3 1/2 week old

We are getting more and more active everyday!   We are 3.5 weeks old and learning about litter training and have started eating Rice baby cereal.   Growling, howling and barking is now a regular occurrence and our Aunt Hailey and B'Nellie love to come check on us any chance they get.  Chip loves to watch us from the other side of the fence and will come closer when encouraged.   I guess he is "old school" and will do his job when they are outside and more independent.  At the end of this week when they turn 4 weeks old they will start getting ground up puppy food mixed in with the cereal and also on the 4th of July we will go outside for the first time to celebrate our independence!

YUM!

Chip checks out his babies for the fist time.

Learning how to use the litter box....it is filled with heating wood pellets.

Lolly Catcher & Bellaire Brown

Aunt B'Nellie gets in the box while Rizzo and Aunt Hailey do a head count.

Good cereal!

Aunt B'Nellie and Ypsi Gypsi

 

Week Two!

All the pups are growing like weeds and Rizzo is doing a great job keeping up with them, feeling them and keeping them clean.  There are now 3 of them about the 2 lb. mark already.    From days 5-10 I stressed the puppies which is a method to help them become more independent and eliminate a alpha in the litter.    Once a day they are laid on a cool floor for 5 minutes and they cannot touch each other or mom.   While this is going on towels are in the dryer and then they are placed on the warm towels for 5 more minutes.   They learn to adjust to different environments and find that they can adapt.

Here are a few pictures from the last few days.

It's been a busy week.....all of us trying to get into a routine....which will only change weekly as they continue to grow and the needs change.   Tuesday was vet day and they all got their tails docked and dew claws removed.   Momma Rizzo was also checked out and everyone got the seal of approval.

Here are a few photo's from the week....

Euchre

Instigator finds a good pillow

What do you mean I messed up the bed?

Oberon (orange of course) and Sunspot

Rizzo must be thinking "what have I gotten into"?

Puppy's are Here!!

June 5, 2015 we welcomed into the world 12 little griff's....5 boys and 7 girls.   Rizzo did a wonderful job during the 8 hours of whelping and all are healthy and gaining weight daily.  

Since my theme for this litter is the Micro-brew litter, she did a great job by providing us a 12 pack!

I hope you enjoy the pictures....

A few hours old.

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11 & 12!

A basket full o' puppies

The BOYS:

Bellaire Brown (brown ribbon)

Euchre (black ribbon)

Instigator (red Ribbon)

Oberon (orange ribbon)

Rubaeus (dark green ribbon)

The GIRLS:

Lolly Catcher (light blue ribbon)

Project Mayhem -first born and all Mayhem broke loose. (light pink ribbon)

Sharpshooter (yellow ribbon)

Smitten (purple ribbon)

Starburst (white ribbon)

Sunspot (dark pink ribbon)

Ypsi Gypsy (multi color ribbon)

It won't be long now.....

Now to get us all back up to date!!

Rizzo is indeed pregnant, so what else to do but have a shotgun wedding for these two hunting dogs.   My husband Jeff performed the short ceremony and as you can see they were both paying careful attention to his words.    Mess around behind the wood shed young man, and this is what happens!

 

They have promised to love one another, but Chip is allowed a more open arrangement as he is a stud dog.  :-)

 

The x-ray was done a few days ago and it looks like 12....some say even 13!!

So, we have been extremely busy getting ready for our new little bundles of joy.   Yesterday we found the whelping box, cleaned it up and let her try it out for size. 

And, while the box is nice and all....she still prefers the bed (although how she gets up there is beyond me) and her hubby Chip is staying true.....

So, in a few more days we should have puppy news.    It's so exciting!



A New Champion!!

This past weekend, Chip, Rizzo and myself traveled over to Birch Run, MI for a dog show.    Up until I got Rizzo I had only visited one dog show to see what it was like and decided I wanted to throw my hat in ring and learn how to show dogs.   It was quite a learning curve and I have not regretted one moment....I've made new friends, formed a unique bond with both Chip and Rizzo and have had so much fun.

Rizzo has had more than enough points to "finish"....become a Champion....but she needed one more Major win to make it official.   This finally happened Sunday!!   She was Winner's Bitch, Best of Opposite (sex) and Best of  Breed Owner Handled.  I made it a promise to myself to finish this with her and I am so happy that I did.   It has been quite a ride!

Chip was Best of Breed both days as he continues on and works towards his Grand Championship.   It was a great time and we couldn't be more proud of these two dogs.

Stay tuned....next week we find out if Rizzo is pregnant!!

Our Ribbons won at Birch Run

Rizzo is ready to go home after a weekend of shows.  You can see Chip passed out behind her.

Easter

We'd like to wish everyone a Happy and Joyous Easter weekend!

A long overdue update!

I can hardly believe it has been almost a year since I've updated this page!   Well, I have been busy going here and there with Chip and Rizzo to dog shows.  

I'm proud to announce that Chip received his Championship two weeks ago at the Louisville, Kentucky show.   He is so handsome and has the best personality that any dog owner could wish for! Goofy, loving, smart and a great hunter.   We had his hips Penn Hip tested and he was in the 90th percentile with a .25 on each side.   .30 is perfect, so he is pretty darn close!   His eyes were certified in Lousville and they are normal.  

Rizzo has more than enough points to be a Champion but we are having a hard time finding the 2nd major she needs.   There are not a lot of females to compete against in our area so it might take a while longer.   Her hips were OFA certified and came back as GOOD which we are happy with and her eyes are also Normal.   She is a spitfire with so much energy and uses it out in the field like none other.   We were invited to the Owner Handler National Championship competition in Orlando last December and had a great time!   They invite the top 10 from each breed and we were #7!  It was an experience I'll never forget.

So, after a very long hiatus, our girl has gone into heat and we are planning a litter of pups this summer.   If all goes well, they should be here the first week of June.  I do have a waiting list, but feel free to contact me if you would like more information.    

I'll be sure to update more often now that things are getting going again.