Mommy Dearest

I don't have any recent photos of Gotham and Zayi although I did intend to take some tonight. I've been fighting a stomach thing for the past few days and it makes it hard to want to crawl around with the puppies in the grass and dirt. Soon enough I'll have more recent photos to post. For now though, because Cora is staying, I was indulging her a little the other day and letting her nap on the bed. A slippery slope I know.  She was all cuddled up against Leeloo and it was so sweet. Leeloo doesn't mind cuddles at all.

Momma's tummy makes a nice pillow and Momma makes a great snuggler ... when she's not pretending to snap your neck.

Empty Nest

I had a whole bunch of photos from last weekend that I never got around to posting but now they are a week old and the puppies don't even look the same anymore. It's crazy how fast they grow and you don't even really notice. But in all the puppy excitement we tend to forget where they came from. Boy and Leeloo have largely recovered from their virgin experience as parents and are now living as almost empty nesters. We took a walk today while the puppies napped, it was hot and muggy and the big dogs needed a romp where they didn't have to babysit. Me too for that matter.  Boy on his way to the school yard ... he knows exactly where we're headed.

And he turns on the afterburners as soon as his feet hit manicured grass. He loves this field and loves to show off. Good thing Esme does too - look at her go. Leeloo was off to the right rolling in something dead no doubt.

Esme taking a breather. What spunky little monster. Check out her coat - those are real cords making an appearance at last.

Leeloo in for the play bow, Esme goading her from the rear, Boy ready to tackle. He's very familiar with what Leeloo has to offer.

Ridgebacks play hard, especially with each other and most particularly with dogs they are live with or are familiar with. When I say play hard, well ... it's hard to describe unless you see it.  

Leeloo making a leap and Raimi doing his best body slam while she's in the air. It was an impressive move on both their parts. That's his foot on the other side of her lifting her up.

And Leeloo showing off how amazing she looks for having just raised and weaned a litter of 10 only 5 weeks ago. She is fit, sound and ready for anything.

Like taking on a 110lb Boy. She had him down in less than a minute and he was not getting up without her say so. She's kicking butt and taking names. In case you can't tell those are his feet around her neck, her ear in his mouth and Esme is making a grab at his hock. Poor Boy doesn't stand a chance. Good thing the puppies weren't with us, the kids don't need to see this ...

Family Matters

Since the puppies have been gone almost 3 weeks I thought I should update a bit on how they are doing in their new homes. I don't have one of Shelby but I'm sure it's on its way. Here's Cash  who lives just a couple hours from here and he looks suitably spoiled. And well deserved I'm sure. Apparently he likes to cuddle and snuggle quite a bit.

And little, 'little' being relative at this point, Delta will soon be complaining that her bed is shrinking. It's amazing how fast these guys grow. Already I suspect she is near to her best bud Emily's weight and she will soon exceed that. Size doesn't discriminate for snuggles though ... and Delta loooooves to snuggle with her Dad.

So far this is the most insane photo I've gotten from a puppy home (besides the one of Odin standing on a table he jumped onto). This is Franco and he lives in The Valley and has his new mom and dad wrapped right around his paw. Hope he doesn't try this when he's the Daddy Boy's size!  From snuggling on his Dad's lap to relaxing on the computer desk ... nope, not spoiled at all.

Jax is enjoying the sun in Newfoundland, from what I hear it's finally arrived on The Rock. Maybe Jax brought it with him? When Jax isn't chillaxin' on the grass he's busy getting lots of snuggles and cuddles with Claire and Natasha.

Apparently Luke is the sunshine in his new BFF Dallas' life. He loves to snuggle with her and I think her watchful him is saying that this is her buddy and to let sleeping puppies lie.

Zeppelin, Cisco as was, is such a good boy he put himself to bed. He's enjoying the good life up in New Brunswick and growing like a weed I see. I'm sure, given the snuggle capacity of his siblings, he is also very good at cuddles. I would say of all the puppies the most consistent comment is how much they all love to snuggle and cuddle and how stable they are when they meet new people, places and dogs. They have all been camping, to the cottage, met other dogs, other animals, explored parks, and walking trails and not one has failed to rise to the occasion. I could not be prouder of this little bunch of babies and their new people. Keep up the great work!

