Regalgoldens Golden Retrievers

“The Mother of the Year Award goes to…….” Of course the winner is Surrey. She’s truly demonstrated her prowess as Supermom. Not only has she continued to nurse her puppies well beyond the “don’t touch me stage”, but she’s become their ultimate playmate. On one occasion, Surrey was outside to look after her personal plumbing needs. Afterward, she returned to the living room door, pushed it open, stole into the whelping box and removed a toy to take outside. Then she beckoned us to bring the puppies outside to play with her! We oblige her whenever possible and when the weather doesn’t cooperate, she catapults herself into the whelping box and plays with her little ones for impossibly long sessions.  What a gal! Surrey is the ultimate playmate! Of course, mom is the young puppies’ first teacher and she frequently held group tutorials. Surrey’s new hobby is to watch for wild turkeys as they enjoy their morning work-outs by walking around the property and bark to chase the...

Mr. Mashed Potatoes on the lookout! “The Steak Out” Surrey usually sets a good example but not this time. It was Sunday night and we were looking forward to a nice quiet dinner after a long, hard week. The puppies had their dinner and everyone in the household was winding down. It only took a moment, but Surrey who in her defense is still nursing occasionally and needs copious amounts of food to maintain that initiative, absconded with a large slab of tenderloin that was resting on the kitchen island waiting to be grilled. Fortunately the culprit was quickly apprehended and dinner went on as planned. Throughout the week, we managed to get the group outside frequently for playtime. There is never any hesitation as they all scurry off in all directions in search of treasures. This notwithstanding, the group embraced the great outdoors as though they’d been doing it for years. They were completely comfortable and at ease considering the terrain was a far cry from the bunched up...

Loving the great outdoors! “On Your Marks, Get Set, Go, Go, Go!” Some litters can be a little tentative during their inaugural outing. Many puppies will stand there and tremble for several moments while they take in the vastness of a new universe outside their whelping box. Not this bunch. It took mere seconds for them to take it all in and make a quick decision as to which direction to take off in. They embraced it as though they’d been playing outside their entire lives! They chased their mom around, they chased us around and they chased each other as well. They explored a great deal of this giant space known as “the puppy run”. In fact, Mr. Pilgrim dutifully followed us to the far reaches of the yard appearing very content and proud of himself. Many of the others tried their “hand” at rock climbing, wrestling with their siblings or just meandered around. When she wasn’t directly engaging with the pups, Surrey hung out nearby just to keep a watchful eye on her flock. Since...

  Our new interactive play centre. “Port-a-Gym” Today we added an extension to the whelping box which has doubled its size. Now that the puppies are growing, they need a bit more space to allow them to pick up speed to scramble from end to end. In addition, the puppies now have gym memberships and an elaborate play station at their disposal as well as numerous plush toys. The little ones are developing their strength, co-ordination and cognitive skills as well as learning how to engage in an activity with a littermate, even if it’s just bumping heads. Since their hunting and chasing instincts are emerging, they practice with their siblings or their plush toys. When the play station was first introduced, Surrey wasted no time to investigate it as did her mini-pack. They scrambled to try out the various activities while Surrey curled up inside the box to watch. When the puppies drifted off to sleep, Surrey went to take a closer look at the activity centre and when she go...