Regalgoldens Golden Retrievers

Mr. Blue There’s never a dull moment in a household with two litters on the go. The puppies are growing daily - hourly even. Along with their plump little bodies, their vocal abilities are growing steadily. The call can come at any time, day or night, when they start chanting in unison, demanding a delivery of milk. Maddie is generally willing to oblige, but needs a little coaxing for the 3:00 a.m. feedings. Maddie herself is doing very well and has even discovered a couple of new tricks. There have been the usual one or two bread snatchings, but when the pack is receiving treats in the kitchen, Maddie will shuffle around to the back of the line to attempt to trick us into giving her seconds. On more than one occasion when the rest of the pack retires into their beds for the night, we’ll notice that we have an extra dog on our hands. It seems that in the commotion, Maddie has planted herself in one of the beds just to get a treat. A wolf in Golden Retriever’s clothing…...

Mr. Banana It’s never too early to begin good grooming practices and it’s no exception with puppies. The whole crew is getting regular pedicures on their tiny little paws, albeit no nail polish. Mom is looking after the balance of their grooming needs for the time being. Now that their vision is fully intact, the puppies are studying us and each other in wonderment and their little personalities are emerging with their facial expressions and the opinions they squeak at us. They are spending more time awake and when they’re not eating or sleeping, they’re play-fighting, climbing over-top one another and nibbling on each other’s ears. The whelping box for Maddie’s litter has been moved into the same area as Mango’s litter now. Fortunately each of the mothers has a good attitude about being in each other’s presence as well as receiving the occasional visit from another pack member. And being protective moms, they communicate the rules to their guests by way of facial ...

Mango and Steele Puppies – “The Grand Entrance!” Mango certainly surprised us all by giving no indication she was about to give birth on Monday afternoon. After being up for thirty-six hours straight, we were just ready to take an “afternoon break” when I heard barking just outside our bedroom. Seems our girl Heidi was alerting us to the new addition to our household as Miss Cranberry made her grand entrance at 2:15 pm. We quickly escorted our sweet Mango to the whelping box along with her new baby. She did, however keep going to the door to our backyard to eye a particular spruce tree. She clearly felt that the hole she dug under the tree would be a much better place to have puppies! When Mango finally gave in to our clean, warm and cozy whelping box, it seemed almost effortless as each puppy rolled out like clockwork. Miss Kiwi arrived at 2:45 p.m., Mr. Blackberry at 3:15 p.m., Mr. Coconut at 3:37 p.m., Mr. Banana at 4:00 p.m., Mr. Tangerine at 4:30 p....

Mango and Steele’s Litter – Week Two  Miss Rose - Two Weeks Old! Mango still doesn’t realize what a plush space she’s got for herself and her seven little pups. Periodically, when she’s in the yard on one of her breaks, she insists on perfecting the hole she created under a large tree. Sadly, we don’t think she’ll strike oil in that spot, but at the rate she’s going, we’ll need a backhoe to fill it in when she’s done. The puppies are a happy and content bunch spending most of their time eating, sleeping and staggering around the whelping box on their rubbery limbs. Many have achieved three times their birth weight and don’t look like they could possibly have popped out of their mom such a short while ago. We weigh the puppies at least once a day for the first three weeks; one of the highlights of our day.  On the weekend, we thought that Mr. Tangerine might like a little private time with his mom, but it turned out that Mango’s milk supply had been depleted...

Maddie and Jazz’s Litter – Week Two Miss Lilac - Two Weeks Old! The primary objective of a puppy is to eat as much as possible and then fall over in a heap to sleep it off until the next mealtime rolls around. It takes a lot of fuel to keep nine puppies satisfied. Fortunately Maddie’s appetite hasn’t waned so she’s getting a minimum of three nutrient-enriched meals a day supplemented with some dry food and a quantity of contraband Tostito chips that she helped herself to in the kitchen the other day. Much of the puppies’ time is occupied by sleep. And there are many variations of it as they lie there twitching and stretching. Since their body temperature will not have been regulated until after week three, they rely on mom and each other for warmth. When they sleep, they typically do so in clusters or groups, often one on top of the other. Periodically we muse about how they’ve unknowingly organized themselves, one time forming the spokes of a wagon wheel, anothe...

