Iska and Ash's Puppies

Black Show or Performance Male Available

2010-07-10T14:22:00.004-05:00

Here are the latest photos of Iska and Ash's gorgeous son.

He is 16 weeks old and seeking a great home with loving owners who will enjoy participating in dog shows or competing in performance events like obedience, agility, herding, tracking, etc.

Contact Chimera if you think you may be the right home for this lovely, super sweet and cuddly, affectionate boy.

Black Male Pup Available to the Right Show Home

2010-06-27T12:46:00.010-05:00

Iska & Ash's Boy at 8 weeks old (2 photos)

6.5 weeks old

I have been "running along" (aka, raising to evaluate for show and breeding potential) one girl and the boy.

Both pups are really beautiful (see casual 14 week old photos in post below), have wonderful temperaments, structure, color and hard, hard coats. I am unbelievably happy with them and feel they have amazing potential as show dogs.

Unfortunately, I have realized that with a full-time career outside my home and my 3 adult SS, I just do not have the time to give two pups the attention they deserve.

As a result, I have decided to offer the gorgeous boy to the right show home.

If you are serious about co-owning and showing a superb black standard schnauzer male from top European and North American ancestry to a U.S. conformation Championship, contact me at chimeradog@gmail.com.

Iska & Ash Pups at 14 weeks

2010-06-25T19:08:00.010-05:00

Photos of 14 week old Iska & Ash pups, Hera & Jasper.

Ash and Iska combined so well in these pups that we will be doing a repeat breeding of the litter in the future. Feel free to contact us if you are interested.

Big Changes--pups off to new lives

2010-05-21T16:02:00.006-05:00

Last weekend, pups began heading to new homes. By all reports, pups are doing very well and enjoying their new lives :-).

Black pup, white paw

2010-05-21T15:51:00.007-05:00

Doesn't she look sweet in her schnauzer hair cut!

Pepper & Salt Girl--Moxie

2010-05-21T15:51:00.006-05:00

Here is the Pepper & Salt girl, looking very pretty and schnauzer-y after grooming.

I called her Bristle because of her bristly coat. Her family calls her Moxie, which fits very well because she is a bold and very friendly pup.

Dark Pepper & Salt Girl--Bella

2010-05-21T15:48:00.006-05:00

Here are some before and after grooming shots. Amazing difference!

This adorable girl is now named, Bella, which suits her perfectly. She is a real beauty and very, very sweet.

Big Day--pups first vet visit

2010-05-21T15:46:00.001-05:00

Last week pups had a fun adventure at the vet's.

In these videos, you can see them playing with each other while they awaited their individual exams and first series of puppy vaccinations.

Pups say, "Bully Sticks are YUM!"

2010-05-11T16:32:00.001-05:00

Bullies are so great that taking them from each other or hiding to chew them are good plans. Smart pups!

Pups visiting with friends

2010-05-11T16:30:00.002-05:00

Pups enjoyed a nice long visit with friends on Saturday and Sunday. Here they play and explore. Mama Iska was along for the fun.

Pups enjoy a visit with friends

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on Mother's Day.

"Best Mother's Day Ever!,"

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exclaims Iska.

Iska had a truly marvelous time visiting with her friend, Kyo, who she has known since both were pups. You can see how much they enjoy playing together and the standard schnauzer "Chase Me!" game.

In addition to chasing and rolling, Iska went for a dip in the lake. What a great day for Mama Iska :-).

Puppies love waffles and friends ...

2010-05-05T18:42:00.006-05:00

Um, but mostly waffles ...

"May we have some more waffles?," ask eager pups upon learning of this new taste sensation.

Pups clearly love waffles, but it would only be fair to observe that they also seem to really appreciate friends Annabelle (3 yrs) and Lily (8 yrs).

Pups are now at the age where they really benefit from meeting people and experiencing environments outside of their usual home/adults/dogs.

I am very fortunate to have friends who enjoy having pups come visit and spending time with the pups to give them those experiences, as well as important practice with being a crate and riding in a vehicle.

