Cottage Doodles

The Sugar Babies weigh in

What a colorful bunch of babies!

On my birthday, Sugar had nine pups!

Well, she started on the evening of my birthday, half were born after midnight.  I was up til almost four am.

And I have to admit, that at 63, not getting enough sleep seriously makes me feel old.  Oh well, I’ll sleep when the babies are gone, the time will fly by.

No matter how old and tired I am, it is never a chore to stay up all night waiting for babies to come.  

Seeing what color comes next is as exciting as opening presents.

Shuggie had two apricot parti, two black and white parti, two black abstract, and two cream, so I was very excited to see if another pair of colors would arrive.

She stopped birthing for almost forty minutes after those eight, but I knew she wasn’t done yet.

The anticipation was very suspenseful.  My body was tired, but I was not sleepy.  Then she had one more cream colored boy, and I was sure she was finished.  There wasn’t going to be another pair of colors.  

Her body language changed, and she just looked finished.  And she was.  Sugar is one of the best dog moms I have ever had, so I doubt if I will be lacking too much sleep.  She curls herself carefully around the pups, nestles them near her and tucks them in.  When she climbs in and out of the nest, it is gingerly.  

It’s funny how different dogs can be as moms.  Honey was all business.  She treated motherhood as a job that she was going to be the best at,  but wasn’t exactly gentle and was known to step on or lay on the little guys.  Her pups had me up and down all night for weeks, yelling for me to save them from being squished, or cold. 

 Sugar not only takes good care of her babies, she nurtures and snuggles them.  And when they are older, she will welcome Honey to come in and help out,  there will be lots of work to do and Honey is the dog for the job.  

This will be our only litter, Honey’s breeding didn’t  take.  I am kind of relieved, one litter at a time is plenty.  Nine pups will be enough to keep us all busy!

New Sugarbabies!

Sugar had her first date with the handsome Felix today.  If all goes well, we will expect Sugarbabies ready for new homes on Fourth of July weekend.

Maybe I should call them lil’ firecrackers instead?  

Although, she typically delivers almost a week early, so we will see.  Check back here and at Cottage Doodles on Instagram for more updates.

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.

Honey’s F1, Red Golden Doodles Are Here!

Poor Honey had a rough night.  She was nesting, but did not like her whelping box. Instead, she wanted a do it yourself type nursery for her pups.

So she went into my closet and dug a hole through the drywall. If I let her out of my sight, she was right back at it.

I was up with her most of the night, she was frantic.  My husband  took turns with watching her, we could not leave her unattended.

The poor dog couldn’t relax and go to her whelping box.  If I took her outside, she tried to dig a den. I had to keep her by my side and on a leash all day.  She was so upset, she could not stop panting and trying to go build her nest.

Finally, we came to a compromise.  My husband cleared everything out of his office closet, and we laid down a whelping pad.  It was small and dark, just what she wanted.  She seemed happy as soon as she walked in and sniffed around.

Within moments, she delivered her first little girl, all she needed was a place she felt right in.

Soon, there were a couple more babies.  Honey’s mood was nurturing and calm.  All the frenzy of the last 18 hours was gone.

Once she got into her groove, we bundled the babies in a towel and transferred them into the previously unacceptable whelping box, which she was fine with now.

The box was much better for her than the closet, and at this point, she wasn’t going to argue with me.  She was busy caring for the little ones and having a few more.

Honey was doing great and so were the pups.  She didn’t need my help one single time.  I was just there for petting and moral support.

Five girls and boys girls, all red with white markings, came quickly, safely, and efficiently.  

For having such a rough start, she certainly turned it all around. It ended up being the most simple delivery I have ever seen from one of my dogs.   

And now, we are all getting caught up on the sleep we missed last night, and counting our blessings.

 

 

 

Oh, yes, there are certainly pups coming!

We made a fast trip to the North Carolina mountains before school started, and pups possibly came along.  I knew I’d be tied down for months once babies arrived.

When we left, we were pretty sure Honey was expecting.  While we were gone, she practically exploded!  Look at that full belly!

That is not just a possibility of puppies, that is puppies for sure.

Sugar is about 12 days behind her mother, but she had what looks like a belly blast of growth too.

Possible due date for Honey’s red and white, small-medium F1 golden doodles is Sept 15.

Sugar’s surprise package of colors, of small-medium F1b golden doodles are due Sept. 27.

Looks like I was smart to vacation while I could, huh?  I’m about to be knee deep in furry, little cuties that will take ALL my time.

And I just cannot wait!

A visit from the Midwoof

Our RN daughter-in-law is very near to completing her midwife training, so I asked her expert opinion on whether Honey and Sugar were expecting.

  Although her shirt reads, “Midwives Help People Out”, she was also happy to help with dogs.
She brought over her Doppler to listen in and spy to hear if there was anyone in there.  
With Honey, she was pretty sure she heard some tiny beats!

Sugar’s due date is almost two weeks after Honey’s.  So maybe we will try again later and the iffy sounds will sound more conclusive.

For now, we will celebrate that there are puppies expected around September 15! 
YAY!

