Honey Ridge Puppies

Bichon Play Day in DesMoines

2011-09-14T11:19:00.003-05:00

I just wanted to send a quick note about the Bichon Play Day this Sunday, September 18th, in DesMoines.
Their link is
http://iowabichon.blogspot.com/2008/03/iowa-bichon-news-2008-playdays.html

Unfortunately we will be out of town Sunday and will not be able to attend.
I hope all the Bichons have lots of fun.
Loretta

Puppy Update

2011-09-05T08:00:00.004-05:00

Happy September!
I thought I would share some of the photos that I have received, so that other puppy families can see how their siblings are growing.
I thought today I would share pictures of Esme and Rose's little ones.

This is the super cute, super model Misty, about a week after she went home.
Misty says you should check her out on Dogbook!

This is Hero about a week after he went home.
His new Mom and Dad tell me he is doing great and that he loves his home made raised pet bed.

This is Lily from Rose's 2010 litter of puppies.

FLASHBACK!
This is Lily as a little puppy checking out a duckling.

Lily loves the great state of MN and is quite the little social butterfly.
Her mommy Amanda tells me,
" She is the greatest dog in the world! Lily has more personality than any dog I've ever met. She's so funny and always has a smile on her face. She loves everyone and every dog we meet. Lots of friends to play with. She attends doggy day care once a week and loves running through the swimming pool and then the mud! She is still quite unique with an apricot stripe down her back and on her ears. I'm so happy I found you and found my little Bichon. She's the perfect addition to my life!"

Momma Rose and Momma Esme are doing well. Rose is looking forward to retirement, she will be spayed the end of this month. We decided to spay Rose because she needed 2 c-sections.

I have more pictures to share in the next week of Fawkes litter of puppies.
So please keep sending pictures and checking back.
Have a happy Labor Day!
Loretta

Time for Park Pictures!

2011-08-26T10:46:00.002-05:00

Our little Elf was the first puppy to go home to her forever family. She was super excited to start her new adventure.

Charlie was the second puppy to go home.
Charlie was happy to learn he would have several feline friends to play with.

After Elf and Charlie went home we thought it might be fun to go to the beach. I had never taken puppies to the beach before so it was a first for all of us.
Chloe surprised me and headed straight towards the water.
Chloe is looking forward to going home on Saturday.
I think Chloe and her big sister Nadia will have lots of fun exploring all the lakes in Mn.

We only spent 15 minutes at the beach because the boys kept climbing into their kennel and hiding. So we decided to go to the Isaac Walton League Club that has lots of shade and grass to play on.
It is always so much fun to bring the puppies to the park,
as long as we pack a good puppy go bag to bring with.
The most important things to pack are cold water and a bowl, but we also pack toys, a blanket, extra leashes, a towel or 2, frozen water bottles for cuddling up next to if it is really hot, treats and bags for cleaning up any messes that we might make. I also bring a play pen with just in case the puppies want to take a nap.

I should mention that it is very important to test the temperature of surfaces at the park and beach to make sure the puppies feet will not get burned, surfaces can be deceiving as to how hot they will be.
This trip we stopped by Kim's apartment and brought Miss Minnie along for some fun.

Back to the fun stuff!

The puppies really cut loose at the club.
Misty had lots of fun chasing and smelling all the trees.
Misty can't wait to play with her new big bichon siblings and wanted me to make sure to let them know she is coming home on Saturday.

Hero also loved the club. He is such a clown, always making me laugh in the most unexpected ways.
Hero is looking forward to going home on Sunday.

Bentley Merlin is our little trouble maker.
Ok, he doesn't actually make trouble he just likes to threaten to make trouble.
This week Bentley has been keeping close and and sweet talking me into treats.
Bentley is also looking forward to going home on Sunday.

Please check out our photo album this week, I have lots of fun pictures of the beach and park.

We are very excited for our puppies that they are going home with their forever families and starting their own adventures this week. But we are also a little bit sad that it is time for them to leave already. Just when they are learning to go potty outside and come in and out of the house when called,less work and more fun ;-)
But the Mom's and Dad are excited that they will not have to share our attention, and I have promised them more trips to the park. We love exploring and getting "lost" in the woods.
Until next time,
Loretta
P.S. We are hoping to update on how past puppies are doing until our next litters are born(spring 2012). If you have one of our puppies and would like to send us pictures and an update we will post them for other families to see how the siblings are doing.

Quick Note

2011-08-25T08:57:00.002-05:00

I am sorry I have not been keeping up with the blog this month.
Life just keeps getting in the way.
All the puppies have found their forever homes and most of them have their forever names.
I have uploaded 2 photo albums the links are
https://picasaweb.google.com/honeyridgepuppies/RoseAndEsmeSPupsAt6Weeks
and
https://picasaweb.google.com/honeyridgepuppies/RoseAndEsmeSPuppiesAt7Weeks

Today is a very exciting day. We are going to the park!
I will update and add new pictures Friday.
I better go get a picnic basket ready!
Ta For Now,
Loretta

The Last Rays of July

2011-08-02T16:23:00.005-05:00

I think that the heat of July has wiped us all out.

I love being able to see the size differences between the puppies, but I thought it might be nice to label them so that every one could tell who is who.

Merlin is just too cute. He may be the smallest but he definitely has the most hair!

Hero and Daddy Saul trade kisses!
Hero is a lot like his mom and daddy, always making cute faces.
And always the center of attention.

Griffin is the biggest of all the puppies, and the most laid back.
Griffin really knows how to steal my heart with his beautiful eyes.

Fairy is the most laid back of the girls, she is also the biggest of the girls, but not by a lot.
Fairy would like to point out that she is still 140 grams lighter than Griffin.

Elf is adorable with her beige ears.
Elf is the middle weight of the girls this week.

Mimic is just super cute and she just loved the camera this week.
Mimic was the smallest of the girls this week.
I think she totally would have won the Top Model competition.

The puppies are really starting to move around and have invaded the living room. I think it is still too hot for them to be outside for more than 10 minutes at a time. So, for now, we spend most of playtime in the air conditioned living room.

The puppies are getting really excited about our open house weekend on August 12-14.
4 of the 6 puppies will get to pick out their forever families and maybe even get their forever names!
We still have 2 little boys available. If you are interested please send me an email at
honeyridgepuppies@gmail.come
Please check out our Photo Album!
Dexter was kind enough to pose with all 6 puppies before he took a mud bath!
Ta for now,
Lretta

What a busy July!

2011-07-27T08:21:00.007-05:00

It has been a very hot and busy July. But super fun!

Even Kyree agreed to join in on all the fun.
We always introduce the puppies to lots of different things, having a good puppy training cat (Kyree) is very important.

This is Esme's little Hero. Hero is 5 days younger than the rest of the puppies.
It has been fun to be able to see the difference a few days of development really makes.

This is our Magical Merlin.
Merlin was born to Rose but he has been adopted by Esme.
Merlin is the smallest in size but he is always the first puppy in development.
Merlin already has a fabulous coat of hair.

This is Rose's Griffin.
Griffin is the biggest puppy in size.
Griffin is the most charming little guy, always playing the prince.

This is Rose's Mimic.
Mimic is a cute little girl, she is the smallest little girl this week.

Fairy is Rose's largest little girl.
Fairy would like to point out that she is still 140 grams lighter than Griffin.

Elf is the middle weight of Rose's little girls this week.
Elf is also very special because she has 2 beige ears.
Elf reminds me of her sister Lilly however her markings are not nearly as dark.
Please feel free to check out our Picasa Photo Album for this weeks pictures, or if you would like to see pictures of our past puppies.

We do still have 2 little boys looking for their forever families. Please send me an email if you are interested or have any questions about bichon puppies in general.
I can be reached at honeyridgepuppies@gmail.com

Our next posting will have pictures of the puppies making their first exploratory mission into the great and wild outdoors!
Ta Ta for now,
Loretta

New Nick Names

2011-07-09T18:25:00.006-05:00

This week the puppies received their new nicknames!
I chose all bird names because the birds outside were singing and dancing and they inspired me.

The 3 little princes all lined up and ready for a group shot!

This is Esme's little hero. He is 325 grams at 3 days old.

This is Rose's little Merlin - named after
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merlin_%28bird%29
Merlin is a magical puppy, he is the smallest puppy and weighs in at 315 grams. Esme was taking the loss of her still born puppy really hard and every time Rose's puppies would make any sounds at all Esme would leave her puppy Hero and try to get into Rose's playpen. Merlin,also doing his part, had not been gaining weight as quickly as his siblings so I made a judgement call and put Merlin in with Esme and Hero. I did ask Rose first, but she had also been doing her part and I had the feeling that she felt a bit overwhelmed.
I can only describe the results as magic, Rose now seems happier and is much more attentive to her remaining 4 puppies. Esme is Super proud of both of her little boys, and she makes sure to show them off. Merlin also seems to like the extra attention he receives as 1 of 2 puppies. And I was happy because Merlin received extra colostrum, which should help him to grow big and strong.

This is Rose's little Griffin,named after http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Griffon_Vulture
He is the largest puppy and tops the scales at 450 grams.

We do still have 2 little boys looking for their forever families, please send us an email if you would like more information on our little princes.

Rose's three little girls trying hard to avoid a group shot.

Rose's little girl Mimic, named after http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meliphagidae
Mimic is 377 grams today.

Rose's little princess Elf, named after http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elf_owl
Elf is 390 grams today.
Rose's little girl Fairy, named after http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_Fairy-bluebird
Fairy is 390grams today.
I have also added pictures of the puppies next to a can of soda so that you can get an idea of how big they are, check out our photo album to view them.

https://picasaweb.google.com/honeyridgepuppies/RoseAndEsmeSPups79#

All 6 of our little pups are doing great! This week their eyes and ears will start to open but they will mostly just eat and sleep.
Momma Rose will have her stitches out this week, she is very excited to tell the vet about her little ones. Esme is just loving being a mom, and can't wait to meet all the families that will come out to visit during open house, so she can show everyone her beautiful little guys.
Have a great week!
Loretta

Busy July

2011-07-06T15:03:00.006-05:00

July has had a very exciting start! First Rose had her beautiful pups and today
Esme delivered Hero!
Esme started showing signs of whelping on July 5th. After an uncomfortable night she started contractions at 4:45 am. At 5:30 am Esme delivered a still born little boy. She was very upset and confused as to why he wasn't moving.
I was worried that maybe she wouldn't have any other puppies but at 7 am she started contracting again and at 7:30 her Hero arrived.

I have nicknamed Esme's little guy Hero as I am positive that he saved the day.

Rose's Little ones are doing great!

These are our 2 princes.

