Bella's new home

And then there were four

Panzer went home today. It was so wonderful to see Rob and Katie and how excited they were. I didn't even cry because I KNEW this little guy was going to be so happy with his new mommy and daddy. When I don't worry about them it's this peaceful feeling when they go with someone. That's when I know it's right. Bella and Winston will be picked up tomorrow. Then we'll only have little Holly and Teddy. We'll have Teddy until the weekend of the 6th and it is going to be sooooo hard to let him go after spending extra time with him. They start to really feel like they are yours when there is only one. I remember when Harley's first litter left us, the last one to go was little Winnie and she spent the night between me and Craig and it was awful taking her to the airport. Oh that hurt! Taryn and I were crying driving out of the airport parking lot. It sucked big time. I felt so very good about Kristen, the girl who bought her but it was the first time I had ever done that and the first time is the hardest. I let my heart get way too close and even now I get pictures of Winnie and tear up. She was and IS special to us all. She's the bulldog in the Halloween costume on this blog.

So this weekend will be emotional. I have someone coming over tomorrow to see Holly. I know her family will be coming for her soon. She is tiny and precious. Not afraid of anything and reminds me so much of Eloise from our last litter. She grabbed hold of my rose tree and yanked on it today just like Eloise used to. I missed that so much! Winston and Tacoma (Bella #1) look almost exactly alike. Here is Winston.

It was like getting her back for a while. Here is Bella/Tacoma

Don't they look the same?

~Adele~

Mugsy & the camera

Mugsy got scared of the flash on the camera. She's my little shy girl who never gets into trouble and is always sweet. She's timid and you just want to protect her. I've never gotten frustrated or upset with Mugsy. She is just so special. Even when she was a puppy she was obedient and did what she was told. You tell her something once and she's got it. I love to cuddle with her. She is precious. I always thought her babies, Lola and Eloise, were lucky little girls to have such a sweet mellow mommy. Makes me wonder what they will be like later on. Both families are great about keeping in touch so I look forward to knowing how they grow up.

~Adele~

Gift Bags for the Puppies

No matter how big the puppies get they always try and pile into their little bed. It's so cute and even when they are spilling out the front they'll still try and pile in there together. They are going to miss each other when they leave.
Here's a nice shot of Bella and Panzer

I put together the gift bags for our families today. We give them enough food for a couple of days, a folder with all the paperwork and shot records, two CDs of all the pictures we've taken and their videos including their birth, a T-shirt that says "I'm a Tank'R Tot", a booda bone and a blanket that Harley sleeps with so they have something that smells like mama. It's so hard to send them off to live in the world somewhere else. It's the part of what we do that is very hard. I feel better knowing that the families we find are special and the puppies have wonderful homes.
Here's a close up of the T-shirt. They look so cute wearing them. I actually had to get larger ones to draw on this time since these puppies are so large! I weighed Teddy a few days ago and he's well over 12 pounds!!! Winston is his size too and Bella isn't far behind. They eat like little horses and what comes out the other end is hard to keep up with too! hahaha THAT part I won't miss!!

~Adele~

Puppies at 7 weeks old

Teddy running around with Holly in the background
Holly and Panzer stop for a picture
Teddy, Holly & Panzer
Panzer checking out the camera
Three babies and one tasty rug!
Bella chewing, her favorite thing to do
Winston being cute
Look how small he is!!

Last night I took some pictures of the puppies as they ran around the living room. They had a ball!! They are running really fast now and all seem to go in different directions. It's fun to lay on the floor and let them yank all over you and growl and be "tough". I giggle and laugh and it's big fun for them to think they've got you where they want you! This is the fun stuff. I spent today putting together all the video and picture CDs for the gift bags we put together. I copy all the pictures we've taken and even their birth video for their new families. This time I'll take a picture of all we give to people and post it on our website. It makes such a difference when the puppies are prepared to go with their families. We want that to go as smoothly as possible. Only three more days together and they start leaving. Panzer leaves Friday morning and Winston and Bella go on Saturday. :( I'm trying not to think about it.

~Adele~

Someone Loves His Daddy!

Farley! He is now 9 months old and was Zack's birthday present back in May.

It's hard to say though, who is more in love with him, Zack or momma Whitney! :) Farley is BEAUTIFUL and has grown up so big and strong. We think he is the perfect little man and makes his daddy "Tank" proud!