Mango and Steele Puppies – born July 9, 2012  Mr. Blackberry in dreamland! While Mango's puppies arrived almost effortlessly in one of those rare, albeit cherished daytime deliveries, they are certainly demonstrating that they’re ready to take on the world. The puppies cannot see or hear yet, but their sense of smell guides them in the right direction to their newly established, favourite hang-out:   the milk bar. They meet there frequently as it’s open 24 hours a day and the meals are complimentary. Whenever Mango returns to the whelping box from a bathroom break or from a stroll to stretch her legs, she is greeted by seven whining puppies, anxiously waiting for their next meal to arrive. Many of the pups are approaching 2 lbs. in weight with the exception of Mr. Tangerine. He’s a bit smaller than the other boys but he sure has a great spirit and is determined to keep his spot on the milk bar despite all the jostling that goes on t...

Maddie and Jazz Puppies born July 9, 2012 Maddie snuggling with her beautiful puppies! This past week has really flown by and it’s hard to believe Maddie’s little puppies are one week old. Maddie herself is recovering from a C-section required to deliver her tenth puppy, little Miss Pink, but you’d never know it. She is a very attentive mom and for the first few days she would not even leave her pups for meals, preferring breakfast in bed or room service. As the pups are getting a bit more established, Maddie does venture out more, but prefers to take her naps on the floor just outside the whelping box. We currently have two litters, each of which is in an opposite end of the house. When Maddie is in the kitchen, closest to Mango’s litter and hears the tiny voices coming out of that room, she does her utmost to hurdle the barrier in an attempt to attend to Mango’s puppies. At this stage, the pups spend their days eating and sleeping. They are usua...

Maddie and Jazz Puppies – Day 1  “The Big Arrival”   First, allow me to apologize for the delay in updating you on the big event! It has been a hectic seventy-two hours but we are so pleased to announce the safe arrival of five sweet girls and five dashing boys! Miss Lilac made her grand entrance at forty-four minutes after midnight on Monday, followed shortly thereafter by Mr. Blue at 1:15 a.m., Mr. Brown at 1:32 a.m., Mr. Teal at 1:46 a.m., Mr. Purple at 1:54 a.m., Miss Rose at 2:19 a.m., Mr. Forest Green at 2:50 a.m., Miss Lime Green at 3:20 a.m., and Miss Gold at 4:35 a.m. Between each delivery, we offered Maddie some vanilla ice cream. The calcium in the ice cream encourages contractions but I think in Maddie’s case, it just tasted good! After each puppy was born, she looked up at us as if to say, “some more ice cream perhaps”? It certainly kept her going all night long but as the sun began to rise and her ninth puppy was born, she w...

Mango, Day 60 (pre-parturition) Our beautiful Mango waiting for the ball to be thrown her way! Mango continues to blossom and if you catch her at the right angle she doesn’t even look pregnant!  One thing that has not changed for Mango is her love for retrieving.  She can still outrun anyone to catch that ball. However, these days we do limit her activity and let the other dogs win sometimes! Mango’s abdominal area has expanded to 88 cm or 34.64 inches. She really doesn’t have much room for food and is rather picky with her meals. We offer her various embellishments to her regular food and her current favorite is a couple fried eggs every morning. Remarkably she still can jump on the bed at night for belly rubs and has decided that the bed is more comfortable then sleeping on the floor.  It is easy to feel the puppies moving in Mango’s tummy now. I am not sure if it is the stimulation of our touches or if they’re just anxious to bust out into the ...

Maddie, Day 61 (pre-parturition) How many puppies can you count?   Above is an x-ray of Maddie’s tummy. It’s pretty loaded with puppies and not much room for food, however you wouldn’t know it by the size of her appetite! Maddie continues to blossom as her tummy has expanded to a whopping 35.5 inches or 90 cms. Heading into her final few days of pregnancy, Maddie is just as sweet and loving as ever. I’m not sure how she managed it, but last night she climbed up on the bed at 4:30 a.m. wanting some belly rubs and a cuddle, so needless to say, I obliged her. Maddie seems content just to relax and watch the other dogs play! With just a few more days left to go, the whelping area has been prepared for the big event. We will continue to monitor Maddie daily and provide further updates as soon as there is any news. The puppies could be born safely now but it is best that they stay warm and cozy for now and wait till the big day ...