And Rose's Princesses are already looking forward to meeting their forever families.
Too Cute!
I am sending out emails to all the families on our waiting list and giving each family a few days to decide if they would like a prince before moving down the list to the next family. It does take some time but I want to make sure all our puppies go to good and loving families.
If you would like to see more pictures of the puppies please check out our Picasa album at
https://picasaweb.google.com/honeyridgepuppies

On to the sad part of this blog.

We will have a short service and burial of Esme's still born puppy this evening. We will also plant a tree to remember him.
I normally do not add this type of caution to our blog but even 8 hours after the delivery I still tear up just thinking about it, and I felt it was important to share.

I frequently get calls and emails from families wanting to breed their family pet and this seems like a good time to make this statement. Every pregnancy carries risk, both to mom and the puppies. Also every pregnancy requires commitment from the human family as well. Esme had human company all day July 5th and I was awake and next to her all night. Loosing a puppy due to delivery complications is very sad and super scary for everyone involved. Also if I had not been right there with Esme, we might have lost Esme as well. Having a great communication with your vet during the pregnancy and delivery is essential. We kept in touch with the vet during the day on July 5th so that he was aware of what was going on and I had to call him at 5:25 am because I was unsure how to continue with the delivery, he was very helpful and talked me through the steps that I needed to take. To those considering breeding their family pet please be aware of the health risks before breeding.

I am very happy that Hero is doing so well. Esme is doing great and is very proud of her little prince.
Until next time,
Loretta

Happy Holidays!

2011-07-01T20:12:00.002-05:00

Boy the holiday sure has started with a bang!
Friday July 1st, 2011 will be forever marked as the birthday of 5 beautiful puppies.
Rose had a c-section at 2:30 pm.
I am happy to report that Momma Rose and all 5 puppies are doing great.
The little man of the litter was born hungry and complained all the way home from the vets office that he was hungry and wanted his dinner.
Rose was super excited to here him crying all the way home and reassured him his dinner was on the way. It was super cute to hear her little reassuring barks on the ride home. I think we arrived home just after 4 pm and by 5pm Rose was cleaning the puppies and really checking them out. I think she should get a medal for super mommy!
I am still keeping a super close eye on her and the puppies and will be all night.
I did manage to take a few snapshots, for the photo album.

Esme is due on Wednesday, I am really hoping that all goes smoothly and we do not have to make another emergency trip to the vet.

I will update again soon. I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday weekend.
Loretta

Memorial Day Weekend

2011-05-29T15:42:00.005-05:00

This week I thought I would do something just a little different. The pictures I have posted are of the puppies when they are not groomed, and it has been a couple of rainy days since their last bath. Just to give you an idea of what they look like when they are not freshly bathed.

Leo found his forever family today.
He was super excited, and is looking forward to all sorts of new adventures.

Dandy is looking forward to going home and exploring on Memorial Day!

Our ever loving and regal Louie is going to stay a little bit longer and keep momma company before he heads out to meet his forever family on Friday.
I am sure Momma Fawkes and I will spoil him with lots of love before he heads home.

It has been really nice having the puppies go home over a few weeks,
it keeps the house from becoming "to quiet, to fast".
I did post more action shots of the puppies and if the weather clears up, I hope to take a few more shots of Louie and Dandy now that they have had a bath.
I will post more soon,
Loretta

New Names

2011-05-25T16:03:00.006-05:00

There comes a time in every puppies life when we decide that maybe the names we picked out simply are not cute enough. That time is today!

I would like to reintroduce Dandy and Leo!
First in the ring....

Leo R. Vervain!
This handsome and strong explorer would love to be part of your family. Leo loves to explore and play!

Leo helps get rid of Pesky weeds too!

Our second in command,
Dandy B. Chervil!
Dandy is a handsome little guy with all the charm of a real 1800's dandy.
Dandy loves to charm all the girls and then cuddle up for a nap.

Even in high winds Dandy makes all the girls swoon!

Harry went home on Sunday.
We wish you well Harry, enjoy all your new Mommy's!

Our very Regal Louie is getting ready to go home next Friday.
Louie says, "10,000 lakes, here I come!"

This week the wind picked up as a front went over our house, just as we started taking pictures. The puppies just knew that there was a storm brewing, so the pictures are not as good as I would have liked. Please check out our newest photo album on Picasa.

Potty training has been going very well, even if the puppies have come in the house very muddy during rain storms ;-)
If you are interested in Dandy or Leo please send me an email at
Lorettaspins@gmail.com
I will be happy to answer any questions that you may have about Bichons.

Have a great afternoon,
Loretta

Fawkes little ones are 8 weeks old!

2011-05-18T16:10:00.006-05:00

Fawkes Puppies have are 8 weeks old and are starting to go home!
We still have 2 little Princes waiting to find their forever families they are
Chervil and Vervain!

Vervain is a cute little Prince, and quite a charmer.

Here Vervain is charming Daddy into some play time.

Chervil is an adorable little prince. Chervil is our little clown and spends lots of his time making me laugh. I am not sure if he does it on purpose but sure is fun.
Chervil likes to take naps in his kennel, the first time he did I couldn't find him.
Boy, did we laugh when I found him already fast asleep in his bed.

Our regal Louie is looking forward to spending time exploring the land of 10,000 lakes with his family.

Our most handsome Harry is gearing up to meet his family on Sunday.
He is hoping that maybe his new best-est friend will save him some birthday cake.

Licorice is now Cody and is happy to be back on solid ground in the great state of Pennsylvania.
Cody is looking forward to exploring all the new smells, and just hanging out with his new family.

Wilson, the puppy formerly known as Marshmallow, went home on Monday. He was super excited to be the second puppy to go home with his new forever family.

Peri is also very excited to be back on solid ground, but he is checking out the great state of Texas with his new best friend Pearl.

I did take lots of pictures of our boys on their 8 week old birthday, both before and after they had their bath. They did smell lots better after their bath. If only the pictures were scratch and sniff ;-)

We are still working on leash training and the puppies are doing ok,
as long as I follow them and don't ask them to follow me.
Potty training is going much better. The puppies and I go out to play and potty several times every day. We are giving the puppies lots of praise when they go potty outside, and if we can, a little food treat too.
We are having lots of fun enjoying the puppies as they grow and I am making sure to get my fill of puppy kisses before they all go home.
Please feel free to send me an email with any questions that you might have. Or if you are interested in Vervain or Chervil. My email address is
lorettaspins@gmail.com
Until next time
Loretta

Time for Park Pictures!

2011-05-10T20:20:00.004-05:00

Boy have our little garden flowers grown!
It is hard to believe that in just a few short days they will start heading to their new forever homes.
We have 4 princes still waiting for their forever families to find them.

This is prince Chervil. Chervil is full of love and loves to make me laugh.
Chervil also has less facial hair so he will not have problems with tear stains.

Vervain is all boy! Vervain loves to wrestle and play and then curl up in my lap for a nap.
Vervain also has less facial hair so he will not have problems with tear stains.

Licorice knows how to work the camera. He is a little more independent than some of our other puppies and will not mind if you need to go to work, as long as you bring a treat home for him.
Licorice has a bit more facial hair than Vervain and Chervil but he probably will not have tear staining issues.

Periwinkle is our shy puppy. Periwinkle likes to wait until he is sure that the ghost is clear before heading into the fray. I think that Periwinkle would most like a home that has a family member that stays home most of the time or has another dog that would babysit Periwinkle while the humans were out. Of course Periwinkle like to get his way most of the time and he could be pulling the wool over my eyes just to get extra attention too.

I would like to thank our good puppy friend, Wendy, for spending the day at the park with us. Even though it was rather warm on Monday, we couldn't have gone to the park without extra help. 8 puppies running in 8 directions it was lots of fun, but lots of work too.
Our Newest puppy to find his forever family is Marshmallow! Marshmallow is looking forward to finding out what a "Manhattan, KS" is. So far the puppies think it must be a fancy drink, maybe broth blended with yogurt?

Harry is so excited about meeting his family. Harry loves to play chase and be the center of attention.

King Louie is going to stay with us a few extra days before heading to Mn to meet his forever family. He is happy to help mom not feel too lonely after his siblings start going home.

Our Princess Lily just knows that she is going to love Minnesota. Of course her sister Bella told her all about the land of ten thousand lakes just a few days ago. Lily has been dreaming of all the adventures that she will have with Bella.

I took almost 400 pictures at the park, but edited them down to just over
200 of the best pictures this week.
The puppies are keeping me pretty busy running this way and that, but I am pleasantly exhausted at the end of each day.
If you are interested in our little guys or have any questions please send me an email at
lorettaspins@gmail.com

I think it may be time to go out to potty again. Have a great day.
Loretta

The puppies are 6 weeks old.

2011-05-02T12:03:00.006-05:00

We had a fun, although very windy open house on Sunday. My husband went all out and put up the gazebo and found enough playpen panels to surround the gazebo so the puppies could not wander too far away. I didn't have the heart to go inside, even though it was chilly.

The pictures of the puppies with their ears blowing in the wind are super cute,
so maybe it was worth suffering through the wind.

We still have 5 puppies looking for their forever homes. They are
Vervain our happy little prince.

Chervil is just a little cheeky :)

Marshmallow loves to follow us everywhere,and is our longest hair prince.
This was all wind, but I couldn't help myself.
Licorice looks very proper in this picture.
Licorice loves to play but is always the first to settle down.

And our Prince Periwinkle. Periwinkle is just so super cute with his beige ears
and he knows it too!

Basil has found his forever family and he is going to be called Harry. Harry is looking forward to having lots of fun with his 4 new human siblings.

Sage has found his forever family and really likes his forever name, Louie. I have been calling him King Louie because he has such a regal look.

Lily had so much fun meeting her forever family and big sister Bella. And loves the toy and pretty dress they brought for her to play with. She is now teaching the boys how to behave in front of a real lady :)

The puppies have been really hard to get good pictures of because every time I try, they all end up in my lap. And of course I end up laughing and playing with the little darlings.

Tonight the puppies will start sleeping 2 kiddos per bedroom (kennel) so that by next Monday they are all ready to sleep in their very own bedrooms. It will not be long and they will start heading home.
I took lots of pictures and posted them in our online photo album.

If you are interested in our little princes please feel free to contact me with any questions
or to arrange a visit at
honeyridgepuppies.gmail.com

Rose and Saul have decided that they will be having puppies around July 4th.
Rose already has 4 or 5 families on the waiting list for her puppies, but if you would like to be added to her list just let me know.
I am off to get puppy kisses,
Loretta

Open House May 1st!!!!

