Regalgoldens Golden Retrievers

Such a tender moment between momma and puppy. “The Shell Game” It was another hot and muggy day in Caledon and the previous evening’s rain had done little to break the humidity.  The puppies were outside for their usual morning romp. These days, the little ones don’t always acquiesce when it’s time to come back inside and today was no exception. One by one, we gathered them up and deposited them in the whelping box. When we did the headcount, we were one short and it’s not as if there were that many to count yet there were no other puppies visible anywhere. We searched high and low and then by chance we heard a whimper, but it was coming from the most peculiar place and that’s where we found her. Since it had rained the previous evening, we tipped the little turtle-shaped pool up against the fence to empty. It seems that Miss Omelette had crawled behind and nudged it so it slid down and trapped her under the shell. Despite our own trauma, the little girl was unfazed. This...

We are growing by leaps and bounds! “Baby it’s hot outside….” Do you think they care? Not one bit. The name of the game this week was play, play, play. As fickle as the weather can be, it cooperated sufficiently to allow the puppies lots of outdoor playtime. The charge was led by both Hannah and Faith who either demonstrated some gymnastics moves to the gang or played chase with them. A popular activity is the game of tag in which each puppy exhibits a burst of energy in succession. Another popular sport involves racing around hither and thither with no apparent motive or destination in mind. The little ones spontaneously dart across the lawn at top speed but lacking the necessary balance and coordination to go the distance, the sprint also culminates in a tumble. It’s a good thing puppies at this age are seemingly made of rubber. The rock-climbing initiative proves to be very popular. In their more relaxed moments, the abundance of fresh twigs that required reworking was also...

We had so many adventures outside this week! “A Day at the Carnival” It was Sunday afternoon and we were going to be tied up doing some grading on Paige’s pups, so we moved Hannah and her brood into the bedroom where we’d set up an x-pen. We went in periodically throughout the afternoon to make sure everyone was content. In the late afternoon, we went in to collect the group to return them to the whelping box in the living room except there were no puppies save for one. Not only that, there was no sign of the other three. It appeared that Hannah figured out how to open the x-pen and her puppies were apparently quite happy about the hall pass. Now for the search and rescue. We looked behind drapes, under the bed, behind furniture and still nothing. Finally, we found two of them in our ensuite snuggling behind our laundry baskets, but there was still no sign of the fourth. A further search revealed he was hiding behind the curtain in our shower stall. What an adventure they all...

What a fun-filled week we've all had! “We Have Lift Off” This week, the boys experienced their first car ride to the friendly veterinarian. Unlike most other litters travelling to the same destination, the group was pretty chattery on the way there. Once at the clinic, most were on their best behaviour. Their examinations went very well and their time at the clinic was otherwise uneventful. On the return trip, the group succumbed to the rhythm of the road and had to be pried out of their crates to come back inside the house. The pups had an absolute blast outside this week. Faith is both a mom and playmate extraordinaire. She lures the boys along with Paige’s litter into play mode with the “will you play with me stance” leading them on chases around the perimeter of the rock garden and jettisoning off a 6” high rock. Then, she rolls around in the grass while some of them try to cop a snack. At this point in time, most moms have long since abandoned the notion of nursing ...

What an amazing week we've had! “Helter Skelter” This was a week of adjustment as Hannah and her mini pack moved out of the bedroom and into the living room to join fellow moms Paige & Faith. In order to make room for everyone, we had Faith’s pups bunk with Paige’s since they were good friends anyway. Poor Faith must not have received the change of address notice so she frequently spent time lounging in Hannah’s whelping box and often nursed them. Hannah and Paige were happy to share their duties with someone else. To add to the confusion, Mr. Lilac from Faith’s litter escaped from his whelping box and boosted himself into Hannah’s to mingle with her pups. We think he was probably out searching for his own mom. Among other things, Hannah’s pups are finding their voices. Miss Omlette and Mr. Toast would often sing (okay, make that shriek) in unison breaking the ambience of our Caledon calm. Fortunately, these two were unable to recruit the rest of the pack(s)and were de...

“The Compass” In order to make room for Hannah’s pups to join everyone in the living room, we had Faith and Paige’s pups start bunking together this week. It worked out rather well because the gang was used to sharing adventures playing together outside. Poor Faith needed some time to get accustomed to her own change of address. She frequently spent time lounging in Hannah’s whelping box with Hannah’s puppies and often nursed them. Fortunately, both Hannah and Paige are so easy going that they were happy to have someone else take over their duties. But Faith wasn’t the only one whose compass was broken. Mr. Lilac escaped from his whelping box.  On the second occasion, he even ended up boosting himself into Hannah’s hotel, likely in search of his mom. That was a new one on us. We usually get them breaking out, but never breaking in. Throughout the week, we managed to get the group outside frequently for playtime. There is never any hesitation as they all scurry ...

I love snuggling but this is a bit much.... “Standing Room Only” We won’t lie. Since there’s so little competition at the milk bar, these puppies are getting big….really big! To ensure that everyone stays in shape, we’ve removed the pig rails (the rails that help prevent mom from accidently squishing someone) and have filled the whelping box with more stuffed animals than a toy store, a snake-like activity contraption and some rolled up towels. In order for the puppies to do anything or go anywhere, they have to navigate their way through this plush jungle like a canine steeplechase. As for Hannah, there’s standing room only. Of course, we do relent and make a little room for her at night. Now that their vision is established beyond simply being able to detect light, dark and movement, the puppies are becoming increasingly curious about their surroundings and each other. As they are beginning to get acquainted with their littermates, they can often be seen standing in a pair...