Dackel Princess

We’re On Our Way

With Hubby at home caring for Fritz, Greta and the puppies, I am off to Pennsylvania with Arnie and Anneliese for the German Dog Show. All the primping and preening I’ve been doing should help. Oh yes, and I’ve groomed the dogs too! lol!

We’re going back to the site of last years show, in Reinholds, PA. It’s really lovely there. The show is held at an Equestrian Center in the middle of rolling pastures. It’s such a pleasure to go there.

The Judge this year is a man I have shown under before. He rated Greta three years ago. He is a kind man, who enjoys the dogs and is very fair. I’m happy to be able to show both Arnie and Anneliese to him.

I’ll be posting all weekend from Pennsylvania. Yes a Dackel Princess road trip! Complete with pictures and up to the minute stories of life on the road with two dackels!

Here is Greta when she went to the show three years ago.

And Arnie two years ago.

And Anneliese last year.

Yes, my life has now truly, gone to the dogs!

Coffee & Wagging Tails

I had to cross our beautiful state to go to see a doctor today. It’s a lovely time of year to do this, with the leaves changing and crisp Autumn winds. So, after feeding the pups their breakfast, I headed quickly to Weight Watchers, and then off I drove to Dartmouth. I saw my doctor and then began the trip home.

I felt a little peckish, so I stopped to get a “Hot Light Latte” for my drive back. I waited a few minutes after getting the coffee at the drive through before picking it up to drink. The girl had not placed the lid firmly in place and before I knew it the paper cup seemed to attack me with squirting coffee. It covered my light gray pants, the steering wheel and even the windshield of the car!

I will not tell you the terrible words that slipped passed my lips, let us just say, I was not a happy girl!

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I arrived back home and after throwing my pants into the washing machine, I came upstairs to my babies. Curt heard my voice, as I greeted the other dogs, and he started to fuss and whine. I went into the puppy room and there he was, waiting for me with bright eyes and a wagging tail!

I went in and one by one, I picked up the babies and held them. Here is Schnapps!

Fenway.

Wally.

And Calvin.

They are doing so well. Calvin, Curt and Schnapps are all over three pounds, with Fenway and Wally close behind.

They eat twice a day a gruel mixture, and by next week I will be starting to mix up puppy chow and make it soggy for them, to learn to eat.

Happy Birthday, Uschi!!!

Eight and a half years ago, two women met online. We met because we loved our doggies and wanted to communicate with other people who enjoyed their dogs as well. We wrote back and forth, sharing our lives, began instant messaging through yahoo, and before we knew it, we realized that we were not only friends, but sisters separated by an ocean!

Over the last eight and a half years we have shared good times and bad, but no matter what, we have been there for each other. We’ve been lucky enough to spend time together in person as well.

How grateful I am that this wonderful woman and I found each other!

So, my dear sister, Happy Birthday, and may you have a very special day today and a happy and healthy year ahead!!!

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They’re Growing!

Today I mixed puppy food for the babies and set it down for them to eat. I’d given them a little yesterday, and they all seemed to like it, and this morning I gave it to them again. They really do love it. The funny thing is, that at 4 weeks of age, absolutely none of the puppies had trouble figuring out what to do to get the food into their mouths.

The last litter of puppies all had to be taught and it was a long process. None of them really did like it, but eventually they learned to eat it and go on to normal puppy food.

But these pups know what they are here to do, and that is eat!

I really enjoy watching them, but then after dinner tonight, as I sat watching them eat, it hit me. They are growing up. They are getting to be proper little dogs and before I know it they will be weaned from Greta and almost ready to start their new lives. The time is flying by!

So here is a little video of the crew eating their food this morning!

New Homes

On Sunday Abby came to meet her new puppy, Christel, who will now be called “Schnapps”. Peppermint Schnapps! Seems to go quite nicely with her peppermint pink collar! The two met and eyed each other.

Before bonding the way new family members do. Schnapps began licking Abby’s nose and then trying to nurse on her chin. In the end I felt that the match was a perfect one!

After their visit, I told Hubby that it was time to put together the puppies new bed. They were really outgrowing the little paddling pool, and I wanted them to have some room to run around before setting them lose in the puppy room.

I’d gone to the local furniture store last week and gotten a recliner box. Now instead of just cutting down the top and having this small square box, I took off one side, taped the ends on and now I have a box that is nearly the size of our refrigerator!

At first the puppies were a little afraid, but now they are enjoying having more room. I know Greta is. She can stretch out and feed all of the puppies at once.

Then she can keep an eye on them as they play around the box. I am trying to also teach them to wee-wee on the newspapers and sleep on the soft blanket on the other end. So far we are making pretty good progress!

I also worked grooming Arnie and Anneliese. I still need to get Arnie’s front paws done, but they are both looking very beautiful for the dog show next week.

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See How They Grow

I spent part of the afternoon taking pictures. Now I wish I was as good a photographer as my sister and cousin

Janet, alas they got the talent! I just have the desire to at least try.

So I sat on the floor in the puppy room and snapped picture after picture of my little darlings. (75 I think!), coming up with a few that I liked. They are getting so grown up now and tomorrow I will be making up their cardboard box. I have this wonderful idea of how to cut the top and sides to make a nice roomy box. Once I get done, I will take a few pictures, I promise.

