Regalgoldens Golden Retrievers

“A Lucky Break” It’s a rare treat when puppies are born during the waking hours of the day. The norm is that it usually happens under the moonlight in the wee hours, so Chanel did us a huge favour. We knew it was going to be a small litter and we were apprehensive about the poor girl having to squeeze out overgrown pups. The first to appear was Mr. Cardinal at 1:05 pm with no issues whatsoever. The next was his wingman, Mr. Parakeet at 1:50 (who was scooped up in mid-air during Chanel’s bathroom break in the run) followed by Mr. Oriole at 2:10 and their baby sister Miss Finch at 3:05. They were all born in record time, because it’s not uncommon for an hour or more to elapse between the birth of each puppy. The added bonus is that they were all pretty average in size, so it was not a particularly difficult labour for Chanel. With only four pups, there are no line-ups at the milk bar for each puppy’s share of their mom’s milk which contains antibodies so vital for the first several weeks...

Devoted momma Chanel and her 11 puppies. “The Job Description” It’s always a bit confusing for a mom giving birth by C-section. For the weeks leading up to the birth, a mother-to-be knows she’s going to have a litter. When they’re delivered by C-section, it’s rather perplexing for her because the babies seem to appear out of nowhere…..and they already have demands!  Chanel warmed up to the idea quite readily and immediately began to bond with them, but it took a day before she came to the realization that the job came with responsibilities. After 24 hours, she stepped up to the plate and began to lick and nudge each of her offspring to clean and stimulate them as they are initially incapable of eliminating on their own. For the first couple of days, we had to coax her out of the whelping box for her bathroom breaks which are conducted in record time. She even insists on a “dining in” meal plan so that she can continually tend to her flock.  With eleven in the ...