Fat Boy Neil 3 weeks

There is really not much to blog about Neil right now! He is growing and being as cute as a button and not much trouble at all. Three weeks old and 1 lb 12 ounces; but most of it is his beer belly! In comparison to my other singleton litters: He is not as fat as the original Fat Boy "Todd" but heavier than his daddy "One". Comparisons at this age are not really very helpful although many people are desperate to figure out heights at this age already! I will already have people asking me if he is going to be small or medium! hahaha

I have him up on the balance disc to try and work on his core abdominal muscles and lose some weight! (really just kidding in case someone thinks I am serious!)



He is making excursions into the kitchen and just started walking around a little. I find singletons are definitely behind in the movement area probably because they don't have to fight for their food. Here he is looking for his mum on the other side of the baby gate right before he got his head stuck between the bars and scared me half to death. Yikes!



The puppy pen has changed again. Now the panels are around the box and the box cut down so that Neil can move out of the box and see more action. I am really liking the adaptability of the old "cardboard box" instead of a fancy whelping box. Ahh the simple things!



A sunny day and Neil goes outside for the first time. He still looks so lonely in his pen.



The two men in the house have got to stick together.

Fat Boy Neil adventures into the kitchen

While having my tea this morning I brought Neil in to interact with Itzy and Zaz. They will have to take place of his litter mates although I think Itzy would like to be his momma. Luna needs to be out of the room during these visits as she is quite protective of her baby. Between Luna, Zen and Itzy I think Neil will have three mums!

Fat Boy Neil at 2 weeks old

Fat Boy Neil is now 2 weeks old. I have almost been feeling guilty as this has certainly been an easy litter to care for so far! Now that his eyes are open and his ears are almost open I can feel needed again.

We have changed the whelping box slightly to start adding more fun things. The baby mobile over head to stimulate him to look up and get used to things over his head. The Radio/CD Player next to the box to start adding extra noise. More toys to climb over...well not really climb as he is not even waddling yet! I know from experience that he will be on his feet later than if he had litter mates and less food!



I laugh whenever I see photos of the cardboard whelping box. It is such a great idea for cleanliness reasons as it is disposable; but all I can think of are homeless people on the NYC streets!

We pick Neil up all the time and just hold him but now I have started to add a litle yogurt for him to lick while we are holding him. This is just to associate good things with being held. I carry him into different rooms and put him on a fleece on the floor to just look around. Nothing too exciting yet as he is barely awake most of the time. ha!





Luna continues to be a great mother. She is very protective of him and when strangers come to visit she gives them a very stern look! I can see her mind is conflicted as she normally loves everyone but is worried about her baby. She certainly does NOT tolerate the other dogs around HER baby and Zaz and Itzy have learned not to mess with "mother nature"!

One week old Fat Boy Neil

We had a nice time at West Wittering beach yesterday. It was Zaz and Itzy's first time at the beach. They are so much fun to take places and I just love them. I was so impressed that they stayed for this photo; I guess my training is starting to work! They are alternatively known as the "Dynamic Duo" or "Dastardly Duo" depending on how well-behaved they are. Luckily they were pretty dynamic at the beach!

Agility has taken a back seat for awhile for many reasons. I just cannot get my competitive head back right now. I am enjoying working with Zen and training her to get ready for the European Open but I am not enjoying the actual agility shows . So I have stopped entering shows for August and instead Dennis and I are going to take a week off and go up to Scotland. After much time on the internet I finally found a nice self-catering cottage that takes dogs and was NOT booked! I think everyone and his family have booked holiday cottages in August. Next year I must think of booking earlier as I found some fabulous places that took unlimited dogs but were booked already. I hope the place I found is nice; it looks good. It is really remote and seems to be in an area with loads of good walks and lots to do. We will take Zen and the dynamic-duo pups leaving Jordan and Pax home with the pet-sitter. Pax and Jordan love to walk but get tired earlier and I think they will be happiest at home.