Thank you to everyone who has given my pups a chance to broaden their world and be better prepared for their new lives after they leave Chimera!!

Pups LOVE gardens ...

2010-05-03T16:35:00.002-05:00

and show their determination to investigate ... no matter what!

They also love to play with each other and roll around in leaves, not caring one bit that humans would prefer they stick to grass!

Warning to all new owners :-).

Black pups at 6 weeks

2010-05-03T10:42:00.001-05:00

Here you can see all 4 black pups.

1 black girl, then 3 black girls, then the boy joins his sisters in the final shot. The boy is on the right side of the photo.

Pups look up

2010-04-30T11:03:00.002-05:00

Pups are suddenly very aware of UP.

This is because so much is now taking place around (and from their pov, above!) them and they must look up or hop up to follow the action or be closer to people.

In the following video, pups seem have noticed the heat lamp for the first time and they keep trying to reach it.

The next day, I heard a crash and investigated only to find a cluster of pups pulling on the power cord and the lamp laying outside the box on the floor. Guess some clever pup somehow managed to reach a cord and they collaborated on a pull-down project.

Clever, naughty pups! 'Tis the way with all standard schnauzer pups! New owners, take warning!

Asleep = Quiet. Awake = Loud

2010-04-29T11:11:00.002-05:00

Life with nearly 6 week old standard schnauzer puppies moves between blissful silence and noisy play.

These photos and the video below will give you some idea. Enjoy!

Time with Mama Iska--at last!

2010-04-29T10:37:00.002-05:00

Pups are very happy to be with their mom and Iska seems content to hang out with them too.

Pups are now in a double pen system to allow for more movement and give them a play and sleeping area away from an elimination area. This is important as a pre-housetraining foundation.

Pups are also now out of the whelping room/office and in the midst of all of the activity of the house. It is important for them to be exposed to normal household noises and movements. In these videos, you can hear dishes being done in the kitchen and the television in the living room. You may also be able to hear Flute complaining because she is in her crate to allow Iska some alone time with the pups. Flute does not approve, but Iska and pups are clearly fine without her :-).

Hangin' with the pups

2010-04-26T17:26:00.003-05:00

In this photo, Flute seems to proclaim with her look, "These are MY pups."

You can see in the video that Auntie Flute just enjoys hanging out with the pups. Doesn't matter if they are awake or asleep.

Here Flute amuses herself by chewing on a cow's hoof. She's right there if any pups awake and need attention.

I suspect Flute will be a great and super attentive mom.

Iska is a very good mom, but she is always mobbed by pups wanting to nurse when she visits, so she cannot just hang out like Flute can. Pups have very sharp teeth now, so Iska really limits her time with them in the whelping box.

5 weeks old: cow hooves are fun

2010-04-26T17:21:00.004-05:00

Inspired by Auntie Flute, these girls enjoy playing with cow hooves.

"I've got teeth now--very sharp teeth!--and I'm gonna use them," proclaims this girl.

"Nursing requires proper supervision"

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asserts Flute.

It is amazing that Iska does not mind Flute sitting in the box with her while she nurses.

After finishing nursing, Iska jumps out of the box and one pup climbs out after her and ambushes her for some more nursing.

Flute and the remaining pups lean out of the box to watch the nursing escapee.

Nursing is also, apparently, a spectator sport.

Pup or baby werewolf?

2010-04-26T16:33:00.002-05:00

You decide.

Black boy & 2 girls portraits

2010-04-26T16:31:00.003-05:00

Pups' heads are wet from nursing in the shot of one black girl (upper frame) and the boy (lower frame).

Pepper & Salt girl portraits

2010-04-26T16:26:00.002-05:00

Dark PnS girl portraits

2010-04-26T14:25:00.002-05:00

Here is the adorable girl up close. This pup is so cute. I can't stand it. She is also incredibly sweet and cuddly.

Each week there seems to be a Star. This week it is this girl.