Daddy Dearest

Each day I am taking the dogs out for a walk and I alternate which puppies come with me because I can't manage all 6 together, particulary since 2 of them actually belong to other people. Can't risk losing one! So one day at a time Cora, Zayi and Gotham join me on our walks. So far they are taking it all in stride, nothing seems to really phase these puppies and if something unexpected happens they just stop, think and seem to say 'Huh, wonder what that is." Take the lawnmower for example, first time I turned it on they just stood and stared at it and then went about their business. Awesome.

Anyway, today I'm going to highlight time with Dad. All three puppies now have a healthy respect for their mom to the point where they no longer invite her to play because she is a) scary b) makes no provisions for size or experience c) plays dirty d) is mean and e) roars a lot. Daddy Boy plays nice, never squashes them, never uses sharp teeth, is very patient, and doesn't chase them when they are done playing (ahem, Leeloo).  Here's Cora and her Daddy taking a break - it was a hot hot day and Boy was feeling the heat. Well, everyone was.

Zayi stopped to say Hello Daddy Boy! I'm not sure he even knew she was there. She was trying to give him a kiss on the chin ... such a Daddy's Girl. 

And Gotham was so cute on the walk. He had to copy almost everything Boy did unless it involved racing at high speed through the woods. Drinking from a filthy mud puddle will always be an acceptable bonding method. The photo is a little dark since the sun was going down but you get the idea. Daddies are important and these puppies know it's true.

Stomp

I do have photos from last weekend of the puppies but they are so outdated now it seems strange to post them. They don't look like this anymore. Now they are at least a few pounds heavier than they were, their feet are outsized and they seem to have no control over where their feet go. I would put Gotham at around 27 to 30 pounds and he is easily eating almost 5 cups a day. He is heavier than Esme and is busy muscling his sisters out of the food dish so everyone is separated for meals. No more shared dishes since he is a little growler(must curb that) and also so I can keep tabs on how much everyone is eating.

Although Gotham is a Big Boy he is still a baby. It's hard to remember that even though the puppies are larger than a lot of grown breeds, they are still barely 10 weeks old. Leeloo sometimes forgets how young they are and wants to play hard. She is a 'go big or go home' kind of gal and she doesn't pull her punches. When she has a bee in her bonnet and needs a race around she gets careless and as we know it's all fun and games until someone loses an eye.

Or gets crashed into by their Mother. This photo was taken a few days ago when Leeloo had a 'silly' in the garden. She is leaping over my pumpkin plant (which has taken over) and the expression of joy on her face is obvious. Poor Gotham never knew what hit him. There was lots of screaming and tears but he recovered in a moment or two. Leeloo had the decency to look contrite but it won't stop her from not looking before she leaps in the future.

Beetlejuice

As I was searching through photos from the PEI weekend of Zayi I realised I didn't have any of her on her own. She is such a busy little bug it's hard to get her in a photo by herself where she's just standing still and not tackling or chasing anyone. So, in place of wrestling photos, which are to come, I thought I'd share some from just the other day in the garden. All the puppies have an obsession with the pumpkin plant which is creeping across the garden, it's like a jungle in there!

I had a split second to catch this photo of her standing on The Daddy Boy before she was off to vanquish another dragon. She has a lot to accomplish in a short amount of time, once one foe has fallen she is off to the next.

My peas took a beating along with the pumpkin, fortunately the peas are done their season and it's just the stalks that are taking the brunt of the puppy attention. It's a rough go for a garden with Ridgeback puppies at large. This is one of the only photos you'll catch of Zayi lying down ... usually it's full speed ahead for her! Oddly enough she is actually quite easy to live with despite this constant movement because her temperament is very soft and sweet, she's not challenging, just busy. She will make a great adventurer!

The Clone Wars

Gotham is turning into a clone of his Daddy but with his Mommy's ears. Although I am frequently derisive about Leeloo's ears I will admit to loving them just as much as any other part of her since they make her who she is. However, in this litter Gotham is the only puppy who ended up with them which I am thankful for mostly because although I love Leeloo's ears on Leeloo, I do not want to perpetuate them!

They are awfully cute when the sun shines through them though. He was in stalking mode at this point and given his size and weight he is a force despite almost no coordination! He's also not that fast but he makes up for lack of speed in brawn. In about 2 years, when he has a handle on those giant feet, he will be as agile and quick as his Daddy Boy.

He is all wide at this stage and will likely stay that way. No weedy body for this kid. He comes by it honestly as anyone who's met his Dad can attest. Isn't he a handsome little poser?

