JerryLee's escapades...

JerryLee has not been adopted yet, so he 'runs with the big boys' now and accordingly, we have begun potty training him... Although he is 'getting it', for the most part he follows one of the other dogs and then realizes what he is really supposed to be doing in the backyard... :)  He is a TON of fun to watch... And his coat is to die for, so he probably gets far too many pets and belly rubs...
No telling where you will find him throughout the day... He goes exploring on his own and sometimes has to learn about life the hard way - like what happens when you decide to explore a rose bush garden... What goes in easily one way does not always come out as easily the same way - even if you try to back out exactly in the same fashion~!!!

Once he is done exploring like any other young puppy, he finds a convenient place to curl up and take a puppy nap... Once he's sleeping, not much disturbs him, so periodically throughout the day we go on a 'JerryLee Hunt' to find him...

And he can be just about anywhere, but he has really decided he likes the bottom of this portable stand to curl up in... So to make it more comfy we have added a blankee to it... Those wires can't be cozy to sleep on, ya know?... But he's chosen this spot to call his own, so you do your best to accommodate their wishes!

Better photo of RubyDee's litter

This is a better, more realistic photo of RubyDee's puppies... JerryLee is on the top, JuneCarter on the bottom to the left and JohnnyCash on the right...

Mom and puppies will be ready for adoption on 3/27/10

R

RubyDee's litter born on January 29th is rapidly approaching their adoption date... Both RubyDee and her litter of three will be spayed (or neutered in the case of JerryLee and JohnnyCash) on Tuesday, March 23rd... They will all be ready for adoption on the weekend of March 27th... As puppies go VERY fast because everyone wants a puppy, please make sure to get your adoption application in NOW and faxed to us ahead of time (805-578-2604)...

RubyDee is VERY, VERY friendly and outgoing... She is very well mannered and behaved... She's been a great mom to her pups as well... Nothing much throws RubyDee - she rolls with just about every new situation and would probably be fantastic in a home with children and a lot of ongoing activity, but also as a solo companion to someone who is at home and wants a loving dog of a larger size (RubyDee is 13-14 pounds)... She's either a Manchester Terrier or a Chi-Weenie for she is very heavy-footed like Doxies are... She has no Terrier qualities, so we consider her a Chi-Weenie... Has few Chihuahua qualities either, but that is what the shelter labeled her...

The largest puppy in the litter is now JohnnyCash - he is primarily black but has exceptionally LONG hair, unlike his two siblings... Almost Border Collie long and lush, in fact... For those that know our TLC mascot, Nacho, he would be a close match if they were together... We expect JohnnyCash to grow to the size of his mom, but again, without knowing who the father is, there is telling or guarantee of eventual size... Despite the angle of the picture above, JohnnyCash is almost twice the size of his brother, JerryLee...

JerrryLee and JuneCarter look the most alike with the collars of white but they are more shorthaired than their bigger brother... JerryLee has his mom's tan eyebrow markings... And these two have 'found their voices' much quicker than their bigger brother, so we may have two fathers in this litter...

While JerryLee is bigger than JuneCarter who is VERY petite, neither puppy is large so we are asking homes interested in either one of these puppies have neither toddlers nor large dog companions...

JohnnyCash has been nicknamed "Moose" by us because he is just a big, fluffy teddy bear... He has the most settled personality in the bunch, whereas JuneCarter is a bit of a prima donna at times... JerryLee is the more adventurous of the bunch, but all three are guaranteed tail waggers as soon as they are picked up to be cuddled...

We have held these pups since they were but minutes old and all three have gotten their mom's loving and even keeled personality... While they will use the training pads, they are NOT housebroken yet.

Puppies will be up-to-date on their shots and microchipped, spayed or neutered prior to adoption... They will need their rabies at 4 months and to be licensed... RubyDee will be up-to-date on her shots, spayed, microchipped and licensed prior to adoption...

3 weeks old today!

The puppies' eyes are opened, they're moving around and crying for mom periodically, she's been an excellent mom and everything in their world is going well!

