day for our last two pups. The two families arrived within about 30 minutes of each other. We had some nice play time with all of the pups and dogs, and then it was time for serious orientation to feeding schedules, kibble brands, AKC papers, etc. Then Karen was ready to take her new baby Pearl home:


Then it was Holly aka Ruby's turn to say her goodbyes and start on her long trip to her new home in New Jersey.


Goodbye Holly! Goodbye Pearl! We will miss you, but we're happy to see you going out to your new homes for big adventures and lots of love and cuddling.

Valentine's Day Greetings from Lavendel Shelties!

Happy Valentine's Day
Ok, I know, I know, I'm a day early. I'm fighting off my tradition of being just a wee bit late on things! Here's a really cute video of Pearl, Holly, and our cat Jack in their production of "Puppy Love."

Farewell Sapphire!

Our little girl Sapphire found her new family today! We'll miss her but she'll be a busy girl with a new family including two children to herd and manage!

We love you Sapphire! We will miss you! Write back and send pictures!

Sheltie girl puppy cameos

The puppies are growing and becoming cuter and more playful by the day. Here's a trio of video cameos of our remaining three girl pups, all being snuggly and loveable.

Pearl, a bi-black sheltie girl with a lot of confidence and joy:

Holly aka Ruby, a sable girl with sweetness as broad as the blaze on her face:


And Sapphire, a bi-black girl who is showing great potential for agility as she can already jump to the couch unaided. She loves to wiggle and kiss, as you can see in the video:

snowing...again

Sorry for the delay in blogging....six sheltie dogs and a full time job will keep one busy; add in nine puppies and you'll go into OVERLOAD.

The puppies are great and 5 of the nine have graduated on to their new homes.
First, Topaz went to his new home in Fairview on 1/23/2010, and is now known as Jaxson.

Later in the same day, Opal met her new family and she now resides in Georgia.

On 1/24/2010, Garnet met her new family and is now named Dottie.


The next group of puppies were due to go to their new homes on 1/30/2010. However, when the weather forecast said SNOW for this weekend, plans changed and Onyx's new family came up from Florida to get their new puppy on 1/28/2010. Onyx is now known as Archie and is happily adjusting to warmer and nicer weather with his new family.



Diamond's new family adopted her on 1/28/2010 as well, her new name is Dory.


And then came the snow. Well, I have no control over this. It's creating quite a stir at our house and for my friend Michele...as she is scheduled to come pick up her new baby Jasper on Sunday. But the news forecast calls for snow, snow, and more snow. So we'll just consult the Sheltie Weather Forecasters.


Yep, it's snowing!

Snow dogs

Here's a picture from the snow storm that hit us on 12/18/2009. That's Alan with a bin going to get more wood for the fire, with shelties Emma, Figaro, and Angus "helping" him bring in the wood. Now usually in the south the snow falls one day and looks pretty, and the next day its gone.

Well folks we still have snow on the ground and more predicted. The weather is too bitter and the puppies are too small for them to go outside; but the adult shelties all seem to enjoy the white stuff. I can't say the same for myself, this cold is just too penetrating.

So today I think I'll stay inside and play with the puppies and let the adult shelties roam outside in the fenced yard from time to time. But here is the video we took from the big snowfall on 12/18/09.