For now, I have these little guys trying to climb out of the box, and the nicest thing about that? Well, they are doing it in an attempt to get to Makenna and me.

Here is Caspar, who we found out yesterday, will be nicknamed “Fenway”.

Here is Curt. He is a real sweetie.

Here is Christel, “Schnapps” biting Curt! Several of the pups have just cut teeth.

Calvin trying to climb out of the box and get to Makenna.

Here is the best shot yet of Claus, “Wally”!

Here are the boys watching Makenna!

So what do you all think of my babies? Aren’t they just the cutest?

4 Weeks Old!!!

Friday was a busy day. We have now entered the time when Greta can no longer keep up with the bodily functions of the puppies all by herself. This means that I am changing the box fairly frequently, and the puppy laundry begins to be a challenge.

The puppies are growing and they are all at least 2 1/2 pounds now, with Calvin tipping the scales at 2 pounds 12 ounces! He is one big boy! They all do have personalities all their very own, too.

Here is our little Miss. She has been adopted by Abigail, and her new forever name will be “Schnapps”!

Here is Caspar. He is a roly-poly, cuddly little guy. A really happy guy!

The pups are all still being taken care of by their Mom. Greta is truly a fabulous mommy to these babies. I think she is even better this time than she was the last. Perhaps it is because she is a seasoned mother now. She doesn’t leave them for too long, despite the fact that they are 4 weeks old today! She does come out and visit with us, but then goes back, lest one or the other of the puppies want to have some milk.

Can you believe that 4 weeks have passed? I can’t. I just know that this litter’s time with us will fly by and very soon they will be on their way to their new forever homes!

Thursday In New Hampshire

Today Hubby and I visited an exhibition of two WW II aircraft. The B-17 and the B-24. We were allowed to walk through the planes and take tons of pictures. So many, in fact that I actually put together a slide show.

What really hit me was how small the insides of the planes were. How these men were able to get around is totally amazing to me. Especially the area underneath the B-17, the Ball Turret, where the Belly Gunner sat. I looked and I just knew I could not have gotten in there. Or if I had gotten in, I never would have gotten out.

I spoke for a long time to the Belly Gunner of that plane, Smitty. He told us the story of when the plane had been shot down, and how he had lost his arm. He spoke kindly of the German Nun Nurse who cared for him. He told us about the struggles that the men went through.

I shook his hand with thanks, and by the end of the talk, I hugged both him and his wife.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

I thought of all the young lives lost and also of all the lives saved by these heroic men. What a terrible time in world history, and yet these machines that flew through the sky, primitive as they were, flown by these fearless men, conquered overwhelming evil and restored freedom to many parts of the world.

I was so pleased that I was able to hear about Smitty’s survival. He is a real American Hero.

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The pups and Greta got to go for a ride to the Vets office today so that Greta could get her stitches out. Everyone went wild for the puppies, and Greta’s stitches are now finally out. We returned home and I prepared a clean whelping box, set them inside of it, and noticed the little faces looking out over at me.

Yes, we’ll be setting up that new box soon!

Autumn in New England

Autumn is coming to New England. The weekend was the perfect example of why I love it here in the fall. Temperatures in the upper 60’s and low 70’s during the day, cooling off to the 30’s at night, and clear, crisp air. Yes, Autumn is a wonderful time of year.

The last of my garden’s harvest is close to being picked and enjoyed.

Soon the apples will be ready to pick, eat and make apple sauce with. It is so wonderful to take a container of your own apple sauce out of the freezer in February and once thawed, relive Autumn once again with every bite!

Our trees and the fruit.

And then there are the puppies. Those sweet bundles of chubby bellies, and baby barks, that have brightened up our Autumn days. I stopped and got the recliner box from a local furniture store today, as the pups are very close to climbing out of the kiddie wading pool. Christel and Calvin try already, and it is only a matter of time. The recliner box will contain them for a week or two more before we unleash them in the puppy room. I plan to switch them over next week.

Here are the babies today. Aren’t they getting big?

They’ll be 4 weeks old on Saturday! I cannot believe how quickly time is going by.

Adorable!!!

The day started far earlier than I hoped. 3:30 AM! Groan! I did, however, go back to bed after walking Greta in the early morning darkness. I also got back to sleep, which is rare. So when she barked at 6 AM to go out, I told her to just go back to bed, and she let me sleep until 7 when all the other dogs woke me as well.

The puppies were wide awake and when I came in to weigh them all, they responded with their adorable little barks! They are all gaining well, and are just so totally adorable.

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Then I went in to the puppy room and found this adorable sight.

Those two are really something and they make me laugh and laugh the way they are co close to each other. It reminds me a lot of Arnie and Anneliese. They were constant companions from the time they were born, and here are Claus and Caspar repeating that bonding.

The other pup who really caught my eye today was Calvin. What a neat little guy he is!

So I hope to do a thorough cleaning job in the puppy room tomorrow. I’ll have to get Hubby to take Greta out so I can vacuum. I’m afraid she will attack the vacuum cleaner if I don’t. It won’t be too long until we have to rearrange the puppy room so they can toddle around in it. Another 2 weeks and then we’ll have 5 pups on the lose!