Posts filed under ‘Observations’
Finley – Belatarr Art Tatum
We’re extremely lucky to have the very handsome Finley living approx. 2 miles from us here at Belatarr HQ. This means that, right from the get-go, we’ve been able to see lots of him. He and his brother Django (along with their parents) have enjoyed many romps together as well as both having been obedience trained by Tracey and her team over at Puppy Gurus, just like their parents before them:
Finley arrives home.
...and re-arranges his furniture.
Settled into his new bed.
Christmas!
It's a tiring life...Finley takes to the new sofa - the one that he wasn't going to be allowed onto 🙂
Another favourite snoozing spot.
Growing up.
Finley, now 5 months old, takes a seat at the kitchen table.
Who can resist!
Django at 5 Months.
Hard to believe that our little bundle of fluff is now this mature, but Django is now 5 months old and suddenly looking very grown-up. We took the pack to the beach for only the second time since Django’s arrival and a high time was had by all:
A very wet Django concentrating (watching geese, in fact) at the beach....
Completely fearless in water, Django looking slightly bonkers but enjoying a good splash.
Django offers a play-bow to Mingus, who's generally more interested in chasing after gulls in the sea.
...and another...Obviously a new strategy.
Back on dry land and Ears-a-flying in the breeze.
Heading for home.
Stacked on the Tarka Trail, 4 days short of 5 months old.
Django update.
It’s been ages since we’ve had a chance to update the blog and a mountain of pup images have accumulated over the last month or so, so this update is definitely long overdue.
At the ripe old age of 4 months Django is now very thoroughly integrated into the pack and into our daily routines. Like his parents he’s incredibly affectionate and, if anything, even smarter and quicker to learn than they were. Ringcraft and Obedience training both started a few weeks back and, as with everything else, he’s taken them in his stride. Confident, calm & ever-curious would probably be his key adjectives right now, as he explores his world and we take him on his little daily adventures in the garden & river and, just occasionally, the beach too:
Django, hunter-of-voles, stalking his prey.
After a few tentative first introductions to water (not helped by him plunging into an icy pool one freezing day at the beach) Django now shares his parents love of water and excitedly heads for (and into) the river on his short morning walks. He also regularly demonstrates his HPR qualities and likes to Hunt, Point & Retrieve whenever the opportunity presents itself:
On point.
...and again - no vole is safe!
At the riverside.
Managing to keep dry-ish at the beach.
A rare trip out into the garden with mum - who's usually too fast for Django's young joints.
Ever attentive!
Retrieving a gull wing at Crow Point.
...and retrieving a stick from the river.
In profile.
Unlike the rest of the UK we've only had a light dusting of snow, but it was still something new for Django to experience.
Django & Mingus absolutely adore one another and when all the fun, games and training are over they often snuggle up together on the sofa.
Puppy portraits – 8 weeks.
Most of our boys and girls have now left for their new homes but we are still looking after three pups until their new families are ready for them, so our new, slimmed-down puppy-pack are now out and about with us and their parents throughout the day, and back in their whelping quarters at night. The warmer weather has also allowed them to take regular trips outside, several times a day, as well as individual trips in the car and round and about town in the baby sling, just like their parents before them.
Ella Fitzgerald, super-feminine and most definitely her fathers daughter.
Ella, in profile.
Thelonius Monk (Milo) - bad weather prevented us from getting a 7 week head-shot of this handsome boy, but we've managed to crack it this week.
Milo again - such a wonderful, sweet-natured puppy. He's staying on with us until early Jan - not exactly a chore!
The gorgeous Charlie Parker.
Charlie Parker - melting hearts across the land.
Charlie Parker once again.
Charlie Parker with his rather wet & windswept mum (just back from the beach).
Phoenix & younglings.
Mum makes for an ideal cushion.
...and so does Dad.
...and so does Tim's son Fred (or are they forming a cushion for him?)
The dog sofa, the heart of all action, as ever.
It's a waiting game.
Such a stressful existence.
Puppy portraits: Week 6!
The gang have really grown-up during this very busy week – bounding around their run and (when given the chance) the living room, wagging like crazy and giving little puppy barks. They’ve also braved the atrocious/freezing/wet weather to take three supervised trips to “the great outdoors” where, with great confidence and excitement, they encountered such wonderous new things as grass, leaves, herbs, puddles, rain and, of course, mud all for the first time:
Exploration!
Being called back uphill to return home.
Meanwhile Tim started stacking the puppies into their show stands to start to assess their potential:
Tim explains the stacking process to an attentive Mr. Indigo.
A 5-week-old Mr. Grey in action.
The Kennel Club approved all of their pedigree names (more of which anon) and we’ve begun the very exciting process of matching puppies to their waiting new homes.
No longer squish-nosed babies, by 6-weeks the Belatarr dozen have become proper young dogs:
THE BOYS
Mr. Grey.
Mr. Indigo.
