Regalgoldens Golden Retrievers

Mr. Frostbite “It’s a bird, it’s a plane…” Now that the ever-growing puppies are situated in our library which runs off a large open foyer, we’ve found it necessary to add barricades to enforce an “invitation only” policy with the rest of the pack. Never one to be deterred by convention, our Surrey revealed her Olympic prowess by hurtling over not one, but two barricades stacked back-to-back in order to get inside the whelping box to get better acquainted with the mini-pack. Since Surrey was not able to produce the necessary guest pass, we escorted her out again. After two successful breaches, we’re uncertain as to how to reinforce the perimeter of the puppy zone…..three barricades perhaps? Meanwhile in the whelping box, Mr. Frostbite had just been roused from a deep slumber and found himself nose-to-nose with Miss Blizzard who was mouthing and pawing him. This is how the puppies learn rudimentary social skills. Now that their vision is established beyond simply being able to ...

Mr. Frostbite can see the world! “The Cyclops” The big news for Sierra’s mini pack is that the puppies have opened their eyes allowing us to peer through the windows to their little souls. That is, all except the cyclops: Mr. Moonbeam, who decided he would be opening his just one eye at a time! At this stage, the puppies can only differentiate between light and dark, but the haze will clear up very quickly over the next week or so as they begin to experience normal sight. They are however, able to hear quite well as soon as their ears have opened. All in all, this is a very quiet bunch. Normally puppies will bellow whenever they’re hungry, but with the all-day buffet at their disposal, this brood is so well fed that we barely hear a peep out of them save for little coos of contentment. Miss Sunshine has overtaken everyone in the weight department and now resembles a plump little Buddha. Leaving nothing to chance, we rub her belly and make wishes. The other big event is that the...

Mr. Moonbeam - just another day at the spa. “The Catapult” It was a day like any other, just a few days prior to her scheduled due date. Sierra was happy and upbeat with her emphatic wiggle and her happy howl. She polished off all of her meals…… and then to our surprise, her water broke. Despite the impending early arrival of her pups, the timing was still well within the window in which the little ones could be whelped safely. Later that day as Sierra was enjoying a cuddle on our bed, the first puppy, Miss Blizzard was deposited there. Around thirty minutes later, this time in the whelping box, Mr. Frostbite joined his sister. Apparently that was hard work and Sierra was in no hurry, so after a break of over an hour and a half, Miss Sunshine made her appearance followed by Mr. Moonbeam some forty-five minutes later. Since most girls whelp their puppies in the middle of the night, this was one of those rare, but cherished deliveries in the waking hours. We always knew Sierra was cu...

Sierra with several days to go before the big event! “The Dirty Girl” As we head into the final few days of her pregnancy, Sierra is definitely in the “nesting” stage. Pregnant moms begin to nest about this time to seek out a place where they intend to have their babies. Sierra has found what she thinks is the perfect spot at the side of our house where she has initiated an excavation.  We’re uncertain as to whether she plans on building a cave or an igloo, but she’s been digging deep enough that despite the snow, she comes back inside the house with dirty feet. She’s been so determined and unfazed by the frigid temperatures we’ve experienced this past week that we’ve had to venture out at night to retrieve her. We’re hopeful that when the time comes, she’ll embrace our clean and cozy whelping box by the fireplace in the bedroom. We are thrilled that Sierra has been doing so well throughout her pregnancy but she has notably slowed down the past few days. She continues to be rav...

Sierra will make a great mom as she loves all puppies! With just two weeks to go, Sierra continues to relish her food. She is now eating three smaller meals daily consisting of fresh pureed fruits, vegetables, oatmeal, chicken and supplements so she and her pups receive the best nutrition possible. This holiday season, she will be lurking around the dinner table but she needn’t worry - she‘ll receive her own delightful turkey feast! Sierra has slowed down a bit and as previously mentioned, prefers quieter surroundings. She is usually found lying by the fireplace on her own cozy doggy bed or on our bed. She doesn’t stay outside for very long or venture very far from us. Like the rest of us, Sierra is not big on ice storms, but nothing seems to faze her and she didn’t object to the absence of hydro for four days. Throughout the whole “ordeal”, she emphatically wiggled her rear and cooed with delight at every turn. It was difficult to tell Sierra was even pregnant as she didn’t real...

Sierra enjoying some R&R time at the cottage before the big event. As you can see, Sierra is a very happy girl. She is constantly wagging her tail and howling with joy. Pregnancy is certainly agreeing with her! Sierra hasn’t skipped a beat when it comes to her enjoyment of food, nor has she suffered from morning sickness; quite the opposite really. She is eating two larger, nutritious meals daily however, in a couple of weeks’ time she will enjoy three smaller meals. Sierra is sticking close to us these days. She prefers to remain inside on these cold winter days rather than play outside with the other dogs. She can usually be found curled up by the fireplace or nestled on our bed. She is a girl that enjoys comfort! At the moment, she is enjoying a marrow bone by the fireplace and tonight she will curl up beside us for her regimen of belly rubs. Pre-natal period: It’s an interesting fact that a dog's tactile perception develo...

Mr. Apple loving the outdoors but not the heat! Victoria’s Secret It happened early one morning. The sun was beating down and the birds were singing their various melodies, busily scouring the dewy grass for worms and other delectables. As we opened the door to release Bailey and her mini pack into the yard, Bailey spotted it first and tore off at top speed to investigate. Sensing imminent danger, Mr. Potato stopped in his tracks and turned to warn the others, many of which were already headed back inside in response to our beckoning. In the meantime, Bailey was nose to nose with her adversary… a baby chipmunk. Once the puppies were “safely” tucked away, Bailey was also persuaded to return, allowing the little chipmunk to reunite with its own family. With the weather being as hot as it was this past week, it’s no surprise that the puppies spent much of their time soaking their little feet in the over-sized water bowl - no doubt dreaming about swimming at the cottage one day. An...