Posts tagged ‘Puppies’
Belatarr: The Next Generation
We’re delighted and excited to be able to announce that we have a forthcoming litter, confirmed yesterday by ultrasound:
This snapshot shows a few of the pups as they are now, at 31 days gestation, only around 1cm in size and each sitting at the top of a gestational sac (the dark, circular areas on the image). Amazing to think that these small marble-sized embryos will have grown to the size of plump guinea-pigs in just another 4 weeks or so! We saw approx 7 or 8 pups, which is exactly the same result as our 2011 litter, which turned out to comprise 12 pups…
We have been absolutely delighted with the uniformly healthy, sound, happy and high quality pups from our 2011 litter and have been fortunate to be able to watch many of them regularly and at close hand as they have grown into the superb young dogs that they are today. Four of the pups from that litter have gone on to have great success in the show ring and several others of their brothers and sisters could undoubtedly have followed suit, so it was an easy decision to undertake a repeat mating, using Mingus as sire, when Phoenix was ready for her second litter.
After an initial mild panic when the progesterone testing lab that we were using had their machinery break down, resulting in a 3 day delay in getting Phoenix’ blood test results back (urghhhh!) we achieved 3 very easy matings, all with excellent ties, commencing on the same day in Phoenix’ season that her previous litter was conceived.
Phoenix’ due date is 23rd/24th July and we are now able to take enquiries from show, pet and working homes, about this forthcoming litter. All puppy homes will be carefully selected to provide the best possible start in life for this next generation of Belatarr HWV’s.
If you would like to be considered for inclusion on our puppy list or would like to discuss Belatarr dogs and life with this wonderful breed in more detail then please do contact Tim directly at: renfromail@aol.com.
Stellar show weekend.
Django’s Saturday rosettes.
Evidently saving their best for last, this very memorable weekend saw three of the Belatarr Puppies excel in the showring:
Django moving for the judge in the Gundog Group.
On Saturday our own Django headed off to the Okehampton & District Open, where he dodged the intermittent heavy rain showers to take Best of Breed & Pest Puppy in Breed under Ms N. Walker, before heading indoors where he scored an amazing Gundog Group 2 & Gundog Puppy Group 1 under judge Simon Luxmoore. Remarkably this is the exact same result that his father, Mingus, achieved at the same show 2 years earlier, and the third year out of the last 4 that Belatarr HWV’s have been awarded Best Gundog Puppy in Show at Okehampton, following Phoenix’ win here in 2009. Many thanks to Nige Small for taking these great shots of Django in action!
Django stacked for Best Puppy in Show.
Not to be outdone, the next day saw Django’s siblings Gryphon (Belatarr Dizzie Gillespie) and Billie (Belatarr Mahalia Jackson) head off to the South Wales Kennel Association Championship show. There judge Mick Howes awarded 1st Junior Dog, Best Puppy Dog and a terrific Reserve Best Dog to Gryphon, and then 1st Junior Bitch and Best Puppy Bitch to Billie, leaving brother and sister to compete against one another for Best Puppy, eventually taken by Billie:
Billie & Gryphon’s SWKA awards.
Many congratulations to both, as well as to handler Irene for a job very well done!
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!
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 – The Final Week!
Where has the time gone?? This is the last week for the Belatarr babies before most head to their new homes and start their lives away from the pack. Sadly the appalling weather (incredibly low-light levels, freezing temps, endless hail sleet & rain) meant that the final week head-shots were very tricky to get, and not very high quality and very washed-out when we did get them, with pups (and us) shivering and looking rather glum in the driving sleet…but at least we have something to represent them as they were at 7 weeks old and before they all change once again into mature young dogs.
So, dozens of refuse bags full of soiled bedding, weeks of missed sleep, much cuddling and hundreds of chicken wings later, these are Phoenix and Mingus’ dozen, all now with their Kennel Names (Jazz themed, to follow on from Mingus) just before they leave us:
THE BOYS (minus one)
Belatarr Art Tatum (Finley)
Belatarr Charlie Parker
Belatarr Dave Brubeck (Otto)
Belatarr Dizzy Gillespie (Gryphon)
Belatarr John Coltrane (Otis)
Belatarr Miles Davis (Huxley)
Belatarr Oscar Peterson (Digby)
Belatarr Thelonius Monk
(pic forthcoming…)
THE GIRLS
Belatarr Ella Fitzgerald (Ella)
Belatarr Mahalia Jackson (Billie)
Belatarr Nina Simone (Nina)
Final Week Shots from the Dog Sofa (whilst Mum & Dad are out for a walk)
A Snoozy Ella Fitzgerald, with her fabulous (fathers) coat.
...nearly asleep...
Under scrutiny.
A very intense Thelonius Monk.
Adam & friends.
Puppy Pile-up.
Twin-Level Puppy Pile-up.
Complete take-over.
Tim & co.
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 Pics Bonus!
A few of the boys didn’t quite look their best on their 5 week head shots, so we’ve taken 5 of them again, in natural daylight (rather than using a flash) to give a much more accurate idea of their true appearance at this stage. I think we’ll aim to all the future head-shots this way too, time permitting:
Mr. Grey.
Mr. Indigo.
Mr. Red.
Mr. Red & Blue.
Mr. Black.
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 2: Pup-update.
An eventful week for the Belatarr Babies:
Day 10: They doubled their birth weight.
Day 12: They started to walk, like wobbly spiders.
Day 13: Mr. Blue & Mr. Red were the first to open their eyes, everyone else more-or-less followed over the next 24 hrs, although they certainly can’t yet see and so tend to keep their eyes closed almost all the time.
Day 13: They hit 1KG each with only 50/60 grams difference between the heaviest and the lightest – so, all 12 are now pretty much identical in weight for all practical purposes.
Day 14: They all had their claws cut for the first time (that’s a total 216 claws!)
Day 14: Ears opened.
Also, due to some difficulties with instantly recognising which colour was which, (something that became increasingly important as the pups started trotting around much more speedily!) three puppies have been re-branded, so Miss Pink will, from now on, be know as Miss Yellow; Mr. Magenta becomes Mr. Green; Mr Purple morphs into Mr. Red & White (or candy-stripe, if you prefer) – we promise we won’t have to do that again! so without further ado….
THE BOYS
Mr. Grey.
Mr. Indigo.
Mr. Green.
Mr. Red & White.
Mr. Red & Blue.
Mr. Blue (with tongue just peeking out).
Mr. Brown.
Mr. Red.
Mr. Black.
THE GIRLS
Miss Orange.
Miss White.
Miss Yellow - waving.
SHOTS FROM THE WEEK
Pile o' Pups.
Peaceful Mr. Green.
Mr. Blue shows off his handsome ears.
Snuggled.
Brother & Sister.
Miss Orange flumps out.
Team A hard at work.
Everyone with Mum.
All very organised.
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.
Belatarr Hungarian Wirehaired Vizsla. 