Honey’s update and litter dates

Honey seems to be expecting.  It is soon to tell, but there are subtle hints.  She is 100% my husband’s dog, but when she is having pups, she knows that I am the one who takes care of her and her babies.  She starts following me around and laying at my feet, wanting attention from me instead of staring at Rich and waiting for their next, exciting adventure. 

This will be her last attempt at motherhood, he likes her by his side.  They are true besties and he doesn’t like to go anywhere without her.  It was almost too much for him when she had a sleepover at Anette’s for her date with Felix.

Free State Pedigrees has a great, organized set up and you can tell that Anette loves her dogs.  Honey was in good hands, but the moment we drove off and left her, Rich was asking when we could go back to get her.

She only has had one litter (she is Sugar’s mother).  And one false pregnancy, which kept us guessing til the due date.  
Rich was ready to have her spayed at that point, but we held off for one more attempt. But this will be her last, he cannot take the worries about his girl.

The expected litter (F1) will be ready for new homes probably the week of November 15.  And if Sugar has a batch of babies (F1b), they will be ready Thanksgiving week. 
Stay in touch for updates, and if you’d like a doodle to snuggle, we will take deposits after they are born.

My house might soon be Doodle paradise

Well, guess what?  Not only did we take Honey to Free State Pedigrees to be bred by Felix, we dropped off Sugar there for a date with her previous beau, Wally. 

Oh my.

 Am I of a right mind?  Two litters at once?  And later in the year?  I always said I would never have winter puppies, because we have a perfect set up for summer pups.  And I believe the babies need fresh air and a place to run (as well as for housebreaking themselves).  

But November, when they are old enough to run and wrestle and play outside, can be mild in KS.  And I have worked out a plan for keeping them in our garage, with a dog door to get in and out if needed, when it is chilly and at night.  Then in the daytime, they will have access to the fenced yard with a bed in the breezeway for their nap times. 

And with the two week age difference, I will be able to provide the needed attention at the appropriate growth stages.  But I sure will be busy doing it!

Which is just what I need.  It has been two months now since my son died.  Two months of missing his hugs and the kisses on top of my head.  Two months of missing our walks and our laughs together.

An armload of furry sweetness won’t replace Ryan’s hugs.  But it will be a very welcome distraction from heartache.  Plus, even though both of our dogs were taken to meet their boyfriends, it is never guaranteed that they will have successful dates.  It would shatter my hopes if we’d decided against taking Sugar in to see Wally and Honey ended up not having pups after all.

I decided I would rather double my odds.  I need some puppies in my world right now.  

This is Wally, the father of the Sugarbabies.

And I think I am not the only one suffering.  With the state of the virus spreading now, I am sure there are many people who would love to have a doodle to cheer them up.  
We will be offering a discount on pups to families who have been directly affected by Corona. 

If you are interested, please check back here for updates.  Sugar’s babes will be ready possibly the week of Thanksgiving and will be small to medium F1b goldendoodles.  Honey’s will be ready approximately the week of November 15 and will be medium F1 goldendoodles.

 

 

Possible pups?

Our beautiful Honey has a date with Felix.

He is a handsome poodle, a tad smaller than his leggy, blonde date.  If they have a love match, pups will be due mid September, and will be small to medium sized F1 Goldendoodles. 

He seems to be a friendly, young man who loves his mama.  I was alone with him for a bit while his owner was checking on something and he was happy to have me pet and talk to him, but his eyes never left the direction where she walked away to.  I’d say he has a loyal soul.  

Honey adores my husband, she is a loyal pet too.  But she is also constantly starving for affection from anywhere she can find it.  She is a dog who has never met a stranger.

 Felix was sweet and appreciative for attention, but I could tell he was glad when his mom returned.  He was a gentle guy, not hyper or jumpy.  Honey is the alpha at our house, but is pretty laid back and is a good listener, not hyper at all, either.

I think the combo of these two will make some pretty nice babies.  

Speaking of good looking pups, these two are from past litters he sired.   

We should be counting on reds and red with white, like these beauties.  Oh my, how will I ever part with them???

Honey’s daughter, Sugar is also in heat.

I am debating whether to have her bred too.  Her babies would come about a week later than Honey’s.  Which cuts too far into my rule about not having pups during chilly weather, so I am not sure if I will follow through with her or not.

We have an excellent set up for fair weather pups, not having them go to their new homes until November is a little more challenging for me.

Breeding Honey this late in the year is already a stretch for me.  But the thought of being knee deep in furry, little cuddlers is worth the extra trouble.  My son, and dear buddy, Ryan, has recently passed away.  I can’t imagine ever recovering from his death, but if anything could help my heart, it would be having a litter of puppies to devote myself to.

Ryan loved our pups too.  He and I would linger over them after feeding them dinner, and would hold them on our laps while we watched TV together in the evenings.  Ryan would tell me goodnight and leave to go to his apartment on the side of our home.  Later, I would go check on pups and would find him still playing with them, not up in his place at all.

 It won’t be easy to have puppies without him around to share the joy (and work) of raising them.  But it might be just what I need.

Tiny golden doodles

We had a busy first day with the babies, but with Sugarwings as my assistant, all went well.  That girl was there before me for every little task those pups needed.  I doubt there is a puppy anywhere as catered to as these 7 were. 

Their mama is taking excellent care of them too.  She made sure they had access to her favorite toy.