Bud_Liz_FiveWeeks

AKC Pointed Firethornes Bartholomew "Bud"

and

AKC CH Megabucks Just Dealin Diamonds "Liz"

Multiple BOB, Multiple Group Winner over Nationally ranked Top Ten Herding dogs

Please pardon the picture quality. We took pictures for over an hour, then didn't try to upload the pictures until much later. It was then we realized the pictures had been affected by the glare off the snow. We use the window behind the camera to allow us good light, this time we had too much light and the pictures were less than favorable. Terry was tired, the puppies were tired, so what you see is what you get. Next week we hope to do much better.

It was their last week in the house and they definitely took advantage of the extra attention. It was a week of putting up your little paws on the ex, tipping your little head back and howling to get attention. Well I can say it worked. they LOVE to be picked up. Lots of face kisses, chin chews, nose licks. They even learned to wave their little paws at you when you walk by to get attention, and YES that worked too. They are the sweetest little puppies, very much loved, very much held and very much handled, they will make well socialized, loving companions.

Our 8th puppy has had his bandages removed and will probably have the stitches for the rest of his life, those wounds were just too harsh to take any chances. His time with the puppies has been replaced with "sturdier" toys. He is still in my office for safety and will probably stay there for total safety and to help us remember fondly the litter that were not always little angels :o))

There trip back to the garage has given them a lot larger area for exercise, they are getting bigger each week. Mom is let out often, and left with them all night. She is not locked in with the puppies, but can jump the kennel's barrier to nurse them. Then she has a warm bed for night time. She has already started feeding the puppies less and they will be weaned at the start of their 6th week. The puppies are eating their kibble well and growing well. Just remember when you look at the pictures that birth weight does not always equate to adult weight, make sure to look at the bone and the heavier structure to offer a clue as to what the puppies will look like as adults. Some will be more moderate like mom, and some have taken on the heavier bone and structure of dad. Just what I planned for this breeding, it will indeed be fun to watch these babies grow, we have a lot of hope for these pups.

So enjoy the pictures, even though they are not the best to show off the little darlings. Right now they change daily and by next week they will be considerably more advanced in sight and hearing, will be more aware of their surroundings and will adapt to change much easier. The weaning is relatively easy, then they will start a heavier bond with their humans and they will learn to get along with all the other dogs in the herd. I always enjoy watching them with Sassy, our oldest lady. Sassy will growl, show her teeth and occasionally give a little nip, they learn "duck and cover" very fast. Luckily there are many more patient dogs in the herd that just love new puppies. all is done with supervision so the puppies will not be injured, but the older guys are used to new puppies and know what is expected of them, and it is great fun to watch the interactions.



Black Tri Female, 4 lb 5 oz -- She still is in my heart, but I do see her little red merle sister that everyone is forever poking my nose in :o)) She is a mellow but outgoing girl, kind of the middle of the pack. She likes to play, her favorite being her sit back and wave at you. She is also very fond of her practiced "scream". This will be very popular with a new owner if she goes on. If we do decide to place her, she is very correct so far, but she will be evaluated before any decisions are made for show prospect placement, although her markings can't be faulted for conformation. That full white collar is just as far back as it should go, and the copper will be dark. She is still the darling of the group.


Blue Merle Male, 6 lb -- This little boy is still very striking, and yes those eyes are still looking that they will be predominately blue. He is also the quietest and the shyest. We are working on his shyness and he will be over anything that is too shy, or he will NOT go until it is not an issue. He will be a softer boy and would probably be best without a bunch of kids. He probably will make a wonderful foot warmer and leash buddy. He IS available to a companion home.


Black Tri Male, 4 lb 6 oz -- Max is still the top of the heap in the litter, but is still playing nicely with the rest of the litter. He and the darker of the merles and the red female seem to be a roving group of pups looking for something to do. He still looks the most like his dad and has good structure for his age (again waiting for evaluation), but so good so far. He too is a much wiggled tail. He loves to get out of the kennel and run, and is usually back and forth with the trio. Chet wanted MORE pictures this week of his boy, but I am going to have to wear them out much more next time. Our granddaughter Brittney will be here and can help tire out those active puppies.