For comparison I was looking at some photos of Raimi when he was about 3 months old - so about 2 weeks older than Gotham is now. Despite the earset being different we can certainly tell where Gotham is headed. Nothing bad in that is there Boy?

Dreamgirl

The last couple days I have been remiss in getting a blog entry done. I feel like my time is not my own, even more so now for some reason although the puppies are almost all gone. As promised photos of the puppies on Prince Edward Island although I think I'll post each puppy separately and then some of them playing together over the next few days.  There were far too many to choose from ... I'll start with Cora since she is my little dream girl.

Everything about Cora is amazing to me. She is smart, fun, sensible, calm, humorous and has indefinable things about her that say 'Raimi' and other things that say 'Leeloo'. She is the perfect combination of the two and with her Daddy's big bone and her Mommy's ultra-feminine face I can't help but just love looking at her. Conformationally she is still a puppy so it's hard to compliment or criticize ... all those things will come with time and the show ring is where we'll lay our money down. For now she gets to be a puppy with her shadow.  

We've already started practicing with a soft show lead but only a minute or two at at time - some self-stacking and baiting and she is a super natural at it. She likes to pose, unlike her mother, and can be caught just standing(or sitting) and looking into the distance with those darling ears and gorgeous soft eyes.  In the background is the New Glasgow River by the motel we were at and behind it is a working farm ... lovely backdrop for a lovely girl.

Her ridge ain't so bad either! My apologies to the tilted farm, I took the photo without looking ...

She is also quite a card. She discovered the door stop in the motel room and nothing would satisfy until she had boinged it quite a few times and barked and play bowed to it. It obliged by making it's BOING noise everytime she grabbed it.

Nim's Island

Back from Prince Edward Island where Immerzu Pulis can brag some pretty significant wins. Esme was competing against her Dad Holmes who won breed on Saturday morning and he went on to place fourth in the Herding group. In the afternoon Esme beat her Dad and then went on to win a third in the Herding group! Esme is a little light of joy to show and never puts a foot wrong - at only 20 months I didn't expect her to win everything but she needs the practice and I am very impressed with her potential. On Sunday her Dad won both times and got a group third in the afternoon. Roxie, who is 9 year old, was also competing in the Veteran class and on Sunday afternoon, much to our delight, she won Best Veteran in Show! Roxie doesn't love the ring but turned it on for the last show of the weekend and since it is likely to be her last show entry this is an especially significant win. She is a very sweet girl who appreciated the liver I cooked up for the weekend!

Little Shelby also headed to her new home this weekend. Her new family has a cottage on the Island so we arranged to meet so she could be picked up at the motel. She barely missed a beat and headed off to her new life with Sydney (far left) who was so excited she decorated Shelby's crate with stickers, flowers and Shelby's name. I have a feeling Shelby won't be in that crate much!

The rest of the puppies and the adult dogs had a good time at the show and on the show grounds which were right on the coast of the Island in Cavendish - the inspriation for the location of Anne of Green Gables and the author's birth and resting place. From the show grounds you could see out across the ocean ... any better venue? I think not. I'll have photos from the weekend over the next few days ... there are lots!

The Island

Life is slowly returning to normal except preparations for a dog show on Prince Edward Island this weekend. A friend at work thinks I'm crazy for taking 4 puppies and 3 adult dogs on a road trip but for me it's just in the normal course of things. One puppy, Shelby, is meeting up her new family this weekend. They have a cottage on PEI and made arrangements to be there the same time I am so they can pick her up and take her home with them to Ontario. Shelby is a little marvel and I know she'll add a lot of excitement to their lives.

Only Esme is entered in the show this weekend, I decided it would be too much stress to be preparing more than one dog - Esme is quite enough grooming and bathing after having dogs with almost no hair. I wanted to attend this show for a weekend away after the litter. It's nice to get out of the house once in a while!

I'm not sure if the motel has wireless but I'll try to post over the weekend. If there are no posts it means I don't have internet access but I'll post updates on Sunday or Monday. Here's hoping for good weather and hopefully Esme remembers what she's supposed to do ... her competition this weekend is her dad, she has beaten him in the past so we'll see if she can do it again. Up early so off to bed! Esme needs her beauty rest!