So cute, so bad--a pictorial of oppression

2010-04-26T12:58:00.003-05:00

One girl's comfort is very important ... to that girl!!

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"What do you expect from a STAR?," asks DPNSG.

This is clearly a rhetorical question ...

Scenes from week 5

2010-04-26T12:37:00.002-05:00

Scenes from week 5

2010-04-26T12:31:00.000-05:00

Flute dreams of pups all to herself

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Iska decided to sleep with my husband, rather than in with me and the pups.

Flute was only too happy to finally have the pups to herself :-).

Flute takes over

2010-04-26T12:21:00.005-05:00

Pups seem to have no problem with Auntie Flute in charge!

Meal Al Fresco

2010-04-24T12:08:00.004-05:00

Pups are now spending time outside for playing and eating (weather permitting).

Here are photos of the pups after eating, covered in parts of their meal. They will lick each other and Iska will also help clean them, but, sadly, most of the clean-up falls to me.

Pups are well-acquainted with warm water and wash cloth post-meal baths, followed by "dry cycle" of toweling off.

In the video, you can see and hear them enjoying a meal. They are eating ground boiled barley, goat milk, full-fat plain yogurt and raw lean ground sirloin. As the week progressed, they had water-softened, ground kibble (Purina Pro Plan Salmon and Rice) gradually added to the mixture to begin the transition to eating dog food.

All clean and feeling frisky

2010-04-24T11:55:00.003-05:00

Here you see Pepper & Salt girl enjoying tug of war with the towel that was used to dry her after her post-meal bath. I was using it to dry one of her sisters and PS girl nabbed the towel. You can see the not dry sister in the box where I put her when I grabbed the camera to record the tug-of-war.

The sister do battle after a second girl is dried off and returned to the box to join PS girl.

4.5 week video--leave my tail alone!

2010-04-16T19:20:00.002-05:00

You can see one pup's obsession with biting the other pup's tail lead to a take-down, younger puppy style. As they get a bit older, take-downs will be both loud and ferocious looking and sounding.

You can also see that pups LOVE toys with smaller legs that allow them to fit part of the toy in the mouth and manipulate the rest of the larger toy. I have found octopus toys to be VERY popular. In fact, the blue octopus has been with me for years and is a favorite toy of both adults and pups. You can see that this toy is gradually loosing its legs, but it is amazing that blue octopus still survives when one considers the standard schnauzer's desire and superb skill at "killing" plush toys within 10 seconds to 30 minutes of receiving them. Of course, not all schnauzers have this desire, but mine certainly do and I know of many others' schnauzers with the same desire and rapid toy "killing" power.

Must be something special about blue octopus.

I would recommend that all people getting a standard schnauzer puppy get a couple of octopi for their pup. Adult schnauzer can handle much bigger octopi and LOVE carrying them and dragging them about. Another purchasing recommendation!

4.5 week video--a visit from Flute

2010-04-16T19:14:00.002-05:00

Listen to the sound on this video. You can hear Flute panting in excitement outside the box before she comes into frame.

Flute LOVES pups. She is in the box with the pups right now as I type this. Iska is only too happy to let Auntie Flute be with the pups sometimes. Iska is in the kitchen supervising my husband as he makes Linguine with Clam Sauce. Have I mentioned that Iska LOVES food :-D??

First meal

2010-04-14T19:25:00.003-05:00

Pups had their first non-Iska milk meal this week. They had a mixture of fresh ground sirloin, over-boiled barley, and goat's milk. The meal met with their approval, as you can see and hear in this video.

Iska came in afterward to clean up what they didn't finish and to clean up pups! "My pups taste delicious," proclaimed Iska.

Since that first meal, pups have been having this same mixture to supplement Iska's milk. This mixture is ideal for them because it is all natural, nutritionally-balanced, and very easy on the stomach. This is the first step towards gradually transitioning the pups to food and off of mother's milk.

