Regalgoldens Golden Retrievers

Miss Sierra cooling off on a warm day. Well we are now entering the final stretch and Sierra continues to be such a happy girl. The babies can be born safely at around day 57 onward. Sierra had her pups on day 59 previously so we will see if she makes it to day 63 which is average for most dogs. Sierra’s abdomen is measuring approximately 34 inches or 86.3 cm. She has never turned her nose up at anything we put in front of her and continues to eat balanced meals with supplements to ensure she and the pups are getting all the nutrition they require. She seems to be prancing around the house in such delight of her upcoming big event. Take a look at this link for a brief understanding of what is going on in Sierra’s womb. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnlEfXVKxgY Around day 45 the puppies’ coats appear which is one of the last organs to develop. Toward day 50 of gestation, the fetuses wil...

Whitney’s Big Day It began with a great deal of heavy breathing, some jostling around and a major rearrangement of the bed sheets just to get into that perfect position. Several hours later a little girl, Miss Crimson fought her way out to catch her first breath of fresh Caledon air. She was followed by six other brothers and sisters:   Miss Marigold, Mr. Raven, Mr. Sapphire, Mr. Zinc, Mr. Buff and Miss Jade who all weighed in at around one pound. Unless she was wearing a concealed wristwatch, Whitney must have been eying the clock on the dresser as she popped out puppies with astonishing regularity, pausing only once to enjoy a bowl of vanilla ice cream. Miss Marigold Whitney wasted no time in demonstrating her fondness for the puppies to the point of over-exuberance. We were doing our utmost to get the newborns dry and warm while Whitney was taking us to task by cleaning and stimulating them until they were all drenched again. Once the g...

Whitney has really slowed down with both her eating and physical activities. She relishes the comfort of our bed most days and she enjoys lounging on the back deck if it’s sunny and warm. What hasn’t slowed down is Whitney’s capacity to both give and receive affection. Our princess is becoming increasingly picky and her current favorite meal is raw chicken and oatmeal. We are sneaking in some Raspberry Leaf Tea for optimum uterine health along with pureed veggie and fruit. At least Whitney hasn’t requested pickles and ice cream yet! Whitney enjoys sleeping in our room or the cool tile floor of the ensuite bathroom, but whenever I get out of bed for any reason she takes no time to leap across the room and into my spot. The only way to get her to budge or even move to the foot of the bed is to bribe her with a doggy treat or two. Thanks to National Geographic, the photo above can give you...

Our sweet Sierra is such a happy girl and has not experienced any morning sickness. She wiggles from head to toe every morning and does her “happy howl” in anticipation as we prepare her breakfast. So far she has no complaints with her meals and continues to devour them. She has slowed down a bit but that’s only because she likes to hang out with her friends Whitney & Heidi; all of whom enjoy lounging in the bedroom on our cozy bed. Sierra doesn’t miss a trick either. If Heidi drops her bone in order to enjoy a deluxe belly rub, Sierra will sneak over and steal it away. Mind you Heidi does the same when Sierra surrenders to the bliss of her own belly rub. Sierra’s waistline has expanded to 81 cm or 32 inches. She is becoming increasingly more affectionate and is demanding more tummy rubs so we often find Sierra lying on her back in whichever room she occupies. Puppy fetus at approximately 39 days - National Geo...

  Whitney listening carefully to her babies. Whitney’s waistline continues to expand this week and is now 79 cm or 31 inches.  Her appetite certainly hasn’t suffered and she continues to polish off her meals and look for more food. She is getting a balanced meal of organic fruits and vegetables along with raw chicken and supplements (folic acid, digestive enzymes, probiotics and raspberry tea). Over the next week we will likely be adding oatmeal as it helps with digestion, is actually high in protein and vitamins plus it tastes good. These days, our “princess” Whitney prefers to be close to us or lounge on our bed rather than spend time with the rest of the pack. As we head into the home stretch we continue to make her as comfortable as possible. She really loves getting her belly rubbed so we usually spend our evenings with Whitney beside us petting her from head to toe causing her to moan with contentment. Pre-natal period: It is an interest...

Too cute for words! “Marionettes” It begins at a moment’s notice. They move quickly and quietly using gestures and head movements discernible only to themselves. With their front appendages working the earth at top speed, the target is identified and the extraction begins. We’re not sure how they even realized it was there, but that’s how the game of tearing up the landscape cloth begins. And what a game it is. The little minions are so elated at uncovering these little treasures, they do victory laps with half the mini pack in tow. Needless to say, this often culminates in a little tug of war and to the victor go the spoils. The weather during the week has largely been cooperative and the puppies have enjoyed a great deal of time outdoors, always reluctant to have to come back inside. Moments after waking in the morning or after a nap, their first priority is to screech in unison like first graders anticipating recess to communica...

Mom loves to play with her puppies! “The Conga Line” The level of activity in the yard has risen several notches since that first day the puppies staggered outdoors. It’s a joy to behold from a remote corner overlooking the busy playing field as all ten puppies from the combined litters interact with one another. One group can be found stripping bark from twigs and trees; another is honing their digging skills (sorry) while others are either playing tag or wrestling. One of the popular sports events this week was taking a running jump off a rock onto the lawn; a daunting five inch drop. Even the “dream team” of Bailey and Mango got in on the action. Mango leads the group around the yard like the Pied Piper or revelers in a conga line, while Bailey plays tug of war with the puppies using branches. When you play that hard, sooner or later, it catches up with you. One by one, the puppies collapsed in a heap, totally spent. There was one gr...