Led Zeppelin

The sixth puppy to go was Cisco - once he got home his name was changed to Zeppelin which suits him very well given his size! He's a Leeloo clone from when she was 8 weeks old but he has his Daddy's earset ... phew. He was the largest puppy by a couple pounds, probably pushing 18 by now, he was 16 last Thursday. He comes by it honestly!

He is going to live in northern New Brunswick where French is heard as often, or more often, than English. I hear he was a star on the 6 hour trip up north and made it safely to his new home without any trouble. I didn't expect anything else, all the puppies are travelling well and settling in to their new lives right away. It's gratifying to know that not only did Leeloo and Raimi produce sound, stable puppies, but also that I did my job in preparing them so they could integrate seamlessly into their new lives.

Zeppelin also has his own binkie just like his Mommy and he loves it just as much. He's even got a tribute to his Momma's ears in this photo. I am sure Zep will follow his siblings example and settle right into his new home just as easily. I love to hear how they are all doing, it's so gratifying ... seeing a happy relaxed puppy like this makes all the poop and pee and lack of sleep worth it.

Flight of the Phoenix

Two baby Ridgebacks flew to Newfoundland yesterday but we only saw the evidence of one's arrival. Today we get to see how Luke made out starting his new life as a Newfie. He handled the flight really well and even took some time out in the car to offer kisses to his New Mommy Stephanie. These puppies sure love to kiss! It's okay when their tongues are small ... when they are the size of your hand is when the kisses need to be dialed back a bit.

Luke doesn't know it yet but he has a lot of The Rock to explore. I'm sure his new mommy will be happy to oblige. He is also going to learn to be a show dog ... watch out Newfoundland! Luke has hit the show scene ... or will in a few months. He has such a great attitude I am sure he will do very well and with a dedicated Mommy to show him the ropes I have high hopes he will do us all very proud.

 Luke is also the only puppy (so far) to arrive in his new home to a familiar face. The resident Ridgeback Dallas welcomed Luke with lots of gentle play. I am really impressed, most RRs are all "What is THIS you have brought into my home?" but Dallas was all play and friendship from the start. They are going to be the very best of friends. Dallas can show him all the great places to explore just as she has already shown him the best places to sleep ... the couch. No doubt.  

Flight Plan

Today was the day I needed to get to the airport to get Jax and Luke to Newfoundland on Westjet. I love Westjet for shipping puppies. Anyway, their flight was to leave at 11am and I needed to have them there by 9am - still no idea why they have to be there so early but that's the rule. I set my alarm for 5:45am because I live about 1.5 hours from the airport and just in case I had trouble locating the Westjet cargo terminal I wanted to get there early. Imagine my horror when I woke up at 6:30am with no alarm - I had inadvertently turned the volume down when I was dusting the other day. It went off ... but I couldn't hear it.

I bolted up, tossed the dogs outside, fed them, threw them into the livingroom, let the puppies out, had a lightening fast shower, raced around cleaning up after puppies, glanced into the livingroom and it was like time stopped. The whole room was *covered* in plastic recycles and containers. Yogurt, food tins, tin foil, plastic bags ... everywhere. I had, in my hurry, forgotten that I'd put the bags by the front door to take out since garbage pick up is due. I stormed into the room, freaked out with lots of swearing, and knew I didn't have time to clean it up. It would have to wait.

I tossed five puppies back in their pen, double checked I had the right two boys(I even looked under them and went back to the pen to make sure I had it right) and gently threw them into their crate in the truck. Fortunately it was pouring rain so that didn't slow me down at all. I'm kidding - it was an awful drive.

I arrived at the airport and had no idea where to go. GPS doesn't think addresses can exist without towns associated with them so after 20 minutes of driving up and down and asking two different people I finally tracked down the Westjet cargo terminal tucked into a corner of the Fed Ex building. I told the very efficient young man there that they couldn't really make it harder to find. I'm sure he's heard that a lot.

I said my final goodbyes to Luke and Jax - Luke was asleep and Jax was looking stricken - and headed to Halifax for some errands. I knew by the time I got home they'd be at their homes and I was right. All the recycables were still in the livingroom too. The good news is they are both now offiically Newfoundlanders and safely in their new homes. I have a couple photos of Jax but I'm sure photos of Luke are on their way!

It was a big day for a tired boy!

Exploring his little portion of The Rock ... there's lots more where that came from! Best to Jax, Natasha and Claire ... I can see already he is in very good hands.