Week 5--a visit from Auntie Flute

2010-04-12T15:55:00.003-05:00

Pups have their first visit from Auntie Flute. Flute has been dying to get in and visit the pups.

She finally got her wish.

At first, pups seem to check her out, then they accept her, and move in to see if she has milk.

"Why not?," ask the pups. "Perhaps if she's in here, she's our new mama!"

Week 5--Lions surround their kill

2010-04-12T15:51:00.002-05:00

These mighty predators have taken down and subdued a ferocious toy and move in to enjoy the spoils.

Week 4--Tell me a secret

2010-04-12T15:43:00.003-05:00

These two girls seem to share a secret ...

What might it be??

3.5 weeks old videos

2010-04-09T14:13:00.001-05:00

3.5 wks-we now enjoy toys

2010-04-09T14:04:00.001-05:00

3.5 weeks old--sleeping

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3 weeks--Cuddling on sisters

2010-04-08T16:43:00.003-05:00

These two girls seem very content as they snuggle on their sisters.

3 weeks old and all mouth

2010-04-08T16:37:00.001-05:00

Each pup seems to be saying, "I've got you!"

Do you think they realize that while they may have the bite on their sister, their sister also has the bite on them??

3 week old videos

2010-04-07T12:16:00.004-05:00

Pups are 3 weeks old and are very interested in each other and the world around them. They use their mouths to learn about their world and you can see that they put their mouths on everything--and everyone--close to them.

End of Week 3--Big changes

2010-04-04T11:20:00.004-05:00

Lots of big changes for pups during their third full week of life:

eyes opened & pups can see
ears opened & pups can hear
walking began and became more coordinated
playing with each other began and became more engaged
early neurological stimulation finished (info)

Pups also grew a lot. All puppies now weigh over 2 pounds and baby bear boy is over 2.5 lbs. Iska is proud of her super milk production and excellent care of the pups. She is very attentive and is keeping everyone nice and clean and feeling loved.

Here is the story of what is always very big first in puppies' lives:

Wednesday night, I checked on the pups and saw what you see in the first photo below. I counted pups and assumed 2 were under the rails. Put my hand under the rails, expecting to find 2 there. Nope. Where did 2 pups go?

I look under the mat. Nothing. Now, I'm starting to worry.

Suddenly, I hear nursing. I look and Iska is under the desk, with the chair pushed all the way in so I had not seen her and two girls, one black and one pepper & salt, are nursing away, happy as can be.

Clearly, trouble coming my way.

Now, the whelping box's half door is securely in place to prevent future breaks for freedom ... for now! Soon enough, pups will be clambering over the half door and I will need to put the full door in except for during nursing sessions.

Week 3--trouble coming my way

2010-04-04T11:04:00.005-05:00

4 pups in the whelping box.

Where are the other 2 pups?

Escaped to find Iska!

Smart, naughty puppy girls!

Week 3--Pup-time action

2010-04-04T11:00:00.002-05:00

In this video you can see what is happening in pup-time action and how it contrasts with the dreamy portraits (below), which were taken both moments before and after this video.

Week 3--Dreamy portraits

2010-04-04T10:41:00.002-05:00

Week 3--Sweet dreams

2010-04-04T10:40:00.002-05:00

Pups look so cute in these shots. They almost look like they are floating or flying in a brilliant night sky.

Love the shot where they are caught in a sleeping embrace.

Week 3--Sleep time and play time

2010-04-04T10:39:00.004-05:00

Doesn't this black girl look sweet as she sleeps?

This girl sure looks comfy laying on top of her sister's neck. Wonder if her sister finds it nearly as comfortable as does dark pepper & salt girl ;-D?

Happy Birthday to Papa Ash!

2010-04-01T22:34:00.005-05:00

Ash is 4 years old today.

I have always felt it was appropriate that my super sweet and often goofy boy was born on April Fool's Day. He is just as silly and lovable now as he was as a little pup (as seen in this photo).

Happy Birthday Ash!

