How does your garden grow?

 The puppies just turned 6 months old last week, so I'm going to try to do a couple posts, to get all caught up.  I just want to share pictures, because it's amazing how quickly they grow.  Prepare for puppy spam! lol

Addison

June 23, 2020

July 1, 2020

July 4,2020

July 6, 2020

Bridget

June 27, 2020

July 3, 2020

July 6, 2020

Little Melody, the only rough

June 23, 2020

June 27, 2020

July1, 2020

July 1, 2020

July 4, 2020

Peyton

June 27

June 27, 2020

July 1, 2020

July 6, 2020

July 13, 2020

Colton, the only boy

July 1, 2020

July 4, 2020 Colton and Peyton

July 1, 2020

July 6, 2020

Melody and Colton July 9, 2020

July 15, 2020

Still more to come!

It's alright to be Itty Bitty

 Puppies are such a joy, but they grow up so quickly. I wish they stayed little, just a little longer.  Watching them change almost daily, and watching their personalities develop, keeps me glued to their sides.  I can't help studying their sweet, tiny faces and dreaming about their futures.  One of my favorite moments is when the puppies open their eyes.  These puppies opened their eyes right on schedule, at 13 days old.

Here they are at 16 days old, they are starting to look less like hamsters and more like tiny puppies.  They also started playing and barking, their first attempts at barking is absolutely adorable!

Colton, the only boy

Addison, smooth girl

Little Melody, the tiny rough girl

Bridget, smooth girl

Peyton, the tiny smooth girl

I just fall completely in love with every puppy in my litters, and freely admit to becoming obsessed.  They are so sweet, helpless and perfect that I rarely leave their side.

In the blink of an eye...

"True life is lived when tiny changes occur."  Leo Tolstoy

 Born on May 29th. the puppies were perfect.  There were four girls and one boy in the litter.  Four were  smooths and there was one tiny rough girl.  I was completely in love with these babies, and I'm still obsessed!

The tiny rough girl, in the middle

You can see the tiny rough girl, right in the middle of her siblings.

It's amazing how quickly they grow and change, it seems to happen overnight.  But thanks to COVID, I was able to be home for almost every moment.

I already miss the tiny babies they once were.  I wish it lasted a little longer...

Five little heartbeats...

 

Right when we needed them most our new puppies were born.  Five puppies, four girls and one boy, came into our lives and with them so much joy and happiness.

Born on May 29th, 2020, they were perfect!  Maizie had a quick and easy delivery, and she proved to be the perfect collie Mama.  She took such good care of her babies, and always kept a close eye on them whenever we picked them up.

and then there were four...

This was what every breeder prays for, an easy delivery, healthy puppies and a happy, healthy Mama.  We couldn't have asked for more!

All five have arrived!

We did have one tiny girl in the litter, she was the only rough puppy.  She is the third puppy in the picture posted above.  My daughter named her Melody, and she was a feisty puppy!  (She still is, judging by the pictures her new family sends us.)

Bridget is all tired out! Being born is hard work!

This was just the beginning of their story, but it was a very happy beginning.  I have so much more to share...

Spring, COVID, and new puppies

Ryder, Spring 2020

With the arrival of Spring our world changed dramatically.  The COVID virus has stolen so much from our lives, and taught us all what living through a global pandemic would entail.  So many people lost their jobs, and tragically so many others lost their lives. We've been lucky so far, but the Nursing home where we did the majority of our therapy visits was hit particularly hard.  They had a huge outbreak of COVID, and 26 of the 70 residents passed away.  So many of our favorite residents, ones we had formed a close bond with over the years, are now gone.  We haven't been permitted to visit since all of this started and I know the collies miss their weekly visits with their friends.  When we finally do get to go back, it won't be the same.

Ryder, Spring 2020

I will admit that I greatly enjoy working from home, it's the one silver lining in all of this.  Being able to stay home with my collie coworkers has benefitted all of us.  They get to go outside whenever they want, they get my constant companionship, lots of walks and we even earned a few new titles.  Ryder, Scarlett and Sophie all earned their Novice Trick Dog titles.

Maizie, Spring 2020

Since I was going to be home so much, we decided to go ahead and breed our Maizie.  It seemed like the perfect time, as we couldn't go to dog shows, they were all cancelled.  And I was home pretty much all day, every day, so the puppies would never be alone.

More to come... 

The world has certainly changed...

So much has happened in our lives, and the lives of our collies.  It will take multiple posts to catch up!  I'll start with Sorsha, a collie we bought from another breeder.  After losing first Holly, then Abby and then our entire dream litter of seven puppies, my daughter and I were feeling pretty low.  Also during this time her then fiance was deployed, so she was facing a year long separation.  We made the decision to buy a puppy from a well known collie breeder, who we had long admired.

She was a tiny puppy, the runt of her litter, but she had the biggest personality.   She was the one my daughter chose, as she was the only tricolor, and she reminded us of our Holly.  She is now 18 months old, smart as a whip, and my daughter's constant companion.  

Sorsha, Autumn 2019

We missed celebrating our favorite season with all of you!  So here are some of our Autumn 2019 pictures...

Ryder, Autumn 2019

Ryder 2019

Kori and Scarlett, Autumn 2019

Scarlett, 2019

Ryder, Autumn 2019

Thinking back to those months, before we knew about COVID and how else 2020 would mess up our lives, it makes me miss those less tumultuous times!  But the world has changed, now we wear masks, and now fear hugging our loved ones.  The one thing that helps me get through it all is the unwavering love and devotion from my collies.  And the collies are definitely loving that I have to work from home, I think the dogs may stage a protest when we all have to go back to work outside the home. 

Love in the time of COVID

When I was in my early twenties I met the one person who would become the focus of my life, my daughter. Even before she was born, I loved her more than I ever believed was possible. Last week, on Halloween, she got married. It was a beautiful, but cold day. And thanks to the global pandemic, the wedding had to be kept small. We were able to livestream the wedding for our family and friends who were unable to attend due to these travel restrictions. 

 But there are no restrictions on how many dogs can gather together, and since my daughter and I are dedicated dog lovers, the guests were invited to bring their dogs to the wedding. They were also encouraged to wear Halloween costumes, which just made the day more fun. 

 My daughter’s collie, Sorsha, was the ring bearer. She was a very good girl, and did a great job. 

 As exciting as the wedding was, we are all eagerly anticipating what comes next. In May of 2022, my daughter is going to make me a Grandmother! Sorsha got to make the announcement on social media. 

While we are all living through this difficult year, isolated and worried about our families and friends, it’s wonderful to have something positive to focus on…