Tori is doing a wonderful job raising her babies. With 6 hungry babies, we are working hard to keep her eating, but without giving her a stomach upset. it’s a fine balance.
Since the babies were mostly born on Cinco De Mayo, I have gone with that very obvious theme
For those who know me well, I have had a journey of ups and downs in my cavalier king charles breeding program. I have had many missed pregnancies, and re-absorbed puppies or puppies that have been DOA. Breeding is not for the faint of heart at the best of times, but sometimes it feels like the stars are not alinging.
Miss Tori is almost 3, and fully health tested. This was her first litter, and between you and me, she isnt the best eater. I was not sure how pregnancy would go for her. Surprisingly she took to pregnancy quite well and was looking rather round. I suspected maybe 6 on board.
Cavaliers are a little sneaky and like to give birth on day 58-61 rather than waiting the full 63 days, so when she started to show some signs of digging and restlessness on day 60 I watched her even closer than I had been before.
I slept overnight beside her, but it wasn’t until Tuesday that it seemed like things were kicking into gear. She didn’t want me to leave her side and wanted to pee frequently – both favorable signs.
The snood around her ears protects her ears from getting tangled/mucky during the birth process.
Around 9pm she started to push actively and at 9:20pm we had our first baby – a little girl
by 10:15pm she had her second little girl
By this stage I was surprised we got 2 blenheims – so when baby girl 3 came and it was a tri, I was so excited – another girl
I was starting to think maybe we were going to have a litter of all girls, but no baby 4 was a boy
Then another blen boy at 12:15
And one final boy arrived just after 1.
Tori was an absolute rockstar and already loves her babies – she licks them and pushes them close to her.
It’s officially spring. But this morning the heavens opened up and it decided to give us a large dusting of snow. As I type this, it is about 6 inches deep and still snowing.
We donned their little jackets and out we went. We didn’t stay too long as I didn’t want them to be cold, but boy oh boy they had so much fun.
The cavalier pups are so delightful – they go with the flow with anything that is thrown at them. This last weekend we ventured down to Salem Oregon to a dog show. They slept in crates overnight with no potty boxes and kept it clean and dry all night long. Boy were they fast to pee and poop when we let them out in the wee hours of the morning 🙂
They were seen by a regular vet, and an ophthalmologist and all is clear and well – yippee. Now onto their heart check ups with Dr Woodfield this week – I am hoping for good news there too before they go to their amazing new homes. All three of these pups will be deeply missed and are going to the most incredible homes.
Enjoy their final photos of them with me together as babies <3
It was a lovely spring day (yes, I am excited that it is officially spring) and so we took some photos in the green garden.
These little cavalier pups are heading to their first opthlamologist appointment this week to have an eye check – then they will see a cardiologist too. This is standard procedure for all Kazuri cavalier puppies so we have all the information we need before they set off to their forever homes.
These pups have the most amazing families waiting to bring these sweet little pups home.
Anyone who follows me knows how much I love the blue chair as it makes every puppy’s color pop – I just love photos taken on it.
Manny is 9 weeks now and Mistletoe and Holly are 8 weeks. It felt like a good time to take their photos.
In the coming weeks, they will have their opthamologist and cardiologist appointments (Standard go home protocol for my ckcs puppies) and start learning how to crate train. I am amazed at how fast these weeks start to go as we enjoy them so much.
Manny, Holly and Mistletoe are growing so fast. They are learning new skills like teetering on uneven surfaces, navigating stairs, following when we call, and eating on their own (yes this is a skill they have to learn).
The weather is mild this week so they have been able to play outside without their little jackets on – they are SO happy! They run around and chew on each other’s ears and tails – more than anything, it is delightful to see their happy little bounces as they enjoy the fresh air.
All three are social and happy. Their little personalities are starting to emerge. I cant wait to see the results of their Volhard tests and see how right I am about their baseline.
We have one ruby cavalier girl available to the right home. She is more reserved in nature – friendly, but likes to watch rather than initiate. I think she would do amazing in a home where she is the 2nd dog, to follow, or with a more quiet home that wants a snuggle bug.
Pipers little Manny is 6 weeks old and Ruby’s girls Mistletoe and Holly are 5 weeks old. They are enjoying three meals a day and are getting very good at using their potty box, so their play area is staying nice and clean.
It is fun to see their little personalities starting to emerge. Manny is very outgoing – he has started to growl which sounds like a little trill from a chipmonk. He thinks he is very tough, but melts when you pick him up.
Mistletoe and Holly have started to play too, but are much more laid back than their “brother”. I think Holly is the most laid back right now, but that can easily change as they are exposed to new experiences coming up.
We play movies for them through the day – Jurassic park, Transformers, Saving Private Ryan – anything with loud, strange sounds so they think those noises are normal and not scary.
I am so pleased with these sweet babies – I am so thankful they are healthy and happy little ones.
I have been a little busy and so haven’t had the chance to document the cavalier babies with my proper camera. So, today I thought it would be good to do that.
The cavalier babies are starting to get up on their feet – I have put them in the same area and they now sleep together. I think it is especially good for Piper’s boy, affectionately known as “Manny” (Short for Emanuel). Ruby’s girls are “Holly” (with less white spots) and “Mistletoe” (with the white lines).
Piper and Ruby’s cavalier puppies are growing so well – both moms are calm and settled, and take very good care of their charges. I have to smile that both girls made a little version of themselves despite the fact that I bred them both to dogs that were different colors to them 🙂