2 weeks old--awake and feeling playful

2010-04-01T16:37:00.002-05:00

Pups brighten up at the appearance of Iska at the door of the whelping box. Now fully awake, they begin to play with each other.

2 weeks old--big changes

2010-04-01T16:34:00.004-05:00

You can see that pups have matured a lot, are curious, exploring, gaining personalities and learning to play with each other.

"Walking is hard work,"

2010-04-01T16:31:00.004-05:00

says dark pepper & salt girl.

In this video, you can see that pups are learning to walk, but still have a ways to go before everything is coordinated and can be sustained over any distance.

"Yes, think I need a rest," says this girl.

Meet the Boy!

2010-04-01T16:15:00.004-05:00

Here are two videos starring the one and only boy pup. He is very funny, a real burly teddy bear of a pup. He loves to sleep upside down, just like his sire Ash did as a pup. He also loves to have his ears and chest rubbed.

In the following video you can see him sleeping upside down before he wakes.

In this video, you can see him awake and whining plaintively for Iska, who is sitting (off-camera) outside the whelping box, but refusing to go in to him. She can tell from his noises that he is not in true distress, so she's teaching him that it's okay to be without her.

Very Expressive Girl

2010-03-31T13:16:00.002-05:00

This girl clearly has her eye on me!!

I better watch out because as you can see from the last photo, she is one determined pup!

Still Sleeping ...

2010-03-31T13:14:00.001-05:00

a lot!

Even with all of the big changes that have happened in the past few days, pups still sleep, and sleep, and sleep.

I can't tell for sure, but I think that one pup is even sleeping with one eye open!

2010-03-31T13:12:00.002-05:00

Wonderful little paws

2010-03-31T13:11:00.000-05:00

Week 2: Coat Studies

2010-03-31T12:53:00.003-05:00

The morning light looks so lovely on the pups' coats.

Click on the images and you will see them much larger and be able to appreciate the textures and play of light on the sleeping pups.

I love the way that the cool light gives the black coats blue-ish tint in some photographs.

2010-03-31T12:50:00.001-05:00

In these shots of the pepper & salt girl, you can see the individual banded hairs that make up the pepper & salt coat.

Each hair is banded in both black and white. This combines to create an impression of a grey dog when seen from a distance.

It can take some time for all of the hairs to become banded and it is common to see more and more hairs showing the white as pups get older.

All Pups Eyes are Open

2010-03-29T18:34:00.002-05:00

As of this morning, the eyes on all of the puppies are open.

The pups are light-sensitive, but when eyes first open do not seem to be able to make a meaningful connection between having vision and the world around them.

This evening--after a long day at work and with the pups in Iska's and my husband's care--I noticed that the pups whose eyes opened Saturday or Sunday had made a connection between Iska's smell and the sight of Iska when she comes next to the box. Those pups lifted heads and shambled towards the box door and their mother. (Their ears are not open, so they cannot hear Iska--yet! This is very soon to come.)

Happily, I also think that a couple of pups recognized me when I was next to the box without Iska because, as I sat watching them, two pups must have first smelled me, then looked up, saw me, and half walked, half undulated/crawled towards me.

Very cute and a neat time in their development.

Still doing a lot of sleeping

2010-03-29T16:40:00.002-05:00

At this age, puppies are still doing a lot of sleeping. In fact, other than when Iska visits the whelping box for nursing and cleaning them, the pups do nothing but sleep.

Although this may seem a bit dull, I try to savor this quiet and slow time because soon enough, puppies will be walking, trying to leave the box to explore the wider world, playing roughly with each other and toys, and even barking!

All of that is quite fun, but it is nice to have this time as well.

Dream Away Little Pups

2010-03-29T11:23:00.001-05:00

Big Day! Eyes are opening!

2010-03-28T11:29:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, eyes began to open for some of the pups.

This is always an exciting day. You can see here the little opening of a partially opened eye.

