Ben has Visitors - Day 10 for Ben

Dan and Susan Waters came by tonight to say hello to Big Ben! (sorry, I can't believe it's a bit blurry, duh - in real life, they are not blurry). Thanks for coming to visit! Dan did a little tug with Ben (kidding, hahaha)...

*for those who don't get my joke, Dan is President of the GSD SchH Club of Calgary and was #3 in SchH in Canada last year with his GSD Ali. He is my tracking guru here in Alberta!

Ben is 10 days old today and weighed in at 1200 grams this morning. His eyes could open any time - but not so far. I am starting to get a bit more sleep - his feedings are now every four hours. Jet nurses him, but I am the cleaning crew - she just has not got into the whole 'lick and clean your puppy' thing. I am sure the C-section had a lot to do with it, but it's a small price to pay for healthy mom and pup.

Lovely Summer Day

I had the most wonderful day today, sitting on my back deck in the sun, drinking sun-brewed green tea over ice and listening to music. It was just one of those awesome summer days, I made tremendous progress on 'the book' - with my December deadline looming. Getting into a nice routine with Jet and Benjamin and regular feedings. Walked all four dogs in the evening sun. Lovely.

AND FINALLY, A DAY WITHOUT RAIN!!! (Susie, this is a blog response to your blog over at Birch Bark Hill...)

Jet in the sun with Ben. Jet is trained to look at the camera, in case you think she never looks at Ben. She sees me point the camera and dutifully stares until she hears click! If you give a Border Collie a job, they are really obsessed with doing it right - and to Jet, having her photo taken is like a job. Even if I raise the camera, she will stop walking and stand still for me. It makes it hard to capture some things, but is very cute as my very first GSD Hawk did the same thing - striking poses for the camera.

And of course, here is Big Ben... his nose is filling in with pigment and so are his pads. I have already cut his nails twice! It is crazy how much I love this puppy... only day 9, in a day or so, those eyes will be opening...

Mind you, Big Ben does not look that big when I back up and take a picture of him in his whelping box. He is in his favourite spot, cuddling with his friends, Washcloth, and Hot Water Bottle.

Still Life with Puppy

"Still Life" - Ben is used to being weighed. He's fast asleep. That bottle of wine called FAITH is something I bought for myself before finding out Jet was pregnant - I drank it after he was born.

You can see my Blackthorn Shepherd's Crook from Scotland hanging up on my cupboard... waiting patiently to be used.

Things that bring out my inner sniper.

Check out this disturbing story I saw over at Raised by Wolves. I have no words. Well actually I have a few choice words for those supposedly "educated" professionals. Go sign the petition and spread the word. I think if we can share the story maybe enough pressure will be put on the idiots to reconsider their "finding". Or at least give the dog a retest that might actually be FAIR for the dog. Say in a quiet room and by the actual rules of the SAFER test. Of course if you are trying to find an excuse to kill a dog then by all means write down what you WANT to see, not the reality. (shoving a fake hand into the dogs mouth so she chews it isn't biting FYI)

I have one word for those asshats, it is Karma.

My dog related adventures in Montreal

Everyone needs some time off now and then to regroup and recharge their batteries. I was lucky enough to get a great vacation for a whole week in Montreal with my husband recently. My dogs were taken fabulous care of, as always, during their stay at Perry Greene Kennel. So it was a dog and kid free week, which is a rarity for me. I even read a whole book WITHOUT dogs in it! A minor miracle in itself. Of course I had to visit some dog stores while I was there. The first was Bark and Fitz. They had moved so it was a bit of an adventure for my cab driver and me to find, but we made it.

It turned out they are disenfranchising from B&F and will be The Doghause soon. It was a great store. 

I bought a leash holder because my leash and collar addiction is getting out of hand.

                 Jane Goodall has a toy line. Who knew??

They were kind enough to humor me and let me take lots of photos. They also told me how Quebec isn't the most animal friendly province. It turns out beagles are considered livestock so are ok to use for animal testing. Yikes! While pitbulls aren't banned in Montreal, there are a few neighborhoods that they are banned along with some mastiff breeds. They were also VERY kind to let me know about two more dog stores down the road. Thank you Claire and Lynn!! I certainly appreciated the hospitality! The next store wasn't worth mentioning. Not only was it smelly, but the THREE clerks all ignored me. Hmmm I guess bigger isn't always better! It was more of a basic pet supply store anyhow. To bad tho because the space had real potential.

