Day 68--And then there was one

The last of the puppies has left the building, that is except for our Marlee. It is bitter sweet to see this come to an end but all good things must end. It has been an amazing journey for me and I hope that all that have followed this blog have enjoyed the journey. I will close with just a few pictures from yesterday as Marlee settles into her new life with just Mama Hope, Daddy Gage, Grandma Gia and of course these two old people.

New changes to the pen were made to make it smaller. The whelping box has been emptied and all of the whelping supplies, blankets and such have been boxed up for storage. The whelping box will be dismantled and stored soon too. I must say I will be happy to have my kitchen back in some order. Here Marlee has her very first meal that she didn't have to share with anyone. 

She had a lot of outdoor time yesterday and like her mother seems to prefer the great outdoors. She and Gage bask in the sun together. He is not ready to share a cushion with her yet though. He will in time. Marlee and her mother have become great playmates and spent a good part of the day in fun play. 

And now she sleeps alone with no one to cuddle with. I will say I did not hear a peep from her all night. As usual Grandma Gia gave the wake up call this morning.

 

So with that I will say good-bye for now and wish all of the puppies from this Last Frontier litter an amazing life journey.

Day 67--Nine down, one to go.

Nearly three years ago when Hope was added to our family the planning began. Our hope was that she would turn out to be all that we expected in both looks, health and temperament so that we could breed her to Gage. Fate favored us and all worked as planned, not to mention she became a wonderful addition to our family. Health testing was done and once again fate favored us with wonderful results. I even went one extra step and had both Hope and Gage DNA tested and was surprised and very pleased to learn they were both liver factored and prayed that we would have some liver babies in their litter. Once again fate favored us with five liver spotted babies. The hope of all breeders is for strong, healthy puppies and once again fate gave us eleven strong, healthy beautiful babies. Then fate threw me a curve ball as I discovered one of those babies could not hear. I had just one short instant of "oh poor me" and then realized I was once again handed a beautiful gift. Little Charlotte (Marlee) was my Twist of Fate just like her daddy. I had not planned to keep a puppy for either of their litters. Marlee is already a wonderful blessing in our lives. I look forward to all that she will teach me.

The other blessing that this litter brought is some wonderful families that will be sharing their lives with these babies and new friends to add to my life. This is Bruce and Martha that came up from Virginia to get their boy Nikos. Nikos will have a wonderful life with this family on their horse farm. Martha has so many plans for this boy and already has him registered for his first classes. I look forward to following the story of his life.

The last of the families to come for their puppy was Wynn and Chris. They too had a very long drive and have spent the night in a local hotel. Plans are to come for Findlay first thing this morning. Findlay is already winning their hearts and he will have a wonderful life with them and their other two dogs.

Day 66--Sacrifices

Because we are nearly at the end of this adventure in the early life of this Final Frontier litter, I spent some time yesterday going back through the hundreds of photos that I have taken over the last nine weeks. So many precious moments, so many memories. Many brought tears to my eyes as I remembered each day and each milestone. Here are just a few of those moments. I should put a slide show together of all of the pictures that didn't make the blog---perhaps some day when I finally get rested.

I look back at Hope's journey through all of this, from the early weeks of morning sickness when she couldn't keep food down, to the only thing she would eat was my homemade Hamburger soup. To whelping day when she quietly gave birth to the first puppy while I slept next to her. What a wonderful mother she was. To now when she sees them all as playmates.

 

There were some sacrifices made through all of this---sleep being a big one, also a less than spotless house, yard work that didn't always get done, a fairy garden with weeds and my little garden pond that was neglected. I have been so busy caring for puppies that I wasn't paying attention and discovered my little fish sacrificed their lives though all of this. I'm sorry little fish.

 

All of the sacrifices have been worth the journey as I see the joy that these puppies are bringing to their new families.

 

The last two boys leave today. Marlee will miss her big brothers. Nikos family came from Virginia yesterday and spent some time out on the property getting to know him. They have pronounced him as perfect, beautiful, smart and loving. They will pick him up this morning and head back south.

 

Findlay will meet his new family later this afternoon.

Marlee gets one last cuddle from Nikos.

Day 65--Sharing

This is the last of the before/after photos. Each thing brings us a little closer to closure on this litter experience. It is bittersweet with each thing.

Yesterday brought some good lessons on sharing. Whose toy is it? The funniest thing was when Gavin handed Marlee a small Nylabone. Her brothers out weigh Marlee by four pounds and are stronger but she is by far faster. It became hilarious as they tried to take her bone and she played keep away. Now that should have been videoed. She finally ran to the back of the crate with it and I closed the door to keep the big boys out. They were not happy. Marlee will soon have to learn to share with her mother, father and grandmother.