Sleeping Portraits, Week Two

2010-03-28T11:27:00.002-05:00

2010-03-28T11:24:00.001-05:00

Scenes from Week Two

2010-03-27T16:42:00.001-05:00

2010-03-27T16:39:00.001-05:00

Dark Pepper & Salt Girl Sleeping

2010-03-27T16:36:00.002-05:00

Sleep Away Pepper & Salt Girls!

2010-03-27T16:34:00.004-05:00

These lovely girls are usually found sleeping together. I wonder if they were the two pups who were on the ultrasound "getting to know each other," in the words of our reproductive vet.

I love to watch little puppies sleep. I hope you enjoy it too.

Sleepy Stretching

2010-03-27T16:32:00.001-05:00

Sleepers

2010-03-27T16:30:00.001-05:00

Scene from Week One--Happy Nursing Tails Video

2010-03-25T12:53:00.005-05:00

In this video, you can see and hear (!) pups who are very happy nursing. Iska prefers to nurse while sitting up. Does not look comfortable to me, but both she and pups say it works!

Scenes from Week One

2010-03-25T12:42:00.001-05:00

2010-03-25T12:41:00.000-05:00

Week One--Nursing on my sister

2010-03-25T12:21:00.005-05:00

Here you can see Pepper & Salt girl enjoying trying to nurse on her sister's back.

You can see her using her paws and leg to knead at her sister's back like she would be kneading Iska to stimulate milk flow.

Pups are very funny and will often try to nurse on whatever body part is most convenient on a sibling--ears, nose, ankle, foot.

Week One--Night Time Sky

2010-03-25T12:13:00.004-05:00

Here is what pups would see (if their eyes were open to see, that is!).

Pups have a night time sky roof over their whelping box. A roof/cover helps make the box seem more like a den. Mothers appreciate feeling protected and safely enclosed with a roof. The cover also helps keep the warmth from pups and mom Iska in the box. The cover only goes 3/4 way across the box, though, so there is plenty of ventilation. The cover is made from a crib railing and fleece blanket.

Day 7--Exotic wildlife or Iska's pups?

2010-03-22T16:28:00.002-05:00

Is it a baby bear cub or Iska's adorable baby boy??

Iska's son is so cute and burly. He reminds me of a baby black bear cub.

In the other shots, you can see three of the girls: a black girl, the clearly pepper & salt girl and the dark pepper & salt girl. As she ages, the dark girl will have more noticeable pepper & salt markings. Right now, if you compare her to her black sister, you can see that she has lighter around the eyes, on the ear and also on the front legs.

Day 6--Nursing & Sleeping

2010-03-21T13:11:00.005-05:00

You can see in these shots how well everyone is doing, how content and happy both mom Iska and pups are.

You can see pups are getting bigger from all the vigorous nursing they are doing.

Once bellies are full, lots of sleeping is job number one for nearly one week old pups.

Day 5--Sweet face

2010-03-21T13:06:00.002-05:00

Day 5--Tiny Toenails

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Day 5

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Day 5--Pups with Mom

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As you can see from the photos, pups now have their tails docked.

Tail docking was yesterday and everyone came through fine.

Our vet said the pups looked great and were doing very well. All pups weighed between 15-16 ounces, which is nice and big for pups of this age.

Clearly, Iska had plenty of great nutrition to give babies in the womb and is doing a wonderful job of nursing her pups now.

Way to go, 1st time mom, Iska!

Day 5--sleeping belly

2010-03-19T16:51:00.000-05:00

Beautiful Tails & Beautiful Head--Day 4

2010-03-18T22:34:00.003-05:00

Sleeping pup studies

2010-03-17T22:50:00.002-05:00

I love to photograph new pups while they sleep. I find their heads, expressions and all little tiny things about them (whiskers, ears, noses, toenails, details of coats) fascinating.

I hope you enjoy these shots from pups' day 3.

Day 3--Pups do lots of sleeping

2010-03-17T22:47:00.000-05:00

Color? How do we tell?

