Regalgoldens Golden Retrievers

  Welcome to the world!   “Room for Rent” In our previous posting, we revealed how much Bailey enjoyed accommodating her puppies in the plush surroundings of the whelping box. Now that she’s recovered from her C-section and has had a little more time to reflect, Bailey been on the lookout for some other digs; quite literally. On more than one occasion, she’s been caught trying to excavate some spaces in the yard she deems suitable to raise her new family in. There’s one hole under a rock that was so deep, we could hear an echo in it. Since the digging was proving to be difficult, Bailey finally settled on a readymade dog house on the side porch, albeit we think it may just be a little small for her needs. Bailey in the dog house! Thanks to Bailey’s dedication as a mom, spending almost 24 hours a day in the whelping box, the puppies have almost doubled their birth weights. Bailey’s milk depository provides their nourishment which...

Miss Apricot cuddling up to mom - a few hours old! “Welcome to the World Little Ones!” We are very pleased to announce the “late” arrival of Bailey’s adorable puppies on Monday, May 20 th , of 6 beautiful boys and 2 adorable girls by C-section. We were certainly hoping Bailey would give birth during the night but she never progressed past stage one labour, so after several days of waiting we decided it was best to go in and get them. It turns out that a little one who’d made a wrong turn was blocking the passage for all the pups. The puppies are all very hearty, fairly even in size and weight and are actually somewhat larger compared to other litters. Bailey has all the makings of a good mom and is recovering well. Unlike other first-time mothers, Bailey relinquished the mindset of wanting to deliver her puppies somewhere in the yard in favour of the plush surroundings of the whelping box. She seemed to like it so much, she spent the previous two nights sleeping in it ...

  Bailey still looking stunning! Bailey sure is showing signs of slowing down and there is definitely a waddle in her walk these days. She prefers to be inside with us lying on her cozy dog bed or on the cool tile floor. Bailey is a very calm and quiet girl and seems even more so with her pregnancy. She continues to have a tremendous appetite, which we are thankful for as some expectant moms can be extremely fussy – others have voracious appetites. Bailey is currently eating three meals a day but this weekend, we will transition her to four smaller meals daily.  She still gobbles down her food and we can’t seem to put the bowl down fast enough. This Monday evening, we will take a trip to the vet to see how everything is going and then prepare for the big event on the following weekend. Bailey has begun to seek out what she feels is the perfect spot to have her pups. So far she appears to be undecided as to where she would like to give birth since she has already e...

Baily at day 35. Still looking slender! It is hard to believe that Bailey will be having her puppies in less than 20 days. While her tummy has expanded to 33.5 inches (85 cm), she is not showing any signs of slowing down yet. Bailey is extra sensitive and prefers being close to us rather than with the pack, so her evenings are spent cuddling and getting lots of belly rubs. Bailey has a ravenous appetite and is being fed three times daily now. As the puppies grow, there is less room in her tummy and it’s also easier for Bailey to digest these smaller meals. She is eating a nutritious balance of home cooked organic foods, premium kibble, supplements and raw vegetables.   Embryo at 25 days. Photo by National Geographic. Pre-natal period: It is an interesting fact that a dog's tactile perception develops before birth, therefore unborn puppies can detect touch when the mother is petted from the outside of the abdomen. This establishes the basis for puppies to toler...

Miss Violet (Winnie) “The Wailing of the Banshee” She ran at top speed, her lithe legs churning, kicking up tufts of sod as her paws tore into the turf. She was only too aware of the sound of the rest of the pack in pursuit. She stopped abruptly and swung around in the opposite direction, panting heavily. We watched from a distance as the scene unfolded. Heidi was running back and forth along the fence line with the rest of the pack in tow, but what was not immediately evident was that inexplicably she was outside the compound! Happily, she returned quite readily when we opened the gate to let her back inside the yard. Whether motherhood had proved to be so difficult that Heidi felt she needed to escape or whether she was just being a clever girl, we weren’t certain.   That is, until we did a perimeter sweep and Heidi showed us a section of fence that had been compromised. We now understand the proclivity of her daughters: Miss Scarlet and Miss Violet, for the...

Loving the Spring weather! “World Cup Soccer in Caledon” The puppies vacillate between two extremes. On the one hand, they were the best behaved, quietest group on record during their car ride to visit Dr. Matt, the veterinarian. Each and every puppy was very brave, not to mention polite and received top marks for their checkup. They also received kudos in the parking lot at Ren’s Pet Depot where admiring passersby cooed with delight at the sight of these little balls of fur. On the other hand, this group doesn’t hold anything back when it’s time to unwind and have fun. In a recent World Cup Puppy Soccer match, it was one giant free-for-all wherein the puppies ran shrieking as they chased the ball from one end of the foyer to the other and back again. Afterward, when the water bowls were drained by the thirsty brood, two of their brethren picked up the bowls and ran victory laps with them. One of the more perplexing things we’ve noticed i...

  The Escape Artist - Miss Scarlet “A Little Privacy Please!” Puppies have no sense of discretion. They just want to have fun -  even if it’s at the expense of one of their siblings. Feeling what some might refer to as one of nature’s calls, one of the pack will slip away to a quiet spot to have a private moment. No sooner has the” target” surrendered to his urges when out of nowhere, one or two other puppies converge to take down their “quarry” in a game of rugby without the ball. Another one of the most dramatic sports moments of the week occurred as we rolled a big ball out into the play area. The puppies were mesmerized as they took in the sight of this wondrous red object spinning past them. One by one, they went to investigate until Mr. Ebony, realizing its great power, began to roll it around the floor. The rest of the gang jubilantly followed the procession as if they’d just invented the wheel. We’re sure the Olympic Committee didn’t see this com...