| 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 |
|
OK, so the pictures are a little late. Our "wonderful" granddaughter Brittney came to stay with us after Christmas, and it seems that all our time was taken having fun with her. With the help of Brittney, we finally got the pictures taken. Enjoy! For those of you that are using this as a learning experience and a virtual litter, this is what is happening with the litter and mom. On the start of the sixth week, mom finally weaned her puppies. It was time, by then mom jumps into the kennel and stands while seven "sharp toothed, sharp clawed" darling little Aussies attack mom's food supply. She is knocked around, has to keep her balance as the large litter jumble her as they eat. As soon as they are done, she is gone. Now that the puppies are weaned, mom's food intake is adjusted so that she will not get fat and the milk production will stop. Now the puppy maintenance is left to the humans that planned this litter. OH they are wonderful, they are full of puppy breath, soft breath on your face and neck and nice little lickies. BUT, they are also possessed of very sharp teeth and nails. We trim the nails weekly, both front and rear, but those teeth are going to be sharp for a very long time. Since mom isn't cleaning up, we cover the kennel floor with newspapers, slowly moving the newspapers to a smaller area. The final area will be a kiddy pool that will become their "sand box". Right now they are using only the back 1/4 of their kennel for a litter area. By the time they go to their new homes, they will be paper trained. Clean up is done in stages. The newspapers are totally removed daily, but several times during the day we go in and cover all of the messes with another layer of newspaper. It works well. They drink a lot of water and have two containers in their kennel, one is for drinking and one is for swimming and dumping. Their kennel is still the 4 x 6 enclosure in the garage, it is still sheltered with wood and cloth and we still have heat lamps in the kennel area, the heat lamps have been moving higher and higher. The puppies hear us come into the garage and start looking for us. Little noses and eyes through cracks. The best viewing is either at the door or the other end where we left an uncovered area. You can hear them howl, bark and run back and forth from one spot to the other until they see us. Then it is play time for a while. We are doing run around the garage fast (of course then we have to clean up their messes), attack each other, rip off mom and dad's clothes (my children wonder why I always wear OLD sweats at home). They have also learned to place their heads sideways while they place their teeth around my ankle, then they chew and grind. Now this is one of my favorite games "NOT". While Brittney was here we had a shower together and she asked "Grammy, why do you have all those yellow marks and owies on your body?". I told her it was because Grammy had way too many dogs :O)). These puppies are active, healthy, socialized and very loving. we really don't have a dominate dog or bitch, or an underdog. Each and every pup is outward in some ways, and quiet in others. Sure we have the most active, and the most quiet or loving, but they don't seem to really pick on each other. I feel so very lucky and blessed to have such a wonderful litter.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Black Tri Female, 6 lb -- She is still quite a darling little girl. What nice conformation and markings, her coloration is nicely blended over her body. She has the dark copper, jet black coat, dark eyes, a nice blaze and a full white collar. This bitch is still a darling, right now she is favored by Terry. This little lady will be much lighter boned than any of the others in the litter, she is a most feminine lady and we feel she has a great potential.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Blue Merle Male, 9 lb -- The last week has changed this little guys temperament. He is now very much a lover and is now demanding. He is the first one to figure out which end of the kennel to look for us and when he plays it is just so cool, he just loves to bat your hands with his paws. He is a nice and big boned, and should be a sizeable male. He IS available to a companion home.
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Black Tri Male, 7 lb -- His markings are so much like his tri sister that sometimes you need to look twice. This little guy can bend to what you want. He will quiet in your arms, give kisses and puppy breath when you need your puppy fix, and he can still try to run circles around his litter. He is a very nice boy and shows a similarity to his dad. He will be a bit more moderate in bone, but his structure is quite nice. Chet will be pleased with "Max", he will give him just what he wants, and I know Max will have a great home too!
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
Blue Merle Male, 7 lb 5 oz -- When my handlers look at these pictures of this striking little blue merle, they will probably get the HINT that this boy is the one I would like to keep. Gosh, just because we shot so many shots of him. It also helps that he reminds me of his mother and his aunt. His body markings are very much like the rest of the family. This man will have a sturdy bone structure. He is not quite as heavy as BMM number 2, but he isn't going to be any slouch either, he is second in bone and not by far. I really like what I see in overall balance and markings of this boy. His eyes may be blue or mixtures thereof, time will tell, so far his eyes are at least partially blue, and maybe the right eye may be full blue.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Red Merle Female, 7 lb 5 oz -- She is not only good to look at, but she is a darling. She is very persistent when she wants attention. She jumps higher than the others to try and get your attention, and it works, she has our number. This bitch is a larger boned girl, but not as heavy as the boys. She still looks feminine and has that feminine face. I like her stance, her overall balance and her ear set, and I love her temperament. In the front facial picture on the left her eye looks blue. I am not sure whether they will be all amber or just partially blue, but I doubt she will have any full blue eyes. So Meryl, you don't have to show her with "sun glasses on her"!
|
||
|
|
||
 |
 |
 |
|
Black Tri Male, 5 lb 7 oz -- He is still such a different little guy. He is very cobby in his structure, his back and neck are short and he is a more moderate boned male. He makes up for his conformation with the most loving personality of the group. This guy is just plain mellow. My granddaughter Brittney thought this one was the best to play with because he wasn't so "squirmy". If you want love, bonding, and a forever friend, this guy has what you are looking for. This pup will be available for a companion home.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
Blue Merle Male, 7 lb 7 oz -- A very interesting blue merle male. As he grows we think he just gets better, and he shows off those eyes so well. One eye may be all blue, but the other will be marbled. He also has "eyeliner" around his eyes, more so on his right eye, and the liner is darkening as he ages. His color contrast is much more obvious now than earlier weeks, like most Aussies he will continue to darken. He has a bit of a softer male face, not so rugged as his other merle brothers, but not feminine. I like his balance and his overall structure. This guy is also Terry's favorite, so I can foresee a long term discussion. However, since all the dogs will be evaluated at eight weeks by the "Puppy Puzzle", we still have to hold our breath to see how they really turn out.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Light burlap base coat with a dark liver frill, 2 oz -- Bandages are off, but we are still afraid to leave him with the rest of the litter. Seen here is Brittney, taking special care of our previously injured adopted pup, when said she would keep him safe. He was very comfortable in her arms. This puppy will stay at Megabucks and his life will be sheltered. We don't want any problems like we had before.
|