2010-03-17T21:39:00.008-05:00

Standard schnauzer breeders are often asked how we can tell if a puppy is black or pepper & salt at birth.

Although many pepper & salt pups are born a very dark color, they are not born black to gradually lighten as they grow, as is seen in some horses, for example.

I always find the question of how do we know which color is which a bit hard to answer because, well, the black pups are ...black.

And the pepper & salt pups not black, but rather the mix of white and black banded hairs that make up the pepper & salt coat. Even the very dark pepper & salt pup shown nursing next to her black sister in the forth photo has clearly visible lighter color under her tail and lighter undercoat and banded hairs across her sides. Compare her coat to her lighter colored p&s sister above and you can see although there is great variation in color, the basic characteristics of the p&s coat are very different from a black coat.

I hope, even though the lighting from the heat lamp makes pups seem kinda brown, these photos of both colors of two day old pups illustrate that it is not difficult to tell the difference in the two colors right away on standard schnauzer pups :-).

Day 2--Happy Nursing Tails

2010-03-17T21:27:00.003-05:00

Schnauzer pups in North America are typically docked during their first week of life.

Iska's pups have their tail docking appointment soon.

I love the little natural tails and like to make to sure get lots of photos of them.

Hope you enjoy.

Day 2--New family settles in

2010-03-17T21:21:00.003-05:00

Iska is very particular about how her blanket is arranged. After getting it just right, she watches her pups and settles into happily nursing ... and keeping an eye on me!

Day 2--Iska inspects her pups

2010-03-17T20:48:00.002-05:00

A careful mom must make sure that her pups are okay after being removed from the whelping box so it can be cleaned and new bedding installed.

Iska seems satisfied, but not until a thorough check of every pup!

What a good mom!

Iska's pups--day 2

2010-03-17T20:18:00.004-05:00

Here the pups are hanging out while their whelping box is being cleaned and refurnished.

You can see they enjoy sleeping all cuddled together, look great on a green blanket and have super cute little ears!

A wee bit of St Patrick's Day, leprechaun-y cheer for everyone!

Iska's new family--day 1

2010-03-15T22:39:00.004-05:00

As you can see from Iska's decisive paw across her pups in this photo, Iska has decided that her tiny posse has been photographed enough for their first day in the world.

She is certainly right, as you can see from all of the photos following.

Hope you enjoy. Iska may demand that I take less photos in the future!

Iska's new family--day 1

2010-03-15T22:35:00.001-05:00

Iska's new family--day 1

2010-03-15T22:31:00.002-05:00

Iska and Ash's new family is here!

2010-03-15T14:23:00.002-05:00

Iska's pups came very quickly this morning. This was great because we had both been up and down all night as she became increasingly restless and uncomfortable. Pups were born between 7:30am and 9:40am CST. Whelping pups often takes hours, so we were very lucky to have it happen "lightening fast," in the words of our reproductive vet.

Iska and pups are doing well. Pups are uniform in size and are enthusiastically nursing. Iska seems to be figuring out what being a mum means.

Here is what Iska had in order of birth:

black girl
pepper & salt girl
black girl
black boy
pepper & salt girl
black girl

So, the final count is:

1 boy, black
5 girls (2 pns & 3 black)

I will post some photos of the new family this evening.

Goodnight Iska!

2010-03-14T23:16:00.003-05:00

After a long day of waiting on pups, Iska has finally gone to sleep.

I have made a bed of sorts next to the desk and whelping box to keep Iska company and monitor her. You can see that she still would prefer to sleep under the desk than in her whelping box.

Oh, well. When the time comes, the box will be waiting and just right for new pups and Iska.

Night from Iska!

Pregnant girl's last walk?

2010-03-14T23:10:00.005-05:00

Until after pups, that is :-).

After her hard work thinking about whelping places, Iska wanted to go for a walk.

Here are a couple of shots, one in the park and the other meeting her friend, our neighbor the weim, Violet.

And here is a little video of Iska slowly going for her last walk before pups will be born.