~Adele~

Winnie's Halloween Costume!

We have found the most amazing families for our grand puppies so far! Every one of them are special to us and we especially appreciate the ones who send us pictures of the "kids" growing up. Kristen Hopkins in Kansas Missouri sends us updated photos of Winnie all the time and we LOVE it!! This is Winnie in her Halloween costume. Here's a note from Kristen about the event:

"I wanted to let you know Winnie is doing great! She's getting sooooo big and I can't believe how athletic she is! She went trick-or-treating with all the kids and never skipped a beat. She finally got tired towards the end but it's amazing how much energy she has. :) I wanted to send you a couple of pics of her in her costume minus the pink booties...she just wasn't having that! HA anyway, hope things are going well.
Love, Kristen and Winnie"

I love to see our babies loved in their new homes. It makes me feel more comforted that they are happy and living the lives they were intended to have. Winnie looks so much like her mother, she's a Harley Mini Me!

~Adele~

Pet Training

On Sundays Craig and I take Tank and Taz over to Petsmart for their training class. It's fun to watch them learn new things and have fun. I've been so impressed with the trainer at our location. The classes are affordable and for an 8 week session once a week it was only $110 per dog. All 8 classes for $110!! I thought that was amazing! I'd priced dog training and it's very expensive usually. Petsmart makes it affordable. We learned the first week to get the puppies to respond to the clicker and treats. They can sit, stay, leave something we don't want them to touch, lay down and keep eye contact for up to 30 seconds. It's all the basics and also how to not pull on the leash when they walk with us. I LOVE it!!! Taz loved the individual attention too. She's so smart. We did today decide to get a couple of treat holders though. I wish I'd found them sooner but we're going to take them on our walks so we can reinforce all they've learned at anytime. We just feel so much better about having them trained and under control. With four bulldogs we need some order in the house! It's so worth it to invest in your pets. Now for teaching Harley and Mugsy! Always something.

Lunch Time!

Little Teddy enjoyed his lunch! When the puppies eat their soaked and blended puppy chow it's so cute because the five of them huddle around the glass pie plate and you hear this slurping and it's beyond sweet. They one by one finish and toddle away spreading whatever is left on their little faces all over each other and their play area. I try and clean them up with warm wash cloths but they are like little spiders and run all over the place so quickly.




Here's Bella cleaning up Holly's face! They do that too when they're done. They'll get in this huddle and lick on each others faces.



Baby Holly all cleaned up!

5 Little Shadows

This morning I made the mistake of throwing on a pair of sandals with my jeans! OUCH!!! Little Bella found my toes first and then the rest of them decided they tasted better than their kibble. I was jumping and dancing around the pen and they of course thought this was GREAT fun to chase my feet. I got out of there like I was walking on hot coals. I won't make THAT mistake again! hahahaa

They are seriously cute right now!! I walk up to the little baby gates all snapped together and they swarm over to me all wanting to be picked up all at once. I reach down to pet them all and it's this soft velvet silky feeling with all of them competing for my fingers. I just feel my breath catch in my throat thinking about letting them go next week. Oh geez this is hard for me. I've gotten so close to this litter and every time it's hard but this time it's especially hard for some reason. They are my life for two months. It's true that we love whom we serve. My days are spent serving them. Cleaning them and cuddling them and feeding them and worrying about them. I dream about them at night and do laundry round the clock for them. To say I develop a love for them is the biggest understatement there is. Even writing this it's hard to see the screen because I'm a big teary eyed baby right now. Wait.... I have to blow my nose!

I wasn't going to do another litter again until the end of next year. This morning I looked at the babies and realized I wouldn't smell puppy breath for a year and it was just too long to wait. I want more. I want more babies. Oh gosh it feels selfish in some ways because of all the girls go through to have puppies, but I just love being a bulldog grandma. It's something you don't plan to do it just kind of happens to you. We started with Tank & Harley and then added Taz and Mugsy and it all mushroomed from there. Then the little ones came and it's so addictive and such a miracle! I know my friends at IPA wonder if I'll ever sell another insurance policy and I wonder that too.

How can you not love those little faces?? They are amazing. They make life amazing. Lord knows I've needed that in mine. I feel so happy that I can bring this kind of joy into someones life by giving a puppy to them that is this special.

There's nothing better in the world.

~Adele~