2011-04-28T16:58:00.003-05:00

Saul and Fawkes would like to invite you to come and meet their little garden gnomes (puppies) Sunday May 1st!
We went to the vet and the puppies had a full check up and their first puppy shots. Dr Winters said that the puppies looked great! And they did so well, hardly a peep out of the puppies for the whole ride and no tummy upsets either.

Marshmallow is the First puppy out of the playpen every time I open the door, today he discovered bones! Marshmallow is a very outgoing loving little gent who loves to follow me everywhere I go. Tugging on my robe in the mornings, making me laugh. Marshmallow will love a busy family.

Licorice is starting to develop a nice coat, but he still has the shortest coat to work with. Licorice is the first puppy to go back into the playpen to take a nap.

Chervil is my cheeky little man, he is not overly talkative or whiny, he just has a certain something (je ne sais quoi). Chervil is playful, loving and outgoing, he is almost always in the middle of the group coming out to give me kisses when I open the playpen.

Vervain our little vampire hunter (because the herb Vervain is said to ward of vampires) is a quite unless he finds himself alone or lost and then he whines until he finds help. Vervain likes to check new things out before he blunders into the middle of anything new. Vervain is also in the middle of the group of puppies rushing out of the playpen to taste my toes in the morning.

Sage is an old soul. Sage is one of the last puppies out of the playpen when I open the door, he takes his time and makes sure to get a good hug every time. Sage is a quiet wise man, but if he is pushed by his siblings he will fight back. Sage adapts well to new stimulus, but is one of the last puppies to try new things. Sage spent most of the picture taking time crawling on my legs.

Periwinkle is our biggest baby in every sense. He is one of the last puppies out of the playpen, and he is the largest. He is also a bit more timid with new things than the other puppies. However THIS puppy is SUPER DUPER cute and he knows it. He has 2 beige ears, but what really makes him cute is, he sits on his butt and begs.

Basil is one of our most out going puppies. Basil is our explorer, always wanting to try something new. Basil is also a major flirt, always giving me tons of kisses. This morning I asked him if he was trying out for Casanova because he put one paw on either side of my mouth and gave my nose a good kiss.

We couldn't forget our favorite Minnesota Girl Lily. Lily is very excited to finally meet her forever family for the first time on Sunday! She wants to know all about her new 4 legged siblings.
This week I took lots more pictures.
No chicks this week, maybe next week we will do pictures with the chicks so everyone can see how much they have grown!
As of this post we still have a couple of male puppies still available. I will know which ones they are soon and make sure to post with their new forever names!
If you are interested in visiting with our puppies or want more information about this litter or upcoming litters send me an email at
lorettaspins@gmail.com

I better go see what my little men are into now.
Tata for now,
Loretta

The Living Room Invasion Has Begun!

2011-04-21T12:41:00.005-05:00

The puppies are invading the living room!
It is so much fun to open the playpen and have 8 little ones run out to greet me every day. The puppies are still new explorers and do not stay out for very long, but they are enjoying meeting and playing with all the members of our family.
I think Momma Fawkes is also enjoying having helpers to play with the puppies.

It is almost Easter and the puppies enjoyed having their pictures taken with our last hatch of chicks.

This little guy is Basil with a White Leghorn chick.
Basil is our explorer, always the first to try something new.

This puff ball is Marshmallow. Marshmallow picked out a bantam frizzle chick.
Marshmallow has the longest hair.

This is Prince Periwinkle with a bantam frizzle chick.
Periwinkle is the largest puppy weighing 2 pounds and 5 ounces, he is also very gentle.

Sage is very wise he choose the slate blue bantam chick.
Sage is a quiet little guy with a beige ear.

Licorice choose a White Leghorn Chick.
Licorice has the shortest coat, he says it is for easy grooming.

Our Vampire hunter Vervain choose a bantam frizzle chick.
Vervain is a nice little guy with a good coat.

Chervil choose a bantam turken chick.
Chervil is the smallest little boy, he weighs 1 pound 14 ounces, but he has a big personality.

Princess Lily choose the slate blue chick.
She has very good taste, only the most rare of gems for her.

This litter of puppies is tons of fun and they are very polite. The puppies are very excited about the weather getting warmer so they can see what is on the other side of the door.

This week I tried to put a different color border around the pictures of each puppy to help identify them. Please feel free to look at the entire album.

We are planning an open house on May 1st. If you would like to come and visit with the puppies just send me an email and we will range a time to visit. 5 of our little boys are still looking for forever families. my email is
lorettaspins@gmail.com

Have a great Easter!

We have NAMES!!

2011-04-15T14:38:00.007-05:00

Lily and her brothers have had a very busy week. They each received a pretty, but scratchy collar so that we can tell them apart. Lily thinks hers is the prettiest and can not wait to show her family.

Each of the boys have also been given a herb nickname until their forever families give them new names, so the humans in the family have a slightly easier time.
This cute little guy is Marshmallow.

This cute little guy is Vervain.
This wise little man is Sage.

This handsome gentleman is Chervil.

This little charmer is Periwinkle.

This little sweetie is Licorice.

Last but not least is our quiet little Basil.
I guess I should mention that the smallest 3 puppies are now 24 ounces and the largest one is 28 ounces, it is rather hard to tell if they are different weights by looking at them.
On Sunday the puppies started eating puppy gruel, and they have been really enjoying making big messes twice everyday. The good news is that momma Fawkes really gives each one a good bath to make sure she gets some of the Yummy gruel too. We also started leaving solid puppy kibble in the playpen and the puppies have been busy trying to chew on the solid food as well. Solid food is less sticky but is sure spreads out fast ;)
Thursday the puppies had their very first bath and each received their very own microchip. Then they had a cuddle and full grooming. Marshmallow won the longest hair award with Lily as runner up.
Basil won the award for being the first to taste a chick. Basil managed to get a whole wing into his mouth, but he didn't bite down so the chick didn't mind.
Then all the puppies took a long nap.
I did manage to weed down the pictures to 115 shots.

We have have had 2 families decide that they were just too busy for a puppy right now so 5 of our little boys are still looking for their forever families. If you have any questions please feel free to send me an email at lorettaspins@gmail.com

Fawkes Little ones are 2 weeks old

2011-04-06T13:20:00.002-05:00

Our little ones are 2 weeks old!
This week the puppies are starting to growl and make little barks!
Puppy growling sounds more like a cat purring, but it is ever so much more cute!

It is still very hard to tell most of the boys apart. This weekend the puppies will get their first collars and nick names.
I am thinking about using herb names, like
Basil, Sage, Thyme.

I used eggs in the pictures to give an idea of just how big the puppies are now.

And we can't forget a picture with a newly hatched chick!

This is our precious Lilly. Lilly can't wait to meet her family and sister Bella.

I took a lot of pictures for you to look at, and I will post more soon.

Momma Fawkes is doing great. Monday she had a little time to herself when she made a quick dash to the vet to have her stitches out.
As of today we have 3 little boys still looking for their forever homes. If you are interested please send me an email at
lorettaspins@gmail.com

Next week we will have pictures of puppies playing in their first attempt at semi solid food. It will be messy and fun!

9 Days old

2011-04-01T11:57:00.003-05:00

I am very happy to report that all 8 puppies and Momma Fawkes are all doing splendidly!
Mom finished up her antibiodics and is happily spending all of her free time cuddling and caring for her little ones.

The puppies spend all of their time eating and sleeping, but it is amazing how quickly they can crawl when they want to!

The puppies are just thinking about opening their eyes now. In some of the pictures you can just see the beginning of their eyes starting to open.
I uploaded about 50 pictures of the puppies to our photo album. Please check them out.

Off I go, to make Momma Fawkes Lunch! Today we are serving Puppy food in a gravy of puppy milk replacer, plain yogurt and just a dash of powdered liver. Yummy!

I believe that we still have 3 little boys looking for their forever families. Please feel free to send me an email if you have any questions.
lorettaspins@gmail.com

Happy Birthday!

2011-03-22T16:08:00.002-05:00

Just a quick update

I just wanted to let everyone know that Fawkes had her puppies today. She started going into labor early this morning and had her first puppy at 10 am. By 11:30 I knew something wasn't right and called the vet. At 12:30 Fawkes had an emergency c-section. Fawkes is now the proud mommy of 7 little boys and 1 little girl. Fawkes is still quite tired but is doing ok. The little ones are healthy and Very Very Hungry.

I will add more pictures soon. I won't promise when because I may have to bottle feed the puppies.

More soon, Loretta

The Puppies are Comming!

2011-01-20T17:24:00.005-06:00

We have had quite a stretch of quiet and we are VERY excited to have it end!
Fawkes and Saul have decided to have a litter of puppies!
In 9 short weeks (March 22, 2011) we will have little ones in the house again!
I have added some of my favorite pictures of Fawkes and Saul's previous litters of puppies.
Just for fun.
Fawkes and Saul cuddling under the Ash tree. Fawkes and Saul have the strongest bond of all of our Bichons, they love to spend time together.
Ahh, true love!

Fawkes giving kisses to one of her puppies.

Daddy Saul, supervising a trip to the park in November of 2009. It started snowing really hard about 10 minutes after we took these pictures.

Nothing beets taking a nap in the toy box!

We do have a waiting list started for our 2011 puppies. So far we have about 8 families waiting for a little princess and 2 families waiting for prince charming. Please send me an email if you have any questions about our puppies or would like to be added to our waiting list.

My email address is lorettaspins@gmail.com

Ta For Now,
Loretta

Happy New Year!

2010-12-29T07:57:00.004-06:00

Minnie, Saul, Foxy, Rose and Esme wish everyone a happy and healthy 2011!
This Christmas we made dog treats for all of our friends and the favorite was Pumpkin Cookies!
The Recipe is

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 eggs
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Whisk together the flour, eggs, pumpkin, peanut butter, salt, and cinnamon in a bowl. Add water as needed to help make the dough workable, but the dough should be dry and stiff. Roll the dough into a 1/2-inch-thick roll. Cut into 1/2-inch pieces.
Bake in preheated oven until hard, about 40 minutes.

I liked this recipe because the dough was very easy to work with. After cutting lots of shapes I ended up cutting the dough into strips with a pizza cutter and then twisted the strips before I put them on the baking sheet for interest.
Of all the cookies we made our Bichons loved these the best.
Because we made so many, we put extras in the Fridge so they would keep longer and they are still very crunchy and fresh 3 weeks after baking.

One word of warning, our dogs like the home baked treats so much they now are a little bit picky about eating store bought treats. They have even turned their noses up to I can't believe it's not bacon.

I feel very blessed to have my Bichons around me all year. My Bichons were a great comfort to me this fall as my Grandmother became very ill and then passed away in November. Although I spent a lot of time away from them while I helped care for my grandmother, they were always waiting for me and made sure to give me lots of love and kisses as soon as I returned home. I also should thank my husband and son who stayed at home and took extra good care of my girls while Saul and I were in Minnesota.