Mr. Green.
Mr. Red & White.
Mr. Red & Blue.
Mr. Blue.
Mr. Brown.
Mr. Red.
Mr. Black.
THE GIRLS
Miss Orange.
Miss White.
Miss Yellow.
Puppy Portraits: Week 5
THE BOYS
Mr. Grey.
Mr. Indigo.
Mr. Green.
Mr. Red & White.
Mr. Red & Blue.
Mr. Blue.
Mr. Brown.
Mr. Red.
Mr. Black.
THE GIRLS
Miss Orange.
Miss White.
Miss Yellow.
SHOTS FROM THE WEEK
Miss Yellow at large.
Mr. Black snoozing.
Mr Grey, with his voluminous ears.
First taste of chicken wings.
The ever-popular hide-away den.
Overspill.
Father & Son.
The aftermath.
Mr Grey snoozing (again) this time upside-down.
Puppy cuddling.
Chew-Chew.
Week 3: Pup Update.
Another huge week for the Belatarr babies – and for Phoenix too whose 3rd Birthday was on Friday!
With appetites growing daily and Phoenix down to just 5 functional teats, we started the process of weaning at 16 days of age, when the puppies still had only limited vision.
As with teaching any new babies to feed, much mess and general hilarity ensued, but all learned to lap on their first day of trying, and by day 20 they had progressed from their starter mousse (which looks and even smells just like Brussels Paté…though no, we haven’t tried it on toast as yet) to their first raw food – the same as the adult dogs get, but puréed for ease of digestion and blended 50/50 with the mousse.
Now, at 3 weeks of age, they are all feeding with what’s best described as frenzied enthusiasm, with Phoenix popping in to top them up with milk every 4 or 5 hours.
THE BOYS
Mr. Grey.
Mr. Indigo.
Mr. Green.
Mr. Red & White.
Mr. Red & Blue (he was very sleepy for this pic!)
Mr. Blue.
Mr. Brown.
Mr. Red.
Mr. Black.
THE GIRLS
Miss Orange.
Miss White.
Miss Yellow.
Week 1 Puppy Portraits.
THE BOYS
Mr. Grey
Mr. Indigo
Mr. Green (formerly Magenta)
Mr. Red & White (formerly Mr. Purple)
Mr. Red + Blue
Mr. Blue
Mr. Brown
Mr. Red
Mr. Black
THE GIRLS
Miss Orange
Miss White
Miss Yellow (formerly Miss Pink)
PUPS AT REST
Mr Red & White fits in the palm of the hand.
Miss Yellow nestled amongst her brothers.
Mr. Blue curls up with Mum.
Unusual sleeping positions.
Flying ears.
It’s all about Phoenix.
Although she scored some very nice Champ Show class wins last year, Phoenix has been very lightly shown since being awarded top HWV puppy just over 12 months ago as we have concentrated on Mingus in the show ring. Phoenix has also had to take something of a back seat on the blog too, so we thought the time was well overdue for a celebration of the world of Phoenix.
Phoenix in the meadow.
Phoenix has a hobby, and one that we’ve never got around to documenting on the blog before. She loves, and I do mean LOVES, for inanimate, “previously-still-things” – sand, soil, mud, and most especially water – to come alive and start to move. Of course she loves hurtling around after deer, pheasants, sticks, toys as much as the next gundog, but she saves her most intense concentration and her most excited response for when she gets to act as goalie and dives this way and that to catch “previously-still-things.” Mingus can be quite obliging, and when he’s digging in the soil or sand Phoenix invariably positions herself right behind to catch the flying dirt….
But Phoenix is a total water-baby at heart, so it’s no great surprise that her favourite variation, and one with which she is now semi-obsessed, is the flying water game:
Stalking...
Focussing....
Bouncing...
Back-Flipping...
Leaping...
A contented Phoenix, post-splash.
Snowbeards.
Mingus at the river.
Phoenix contemplates the new snowiverse.
Yes, like the whole of the rest of the UK, the snow has finally arrived here in Wolfvalley. Approx 6 inches fell overnight with mild drifting creating around a foot of depth in places, rendering the road/lane impassable (no change there then…) and once again transforming our valley garden into a “Winter Wonderland”; to whit:
Early morning sun across the garden valley.
The bottom of the garden.
The lane - a dog-only zone for today.
Arctic romp.
At the garden gate heading into the woodland.
Phoenix waiting at the gate...
Phoenix in a snowy point.
Phoenix catching snowballs.
Mingus makes snowy progress.
Mingus the Snowbeard.
My, what snowy eyebrows you have.
It's never too snowy to dig for voles.
But this is the result - A Yeti? or a small breed of Highland Cattle perhaps?
Phoenix in the Redwood Grove.
Our river - almost monochromatic today.
The weir & water glinting blue in the sunlight, as viewed through the trees from the bridge at the bottom of the garden.
Birch trunk in the snow.