Neil continues to grow and at 1 week old is now 1 pound! He has the biggest belly and when he lies stretch out he looks like a big blob. The other two singleton puppies I have had were the same way; they seem to gain huge amounts in their bellies.

Here are the two sides of Neil. Luna's breeder was worried that Neil would be too white factored! haha We think Neil is "black-factored"! He has so little white on him but he is cute anyway!




Zen was just dying to see Neil. I put Luna out and gave Zen a chance to check him out. She immediately jumped in the box and cleaned him but then realized that he may want to nurse and skedaddled out pretty quickly.

Smiley Zen

I could not resist posting this photo. This is Zen in a nutshell; most happy when she is doing something. Thanks Paula for taking this photo of Zen during a break at a Contact Clinic we attended this weekend.



This is a photo of Zaz in her puppy class but sadly Zaz's puppy class is over! It was a really good class with people and dogs with similar ideas. So nice to have a class where everyone is so kind to their dogs. Unfortunately the instructor has no space available to do another class so we are on our own again!

Fat Boy Neil continues to be fat and is gaining 1-1.5 ounces a day! I would much rather this than all the problems I had with Itzy and Mouse in the last two litters. I feel sort of un-needed right now as Luna is doing all the work and all I do is pick Neil up to give him cuddles and kisses. At least he was 3 days old and I could start the Neurological Stimulation to give me some purpose!

Big Fat Tick

Sometimes I just cannot find the puppy!



Day three and mum and pup continue to do well. Life is good! People have been asking me if I am upset that I didn't get my girl. How can I be upset when I have a healthy puppy and a healthy mom? He is such a little gem. It could have gone so wrong but we were lucky and I am so happy with the little boy. I am disappointed that I do not have a puppy for myself but I do have two little girls to keep me happy for a long time. My only disappointment is that I will not get another chance to have a puppy from Luna as she is everything I was looking for in a bitch to breed with. Luna will eventually have to return home to the good ole USA.

Maybe things work out for a reason and I can now spend this year concentrating on Zaz and Itzy. They are a blast to train.

Luna's puppy is a big fat tick already! Luna is being a very attentive mother so little "Neil" (can't get used to that name) is getting larger and larger in his belly area! Luna is so black that I often lose sight of Neil but now that he is getting fatter and fatter it will be more difficult for him to hide.



Oh My God..the names you guys have come up with are so funny. I am a bit DOH! as it took me 1/2 a day to figure out "OBay One Kenobi". HAHAHA I kept thinking why is "One Kenobi" funny? And then I said the entire name including my kennel name and realized why it was so funny! OBAY ONE KENOBI is the funniest name I have heard in a long time.

Fat Boy Part Deux and what to name him?

Well another singleton and thus another FAT BOY! You can see that Luna's boy is already enjoying the benefits of being an only child and is expanding rapidly. His favorite position is draped over one of Luna's legs.



He is a tri-colour and not a bi-black. He is very cute and has one dark leg like Itzy and very little white on him. When he is cuddled up against Luna's black coat it can be difficult to see him at all!

I had loads of names ready for all the pups I expected Luna to have. We have switched gears and now have two possible registered names picked out for him. Tell me what you think?

I like my singleton pups to have something in their names that indicate that they were an only puppy. Daddy "One" is named "OBay Singular Sensation" and cousin "Todd" is named "OBay One Helluva Charmer".

But considering Luna's name is "Toven Blame It On The Moon" we decided to incorporate a moon-theme based on the First man to walk on the moon. we have come up with:

OBay One Small Step (based on Neil Armstrong's famous words as he stepped onto the moon)

The alternative which covers the Moon-theme but not the singleton theme is:

OBay The Eagle Has Landed (based on Armstrong's words when the landing craft "the eagle" landed safely on the moon)

My gut feeling is that I will decide as he develops. If he is a little guy; he will be One Small Step and if he is gorgeous handsome larger boy he will be "The Eagle Has Landed".

As for call names; that will be up to the new owner but for now Dennis has named him "Neil" after Neil Armstrong!