I have a feeling that one of our girls will be going into heat soon, I am not sure who, but we are looking forward to the pitter patter of little feet again. It has just been so gosh darn quiet in the house. We do have a waiting list started for 2011 spring and summer puppies but are always willing to add another family to our waiting list.
If you are interested send me an email at Lorettaspins@gmail.com

I hope you and your beloved pets have a safe and healthy 2011!
Happy New Year!

Getting Ready to go home!

2010-08-23T08:40:00.003-05:00

We have had a very busy week. The puppies have learned to crawl up and down the stairs to get in and out of the house.
They will now follow us into the house or out into the yard.
This is a big time saver and a lot of fun!
We had a fabulous open house weekend and all of the puppies have found their forever families.

This is Claire.
Claire is looking forward to going home with her family Wednesday.

This is Lizzy(formerly Lady).
Lizzy is looking forward to finding out what a Minnesota is.

Pixie is looking forward to being a Corn Husker, out in Nebraska.

Dash(formerly known as Wash) is very excited to be going home to live with his older half brother Buddy.

Bella(formerly Libby) is looking forward to getting mom all to herself for a week before she finds out what a Minnesota Gopher is.
I did put up pictures of the puppies at 6 weeks old.
I hope to take more pictures of the puppies today, as the puppies are now 7 weeks old. This weekend was just to busy to get photos with the garden, Kim moving back to the dorms and Kim's 20th birthday party. The puppies had a lot of fun playing with the Soft E, Com Sci, Math and Entomology students that came to the party.

I guess We had better run, Sam starts school this week so the puppies and I will be really busy this week as well.
Ta for now,
Loretta

We went to the Park!

2010-08-13T10:20:00.003-05:00

Yesterday the puppies were very busy. We went to the vet and had a check up and first set of shots. Then we went to Ames while Kim had glassblowing and tried to find a park that wasn't flooded to play in. It took about an hour to find a nice dry park to play.

This is Princess Libby. Libby is the only puppy from this litter still looking for her forever family.

Spike(formerly Wash), Pixie and Lady, look like Charlie's Angels!

Claire, Libby and Spike checking out the bubble.

Spike, Lady and Pixie playing at the park.
I uploaded about 100 pictures of the puppies playing at the park to our photo album. They are not labeled because it gets hard to tell them apart.

The puppies have been going out side for short periods of time because it is just soo hot, and we were only able to play at the park for about an hour because of the heat, so I thought it might be a good time to tell everybody a few tricks to help keep your puppy or dog cool.
My Favorite hot weather treat is a
soda bottle filled with water and then frozen.
Puppies and Dogs can lay next to or on top of the bottle to cool off, they sometimes will chew on the bottle as well.
A Frozen Damp or wet towel
By soaking a towel and then wringing it out and tossing it in the freezer (in a plastic bag or box) gives your pet a cooling blanket on the really hot days.
Iced Water
Some dogs just love to chew on Ice but others just like a really cold drink when it is super hot.

Of course our adults just love the AC and only go outside for short periods of time. We keep lots of cold fresh water available at all times and have been giving the grown ups and puppies dry food soaked in water to give them just a little extra hydration during this really hot weather.
Thank Goodness it is supposed to cool off a little next week.
If you have any questions about our puppies, please feel free to send us an email at
Lorettaspins@gmail.com

Have a great week and stay cool!

Open House Weekend!

2010-08-05T14:00:00.003-05:00

We are soo excited to be having our Last open house weekend of the year!

The puppies have been talking about it all week and are very excited to meet all the families that are coming to visit. The puppies are so excited to meet their new families and maybe get a new name.

This is our Prince Wash. Wash is a laid back little prince who loves to cuddle.

This is Princess Pixie.
Pixie is the smallest puppy of the litter but she doesn't let her size hold her back.

Princess Libby is a quiet laid back little girl. She doesn't stray too far from mom yet.

Princess Lady is our little super model, she loves to have her picture taken.
She also loves to be the center of attention.

This is Princess Claire (formerly Princess Scarlet). Claire has already picked out her family and is very excited to have a big family to go home with, maybe next year she will get to go on vacation to grandma's house too.
This week I took lots of pictures to share.
The puppies even posed for pictures with Dexter, our Pot Bellied Pig.

This weekend the puppies will have lots of firsts. The puppies will try on leashes and maybe some t-shirts. We will have lots of fun meeting new families and the puppies will taste all the shoe laces.
The puppies are looking forward to a busy weekend. We still have 2 puppies looking for their forever homes - please send me an email if you have any questions at
lorettaspins@gmail.com

Have a great weekend!
Loretta

Fawkes puppies are 3 weeks old.

2010-07-28T20:15:00.003-05:00

Our little ones are growing up so quickly!
The puppies have started eating puppy gruel and really enjoy making a BIG mess. Fawkes is very thankful that Esme loves to play house and helps clean the puppies after each meal.

This is our little prince Wash. Wash loves to sleep on his back he is very cute.

Princess Pixie is our littlest puppy, she loves to check out what all her big siblings are into.

Princess Libby is almost the same size as Pixie, this week she was our little camera hound.

Princess Lady reminds me of Lady and the Tramp. Very cute.

Princess Scarlet is the largest female puppy, she loves to play and have a good time.

This week the puppies will be making lots of fun messes,they will have their first real bath and be micro chipped.
The puppies are starting to be more active in between naps and will be having short periods of playtime in the living room. Like all little babies they play for short periods of time and then take long naps.
For more pictures be sure to visit our photo album.

As of today we have 2 puppies that are still looking for homes. If you are interested in our puppies please send me an email at lorettaspins@gmail.com

We are all looking forward to our Open House weekend August 7-8th when we get to meet our future puppy owners and they get to select their new family members.
Watch for pictures of the puppies all groomed and pretty next week.

Ta For Now
Loretta

Fawkes puppies are 2 weeks old.

2010-07-20T07:15:00.003-05:00

Fawkes and her little ones are doing great! They are starting to crawl and explore the world around them just a little bit, more than Momma wants them to anyway.
The puppies are starting to make cute little baby growls, that sound like a cat purring, and little puppy barks.
This week the puppies received their first collars and nicknames.
We think that nicknames are soo much nicer than calling the puppies numbers.
Fawkes puppies are all nicknamed after apple trees because they were conceived under the apple tree in our yard.

This is Fawkes little boy, his name is Wash. Wash is named after the Washington Apple tree.
My son Sam is also a huge Firefly fan, so he was very excited about using Wash as a nickname.

This week I took pictures of the girls in order of size.
This is the largest girl this week, her nickname is Scarlet.

This little girl is just starting to open her eyes.
Lady is nicknamed after the Pink Lady Apple.

This little cutie is Libby, nicknamed after the Liberty Apple. She is the second smallest puppy.

Pixie, nicknamed after the Pixie Crunch Apple, was the smallest puppy of the litter at birth. Pixie is very quickly gaining ground on Libby and may be not be the smallest puppy for long.

On Sunday, after their big siblings went home, the puppies were very happy to move into the big puppy play pen. Right now the play pen is rather small 24"x24" but in the next few days the playpen will expand to 24"x48." The crib bumper will stay on the playpen until the puppies are big enough that their little heads do not fit through the the slats, Mom really likes the soft bumper to lean up against as well ;-). The playpen will stay medium sized until the puppies are about 4 weeks old, then it will grow to it's largest size(48"x48") and we will add a potty park to one side.
This week I took way too many pictures of the puppies but I managed to cut it down to 50 or so for the photo album. I even took pictures of the puppies with soda cans so families can get an idea of how big the puppies are right now.

As of this morning Wash and 2 of the little girls are still looking for their forever homes. Please feel free to email me with any questions that you might have, my email address is lorettaspins@gmail.com
Ta For Now
Loretta

Rose's Gems went home.

2010-07-18T11:22:00.005-05:00

The puppies and I went to the park Tuesday where we met our friend Wendy.
We had lots of fun!

All of Rose's puppies went home July 17th. It was a lot of fun to touch base with all of the families before the puppies went home.
Today it is very quiet at our house. Rose has been busy napping on the bed and has enjoyed being pampered. Rose has been very quiet as well, I think that she really enjoyed being able to say good by to her puppies as each one went home with their new families.
To keep busy we have been getting all the puppy gear washed and ready for the new litter of puppies that has just opened their eyes. We washed all the bowles, crates and potty parks with the power washer this morning. I am on my 3rd load of laundry, the first two loads were blankets and towels and now we are washing all the toys.
When it is all dry we will pack all the big puppy toys away for just a few weeks, then it will be time to play again

Jasper has found his forever Family!

2010-07-06T11:40:00.002-05:00

Today Jasper met his forever family and showed them off to his brothers and sisters.
Jasper is soo excited that he will get to meet Grace in 10 days!

Have a Great Week!
Ta For Now,
Loretta

Rose's Little Gems are 6 weeks old!

2010-07-05T09:41:00.005-05:00

It is hard to believe the puppies are 6 weeks old already!
This week the puppies had their first car ride, even if it was just to the vet. The puppies had a full health check and their first shots.
The puppies are looking forward to a trip to the park if the weather is nice this week. If it is icky, I told them we would just have to make a trip to Petsmart and buy some chew toys.

Jasper is the only puppy from this litter still looking for his forever home.
Jasper is a great puppy that loves to explore and play. After playing he likes snuggle up to my feet and take a nap.

This work of art is the puppy formerly known as Diamond, she has picked out her family and has her forever name, Lily.
Lily is very excited to find out a pediatrician is, she wants to know if they love kisses.

This is the puppy formerly known as Opal, her new forever name is Lily Bear.
Lily Bear says it is really funny that I always called her and her sister by the same name and now they have very similar names. Lily Bear is very excited to learn all about softball, and wants to know what High School is.

Moka(formerly Ruby) is looking forward to learning all there is to know about doll clothes and coffee.

Chipper was known as Topaz. Chipper is looking forward to walks in the park and meeting lots of new friends.

Prince Beau is looking forward to meeting is half sister Belle. Beau loves to charm everybody and is very excited about learning what a Minnesota is.

This week the puppies have been exploring more and finally were able to meet the ducks. I am not sure if the puppies just wanted to give the ducks kisses or if they were trying to herd them somewhere but it sure was funny.
The ducks let the puppies get really close up before they would scatter.
Of course then we had to find some yummy treats for the ducks because they played so nice.

This week I took over 300 shots of the puppies but I managed to cut it down to just over 170 pictures.
I want to warn you, they are really getting good at stealing hearts!

Have a great week,
Loretta

Fourth of July Puppies!

