The puppies have gone to forever families!

The puppies have gone to forever families! It was so great to see all of the families come, see and interact with the puppies. The puppies found their awesome homes in California, Virginia, Missouri, Iowa, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan (2) and Illinois. We were so thankful and blessed to see such nice development in this litter and the interation with our three entles here. So many positive experiences and learning opportunities. We will be looking to breed again in the future and are hoping to bring Aria (our youngest) into full eligibility as a breeding female in December 2011. Thank you to everyone who continues to support us in our journey.

The puppies are 6 1/2 weeks now!

It is hard to believe how fast these puppies grow. It is even more amazing to watch their skills and temperaments develop as the hours/days pass by. It is almost time for the puppies to go to their forever families. We are so pleased that we have found amazing families to care for their new member of the family. Hara Ki (mother) and Aria (our youngest female) have worked together in tandem to care and nurture theses puppies. Gemma (our oldest female) prefers them at this stage to teach them "play and social skill manners" which is always welcomed from the "Alpha" girl.

The puppies are getting bigger and stronger!

The puppies continue to develop and get bigger this week. They are eating at least four times a day and sometimes a little snack here and there to help them put on weight and optimize their development. The visitors have started to come everyday to help them with their socialization to a variety of different types of people. They are learning to play with toys and each other. It is great fun to watch!!!

The puppies are enjoying their transition to GLOP!

The puppies have been eating puppy glop for the last week. It is a combination of a variety of nutrients in the consistency of oatmeal/cottage cheese. They love it! All are eating well and it is fun to watch them eat, then rest, then eat again.... They are enjoying this new addition to their diet. This mixture will help them grow and transition into puppy food.

The puppies had a fun weekend!

The puppies continue to put on weight everyday! They had their first experiences in different rooms of the house (being carried) and some have even fallen asleep in our master bedroom briefly ALONG with the other three entles and both of us just admiring them. They are starting to show bits and pieces of their growing personalities which is SO fun for us to watch their development. This week they have puppy "glop" to look forward to.. that will be fun to capture in photos.....

The puppies are two and a half weeks old now!

The puppies are two and a half weeks old now. They all have their eyes open and the hearing has developed as well. We have heard in the last few days all of the puppies experimenting with their voices from growls, grunts, barks and audible yawns! It is quite comical and funny to hear them. We have updated more puppy photos. The puppies are transitioning from an "army type crawl" to learning how to walk. They are gaining stability on their front two paws as of today and their back two are emerging.... The next update few days will include strength and coordination in their walking skills and beginning to start to lap liquids from a bowl. It should prove to be an interesting next few days...

The first pictures of all nine in birth order....

We have just uploaded pictures in the puppy album of all nine of the puppies in birth order. The first one starts with Tom holding a pup in both of his hands and goes from there....The puppies are already getting big and weigh between one pound (smallest puppy) and just over two pounds (the biggest). We also put a couple pictures of them getting weighed tonight.

The puppies are celebration puppies!

We were just putting the timeline together and realized just how much these puppies enjoy celebrations and party times. Siri (dad) and Hara (mom) mated over Christmas and then the puppies were born on President's Day weekend. The puppies will be ready to go to forever families right around Easter.... so for all of those into the "timing" of things what a coincidence! It is always neat to share when fun trivia like this comes together.

A change in God's plan

One of the beautiful female pups passed yesterday. She had been showing signs of distress over the first few days and we did the best we could to help her but it wasn't meant to be. Tom was en route to our vet specialist to begin the process of tube feeding her but she passed on the way to her office. The other nine puppies continue to put on weight well and are thriving within the litter. It was a difficult day here at North Star but we know that things happen for a reason and trust there is a plan for all little ones.

We have 10 new wonderful, healthy puppies!

Hara delivered ten new puppies and they are all doing very well! She had seven girls and three boys. All are eating well and Hara is tending to them very meticulously, calmly and gently. We can't be prouder and happier. The puppies and Hara Ki have all been to the vet and it was stated that they all look great and Hara is ready for the journey. We are starting to upload photos as they change very quickly... thanks to all for all of the ongoing support and kindness. We appreciate it!

Hara is due in less than 10 days!

Hara is getting bigger each day and doing very well. We go this Thursday for her last xray with our vet specialist, Dr. Sheller. Hara is enjoying the extra food we are giving to encourage the health of the puppies and of course the treats! She gets tired more easily and it's challenging to find a comfortable laying position these days but overall she is doing fabulous.

AKC Gazette article

Just wanted to put the word out that the January 2011 issue of the AKC Gazette has a feature article on the Entlebucher Mountain Dog. The article refers to the entles as the "athletes of the Alps" and the "swiss army knife" of the canine world. It is a nice article introducing entlebuchers to the Herding Group of the AKC. You can obtain a copy of the gazette by going to the Americal Kennel Club website and requesting a copy for $4.99. Happy Reading!

The Ultrasound News!!

We just got home from Hara Ki's ultrasound... Our vet specialist, Dr. MaryAnne Sheller said that her pregnancy is confirmed. We are soooo very excited! Hara's due date is February 22, 2011. We will go for her final x-ray on February 17 with Dr. Sheller. She said that Hara looks great and all is going just as she anticipates... Congratulations to Siri and Hara Ki...what a wonderful day!

Waiting to find out!

Happy New Year! Our entlebuchers have been enjoying the immense snow that has recently arrived in the Midwest. In our area all 28 inches in the last few days. The all love to play with each other, fetch stick, and literally run with their nose face first in the snow and come out with a big snow beard. It is funny to watch! We are waiting for Hara's ultrasound to get confirmation of her pregnancy. Our appointment is set for January 24, 2011. We will update when we find out the results.