Fall On The Farm

Fall is a wonderful time to have a litter of puppies at the farm. Yesterday we all walked out to the fields after the soybeans have been harvested. The pups really enjoy investigating the farm, and their mom, Claire, merrily trots along with her group in tow. Even though the pups no longer need Claire for nutrition, she still provides guidance and leadership to her little troop. It is heartwarming watching her playing and wrestling with her beautiful babies.

Claire in the Cornrow

Bodhi, Hickory Tavern On The River, will soon be heading to Virginia

The puppies make their own corn maze

Grey girl (Wendy), White boy (Bodhi), and Green boy (Louie)

Hickory Tavern On Deck  'Maverick' shows his beautiful sidegait. Maverick will be staying close by in Pittsburgh. We are very excited about his future!

On Tuesday, all of the pups were loaded up and taken to the vet for checkups, immunizations, and microchips. They were excellent little travelers and there wasn't any crying in the car. Everyone was very brave! 

Fall Harvest

Today on the farm we were combining soybeans

Morning Explore

Here is a fun way to spend the morning! Watching these little hoodlums out and about is a lovely start to my day!

Heading Out

And Back

Home Again!

Some of the others

Although we are preoccupied with our beautiful litter of Claire's puppies, we still have time to enjoy all of our other dogs. Here are a few shots from yesterday afternoon:

Solene looking like her mum Claire

Nessa looking like her mum Alba

Calla and Claire
Claire is in the middle of being brushed out and is extra poofy

Ava

Nessa

And the babies!

The Pittsburgh Pups

Today's four puppies are special to me because they are all staying in the Pittsburgh area and I will get to frequently see them. In fact, two of them will be living on the same street (completely by coincidence; the families did not know each other prior to the litter being born).

Maverick, the Red Collar Boy

Miss Purple, who sends her best wishes to Elizabeth and Andrew on their wedding day!

Louis, The Green Boy

Madi, the Blue Collar

Here's the rest of the herd during their outdoor time today

Thursday Morning

Finally it has stopped raining long enough for the pups to get out before more rain comes this afternoon. They are so wild and energetic when they go out. Watching them run through the tunnel, jump from the step, wrestle and play...it's the perfect day!

Early Spay or Neuter: Please Watch

With my own dogs, I do not routinely spay and neuter them, and I have never had an accidental breeding. I am pleased to see Dr Becker's view on this, and I wish that America was more like the European countries where pets are not routinely sterilized but instead are responsibly handled so that unwanted litters are not rampant. I would like to be able to remove the mandatory spay/neuter clause from my pet contracts and know that the veterinarians would support intact dogs owned by ultra-responsible families.

Today's Puppy Photos

Orange Boy

Yellow Boy

Grey Girl

6 Weeks Today!

It's a soggy day here, but the pups did get to go outside for a few hours when the rain stopped. Here are a few of the pictures taken today that I sent to their owners as an update. I hope that the new families will feel a connection to their puppy even before they meet! Their little velcro collars have worn out, so they're all unmarked.

Burgundy Girl

White Boy

Solene Wins Another Best FSS!

Today our pretty homebred girl Hickory Tavern Intl Intrigue "Solene" won another Best FSS/Group 1 at the Berger Picard National Specialty in Columbus, OH. This is the 5th time that Solene has won Best FSS in 7 shows. We are so proud of her correct movement, beautiful outline, and sweet, sweet temperament and today's judge, Harry 'Butch' Schulman, had very kind comments about her. She is a total pleasure to live with!

More Daily Life

This is the 20 x 20 puppy area where the puppies spend several hours every day, weather permitting. We enjoy our time watching the puppies play and interact outside.

 Sweet little brown girl 

It's a wonderful time to share so much love with our puppies

Daily Life

Three times a day, the puppies eat a goats milk and kibble meal. They are still nursing from Claire several times a day, although she is starting to wean them. In the top left corner, you can see the litter box that the puppies are using more often than not. The pups are just 5 weeks today, so any time they make it to the box I am happy!

Barbet Puppy Love

One of the true joys of breeding dogs is watching the puppy families meet the pups for the first time. This weekend we've started visits with our new families and I couldn't be more pleased with the reactions of both the puppies and the families.  It is really fun for me to share these beautiful little pups that we've worked so hard for with families who have researched breeds and waited patiently for a puppy to become available for them. 

Outside Fun

The weather is beautiful and the puppies are old enough to spend a few hours outside every day in their own puppy run. Unbelievably, they are 4 weeks old and are halfway for some of them to move to their new homes. We all enjoy playing with them so much. Of course, everyone loves a puppy kiss on the nose!