Happy Halloween !

My first pumpkin carving ! What do you think ? I did it without instructions ! Actually it's a Pink Banana Squash I took apart to save seeds .

Momma says . . .

 "Clean your plate ! ". These pups all they do is eat , sleep , & poop ! If they do this now , what will they do in retirement .

Can't Believe We Ate The Whole Thing !

Puppies eating well & still nursing . No picker eaters here ! Starting to schedule for five week visits . New computer has me baffled , so please contact me through the the Cardigan Welsh Corgi Club of America web site ( breeders ) incase your email inquiry was lost to cyber space .

Food Fight !

Three weeks old today . Been feeding the pups twice a day besides mom's milk bar . Will increase to three feedings plus mom . Hard part is getting them hungry enough to eat . Mom is too willing to feed them ! So I have to run mom out for an hour , to get them hungry .

. . . Tear Down That Wall !

 Erin keeping a wall of safety between her & the pups .

" One , two . . . . eight , nine , yup they're all there !

Ninja Cardigans !

 Erin using her stealth skills .

Belle risking the Ramp of Death , to make her move !

Da Boyz !

GCGeorge & Frank waiting to be let back in .

Let Me Bite Your Neck !

Good News !

First time since her C-section , correction . . . Belle stopped eating 2 days prior C-section , that she ate a bowl of food by herself . Up to now she had me trained to hand feeding her , right out of my hand ! Sure I had plenty of females eating right out of my hand but this was different . The warmed food was a mixture of baby food , select tins from vet , yogurt , cooked duck eggs , chicken broth , & spooned on a Beggin Strip or my fingers . Feared she would be a fussy eater . This morning I was in a hurry & just left the exotic warm mixture , with kibble ( a first ) in front of Belle . When I returned , Belle had cleaned the bowl ! Excitement rocks the house ! ( Well it's more exciting then pooper scooping ! )

Before !

& After !

My Belle

 Belle has Bogarted the Greyhound's bed .

Dreaming hard of tropical vacation lands . Wait is that a lemon tree ?

Round 2 !

Earlier Today !

Late Breakfast Or Early Brunch ?

What ever ! Erin's litter working on table manners . Surprised how well they took to eating .

Aye Aye !

Or more correctly " Eye Eye ! " . Hard to see , dark eyes on dark puppies , but their eyes are open !

Too Early ?

Setting up to start seedlings . February you onions . Note heat mats made out of recycled rope lights & stop lamps adjustable as plants grow . Warm spot in basement & some light from window . Will move seedlings to porch , more natural light & a little cooler .

What's New ?

Some of the pups are starting to open their eyes !

Cardigan Neighborhood Watch !

Joni perched up high & watching for evil doers !

Erin & Pups !

 Look how big !

Sure grown a lot !

Happier Days !

Belle playing with Scout . Early days . Yesterday Belle rushed to vet . A few days away from her due date , she started to leak a blackish fluid . Always a natural whelper , she needed a C-section . Vet saved 3 premmies . The fourth pup was long gone . Mom only starting to come into first milk today . Kate tube fed pups every 2 hours . Too weak to nurse on Erin . Still we lost another pup today .

Down to 2 pups but with Belle coming into milk , we might be able to save the rest . Might . Belle is a good mom , cries when pups away & cleans them . Question is are the pups strong enough to nurse ? This is the dark side of raising pups . You can do all you can , only to lose to Mother Nature . Maybe this is one of the many reasons there are few dog breeders & fewer Cardigan breeders . We take our good days for granted sometimes & look forward to more good days .

Half The Whelping Room !

 Pups .

 Erin & pups .

Erin .

Belle's First Litter !

Because Belle had only one pup , we foster cared 2 King Charles Spaniel pups . The KCS pup's mom had no milk & Belle had plenty , way too much for one pup . Our pup also had playmates rather than being a lonely pup . That was Belle's first litter . Now we're working on her last !

Thanks Belle !

Spent another night in the Whelping Room waiting for Belle to whelp . She didn't eat all day yesterday & temperature dropped to 99.2 . It's true , a watched Cardigan never whelps ! Tomorrow is her due date , but last time she went a couple days over . Looks like another night in the Whelping Room , maybe more !

Where's Momma ?

Erin takes a well earned break . Past few nights I've been staying in the Whelping Room watching puppies & watching Belle if she whelps early . I don't know how Erin does it !

Spot The Momma !

 Three photos : 2 momma with litter & one momma in waiting .

 Can you spot the momma in waiting ?

Hint ( it's Belle in the middle ) .

Pretty Boys !

" I smell bacon ! "

 GCGeorge & Frank solving the problems of the world .

 Discussing politics again ?

" What are you looking at ? "

Cardigan Open Bar !

Pups are growing !

Same Old , Same Old !

 Erin's pups are pretty much the same from yesterday , just gaining some weight .

Cardigan Buddies !

 GCGeorge & Frank mellowing in the shade .

Big Bad Harry & Ricky watching the girls on other side of fence .