2010-07-05T08:46:00.006-05:00

Boy did Fawkes keep us on our toes. She really wanted her puppies to have a special birthday that nobody could possibly forget.
Fawkes temperature dropped to 98.3 on Saturday July 3rd and she followed me everywhere I went, so I ended up staying in the living room most of the day. The whole family stayed up until midnight and then the guys went to bed. I ended up putting blankets and pillows down on the floor and laying next to Fawkes. Fawkes and I watched Monk then Stargate Atlantis and some show that was really bad that reminded me of Dungeons and Dragons.
At 3 am the infomercials started, I guess Fawkes thought they were boring because just after 3 am her first puppy arrived.

It was a beautiful little girl. Fawkes had about an hours rest before the next little girl arrived.
The last three puppies arrived 35 minutes apart. Fawkes was soo tired but very happy to finally have the puppies she has been waiting for.

Fawkes and her little ones are doing great. Fawkes had 4 little girls and 1 handsome little boy.
We started a photo album for Fawkes Puppies too!

I also made an album for a few shots of the puppies older brothers and sisters!

The puppies are this big!

We have 4 puppies still avalible from this litter, if you are interested please send me an email and I will send you a copy of our puppy contract.

Have a great week,
Loretta

Open House Weekend!

2010-06-26T17:49:00.005-05:00

Open house weekend has finally arrived!
We have been having a lot of fun this weekend playing the families that have reserved puppies from this litter.

Jasper is still looking for his forever home.
Jasper is a fun loving puppy that loves to explore, when he finally tires out he loves napping by my feet.

All of our female puppies from this litter have been reserved, but they are waiting to meet Amanda before we know where they will live.
This is Princess Opal. Princess Opal is a very out going puppy who loves to explore. Princess Opal also likes to take her naps in Dad and Esme's beds.

Princess Diamond is a one of a kind work of art.
Princess Diamond likes to take her time and smell the roses, well actually she is very curious about everything.

Prince Topaz picked out his forever family this weekend and is very excited to meet his new playmates.

Princess Ruby found her forever family this weekend and is now.....
Princess Moka!
Moka is soo excited to have 2 big sisters to play with.

Prince Beau is the life of the party. He is always ready to play with his siblings. Then he wants to cuddle. Prince Beau has charmed all the ladies that have come to visit.

Esme has been busy playing house with all the puppies. She makes sure they are clean and don't wrestle too hard. She reminds me of all the adults that used to tell me to settle down.
Esme's new hair cut is very short because she has taken to swimming with the Ducks and now needs LOTS of baths. If I ever stop laughing long enough I might have to scold her.
I managed to bring the photo count from over 300 pictures to just 212. Please feel free to look at all the fun pictures of the puppies.

This is a very busy week for the puppies. Tonight they will start sleeping separate from mom, Rose will still be in Eye Shot. Momma Rose is looking forward to a full nights rest!
The puppies will also start playing with leashes tomorrow. They will play Tug of War, and make May Poles of anything that gets in thier way for a while. As a reward for learning about leashes we will make a trip to the park later in the week.
Wednesday they will meet Bea at their first vet visit. We love going to the vet because Bea always spoils the puppies. And after the vet we can go on car rides, and the park.

Fawkes is do to deliver her Puppies on July 2nd, so we are giving her extra love and attention. She is as big as a house, well maybe not that big but she does have the pregnancy waddle.

Looks like we will have a busy week ahead of us.
Please feel free to send me an email with any questions that you might have, my email address is
lorettaspins@gmail.com

Ta for now,
Loretta

Spa Day!

2010-06-13T15:32:00.006-05:00

This week the puppies started to become more active and very hungry. So the puppies moved into a larger play pen and had their first helping of puppy gruel. Very Tasty!

After playing in the puppy gruel for a while the puppies needed to have a bath. So we had a spa day! Each puppy had a foot massage, manicure(mom was very thankful), a bath, a cuddle with video games and then brush and blow dry. This week the puppies also received their first collars and there microchip identification.

The Beautiful Princesses!
All of the pictures were taken on a piece of grass carpet as the puppies are still too young to be exposed to all the germs outside.

This is Princess Diamond.
She has beautiful Beige markings. As her coat grows out they will fade some, but they may still be noticible as an adult. Diamond is most defiantly one of a kind.

This is Princess Opal.
Opal is a beautiful little girl and she knows it too. She did not like having a bath today, but she didn't whine or cry, she growled. The cutest little growl, it sounds a lot like purring, too cute!

Here we have Princess Ruby.
Ruby is the smallest of the girls. Ruby is a quiet little tyke,
most of the time.

And here we have our Rowdy Princes!
They are really well behaved, most of the time anyway.
But Rowdy sounds soo much more masculine ;)

This is Prince Topaz.
Topaz is the most squirmy this week. He was very quiet during his bath but he kept trying to wiggle his way out of my hands.
Topaz also wanted to taste everything. He might be a great kisser as an adult, we will have to wait and see.

Here is Jasper.
Jasper was the most laid back puppy this week. He was very well behaved and curious about all the new things he experienced.

And our Prince Beau, he may be the smallest in size but he makes up for it in bravery. Beau was very well behaved in the bath, but he thought the blow dryer was a dragon and barked and growled until the mean dragon stopped blowing hot breath on him.

This week the puppies will be eating mostly gruel but will have kibble and a small dish of water avalible at all times. The puppies don't have any teeth yet, but they enjoy mouthing kibble and making a mess. Later in the week we will be moving the puppies into a larger play pen with a potty patch.
We started using the Potty Patch last year and I just love it. The puppies love going to the bathroom on the fake grass and it is soo much cleaner than anything else we have tried.

I will NEVER EVER subject my puppies to living on wire. I believe having puppies or dogs on wire is inhumane and cruel.

personal thoughts aside, I uploaded 135 pictures of the puppies to our online photo album.
I also added a album of adult Bichon Pictures this album has pictures of our adults at different ages,with different hair cuts and pictures of them when they are not groomed. I also added a few pictures of other dogs that have helped shape our lives and descriptions of them as well.

We still have 1 Princess and 2 Princes looking for homes, if you are interested in adding a Bichon to your family please send me an email.

Ta For Now,
Loretta

Rose's Little Gems are 2 weeks old!

2010-06-08T12:25:00.002-05:00

Rose's little ones are growing very quickly. This week they started barking and growling. They have the cutest little growls that sound a lot like a cat purring. They are still very little and spend most of their days sleeping and eating.

This week our little gems received their nicknames.
This is Diamond.

Here we have Opal.

The smallest of the girls is Ruby.
And our little boys are.....

Topaz

Jasper

This little one was nicknamed Onyx because he has the darkest markings so far.
Onyx has already been picked out by his forever family!
His new forever name is Beau!
Beau is looking forward to lots of fun with his new family.

I again took lots of pictures of our precious gems please feel free to check them out in our
Picasa Photo Album

I uploaded a few pictures of some of Rose's past puppies too!

Rose went to the vet this week to have her stitches removed. Dr Winters said that she was looking great, and he loved her new summer hair cut.
Then Bea gave Rose a pig ear treat for the ride home. YUM!

This week the puppies will start crawling around a little bit and on Saturday they will get their first collars!
We currently have 3 puppies still looking for their forever families please feel free to email any questions you might have.
My email address is Lorettaspins@gmail.com

Have a great week!
Loretta

Rose's Little Gems Are 1 week old!

2010-06-02T15:58:00.002-05:00

Rose's little gems are just over a week old and are doing great! We had to modify their bed because they had started going on short trips to find mom while mom was outside.

This week the puppies eyes should start to open and they will start hearing things as well.

Here are are our three little prince charmings!

And our 3 little princesses.
We are planning on nicknaming this litter of puppies after gemstones. However it is very hard to tell them apart at this age, and they are still to young for collars. But in a week or so we will be able to have each puppy photographed by themselves with a nickname.
Our list of nicknames still a bit long so we will spend the week narrowing it down a bit.
I took Several pictures of the puppies this week, please check them out on our
Picasa Photo Album.
Maybe I will even add the nickname list.

This is our little Esme. Esme is now a big girl of almost 8 months.
She really wanted to have her picture taken too.
Esme loves to sit and help me with the blog every week. She isn't very talkative unless she sees something she doesn't approve of.

Every May we attend the Renaissance Faire in Amanna Iowa.
This year Saul and Esme came with.
Saul had a blast and was even Knighted by the Forking Queen!
Saul and Esme loved seeing all the costumes and other pampered pooches.

Esme signed up to be a pirate and then decided that being a princess was more fun.
Adam helped Esme pose for pictures and then was rewarded with lots of sloppy kisses.
I also took lots of pictures at the Faire and they are also posted on our
Picasa Photo Album.

4 of Rose's Little Gems are still looking for their forever homes. If you are interested in Rose's puppies or have any general Bichon questions please email me at lorettaspins@gmail.com.

Ta For Now,
Loretta

Happy Puppies!

2010-05-27T12:47:00.002-05:00

I just wanted to give everybody a quick after surgery update.
Rose was very sore and a little bit out of it for a few days after the surgery. So I helped Rose by washing the puppies and changing the bedding twice a day. I also was up every couple of hours at night to make sure that everybody was ok.
Rose is Much better. She loves her puppies and has been taking very good care of them.
Yesterday while she was outside doing her thing, I snapped a few pictures.

Here are the 3 little girls.

And our Little Prince Charmings.

All of the puppies are doing very well.
In the next week or so they should start opening their eyes.

We still have 5 puppies avalible, if you are interested in reserving a puppy please send me an email at lorettaspins@gmail.com

Have a Great Weekend!
Loretta

Happy Birthday!

2010-05-23T09:24:00.003-05:00

May 22 was a long day for Rose.
She knew it was time for the puppies to arrive but something just wasn't quite right.
I called Dr Quam in the morning just to let him know that Rose due to deliver and check in with him.
Rose was nervous all day but didn't show any signs of labor until late in the evening.
We were watching her very closely and monitoring her temperature all day. At 8 pm she started showing signs that puppies should be coming.
When no puppies arrived by 9:30 I decided it was time to call Dr Quam. Dr Quam said we should head over to the clinic and take a peek at what was happening.
At 10 pm Dr Quam decided that we should do a C-section because Rose was not having any contractions.
At 11 pm we were on the way home with 6 healthy and very hungry puppies.
3 little Boys and 3 Little Girls.
We arrived home at 11:20pm Rose was awake and walked from the car to her bed in the house. Rose was very tired and sore from the delivery.
We helped all the puppies start nursing and watched Rose for about an hour and a half and then took turns napping all night. Every hour or so one of Rose's humans got up and checked on her and the puppies, just to make sure that everything was ok.
Rose is still a bit out of it this morning but is nursing the puppies.
I am helping Rose by cleaning the puppies and making sure they potty, Rose has let me know that she would rather be doing all the mothering jobs, but for now she will let me help.
I will post more pictures in a day or two when Rose is feeling better.
Have a great weekend,
Loretta

Quiet April

2010-04-14T08:38:00.002-05:00

All of Minnies Puppies went home the end of March, but I just wanted to share the pictures that we took the day they went home. We have washed and put away all the toys and blankets, for a few weeks. Rose is Due to deliver her litter of Puppies May 21st.