Luna Landing

Here is Luna in photos taken last week. She has fit in so well here and is a joy to have around.



I was so lucky to get the opportunity to bring Luna over from the USA. She is such a gorgeous little girl with a fabulous temperament. We bred Luna to "One" and had high hopes for a beautiful girl to carry on with.

Well things do not always go to plan with breedings! Last night after a difficult delivery Luna presented me with a singleton BOY puppy. Not quite what we asked for but I am grateful that mum and pup seem to be doing well. We were actually 5 minutes from a c-section; the vet had gone into the operation room to get it set up. The pup had been stuck in the canal for longer than I was happy with and we were worried about any other puppies behind it. I have to honestly say I thought the puppy in the canal was dead by then.

The vet tried for about 10-15 minutes to pull the puppy out but he was not budging. We decided to go for the c-section and the vet left the room and said it would take him 10 minutes to set up the operation room. We put Luna on the floor to walk around and I asked Luna to please please please push again. Five minutes later she started with strong contractions and we could see the pups feet hanging out. The vet came back in and after a few minutes and lots of lubricant was able to pull the pup out. Imagine my relief when the puppy immediately began squirming and moving around!

The vet then scanned Luna and, at first, thought there was a second pup. Then after a few more minutes of looking decided that there were no more pups unless the pup was under the ribcage. So we decided to take Luna in for an x-ray to be 100% sure and unfortunately there were no more.

This is my third singleton litter! I may become the singleton puppy expert which is not what I wanted to be! What I do know is that whoever gets this puppy better be ready for a strong personality as most of my singletons are VERY strong characters!



We had a lovely LARGE whelping box ready. I think the little one would have been lost in there.



A cardboard whelping box has it's advantages. A few modifications and now it is the right size for Luna and pup.



I have a great name for this pup but will keep you in suspense for a week or so until I know he is healthy and gaining weight.


I am so happy to have Itz and Zaz as they will be great socialization for a singleton pup. They were bored yesterday as I had no time for them.

A Surprise is coming!

We are headed over to Denmark tomorrow to pick up a special little package that has been loaned to me by a very special person. Luna has been bred to my special boy "One" and is due to have puppies in two weeks.

Here is a little sneak preview of Luna. Yes she is bi-black but don't y'all get too excited as she will just have tri and sable pups. As long as there is a special little sable girl in there for me I will be happy.

My emotions are a little mixed right now. I am so excited to be finally getting Luna but I am so worried about leaving Zaz and Itz behind. It will be the first time I have been separated from them. I know they are in good hands: Zaz is with Sonia and Bob and Itz is with Nancy and Andy. It will be good for them to have some time away from each other but I miss them terribly and am feeling ridiculously anxious about leaving them!

Here is Itzy meeting with Andy's dog Murphy.


Here is Itzy taking her proper place on the couch.



Nancy promised to train Itzy for me. Do you call this training?

Goodbye to Misty

"Misty"

18 Sept 1996 to 13 May 2009

I just received some sad news. Pax's litter-sister, Misty, passed away last week. Misty had spent the last 5 years of her life living with Jody in Saratoga New York. She was loved and spoiled as she deserved to be and I am so grateful to Jody for appreciating this sweet silly girl.

Until we meet again Misty.

Zaz and Itz and their special Dyson friend

Why do these two puppies greet the Dyson Hoover/vacuum as if it was a long lost friend? I have no idea and it is the strangest thing! We actually have to lock the hoover away or they would spend all their time kissing up to it!

GT, Vyne and Tun Wells Agility Shows

Well Agility season is back in full force. I have had mixed emotions about the competitions but I do so love running Zen. I have found the UKA shows better for me this year as they don't bring back so many memories of Hex. The Championship shows...well that is another story. Vyne was not good for me; all I kept thinking of was Hex. It did not help that her 4th birthday would have been on 5th May. My heart just was not into the Champs at Vyne and so I skipped the Beacon Champ this weekend. Last year I loved running the Champ classes but that feeling is gone right now. I just may skip the Champs this year; I will take it day by day (or weekend by weekend!) Zen has nothing to prove; I think she has 9 Champ Tickets and 4 reserve Champ tickets.