Walk the Line

Puppy number three made his way to a new home ... again to The Annapolis Valley. It's going to be quite the Ridgeback hot spot! Cash - after The Man in Black of course - was welcomed into his new family with a new dog blanket and Boy and Leeloo were bribed to let him go with milkbones and Dentabones ... both happily wished Cash on his way and demanded more treats. Boy was especially on his good behaviour and showed everyone what a loving, sweet, kissy boy he is ... I'm sure his son will be no different. Leeloo, once the treats were out of sight, settled down to telling me just exactly what she thought about the delay in going for a walk with some growly chat and a little insistent barking. It's great that a family gets to see what their handsome young puppy will become!

Cash is also going to be the 'horse dog' I always wished my dogs could be(and still plan on). His new mom Jill has an Andalusian (who is gorgeous - I've seen the photos) and Cash gets to run along side on rides through the beautiful Valley when he's big enough to keep up.

It was great to meet this loving family and I haven't a doubt that Cash is in the right hands. I can already see they have fallen down, down, down into the burning ring of fire.

Bitter Sweet

A bitter sweet day for me, a sweet day for two families who added gorgeous baby Ridgebacks to their lives. After a traumatic morning of being microchipped, having their nails trimmed and being photographed 'for the record' Delta and Franco headed off to their new homes. Each are headed to The Annapolis Valley in Nova Scotia, a really pretty orchard and tidal area and I loved it when I attended the Canning dog show a couple times.

Derreck, Laurie and Emily added Delta to their home today - Delta was Miss Orange and she even got to keep her color with her shiny new collar. Emily is only three and both puppy and child took to each other like ducks to water. I was very impressed that Emily wasn't at all intimidated when she met The Boy and Leeloo and carefully fed all the dogs treats thoughtfully provided by the family. Okay - correction, Leeloo made a nuisance of herself ... TREATS. Emily was determined Delta know her name already and Delta obliged by coming every time she was called.

Delta was a star, she explored, kissed, coveted her new Kong toy, visited with everyone, demonstrated how good she is at peeing on the floor, and generally showed what an inquisitive, smart, stable puppy should be.  Derreck joked that although he tells Emily she's 'his girl' that maybe with the new addition Delta would now be 'his girl'. I'm sure there is room for both young ladies!

Laurie is also expecting a baby and I am always a little worried about sending a puppy home with a family who will be dealing with the stress of a new child but I am very sure Delta is in good hands. Hope the new baby likes big puppies!

Derreck is smitten with his new 'little girl' and I am quite sure it won't take long for her to be smitten too. I hope you both like cuddles, kisses and being adored!

Franco is headed to the Annapolis Valley as well but not quite so far along the shoreline. He is now the handsome boy of Carolyne and Bill who are excited to add this naughty little guy to their home. Franco had a way to go for their drive home so he obliged by pooping in my livingroom once and peeing three times! Guess it's important to get it all out of his system here since he won't be allowed to do that in his new house. Fortunately he's a smart cookie and won't take long to house train. He was a little unclear why he was alone in the room with just his mom and me and these two people but once we got outside on the grass he was all joy and weed eating. And rocks. I'm sure Bill and Carolyne have lots of rocks and weeds for him to eat at their house. He's also going to be just down the road from his brother Cash so hopefully they will be able to meet up sometimes and compare notes over who has the best home ... you know how sibling rivalry gets. Maybe Delta will be invited too since she's not that far away either - obviously the big brothers have to check up on their sister. Best of luck and much joy to both Delta and Franco and their new families, I am delighted you are now a part of this family too.

Mother May I

This past week Leeloo was finally able to go back with the puppies since most of her milk has dried up. I put a t-shirt on her so that they were less able to eat and eventually they gave up. She would move away when they tried to nurse anyway but it's just less hassle for her if they are not constantly hanging off her boobies. Besides ... she has been dying to PLAY with them.

She spotted Luke a little way off and thought he was perfect stalking material. He got a little worried and well he should. Leeloo is a relentless player.

She made her move and Luke never knew what hit him. Once she got him rolled over (they aren't fun anymore once you get them down) she moved on to another puppy. Imagine her delight when each puppy presented itself for a leg gnaw and a poke and then rolled over ... times ten. Winnah! She is going to love when they get bigger!

Yesterday was also shots day so everyone is up to date and ready to roll. Almost. Tomorrow is last evaluations, photos and microchipping and then they start to leave with Delta being picked up first ... can't wait for photos of them all in their new homes!