Tea Cup Photos

Mugsy



Minnie



Crusher



Uma



Button


These were taken when the babies were five weeks old. It's taken me a few weeks to post them. Seems like there is a lot more going on around here this time around! Lots of laundry too. It's hard to believe they all leave in three days. We're taking them to get their shots on Friday morning then Saturday they'll all go home. I won't know what to do with myself, well maybe I'll sleep for a week! It's been so fun to have them in our lives.

Adele

Being yourself!

Sometimes you just have to flaunt your stuff. Even at the risk of being laughed at. Of course being yourself is always a bit of a risk. That's what I love about English Bulldogs though. They are just who they are and okay with it. Dogs in general are like that, honest and loving and want nothing more than to be with you. My goal in life is to truly BE the person my dog thinks I am. Worthy indeed.

Adele

One more week

I only have one more week with my babies. This has been the fastest 7 weeks of my life! I can't even fathom how it's time to turn them over to their families already. I'm just not ready to do that yet. They are precious beyond belief and so fun to play with and snuggle. I put up the larger play pen yesterday and they really like it. They're running all around like a bunch of spiders pouncing on each other and being so cute it's fun to sit and watch them. I moved my rocking chair into the puppy room so I could sit with them one at a time and rock with them and just have my individual puppy time. I got emotional a few days ago looking at them all sleeping and sweet. This only happens once. Once with each litter. They're all together and don't know that soon they'll go in opposite directions and never be all together again. I felt that at my High School Graduation and several other times in my life. It's something that you live with and know that you can after going through it a few times. Giving up a baby for adoption is hard. Even a little fuzzy one. Whew. This is going to be tough.

Adele

Crusher gets a special visitor

Yesterday Crusher got to meet her new daddy, Luke. He's stationed in Iraq and came home on leave to be with Shelley and meet his new puppy. We were so thrilled to meet him and give him a hug for all he is doing for our country over in the Middle East. We pray for his safety and that he will return home in July unharmed. This is one special little family!!!

Adele

Going on four weeks old!

The babies are going to be four weeks old on Sunday. The time has really flown by and I think that is partly because of Crusher being sick. We have been so focused on getting her well that everything else just waited for a while. I didn't download pictures or take very many really because Craig and I were consumed with fear over losing her. She went to the vet this past Wednesday and Dr. Joseph told me her lungs were clear but we are going to continue her antibiotics for another week just to be careful that the pneumonia doesn't return. She is so unbelievealby cute! All the babies play when they wake up now and bite on each other and their mom. It's fun to just watch them discover how to play or pounce on each other.

We have amazing families this time around too! All of them come on the weekend to visit their puppies and we are so thrilled we have found owners who love our puppies so much already. It just doesn't get any better than that for us. It's hard to believe they'll be going home at the end of this month already. Our weather has been nutty with Spring one day and Winter the next but we've managed to keep the nursery warm all the time. I'm really pleased with the set up for this litter and we'll continue to do it this way from now on. The babies have a dedicated room of the house that is kept warm and clean for them.

I've noticed something so unusual about our two little white girls. Scully and Mugsy are very attached to each other. If I put one in the play pen and leave the other in the pool they will whimper and whine until I put them back together. They sleep spooning most of the time too. If all the other puppies wake up together Scully and Mugsy sleep until they both wake up. So they eat at the same time and play together. I've never seen two babies that bonded this way before out of all the ones we've had. I wonder if it has anything to do with them both being white. Interesting.

I apologize for my lack of attention to the website and the blog. We are finally able to take deep breaths and get some sleep now that our precious little baby Crusher is going to be okay. I never prayed so hard in my LIFE!

A tough week

We had a really tough week this week. We almost lost little Crusher to pneumonia. She couldn't breath last Saturday so we rushed her to the vet and they immediately put her on oxygen and antibiotic shots. It was the weekend and things always seem to go wrong when it's the weekend and no one will be there to help if it gets worse. The Animal ER is so expensive and so I decided I could care for her at home with a make shift incubator I created. We bought a 20 gallon fish tank and sealed the top with black duct tape except for an opening the size of an 8 x 10 picture frame. We took the glass from the frame and lined it with tape and used that as the flap on top to get the baby in and out of the box. Then we hooked it up to oxygen and inflated the tape side so we knew it was properly sealed. After that we put Crusher in there with a warm water bottle for something to cuddle and a few fluffy sheets so she'd have lots of things to snuggle into and gave her oxygen for a few days. She pulled through. I don't think ten minutes went by that I wasn't praying for her to get well. All the puppies have had diarreaha too from Taz having really rich milk. That is finally under control as well. Taz wasn't eating much either and her milk supply worried me. This litter has had it's challenges, as all do, but we are going to reach three weeks this Sunday and are so grateful that the babies are almost all over 3 pounds now and it looks good that they will survive now.

They sleep longer and that is a blessing too. I can actually nap between feedings and Harley is partially to thank for that. Taz is so exhausted she doesn't lick on them enough to help them go potty so they can feel good enough to sleep for longer periods of time. Harley took over that chore and "poops" the puppies after they eat. It sounds disgusting but that's what animals do so infants can thrive. At about three or four weeks they can eliminate on their own. Taz is so tired and all of this around the clock feeding is hard for her. The babies are sleeping four hours now and that is helping a lot for her and for me and Craig. It's always hardest for the first three weeks and then it's fun beyond words! The babies start walking and barking and being so cute. It makes all the sleepless nights worth it. It's much the same for human babies too. All the worry and work of a newborn is vindicated when they smile at you and make their first little baby sounds.

I knew I wouldn't be able to blog much during this time. It feels good to make an entry. This is a picture of Taz when she was a puppy. I have lots of pictures of the babies but I need time to download and re size them for the website and here. I'll post some when I get the chance.

Adele

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

In honor of St. Patty's Lucie donned her green wig. Thanks Erin O'Brien for the picture!!

One puppy left!

All the puppies are sold but one white one. She's so sweet and I'm sure we'll find her the perfect home. I put an ad into AKC a few days ago and didn't even need to because I found all the people from our website. I worry about these little babies all the time. If they are eating enough, if their little poop is the right color and if Taz is sleeping enough. It's stressful in that way but I love this. It's already been a week and the next seven will go just as fast. Well it's time to feed them.

Adele

Taz the amazing mother

Taz is a wonderful mother. I knew she would be. Her own mother Chloe was so sweet and even would raise the puppies from other litters that weren't even hers. I can't keep the babies in the warming box or the bassinet. She cries constantly to have them with her so it's been more difficult for all of us. We don't get the two hour breaks between feedings since we have to sit with her all the time to make sure she doesn't lay on one of the babies. It's exhausting but if we don't do it this way she doesn't sleep at all. She was so overwhelmed with the need to sleep she was having trouble breathing and once we put the babies with her all the time she finally fell asleep. Dr. Geiselhardt said he's only had one other mother do this to herself. I wondered if it were Taz's mother.

The babies love being able to sleep with her and have the "all you can eat" buffet going on all the time. They are so chubby and gaining at least two ounces per day. They'll double their birth weight in no time. Taz has lots of milk and it's rich as cream it seems. The babies are thriving and she adores them. Licks on them constantly and Craig and I haven't had to "poop" the puppies at all this time. Young baby puppies can't eliminate by themselves, they have to be stimulated to go and Taz does this all by herself. In past litters we've had to help with this. Everyone seems happy and clean and cared for so we're liking this part.

New pictures of Winnie

Hi Adele, here are a couple of pics of Winnie...her 1st birthday. I hope your getting some sleep and the babies are well. Love to you all,

Kristen Hopkins