The biggest puppy at birth was JerryLee (and the last puppy) but JohnnyCash has rapidly picked up the most weight and is almost twice the size of either of the other two... We've taken to calling him 'the moose' and at times, singing that child's song ("the mouse, the mooooose... sitting in the water")... :)

Nothing has changed in RubyDee's demeanor... I had to handle the puppies after they were just a few hours old as we removed the birthing blankees and bed... Didn't faze her a bit... RubyDee was rooting around in her bedding when they were just a few days old and she accidentally flipped JohnnyCash out of the whelping box... I heard the unusual cries and rushed there to find him laying on the carpet by himself... I picked him up, cuddled him a few seconds and RubyDee quickly licked him all over, settled him in and they all went back to sleep and nursing...

Throughout the day, she is in and out of the Xpen with the pups... She knows how to climb (and can) up the side (it is a short Xpen) when she wants to come out... And she quickly realized she ONLY gets the goats milk in the Xpen with the puppies, so when she sees me with that particular container in hand, she rushes to the Xpen~!!! (and they say dogs are dumb! DUH)...

Now that they are moving around, we've taken the whelping box out and laid the Xpen with thick blankees and doggie bedding... JohnnyCash has already become interested in that strange smell when I replenish RubyDee's bowl with goats milk... Once or twice he has stuck his head into the bowl and taken a taste, but for now, he is more content with mom's milk and snuggling...

On occasion, you can hear their cries, but for the most part, Mother Nature is doing her thing... RubyDee is a FANTASTIC mom and she's so sweet and easy going, I've noticed that her puppies immediately start wagging their tails when you pick them up and nuzzle with them... There is so much to be said for 'home-raised' puppies versus petshop/puppymill puppies... You can tell people about this until you are out of breath, but until you've watched and experienced it first hand, it is hard to believe that environment and/or mindset can play such an important role in how a puppy's persona eventually turns out to be...

RubyDee is a bit aggressive towards any of the other dogs coming too close to her Xpen with the puppies, but otherwise?... She's interacting and friendly with all... I've caught her playing outside with Nacho a few times and although she's still loaded heavy with milk, she kept up with him... I look forward to the next few weeks once these puppies go from milk puppies to weaned puppies... I'm not a fan of puppies at all (give me the older guys no one else wants any time) but this has been an enjoyable experience to go through...

We have puppers!

Yesterday afternoon, RubyDee just got cranky, irritated, restless and all out of sorts... Not like her at all 'cause she is ALWAYS sweet, easy going and loving... Feeling her sides, those puppies were moving around like they were walking in a marching band!... I called my husband at work and told him I felt we'd have puppies before the night was out simply due to the great differences in behavior she was exhibiting... 

And true to the vet's prediction (to the day), RubyDee brought forth three puppies last night... JohnnyCash was born at 6:38PM, JuneCarter at 7:01PM and JerryLee finally decided to be born at 8:21PM~!!!

 

In this photo, they are several hours old, cleaned up, fed and resting... JuneCarter is laying from left to right, JohnnyCash is laying on top of her and JerryLee is snuggled into the bottm of JohnnyCash. 

 

Won't be long now...

Today, RubyDee just couldn't see to get comfortable no matter what she tried... Sitting on the doggie steps, her belly was hanging over the side... 

 

Then she tried climbing into a thick plush doggie bed Nacho was sleeping in, pushing him almost out of the doggie bed as she wiggled into the corner... 

 

Finally, she went back to the first step of the doggie steps and sighed, seemingly resigned to just being uncomfortable with too much belly, but letting it hang over the one side of the riser...

Won't be long now!!!

Laying around, relaxing...

About all RubyDee wants to do is to eat, cuddle, sleep, sunbath, eat, sleep some more and then start all over again!... As her belly grows by the day, she still does her 'dancing on hind legs' but as she stands up, that belly and its weight almost pulls her over... 

What a sweetheart she is~!!!...