This is Buddy at 8 weeks old. He is just too cute in this picture.

This is Brinkley, formerly known as Peter.

Here is Frodo, the puppy formerly known as Benjamin.

Our little princess Abby, what a super model.

And Our thinker Libby.
All the puppies had fun with the Roses and then we were off to meet with their forever families. It was the first litter we had that all of the puppies went home over 24 hours. It was a bit of a shock for both us and Mom. We kept mom very busy going for car rides and walks for the first week. Most mothers miss their puppies for the first few days after they go home, Minnie carries around toys and makes a nest of toy puppies for several days after her puppies go home.
Minnie is now back to her everyday self, making us laugh with all her attention getting tricks. Minnie is scheduled to be spayed April 21st, Minnie is looking forward to a nice long retirement with lots of occasional baby sitting.
I did manage to take lots more pictures if you would like to see them.

We are very excited to have a lull before we Rose has her puppies, hopefully we can get the garden in.
Ta For Now,
Loretta

Puppies at the Park!

2010-03-22T10:36:00.004-05:00

Thursday was in the 60s so we just had to go to the park!

We picked up our best buddy Wendy and went to the park just south of highway 30.
This is the puppies impression of Charlies Angels. Buddy, Abby and Libby had lots of fun on the play ground.

It is really hard to get everybody looking at the camera at the same time. Benjamin has the blue leash, Libby is the purple leash, Buddy has the green leash, Peter has the black leash and Abby has the flower power leash.

Benjamin Loves to give kisses, Libby isn't sure she likes it.

While Libby and Buddy wrestle Peter makes a clean get away with the "Golden Leaf."

After lots of play, everybody settles down for a nap. Kyree always naps in the sun and doesn't mind sharing her napping spot.

Sam and I managed to come down with a cold and have not been feeling very well, but the puppies keep us going out for fresh air every few hours. They are soo much fun to watch as they explore their surroundings and smell new smells. It is hard to be sick when the puppies make us laugh so hard. Benjamin loves to sneak attack his siblings and manages to jump quite high. Libby and Buddy seem to be our thinkers and mediators, except when they are in the middle of the world class wrestling match. Abby and Peter are the super models, they are always the first in line for attention and photographs. All the puppies love to explore and find new things to taste, Esme was very kind this week and found a ball of yarn to share with her new friends.
Friday all the puppies will start going home with their new families, they are all looking forward to smelling new smells and spending more time with their new families.
This week we took over 250 pictures at the park, but I managed to cut it down to just 157 pictures. See how much fun the puppies had at the park by visiting out Picasa Photo Album.

Rose and Saul have decided that they are going to have a litter of puppies in May, Rose's puppies will be ready to go home in July. If you are looking for a puppy send us an email.

Minnies Little Ones are 6 weeks old.

2010-03-15T08:27:00.004-05:00

I am happy to report that all of Minnie's Puppies have found their forever families, the puppies have really enjoyed meeting everyone and can't wait to go home!
This week the puppies had their first visit to see Dr. Winters and Bea. They had a full check up and their first set of shots. Everyone did very well, and was very happy to here that they would be meeting another family that evening.

The puppies love to wrestle right now, and after a good wrestling match they like to make up and take a nap. Momma Minnie is at the bottom of this napping pile. ;)

I could not belive my eyes all 5 puppies managed to climb into their favorite napping spot, I guess when you are tired your tired.

This is princess Abby. Abby is our little super model, she loves to pose for pictures. Abby loves to play and often sneak attacks the other puppies. Abby's favorite napping spot is the toy box.

This is Libby. Libby is very laid back and loves to play. Libby also has the cutest little pounce and bark move.

This is Peter. Peter loves to lick the camera, so a lot of his photos end up just a bit out of proportion. I would say he is the hero of the bunch, always exploring and checking out new monsters he might vanquish, or new friends to play with!

This is Buddy. Buddy was very excited to meet his forever family this week. Buddy loves to play tug of war. He also loved playing tag with the ducklings during the photo shoot.

Last but not least is Benjamin. Benjamin is a very resourceful little guy, he loves to play and be the center of attention. Benjamin also likes to sit in the center of the food bowl and keep all the food for himself =:)
This week I started with over 250 photos and managed to weed them down to 180 or so. All the action shots are at the end of the album after the photo shoot.

This week the puppies are each sleeping in their own Big puppy beds.
One of my best tricks to transitioning puppies home requires an old t-shirt to be destroyed. Families wear it for a day, or sleep in it and then put it into a plastic ziploc bag and mail it to us. I cut it into squares and put one square in the kennel with their puppy every night for about a week before they go home. This is a great way for the puppy to get used to the scent of their new home, and the puppies tend to be more relaxed when they go home. Of course the puppies will also go home with a blanket that smells like mom, so they don't feel all alone to soon.
The puppies will start going outside to potty with mom today, they may get a little muddy, but we have lots of baby wipes to wipe their feet. We are planning a trip to the park on Thursday, the weather man says it is going to get up to 60 degrees! Hard to belive it was soo cold just 2 weeks ago.
Have a great Week!
Loretta

Minnies little ones are 5 weeks old.

2010-03-07T14:08:00.005-06:00

All tuckered out! We have had a very busy weekend, meeting lots of fun new friends, smelling lots of fun new smells and, our personal favorite, tasting lots of new shoe laces!

Here are our two favorite girls, checking out the artificial grass that just arrived in the mail.

The boys decided that they would rather have real grass but that the fake stuff would work for now.

This handsome little guy is Cottontail. Cottontail is still looking for his family, he is very patient and understands that they will find him soon. Cottontail loves to explore and play tag, then snuggle down for a good nap.

This pretty little princess is Flopsy, she is not quite as patient as her brother, but momma Minnie told her that her family will find her soon. Flopsy is a great little princess who loves attention and playing chase. She loves to nap on a big fluffy pillow and will share, with the right company.

Drum Roll Please!

This curious little guy is Peter. Peter met his new Mommy and Grandparents this weekend, he is very excited to be a future Minnesotan. All the parks and trails to explore!

Benjamin is looking forward to meeting his forever family on Wednesday. Benjamin was very excited to hear that he will have lots of fun with a Big Brother and Big Sister to play with.

Abby was very excited to meet her new family today. And a real name too! Mopsy was ok for a short term nick name, but a princess needs a pretty name.

Momma Minnie and Daddy Saul just wanted to say,
"Thanks For Coming to Visit! Sorry about the puddles."

I took way to many pictures again this week. Lots of mom and dad too!

We finally have some warmer weather and the snow is starting to melt, making a huge puddle of the side walk. As soon as the puddle goes away we will start letting the puppies outside to potty with mom, for a few minutes at a time. Until then, the puppies will have potty time in the green house with mom several times a day, and play time in the living room. This week the puppies are going to start both leash training and kennel training. Leash training starts by just putting a leash on the puppies and letting them play. The puppies will play tug of war, get caught on furniture and have Kyree (Sam's Kitten) take off in another direction with their leash. This week Kennel training will start with the boys sleeping in one kennel and the girls sleeping in the other, momma Minnie will sleep in her kennel right next to the puppies so they can both see and smell her.
Please feel free to email with any questions, or if you would like to come and visit with the puppies.
Ta For Now,
Loretta

Open House Weekend!

2010-03-05T08:29:00.003-06:00

We are all getting ready for this weekends open house(March 6 & 7th). The puppies are very excited to meet new people. Maybe even their forever families and just maybe they will get their new names!
Very Exciting!

This is our little Peter. Peter is just too cute.

This is Cottontail. Cottontail is the largest puppy and the most laid back.

Benjamin is the smallest puppy of the litter. Benjamin also has the most spunk.

Our little princesses really know how to steal the show.

This is Flopsy, she is the larger of the two girls. She has a very cute little growl that she uses when the puppies are wrestling.

This is Mopsy, she is the smaller of the girls. Mopsy also has a lot of spunk.

This week the puppies have been playing in the living room a lot and we have been puppy proofing again. It never fails that they find something that they shouldn't play with.
Minnie is looking forward to a full night sleep again, I keep telling her that Sunday we will start Crate training the puppies. The puppies will start crate training by sleeping with a buddy(3 in one and 2 in the other). After a week of that they will start sleeping by themselves.
We are all looking forward to the puppies first vet visit on March 12th. So we can start visiting Petsmart or the Park, if the weather warms up.
We always take way too many pictures.

If you would like to come and visit the puppies send me an email I can email directions. If you would like to visit with the puppies another time just let us know and we can schedule a visit.
I will update the blog again Sunday night and let everybody know who has found their forever home.

Ta for Now,
Loretta

Minnie's Puppies are 3 weeks old!

2010-02-23T10:51:00.006-06:00

The Boys really wanted to Grab your attention this week and really played to the camera.

Here we have Peter. Peter and Cottontail are about the same size. Peter has more pink on his nose.

This is Cottontail. Cottontail has one eye that doesn't have the black markings yet.

This is Benjamin. Benjamin is the smallest of the boys, I think he will have beige ears.
Benjamin was the most active little guy when we were taking pictures, he was very interested in checking out the strange black monster covering my face.

The girls were very laid back when I took pictures this week. Just like in the story book, they were very well behaved while their brothers caused some mischief :)

This is Flopsy. Flopsy is just a tad larger than her sister, she also makes the cutest little noises.

Here we have the little charmer Mopsy. This little princess seems to know all the right Super Model posses already.
This week the puppies each received their first collars so that they are easier to tell apart. The puppies have started crawling around just a bit more, by next week they should be tooling all over the living room.
Tomorrow they will have their first taste of puppy gruel. The puppies will mostly just play and make a big mess for mom to clean up later. They should start eating the gruel in earnest by Saturday. And Saturday the puppies will have their first bath day.
We still have 1 little girl and 1 little guy available if you are looking for a puppy please send us an email.
More Pictures are on our Picasa Site if you love puppy pictures as much as we do.
We are planning on having families out to play with the puppies March 6 & 7th, however if you would like to come and visit with the puppies another time please email me and we can set up a day to play.
Ta For Now,
Loretta

Minnie's Puppies are 2 weeks old!