Blue Merle Male, 5 lb -- The more he grows, the more we like him. He has a uniqueness that is like his mom and his aunt. His mom has the split face and his aunt has a heavily merled body. This boy too has dark copper like his uncle Deck. We still have the heaviest bone and so far we like what we see. He is part of the "mad trio" that contains the most active and outgoing of the litter. He and Max go back and forth with their outward temperaments. They are both very top of the litter in attitude. He will be very outgoing and he already has a lot of confidence. At least his outgoing temperament will be tempered with a happy tail and a wonderful personality. So far so good, but we do have a few more weeks to go until they are grown up enough to tell what we really have.


Red Merle Female, 5 lb 2 oz -- OK, our handlers keep telling us that this is their choice "HINT..HINT", I think I am getting their hint. I would have preferred a darker merle, or even this package in a black tri, but we don't always get everything our way, I should be just as happy to have one girl that meets our qualifications, and color should NOT be an issue. I don't know how many times I tell that to buyers. As you can see she is just darling, and in her lower front picture, she is a bit sleepy. She took this photo shoot in stride. Right now she is one of the "terrible trio" when she is with the litter, but when with us she is the licky and snuggle queen, only one is better, her dark tri brother. She seems to like humans a lot. Again, now all we have to do is keep watching for the developments in both structure and temperament. It is our waiting game and she plays one very important part in that game. She is LOVELY, at least I have noticed that.


Black Tri Male, 4 lb -- For each week this is still the LOVER of the group, his good temperament just gets stronger and stronger. Years ago we had a dog this happy and we always called him Mr. Happy, well this black tri not only looks like him, but has that same love me and I will love you temperament. I just can't say enough about him. He isn't at the top, but he isn't at the bottom of the litter either. The other puppies play will with him and he plays well back. He isn't shy and the other dogs do not pick on him. This pup will be available for a companion home.


Blue Merle Male, 5 lb -- It is always so hard to show off puppies. In the first picture he was all humped up, but you can see the angulation better in his legs. In the other side shot, he shows off his top line better, GO FIGURE ! It is really hard to work with puppies this young, and work with as many. He is still a nice boy and so far he is at least looking like he may be a show potential. I know the colors are VERY BAD in these pictures, but he is such a wonderful light powder blue color, his eyes are splashed with blue, and maybe one might be all blue, his copper is very dark and well placed and his eyes will be lined dark to provide a striking look. He is still the middle of the pack, but is as good as playing as anyone else. His temperament is not as outgoing as the "wild group". He is still a bit lighter in bone than the two other show potential males, but he is in no way not a male. He is a wiggle butt with outstanding movement.

HE IS SAVED !!!
Light burlap base coat with a dark liver frill, 2 oz -- Bandages are on for ONE more week. By the time mom & dad got through with all my adopted brothers and sisters, they decided I could wait another week. So I was given my daily attention, my bandages were checked, I was put back in my safest place after getting a good night kiss. I will be (almost) myself soon.


No more basket pictures as they are in a larger area, now we have some comparison shots. These shots are mainly for Chet and our handlers to see the differences since they can't be here every week.

The above are Max and the darker merle boy. Max is not a lot smaller, but the dark merle had more confidence on the table. I made the mistake of brushing Max before his photo shoot and that "scared" him. The dark merle did not get brushed, and those that didn't were definitely more comfortable. I guess it was just too much too soon. They do make quite a good pair. Both have nice bone and a good wide front. Again we wait for evaluations.


There was NO WAY I was going to get more than two shots of the girls. What you see is what you get. Again the black tri was brushed and that was not a popular thing for me to do, and the red merle was not brushed. You can see that the merle has much larger bone and a much blockier head. Again HINT ... HINT we will wait for evaluation time.

CHECK OUT THE LITTER AS THEY GREW
First day	One week, one day	Two weeks	Three weeks
Four weeks	Six weeks, four days	Eight weeks, 3 days