Next was this super cute boutique, Bailey Blu.

And this is Blu, the dog (I assume) the store is named for!!

Sorry I didn't get a better photo to share. Such a beauty and super sweet to boot! And he has the softest ears!

These were just some of the cool tags they had displayed. I LOVE the "Hello my name is" one. (middle bottom)

Nom Nom Nom treats!

OK I got a little carried away with the photos I know.

I love this feature so much I want it in my house!

Look, they have Molly Mutt beds!!!

How funny are these leashes! Guess which one I bought??

Two Dogs Raw is made BY them right there! How cool is that? I wish I had thought to get photos of the fabulous clerks and me in front of the stores! Yeesh! Huge thanks to Viki at Bailey Blu. She was also super awesome and accommodating in my "I'll probably blog this" insanity. Oh and Bailey Blu has a website AND facebook page. Go LIKE it!!! So now if you are ever in Montreal you know where to go for fabulous dog stuff. Tell'em Marie sent you!!!

First pic of me and Ben - sleeping on my arm

Ben is so used to being handled - I am doing some puppy stimulation every day since he has no littermates to spice up his little life. He is 8 days old today and 1050 grams this morning, close to 2.5 pounds. Someone called him a pork chop, LOL

This morning I caught this photo (not that he was moving very fast!)
He is upside-down on his little buddy, "Hot Water Bottle in a Towel."

With momma

In the meantime, Jet is getting breaks now that I am regulating his intake to every 3 hours, to make sure he doesn't get too plump! And, he has to find her in the whelping box, I don't help. He is very mobile now - and today, he pooped on his own! (big news, haha).

Caden has started to lie up on the picnic table (below). I've been trying to pay attention to all of the dogs every day. They have also been very good.

Jet is exhausted! She has been a very good girl.
You can see Caden in the background.

Ben - the miracle of life, and River's "baby"

I just took this picture of Ben with Jet - on his one week birthday nursing (what else?)

Compare this to the photo below where he is 2 days old, taken July 23... it is amazing to me. I've never raised a puppy and I find the growth and daily changes are a wonder to observe.

Here he is again = close up between Jet's legs.

Below, another picture from July 23.

Lastly, River asked me to pass on to everyone that she indeed also has a baby...

It is Jet's favourite red dino baby. River has laid claim to it while Jet is busy.

What is sort of funny, is that in her old age, River is as much a baby as little Ben in some ways.

Every day I make sure she gets a lot of attention and have to care for her in little ways that I don't need to do for the middle-aged dogs (Jet, Ted, Caden). I was lounging on that chair earlier today as it was actually sunny out, for a change! Don't criticize my grass - it has been raining so much it's hard to mow, and the poor yard has suffered from mud this year. If it stays dry, I will try to mow and whack the weeds down tomorrow!  I've been a tad busy though with Ben!  

Happy One Week Birthday to my Little Buddha

I checked on little (Big) Ben yesterday and saw him propped up like this, sitting on his hot water bottle which is wrapped in a towel. I caught a photo. What the photos doesn't show is how his legs were just twitching and his mouth was opening and closing. He looked like he was a Little Buddha giving a lecture.

Today he is  2 POUNDS on the nose - 2.5 pounds, and one week old! A very content little guy.
Note my correction - earlier today I said 2 KG, no!!! 2 pounds! This evening he is 975 grams which is 25 grams short of 1 KG! OMG, not 2 KG, LOLOL. I am not a 'numbers' person, there is proof!

PS! Ben is not as fat as he looks here! He is squatting in this photo. However, Jet is now being kept from him and he is nursing every 3 hours, and I make him find his mum on his own. I want people to know, as I've had a few words of advice from people about not letting him get fat - thank you and keep the great advice coming. :) 

Dog Communication - Series 1

Hello friends...
Today I am going to start off with a series on communication with dogs. Dog Communication explained by Di van my friend. Di van has gathered a great deal of experience in the very unique discipline of animal communication. She will be contributing a series of both interesting and informative notes on how to communicate with dogs. Here's what Di van has to say about how to communicate with dogs and other animals. Read on....