Nikos says, "who me"? This is his innocent look.

Now Marlee has to watch as Findlay chews a bone. 

He enjoyed it.

 

Marlee is going to miss these two. Tomorrow brings big changes in her life as her brothers leave for their new life's journey. 

Day 64--Then there were Three

Yesterday saw yet one more of the Kingdom Kidz leave to start her life with her new family. Rose greeted Cindy and Jim with her normal enthusiasm for life. They have waited a long time to add another Dalmatian to their family since losing their beloved Daisy. Daisy was a littermate to our Gia and was very much loved by Cindy and Jim. I hope that Rose will fill some of the emptiness that Daisy left in their hearts.

 

Here is departure time as good-byes are said to Mama Hope and Daddy Gage.

Yesterday we celebrated grandma Gia's thirteenth birthday. For those that didn't see her on Facebook, here is her birthday picture. Gia has parented two litters of her own in her younger days and she is very patient with this litter and has gently taught them to respect their elders.

I took advantage of the camera set up to catch a picture of grandma with our newest family member.

Things continue to wind down with just two more to leave for their new homes. Nikos family will arrive tomorrow to spend some time with him before his departure on Saturday morning. Findlay will finally meet his new family on Saturday too.

Marlee put in a little practice time yesterday with her new sleeping mate. I think it is good that the litter has left a bit at a time to make the transition a little easier for her.

 

Day 63-- Girls

As I was getting pictures pulled together last night for today's blog I noticed they were all of the girls. I think the boys were busy wrestling.

I made some changes in the puppy pen once again. I have closed up the whelping pen for the final time. With just four puppies remaining they didn't need the extra space and it was one more place for me to keep clean. We are also down to one potty box which everyone is using faithfully. Outdoor potty training will start on Sunday for Marlee. Once the last of the puppies leave we will be dismantling the whelping pen, storing all of the puppy/whelping supplies and making the play yard a bit smaller for Marlee. It will be wonderful to have my kitchen back.  

Marlee is wresting with her new mock littermate. This guy will have to be her sleeping buddy soon. 

The puppies all seem to enjoy climbing on things. I move things in and out of the pen off and on all day so things are always new and exciting for them. I had placed this tunnel out in the rain over night as it was beginning to smell less than pleasant. After a night of rain and then a little sunshine it was like new. 

Rose was queen of the mountain yesterday. She will be leaving us today to start her life's journey with her new family.

 

A little outdoor fun with Mama Hope.

Day 62--Internet--GRRRR

So if anyone thought I was making you go cold turkey off of this blog, you would be wrong. One of the curses of living in the country and on a mountain is not having good internet service. Yes, I was up in the middle of the night and trying to post to the blog but with no luck. It is now many frustrating hours later and calls to Verizon were made and I once again have internet.

Now that I am down to just four pups it is easier to get them out to the yard for outside fun. I spent some time going around the edges of the dogs yard to be sure there were no tiny spaces for these Kidz to squeeze through. I then turned them loose in the yard with their mother. She had a great time playing with them and getting them to chase her around (yes, I stayed out with them, still concerned about hawks). You will notice that daddy and grandma chose not to join them. I put up the gate to keep the pups from running up and down the stairs.

 Here comes Nikos.

 He has found something to sneak up on.

Rose is right behind him. 

Marlee brings up the rear. 

Marlee and Rose check for interesting things in the grass. This is the last day that the sisters will be living together as Rose leaves for her new home tomorrow. 

I rearranged the deck to give the Kidz a different view from out there. They seem to enjoy their time outdoors. 

Day 61-New adventures

Yesterday was a family day here with our children and grandchildren, so I did not have time for puppy photos. I did want to share some stories and comments that I have received about the puppies that have already started off on their new life adventures. As I was looking through some pictures last night I ran across this saying that I had saved. I have always liked it so I added photos of Daddy Gage, Mama Hope and baby Marlee.

I hope each new family feels that the decision that was made for the new puppy in their life was the dog they were meant to have. I certainly feel that way about the dogs in my life.

 

Here is some feedback I have received about the puppies that are now with their new families.

 

Flash/Otto---A super smart puppy, an absolute joy, fearless.

 

Harlow/Eve--Adapted immediately as though she were born here. Not phased by anything even the Great Dane she met.

 

Dash/Eiven--Made a seven and a half hour trip back to North Carolina and slept 90 % of the way, no pee, no poop, no vomiting in the crate. They are smitten with this little guy.

 

Sparrow---A dry and quiet night. They are very impressed and love her.

 

Jewel--They love their little new precious Jewel.

 

Kimber/Bonnie--She is doing great and has no fear of her new surroundings. They are already practicing for the show ring. Here they have her stacked on the table with her new buddy Brady looking on.

