I’m going to be experimenting with YouTube for longer videos that can be sent easier. Please let me know if there are any issues viewing videos! I’m new to editing, so it’s probably going to be a little rough for a while, but click here to watch week 3 for these little guys.
Our pretty girl Rye just started her first heat cycle today! She and Whiskey got swabbed for their genetic tests, and those results should be back in a couple weeks. She will begin her preliminary health testing in February, and we will know whether she looks like a good candidate for our breeding program. The Halloween babies have their eyes open, and are starting to walk around. They received their first dose of dewormer yesterday, and they are starting to get a little chunky finally. We’ll be posting video or pictures of them later.
They are here! 16 pups were born 11/1/20 starting at 3am at home with no c-section. Some assistance was needed occasionally, but over all Astraea was incredible. There was a 4 hour stall after pup 14, and we had to administer oxytocin, but the final two and largest pups of the litter came minutes after that. Astraea was so in love that she kept trying to rub her face all over them constantly like she couldn’t get enough snuggles! We lost one pup the first full night, but the rest are starting to gain and look like they will all make it. We would appreciate prayer as we care for the rest of this huge litter. The pups are all reserved, but deposits will open in January for those who haven’t found a pup yet.
We’ve got the whelping box setup and ready to go, and we took Astraea out for a little photo shoot in the woods. You can find the pictures on our Instagram and Facebook. Astraea’s due date is one week away, and her puppy count x-ray is this Thursday. I’m sure by Thursday evening we’ll know whether to do an elective c-section or attempt to let her whelp naturally. The pictures don’t really do her size justice. She is BIG for her petite frame for still having a week to go, but she carries it well! We’re praying for a smooth final week with lots of rest, because there won’t be much if any after the pups arrive!
Those who have kept track of the crazy changes know already that Wrecks was a recent unexpected blessing, and that he is Whiskey’s half brother. We knew we wouldn’t use him as a stud long term, and we decided to place him in a new home before he got too attached to us. He has found his new home and seems to love it! In the meantime, Astraea is absolutely ginormous! We’ll be scheduling her puppy count radiograph soon for next week sometime. We have been busy nesting and preparing the whelping box/ nursery, making tiny little collars, and preparing supplies. I’ll post some pictures when we’re finished. I personally can’t wait for Halloween!
Astraea and Wreck’s have completed and passed all their health tests! Wrecks is officially for sale at $5,000 for full rights or $2,000 for limited registration which will include neutering. We’re open to a few other arrangements as well if you’re interested in being Wreck’s new owners.
We’ve taken more deposits since the ultrasound on Wednesday, and we will now wait until the birth to see how many puppies are actually born and thrive. If you’re interested in a pup, please subscribe to this blog. We will announce if we have extra puppies available around early November.
We would like to announce that Astraea is VERY pregnant! The poor vet had difficulty getting a good count because there were so many pups. She estimated 12-14 puppies!!! We have decided that we will accept more pre-birth deposits, so if you have contacted me with interest about a puppy, have filled out a puppy application and were told you would be a good fit, and subscribed to this blog, text me if you are interested in putting a deposit down. It looks like it’s going to be a busy Halloween!
Astraea and Wrecks are getting updated OFA eye exams tomorrow, and Astraea will be getting her ultrasound on September 30th to confirm her pregnancy! At the moment we only have room for 2 more deposits! What a great fall we have ahead of us!
First we would like to say that Wrecks and Astraea completed their Embark genetic tests and they are completely clear of everything Golden Retriever oriented including Ichthyosis, PRCD, PRA1, and PRA2 along with dozens of other tests that can be found on their Embark profiles for those interested. Wrecks completed and passed his OFA Hips, Elbows, Heart, and Patella X-Rays, and both Astraea and Wrecks have their yearly eye exams scheduled for a couple weeks from today. We’re so excited and proud! We also want to announce that Astraea went into heat MONTHS before she was expected to, and progesterone tests indicate that she did indeed ovulate. We will confirm the hoped for pregnancy at the end of September. She and Wrecks were exhaustive in their efforts to create a litter, and they simply adore one another. What a year this has been! If this pregnancy is successful, pups will be born around Halloween and will go home right before Christmas! We are now accepting deposits again!