"Welcome to the first in a series of tips on Animal Communication. My name is Di van, I live in South Africa and I am an Animal Communicator.

Whether or not you believe in animal communication you still have to wonder at how when you are sitting on the sofa and you think “I must take Brutus for a walk”, Brutus runs off and stands at the door.

Animals communicate non verbally to each other so it stands to reason they tap into each other’s thoughts. Brutus not only gets what you are saying out loud, he is also reading your mind. Picture this - you want Brutus to sit, you give the command but at the same time you are thinking of how thirsty you are and you must make yourself a cup of tea. He gets “sit I’m thirsty I must make myself some tea” and you wonder why he does not sit !! Brutus is confused and thinking what is it this
person wants me to do, sit or go into the kitchen with them whilst they make the tea ?

When you feel down your dog creeps up next to you and puts his head on your lap. We often say they ‘sense’ when you are unhappy. They know you are unhappy as they read your mind and listen in on your conversations. Some dogs want to comfort you whilst others are thinking “get over it”. Each one is different and reacts in their own unique way. Believe me when I say sometimes you really do not want to know what they are thinking !

It is not easy to declutter our minds but if you can remember your dog hears all, it might just explain why sometimes he or she reacts the way they do.

Till the next time."

Should you have any queries, you can contact directly with Di van. She is really busy with her professional career and may turn up late. Email: di.vanzyl@yahoo.com
Check out Part 2 Post on Dog Communication

Wordless Wednesday ~ Bulldog edition

Portrait Day - Day Five

Ben weighs in today at 825 grams - he has doubled his birth weight plus a bit in 5 days! This evening I took a bunch of close-up shots of them. I brought Ben out to the couch to give Jet a break out of the whelping box. They relaxed and I pretended I was watching TV...

Mom and Babe

Connect the Dot!
From Ben's head to Jet's foot, and Jet's muzzle.

On the couch with me as I 'pretend' to watch TV - I was really watching them

Jet and Ben, smiling

Dappled in evening sun

I made this picture bigger so you can see the tan coming in on his cheek, and the size of his ears!

Hilarious - he is leaning on my leg and looks so content

Finally, one of those embarrassing family photos - Jet relaxes, and out pops her tongue!
Ever since she lost a canine when she slammed into a fence, this is what heppens!
I thought I would include it, to show why I burst out laughing so often when I spend time with these guys.

The last day...

Blogger has been a pain in the neck lately and isn't always letting me upload photos. Hence the lack of posts. I hope to remedy that this week. I know I still have to report on my vacation to Montreal and the fabulous dog stores I visited while there. (You didn't know I was gone didja?) This is Jenny on our last full day of vacation (saturday) at the beach with our friend Prudence.

(Here is her website, Blogger isn't letting me link it properly either. Grrrr ~ http://ofcowstailsandchewtoys.com/)

I know, I suck. I didn't get ANY good photos of them together. That's ok. They both had fun smelling everything (and wheedling treats out of their humans) and that was the important part of the outing.

Ben Dreams of Sheep

Five days old and herding in his sleep! Come Bye Ben! Lie down you! Take your time now, walk up... lie down... good boy - away to me! That'll do Ben, here! Good boy!



Hey did you see that? If you watch this video, you will see that he just stopped cold and went into a great crouch to get control of his sheep! Amazing.

Ben has now doubled his weight, and is 800 grams today. Good mom Jet!

Ben - compare how he is changing!

Ben on July 22 in the scale

Ben today (July 25) in the scale

He was 400 grams at birth and is now 700 grams

Close up of Ben nursing, which is his secret to weight gain

And he is now broad enough to sleep in this new position

I was holding Ben up to Jet, as she was showing interest in licking him... and...

He fell asleep in my hand with a tummy full of milk

Jet caught on camera (no flash, blurry, but didn't want to upset her) - LICKING her puppy

Jet licking Ben. I actually removed the heating pad today from the whelping box. I think it made a difference in her attitude. She was hot and didn't enjoy being in there. Today she seems to be licking a bit more.

Mom and baby Ben - I actually heard Jet snoring, way more comfie without the heating pad

I was reaching out to pat Jet - Ben crawled onto my arm and fell asleep again!

His cowlick cracks me up, like a bad comb-over!