 

Atz Lee--I think his new name will be Tanner. He just left Saturday evening and is already winning the hearts of his new family. They said he is an absolute baby doll.

 

Marlee/Charlotte--I can't say enough about this little girl; she is cute, she is smart and she is fearless. I put her swim vest on and put her in the swimming pool for the first time yesterday. She took off like a rocket and swam all the way across the pool before we could get to her. I took her out of the pool, she shook off and was ready for whatever came next. She is certainly winning the hearts of our family. (pictures next time she swims)

Day 60--Four

More departures yesterday. Tears were shed--no not mine. People always ask how can you ever part with any of them. Of course those questions come from folks that have never raised a litter, so they don't know how exhausting it can be. I always joke that I just pray the new owners show up on time. I won't say that I don't miss them, because I do, but when you know they are going to great new families and on to their own happy lives it makes it easier. I have been fortunate over the years that most families keep in touch with stories and pictures so that I can continue to be a part of their lives.

The first to leave yesterday was Eiven/Dash. As anyone that has followed this blog knows, Dash was a favorite of our grandson Gavin. We have been concerned about how he would handle departure day. His parents let him decide if he wanted to be here or not. He awoke yesterday morning in tears knowing that it was the day that Eiven would be heading to his new family and his new boy. Gavin did want to be here and we were all so proud of how he handled the situation. When the Engleka family arrived from North Carolina, Gavin greeted them by shouting out to Cole, "do you want to play?" Play they did. These two hit it off immediately and if they lived closer I'm sure would have become great friends. I'm sure this handoff picture will bring tears to some eyes; I know it does mine. 

I feel confident that Dash will have a wonderful life with this great family. We were all wishing they were able to stay for the weekend so we could get to know them better. Good luck to Cole, Violet, Rhiannon and Josh as you add this sweet puppy to your family. Holly and Rhiannon have exchanged cell phone numbers so they can send Gavin pictures and the two boys can do Facetime. Gavin waited until they pulled out to quietly cry for a short time---and then he went swimming.

Later in the evening Lori and her daughter Haley arrived to pick up Atz Lee. This is a puppy that was very hard to part with. What a sweet boy he is. He will be joining their other Dalmatian Sadie. I am awaiting news of how introductions went. Family negotiations continue on Atz Lee's new name. Lori is a club member here so I will get to see him from time to time.

 

Just four little spotted wonders remain.

Day 59--Six

 Both Jewel and Sparrow spread their wings and flew from the mountain yesterday to join their new families. What a lovely visit with these two families. 

As before, I forgot to take a photo at departure, in spite of the fact that I set the camera on the table to remind myself. The Sullivan family was gracious enough to snap a shot on their arrival home. A six hour holiday traffic ride back home with a new puppy must have been an adventure. Jewel is going to be very happy in their care and perhaps a tiny bit spoiled.

Next to leave was Sparrow. She will be living with her Aunt Kelly (Hope's sister) as well as Helene and Terry. I suspect they will love this sweet little brown girl. I'm anxious to hear that Sparrow and Kelly have become best friends.

 

And then there were six.  

As each puppy leaves everyone is subdued for a time but then they regroup and continue with their puppy antics. Today will be the departure of Eiven and Atz Lee. We left it up to Gavin if he wanted to be here when Eiven leaves and he has decided that he wants to meet Cole, Eiven's new boy, he also wants to say good by to Eiven. I hope to take a picture of both boys with Eiven.

 

Day 58-- Nearly over

Eiven will be heading south to North Carolina tomorrow. He will be missed here.

 

This chapter in our life is soon coming to a close. As each puppy heads down the ramp on to their new lives I have such mixed feelings. I am so proud of these Kidz and all that they are and all the promise they bring. Eve headed out yesterday evening to begin her adventure with Chris. Eve will be living with her grandmother Bridgette (Hope's mother) and Chris' other spotted wonders. She is heading for a show career and hopefully babies of her own some day. I am thrilled to know that Gage's genes will live on through some of his offspring. Eve does have a new name but I will leave that for Chris to announce. Of course I once again forgot to take a picture at departure. The rest of you that are picking up your puppies need to remind me to take pictures.

I cleaned up the outdoor pen yesterday and placed the swimming pool in for some water fun. They have all taken a turn in the water but I have noticed that some like it better than others. We turned the bubble machine on to add to the fun.  After they got tired and dried off everyone was ready for a nap.

Findlay is not particular about where he sleeps, fortunately the potty box was freshly cleaned. 

So which one of these is not like the others?

We are excited to finally be meeting Jewel's new family this morning. Both Jewel and Sparrow head off this morning with their new families.