2010-02-15T17:50:00.003-06:00

Minnie is loving being a mom and we have 5 very healthy little puppies that are starting to open their eyes and take a look at the world around them.

We decided to name the puppies after Peter Rabbit because they will be going home around Easter Time.
This is little Peter.

This is CottonTail.

This is Benjamin.

And our little Princesses. This is Flopsy.

And this is Mopsy.
If you would like to see more pictures of the puppies(I always take too many), check out our Picasa Photo album.
This weeks pictures.

You can also go to the albums home page and see all the pictures we have taken.
I generally get new pictures posted to the photo album a day or tow before I update the blog.

We were very sad to loose the smallest puppy of the litter. I took her to see Doctor Winters and ended up tube feeding her for several days. She passed away while sitting on my lap, she just fell asleep and didn't wake up.

We still have 1 female and 2 males that are looking for homes.
Please feel free to contact us with any questions you might have.
Ta For now,
Loretta

Minnie's Puppies have arrived!

2010-02-03T16:04:00.003-06:00

Minnie had 6 beautiful little puppies in the wee hours of January 31st.

3 little girls

and 3 little boys.

Our Birthday Album!

Minnie is doing well and enjoying being a mom. The smallest little girl is struggling, we have been supplimentng moms milk with extra calories to give her a little boost over the last few days. Today we decided that she still needs more and I started her on puppy formula. Right now I am typing with one hand and holding her with the other. Mom is not very happy with me, but I promised to give her back after she ate some formula for me.
Because she is needing some extra help getting started with life I think she needs a nickname, hmmm...
I will have to think about that, maybe she will give me a hint while we are spending time together.
I will update eveybody Soon.
Ta For Now,
Loretta

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T16:30:00.004-06:00

Happy New Year from Honey Ridge!

All of our puppies have gone to their forever homes and we are relaxing before the next litter.
This is every bodies favorite chair right in the center of all the action. Occasionally they will share with their favorite chair with me, as long as I am not trying to knit.

Minnie is expecting her last litter of puppies to be born the first week in February.
The puppies will be ready to go home Easter weekend.
If you are thinking about a Bichon Puppy send us an email, we are always happy to answer questions.

After much thought and patience we have decided to add a new female Bichon to our family. This is our little princess Esme, named after Esmeralda Weatherwax whose adventures can be found in Terry Pratchet novels. Minnie, Rose and Fawkes have all been spoiling Esme rotten. Saul is not quite sure he wants yet another wife bossing him around but enjoys playing tug of war with Esme.
Last month we lost our precious Raj. Raj was the best puppy training cat on the planet and we miss him very much. As it turned out my cousin had a litter of kittens that had grown up with her last litter of Bichon puppies and after a lot of thinking we decided that we had time to train a new kitten into Raj's job. We know that little Kyree can never replace Raj but with a little luck and patience she may come close.
So far Kyree and Esme are great playmates. They love to play chase, however Kyree always wins by jumping on something high. Esme and Kyree also love to take naps together.

Stay Warm and give your favorite Bichon a Hug from us,
Loretta

News!

2009-12-13T09:33:00.004-06:00

Little Frosty and Peppermint are just over 9 weeks old and doing great. The girls are looking forward to flying home for Christmas, and putting messy snow behind them. Frosty and Peppermint have been working on leash training and potty training. We have been putting them outside whenever they bark, for just a few minutes. If they happen to bark when they are outside we let them in right away. Of course this means they are in and out several times a day, but it is nice when they learn to ask to go potty by themselves.

Momma Fawkes no longer has any milk to offer, however it is always nice to cuddle with mom.

Ahh, Minnie.
Minnie is the dominant female of our house, when she goes out everybody goes out. Minnie has always had the knack for escaping confinement when she was in heat and wanted to have puppies, this heat cycle we thought we had it covered. Minnie out smarted us again.
This will be Minnie's last litter before retirement. Minnie loves having puppies however she will be 8 years old this summer(August 15,2010) and I want her to live a long healthy life. Don't worry we have a very good pension plan, lots of love and all the treats she can handle. Plus she will be able to baby Rose and Fawke's puppies.
This is Minnie trying to eat while Ivanna is pulling on her tail. Ivanna tried to drag Minnie across the floor for a good 5 minutes. It was soooo cute we just had to take a picture.

Minnie's litter will be born in early February and will be able go home around Easter.
We are currently taking Deposits for Minnie's puppies. If you would rather be on a waiting list just let us know.
Ta For Now,
Loretta

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-27T09:36:00.004-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving!
Our little girls have had a busy week. This week we went to the park and played with Dad on Sunday. We had a lot of fun and then it started to rain.
For Thanksgiving we made the 3 hour trip to Grandma's house. We had a lot of fun playing with all the relatives. The girls did napped all the way up to Grandma's but they were a little fussy on the way home( I think they were upset they didn't get any pie).

Snow Drop is a cute little explorer. Snow Drop is looking forward to going home on Saturday.

Our Holly has found her forever family and is now Sophie. Sophie is looking forward to going home in Saturday as well.

Princess LoLa is looking forward to being this years Miss Wisconsin.

Peppermint enjoyed having Thanksgiving at Grandma's house, even if she didn't get any stuffing.

Frosty enjoyed all the Cousins that came to Grandmas to play.

Ivanna always steals the show. So much puppy in such a little package.

The dog in the purple shirt is "Aunt Minnie." Every litter one of our other female Bichons will be the prime baby sitter, this litter both Rose and Minnie have enjoyed playing Aunt. In this photo you can see Ivanna trying to get Minnie to play. Ivanna tugged and tugged but Minnie just kept eating.
Of course we always take too many pictures of the puppies if you would like to see more.

This week the puppies will start going home with there forever families. The Girls are soo excited to start their new adventures at home.

All of our puppies have homes right now, we are looking forward to 3 litters of puppies in 2010. If you would like to reserve a puppy from one of our up coming litters please send us an email.
Ta For Now
Loretta

Fawkes puppies are 6 weeks old!

2009-11-20T12:06:00.004-06:00

Our Little Princesses are growing like weeks. Everyday they become a little more sure of themselves and explore further from the safety of mom. This week the puppies favorite event was the mock tea party. All the girls dressed up and we took out all the toys to play with.

This is Frosty playing with the favorite toy of the week. It is a ball with little balls inside, when the ball rolls the little balls inside jingle. I found it in the cat department and the puppies just love it.

Time for a quick snack and then back to play.

Our Holly is quite a little explorer, she will wonder off into the kitchen looking for new smells. After a while she will bark and then run back into the living room to play with all her sisters.

Frosty let me know she was so excited that it was time for pictures. Frosty is a little slow to start but once she gets going she loves to play.

This is Peppermint candy she is just too sweet. She is a little princess, full of sugar and spice.

This is Lola (formerly Crystal). Lola is a card and a half. I am afraid she will have all of Wisconsin charmed into doing her bidding by spring.

Snow Drop is such a fun puppy. Snow Drop is also an explorer, with a side of Super Model thrown in just for fun. Snow Drop is looking forward to going home with a great Mom and Dad and 2 fun canine siblings to play with.

Ivanna is our little joy. She has lots of personality packed into a little package. Ivanna is still a little to small for all the dresses so she picked out a sailor shirt for our tea party. When she was done playing dress up like a good little girl she undressed herself and left her shirt on the floor.
This week the puppies are enjoying pulling each others leashes and making knots for us to untangle. The puppies also enjoyed their first trip to Petsmart. We have had a dreary week and the puppies are looking forward to playing outside again. Maybe we will finally get to go to the park.
As of right now Peppermint and Frosty are pending payment. Holly is still looking for her forever family. If you are interested please send us an email.
I have posted over 100 pictures of the puppies this week. If we make it to the park I will add more. They are just too cute.
Have a great weekend,
Loretta

Play Time!

2009-11-15T12:57:00.008-06:00

I just had to share this snapshot. I found daddy and his little princesses all snuggled up in the same crate this afternoon. I thought it was just too precious to pass up.

This week the puppies had their first visit with Dr Quam and Bea. They each had a thorough check up, shots, worming and gave lots of kisses to Bea. All the puppies are healthy and very happy to hear they can now have visitors, Go on car rides and maybe a trip to the park if the weather is nice.

This is Peppermint Candy, she is the second smallest puppy. Peppermint is a bit reserved, she likes to take her time and assess new things before jumping in.

This is our Frosty. Frosty is a lot like Peppermint, she takes a little time before she jumps into the fray. Once she gets going, she loves to play.

This is Holly. Holly Loves to give Kisses to everybody. Even cats.
Holly loves to explore. You can always tell Holly apart in group shot because she loves sleeping on her back.

This is a picture of Crystal and Daddy. Crystal picked out her forever family today and is looking forward to exploring Wisconsin. All the trees to smell, all the cheeses to beg for.

This is Snow Drop. Snow Drop picked out her forever family on Saturday. Snow Drop is looking forward to chasing her new siblings all over the yard. ( This photo was changed Nov 17, I had accidentally uploaded a pic. of Crystal). Sorry everybody.

Raj is one of our Puppy Training Cats. Raj loves to play chase, but his favorite game is tug-of-war with the puppies leashes. THis is a shot of Raj and Snow Drop playing in the yard.

Ivanna is such a little doll. Ivanna is a big dog in a little body, she always makes us laugh.
Ivanna is looking forward to meeting her human siblings in a few weeks.

This is Holly checking out a chicken named Dashing(for his good looks). We have a greenhouse just off the living room for the puppies to play in when the weather outside is too cold or rainy, and in the greenhouse we have a few chickens and 2 angora rabbits. The puppies love to explore and smell all the new things we add to the greenhouse.
This week the puppies will be starting to sleep in a plastic kennel in the living room together(mom will be in a kennel right next to them). Wednesday we will divide the puppies in half and they will sleep 3 in each crate, Saturday we will have 2 puppies in each crate and by Thanksgiving each puppy will be sleeping in their own room (plastic kennel). I think I may need to sew more blankets :)
We do still have 3 little girls looking for their forever families, please feel free to email with any questions any time.
I have added lots of pictures to our Picasa site.

I better go check on the girls, have a great week!
Ta for now
Loretta

Fawkes puppies are 4 weeks old and clean!

2009-11-05T10:58:00.005-06:00

It sure is amazing how much the puppies change each week. The puppies are starting to voice all their concerns about food and making sure mom knows when they want attention.

Yesterday the puppies had their first spa day. Each puppy had a foot massage, pedicure, and of course a bath and blow dry. The puppies also were introduced to brushes and combs, their hair really isn't long enough yet so we just practiced.

This is our Holly, she is still the biggest puppy. Holly decided on a purple collar.