The one good thing about Vyne was that I got a chance to run Corrie again. Here she is running a Grade 3-5 jumping. Corrie placed 22nd out of 250 dogs; strangely I would have never thought I would be happy with a 22nd Place rosette and yet I was thrilled!



My sweet Zen turned 6 years old on 30 April! She is starting to coat up again after the pups and is looking good. I liked this photo as it shows how Zen turns so tightly. I think if those jump cups were not at her eye level she would even be tighter! Look at those thigh muscles!



I just liked how she was smiling on this jump photo.



The GT UKA show was good for us. Lots of chances to train in the ring and Zen had some good runs. Here is one run we did in the Royal Canin Qualifier. The first time we got to the weaves before a dog ran in to the ring to confront Zen. It was interesting to watch this as I had not seen the dog coming. When I watched the video back I could see the dog had it's eye on her almost from before she got onto the dogalk. Thank goodness Zen did not react to the dog or try and run away as I think she would have been chased. Zen is not the bravest dog in the world and something like that would really bother her.



We ran again right away as Zen does best without alot of waiting around the rings. I was really pleased with this run and she did not seem to be affected at all from the experience.



There has been much talk lately about the number of dog fights, dogs chasing and dogs getting hurt at shows. I know of so many dogs that have been bitten just over these past few weeks and so many shelties that have been hurt/killed over the past few years. It does make me very nervous about having the pups at shows although I know it can happen anywhere. Just today at the vets a lady was telling us how her dog was attacked on a walk by a staffie.

I know these things do happen but am just amazed at the people who do not take responsibility. I did not know who owned this dog that ran into the ring after Zen but was but was grateful that the owner took the time to find me afterwards and apologize. Sometimes that is all it takes to diffuse a situation and am amazed at the number of people at shows who forget how to be polite and civilized. I think almost everyone I know has had their dogs bit at least once ringside. What worries me is that I think I would not be able to control myself if one of my pups got hurt and I would end up in trouble! I think that is when my New York background would come out in full force!

The GT show was three days long and so brought the caravan and camped. It was very relaxing and I am looking forward to our next camping show in July. :-)

When not hanging out ringside the pups have to be in a puppy pen as Itzy has learned how to escape under the windbreaks around the caravan. She decided she wanted to sit on TOP of the crate in order to have a better view.



Meanwhile Pax likes to sleep in the sun on the lounge chair. In this photo we just woke her up when we tried to sneak up for a photo of her sleeping. I don't know how she heard us as she is almost totally deaf now.


This weekend ,since Zen and I had saturday off,we had a nice day at home, got the back lawn cut and set up a new course in the back garden. We went to Tunbridge Wells on Sunday. I like the Tunbridge Wells show as it is only 40 minutes away and the weather was good! It turned out to be a very good show for me and Zen. Zen ran 100% clear runs and came 2nd in a tough Crufts Singles, 3rd in the Olympia Qualifer (which qualified us for the Olympia Semi final!) and 2nd in a fast Grade 6,7 jumping. We still have lots of training needed to get ready for the EO and the World Champ try-outs in July but that is half the fun!

Zev and his tongue

Last weekend we had a chance to spend a little time with Zev (Zen's 1 year old son). I cannot believe we did not notice the tongue situation until we looked at the photos! Poor Zev he will never live it down; he has the worlds funniest sheltie tongue! Luckily he is a lovely happy boy in every other way.

That tongue was doing all kinds of flopping around!



Worlds longest sheltie tongue!



How about this way?



Luckily there is room in that mouth for his favorite kong toy!



Zaz had a lovely run with Zev. It was amazing to see how she mirrored him in his movements. Zev was so good with her; slowing down when needed and always watching where she was as to not run her over.





What a happy boy.