Cottage Doodles

Izzy the Brave

Thank you so much to the dozens of people who wanted to help Izzy!  I appreciate the outpouring of care towards this sweet girl, and I know that anyone of those potential homes would have been a happy place for her to grow and heal in.

When Izzy’s owner no longer wanted her, stating that she was belligerent and the puppy biting was not controllable, my good friend, Anette, and I both worked with the owner, helping her with tips and training information.

A week later, she contacted us again, saying, nope, no way, come get this dog.  Anette is the owner of Izzy’s father and Izzy had gone to her as pick of the litter.

And what a pick!  Lil Iz was a strong leader of the litter.  She was curious, smart, and outgoing.  Not to mention, as beautiful as she was silky soft and cuddly.

Anette jumped in her car and was on her way to central Nebraska to pick up that pup within minutes, she called me from the car for us to make a plan.  Legally, the puppy was hers to take in, I was hurting and so worried, I felt like I had to have her back in my arms.  Anette is a soft hearted breeder who understood that after raising this baby for 8 weeks, I loved it and also that if Izzy had problems, she might respond more to me.

I got busy making appointments for personal trainers and vets. The description of her behavior was troubling because I knew she had been good natured and learned commands when with me.  I though I’d have to work with her for weeks for obedience training.

 
Instead, I found a well behaved, non-nipping, sweet dog who was terrified.  She recognized me right away and came running across the yard to me.  

When I bent down to pet her, she literally screamed in fear.  It was a high, screeching yip, that did not let up.  We discovered that she was frightened of hands, doors, small enclosed areas, people, and loud noises.  But I also saw Anette’s little grandchild gently taking a stick out of Izzy’s mouth and her being happy for his attention.

While extremely skittish around my home and dogs all morning, she slowly opened up to our love.  I started calling her Izzy the Brave to give her some positive reinforcement for overcoming her issues.  She was being curious again, slowly approaching new things, looking to me to ask if it was okay, then bravely checking it out.

I knew then that what she truly needed was not just training but a lot of love.  If I were to be in charge of the process, she would bond with me, then have to go through it all again with the new family who eventually became her forever home.

I wanted to hold her close.

That was great for me, but not her.  I found a great couple who already had one of her siblings from two years ago.  They will bond with her and focus on the retraining themselves, so that she does not have to readjust to multiple families.  

While I hated having everything go so wrong for the poor girl, I was thrilled to have had her in my arms again, and to now know that she is in the arms of a family who will always treasure her.

And it meant a lot to see how many wonderful people reached out and offered to take this sad, scared baby into their own hearts.  Thank you.

Four cute little boys

For look a likes, these brothers are quite a bit different.  The one on the left seems to take after his poodle dad while the one on the right has more of a golden retriever shaped face.

Both are sweet as pie! 

As is this big boy.  Well, I call him the big boy, he is the largest of the litter, but he is just a little baby, not really big at all.

Isn’t he a handsome fella?

This little dumpling is growing into his looks.  He has lovely coloring, but wasn’t as photogenic as the other bros ( please don’t ever tell him I said that).  As he grows and fills out, he is becoming a gorgeous guy.

See what I mean?

These four boys are still available.  Please contact me for details if you’d like a sweetheart of a good looking guy to be a part of your family.  

 

How many puppies do you see?

Remember hidden picture puzzles, where you had to circle a ballon in a tree, a cat in a cloud, or a spoon in a girl’s curls?

 

Here is another version- Find the puppies in the rocks.

In the Middle of the Puppy Cuddle Puddle

Honey’s butterballs are starting to peek out of the corners of their eyes, and the Sugar Babies turn a week old tomorrow.

The time is going by much too fast!

And I am trying to capture the moments.

Doesn't Sugar look like she is saying, “Really, Mom? Another photo?”

 

Sugar babies!

Look at what we have!

Sugar’s pups are 6 days early, Honey’s were 1 day late.  My window of time in between shrank away to, well, not enough.

I had planned on moving Honey into a wading pool and turning the whelping box over to the newcomers.  But after the tragedy of losing a pup, and the fact that they weren’t even a week old yet, I knew they still needed that box with its safety rail.

I was awakened at 6am by the sweetest little squeaky sounds coming from the velvet covered bench at the foot of the bed.  Sugar had her first puppy in style!

She was soon moved to a wading pool with an absorbent liner.  Although, I have to admit, the velvet was also VERY absorbent.  

She quickly had 8 babies, with no fuss, nerves, or drama.

Throughout the whole process, she remained the gentle, gracious animal that she always is.

I felt bad about not letting her continue on the pretty bench she had chosen, since she was being so dainty and sweet while calmly having the babies.

But, she seemed fine with the pool.

In the meantime, my husband the hero, ran to Home Depot, bought some plywood and whipped this beautiful box to tuck them all into once the babies were all here.

And look, it just fits, barely, in our bathroom.  This way, we can keep the two moms separate until the puppies are older and ready to be best friends. 

Then, they all go out to a nursery set up in the garage at night and weather permitting, in the breezeway with the door to the garden open during the day.

But for now, I have a houseful, and I am going to enjoy it while it lasts, they will be gone way too soon.  8 weeks will fly by.

Looking guilty

 

5-1/2 week old goldendoodle pups

These three lovable babies are still available.  

The parti-colored girls are known around here as Cookie and Cream, the brindle boy has been named Pudding, for his laid back, easy going, sweet as a bowl of warm pudding personality.  The girls’ parti-colors suit their temperaments, those two can turn any room into a PARTY!

The litter’s theme for naming was from their mama, Sugar and grandmother, Honey. All have sweet names.  Stevia (Steve), Dextrose (Dex), Caramel, and Marshmallow.   All names were chosen by the grand fairies.  

And sweet names perfectly suit them!

 

Parti-colored goldendoodle pups for sale in Kansas

The two parti-colored girls are still available.  

And they love making new friends!