Frosty decided on a pink collar with white and pink spots.

Peppermint Candy went with a red and white stripped collar. She is just too sweet.

Snow Drop Decided on a light blue collar. Snow Drop reminds me of a snow ball. She has very long hair that just poofed out.

Crystal went with a purple stripped collar. Crystal looks like she may have a beige ear on her left. It is still pretty light but there is a difference.

Ivanna is just too cute. She may be the smallest puppy, but she makes up for it in gumption. She doesn't let any of her sisters push her around.

Nap time with Sam.

We were very happy to here the weather in Iowa is supposed to be warm this weekend. The puppies will be able to go outside and explore this weekend. This afternoon they will spend a half an hour or so in the green house, walking on gravel for the first time will be fun. This week the puppies will be more active than they have been in the past and will enjoy meeting the cats, rabbits and chicks. They may even start to play with the mountain of toys we have ready for them. :)
Ok, I just want to warn you I have been very camera happy, if you want to seen lots more pictures of the puppies.

We only have 3 puppies still available if you are interested in adding one of our princesses to your family please send us an email.
Ta for Now,
Loretta

Fawke's Puppies are 3 weeks old!

2009-10-30T14:08:00.002-05:00

Dinner with mom. This is mama Fawkes feeding her pups.

The puppies are now starting to eat puppy Gruel. Puppy gruel is made by soaking Purina Pro Plan Puppy food in Puppy milk and then blending the soaked food to make a gruel. Right now they tend to make a big mess walking through the food more then they eat it. The puppies do however enjoy licking the gruel off of each other!

This is our little Peppermint Candy.

This is Snow Drop looking for a tasty treat.

Holly is still the biggest puppy of the litter
.

This is Crystal, she is a card.

This is our cute little Frosty.

This is Ivanna she was known as Tinkerbell.
Ivanna was very excited to hear she will be going home with a wonderful family in Massachusetts this December.
This past week the puppies have been learning to crawl around and explore their surroundings. The puppies are still a little wobbly as they crawl about, and very cute too. The puppies are messy in all of the photos because they are having the opportunity to eat gruel 3 times a day. I took all of the pictures just after they had finished eating and cleaning each other off a bit,
so that everyone could enjoy the mess.
I also wanted to apologize for being late this week, I really wanted to get some natural light for the photos, mother nature had other ideas.
Please enjoy all the pictures in our Picasa Album
The puppies are looking forward to their fist spa day next week. Probably on Tuesday or Wednesday depending on when we have sun. The puppies will have their first real bath, and get their new collars.
Please feel free to email or call with any questions.
Ta For Now,
Loretta

Fawkes Puppies are 2 weeks old!

2009-10-21T11:06:00.008-05:00

The girls are growing like weeds and starting to get into trouble already!

This is the biggest puppy she is already 25 ounces! She has been getting teased, the boys in the house have been calling her big Birtha so we have given her the nickname Holly.
Holly is already starting to explore and she can't even see yet!

This is Snow Drop, formerly Puppy #3. Snow Drop is a pretty little girl, she is 18 ounces today.

This is Peppermint Candy, formerly puppy #5.
Peppermint still has her eyes closed, she is17 ounces.

This little cutie is Crystal formerly puppy #4. Crystal is 17.5 ounces today.

This little charmer is Frosty, formerly puppy #2. Frosty is 19 ounces today. Frosty's eyes are just starting to open.

This is Tiny Tinkerbell, she prefers Tink. Tink was the first puppy to open her eyes by a day or so. Tink is always on the move and is happy to report that she is a whopping 11 ounces big.
Yes, she is tiny but she is strong and very persistent. Tink is still being supplemented, but she is starting to let me know how much she dislikes it. I swear she is saying, "I am a big girl! I don't want to be the baby!"

In the next few days the puppies will be starting to hear sounds. Part of our puppy training is to have them listen to lots of different sounds, we use recordings of babies crying, gun shots, and other sounds that we don't have around the house. Of course the puppies get to hear all the normal house sounds like the vacuum, TV, and radio.
The biggest change for the puppies this week will be a move from their box to a playpen. Holly has decided that she wants to go exploring and we don't want her to wander too far from Mom.
To the Photo Album, this week I snapped 45 pictures.
Please feel free to email with Questions.
Ta for Now
Loretta

The New Arrivals

2009-10-16T09:51:00.004-05:00

Wednesday October 7th and into the Early hours of October 8th Fawkes had 6 little girls!
Fawkes is doing great and is really enjoying being a mom.

The puppies are now a week old and starting to get some of their coloring.
This is the biggest puppy she weighs a whopping 510 grams!

This is little girl #2 she is 370 grams. You can see she is getting a lot of her nose color already.

This is little girl #3 she is 333 grams

This is little girl #4 she is 340 grams.

This is little Girl #5 she is 335 Grams.

This is Tiny. Tiny is 209 grams and growing. I am supplementing Tiny with a product called DYNE, it is a high calorie liquid supplement. Tiny is doing great on her own, I just want give her an extra boost.
In a few of the pictures you can see where the puppies dew claws were removed. They are healing nicely and I am applying a little triple antibiotic once a day to help the healing along.
I have lots of pictures in our picasa album from The Girls Birthday and First Week.

I think we will be nicknaming the girls after the holiday season next week, that way they don't feel like a number. Right now it is really hard to tell them apart, aside from Tiny and the biggest puppy. This week we are still working on phase one of super puppy training.

Super Puppy Training involves holding the puppies in different positions for 3-5 seconds each, they also get a foot massage everyday and tactile stimulation. The whole routine takes about a minute and then back to mom.

Right now we still have 5 puppies available if you are interested please send us an email.
Ta For Now,
Loretta

Empty Nest now but not for Long.

2009-09-18T08:36:00.004-05:00

Gee I thought I had posted when Inigo went home. We were happy to see him find his forever family.

This is Fawkes and Saul.
Fawkes is due October 9th and her puppies will be ready to go home around Dec 12, if she delivers on time. Fawkes is already showing and is eating lots of puppy food.

If you are interested in reserving a puppy from Fawkes litter please let us know.
Ta For Now,
Loretta

And Then there was 1

2009-08-27T07:45:00.003-05:00

This is little Inigo Montoya he is 8 weeks old and ready to find his forever family. Little Inigo is a planner, he likes to watch what is going on before he jumps into the fray.
He is also a little clown and loves to make people laugh.

I had hoped to take new pictures today but the weather is just not cooperating, however little Inigo has been having fun jumping in the mud puddles.

I will post new pictures of Inigo as soon as the weather improves, maybe I will even post a few pictures of just how muddy a puppy can become if left to his own devices.

Our next litter of puppies is due on October 9th with a Delivery date around the 15th of December. If you are interested in reserving a Christmas puppy please send me an email.
Ta For Now

Loretta

Seven Weeks Old Today!

2009-08-19T16:36:00.003-05:00

Seven weeks old already. Time sure does fly when you are chasing puppies. Of course the puppies have been chasing butterflies. It is hard to believe they will start going home on Saturday.
Each of our puppies goes home with a food sample, collar, leash,toy,biscuits, a Purina One Folder, Home Again Microchip, shot record, oh and APRI and UABR registration Papers.

This is a picture of Fezzik on Spa day. Of course everyone loves to be pampered.
I think Fezzik would rather have a 7 course meal.

This is Inigo Montoya on Spa day. Inigo is a quiet little puppy. He loves to play but would rather play one on one than is a big pile up.

Our little Princess just after a pampered spa day. Sophia loves to be the center of attention.

Part of leash training is playing with Raj. Raj and Goofy are our puppy training cats, they love to play with the puppies, they also start leash training them.

This is Westley at the park trying out the swing. He is very excited to be going home with his family on Saturday.
I have lots of pictures of the puppies at the park in this weeks Picasa Album.
Please feel free to call or email with questions about the puppies.
Ta For Now,
Loretta

Minnie's Pups are 6 weeks old!

2009-08-12T18:20:00.002-05:00

This week the puppies have been very busy. They experienced their first hail storm on Sunday, it was very loud. We have also been socializing the puppies with the bunnies, cats and Dexter our pot bellied pig.
The puppies had their first vet check up today. The vet listened to their hearts and checked out their eyes and ears. After checking them from top to bottom they got their shots and worming.

Inigo Montoya is one of the quieter puppies. He is very laid back, but he still likes to play.

Fezzik is the gourmet at the moment, tasting everything.

This is Sophia. She is now also looking for a home.
Sophia is the loudest puppy this week. If you are looking for a puppy that will bark to go potty and bark to come in she is your girl.

This is Westley out little explorer. He has found his ultimate treasure, a forever family. Westley has a very gentle nature, He even took a nap with Arwin one of our Angora rabbits.
More pictures of the puppies playing with the bunnies, Dexter and each other.

We are very happy we can now take the puppies out to play. This week we have a trip to the park scheduled, a morning at the flea market planned and we will find a day to make a trip down to Petsmart in Ankeny too.
Feel Free to email with questions or comments.
Ta for Now,
Loretta

Minnie's Puppies are 5 weeks old!

2009-08-05T11:09:00.004-05:00

Wow, it is hard to belive the puppies are 5 weeks old already. Over the past few days the puppies have started teething and now they have little teeth.
This week will be very loud at our house as in the evenings the puppies will start Kennel training and mom will get to sleep by herself.

This is little Fezzik. He is a little charmer.

This is little Inigo Montoya. He is the smallest of the litter by only by a few hairs. This week he was storming the Castle (ok, he was just checking out all the new smells)

This is Westley. Westley is a very special puppy, this weekend his new family came to visit. Westley is very happy to have found a family he can call his own.

Our little Princess Sophia. She is just too cute!

This week the puppies will start to practice leash training so they can go to the park and play next week. The puppies also have their first vet visit on August 12th. Looks like we will have a busy week.
I took way too many pictures this week.

More soon,
Loretta

Minnie's Puppies 3.5 weeks old!

2009-07-26T17:15:00.002-05:00

Our little Puppies are starting to explore the world around them. But first things first explorers need to eat. The puppies are starting to eat Puppy Gruel. Puppy Gruel is made of Dog kibble soaked for 3 hours or more in Puppy Milk and then blended to a smooth baby cereal. Yum.

Little Westley is such a prince.

Inigo Montoya is growing quickly.

Fezzik is just too cute.

And our little Princess Sophia. What a group they make.
More Pictures

Ta For Now,
Loretta

Minnie's Puppies are almost 3 weeks old.

2009-07-20T12:39:00.004-05:00

The puppies are almost 3 weeks old! This is a picture of Daddy and Fawkes checking out the new kids on the block. Fawkes thought they really needed Temporary names.
We decided to use names from "The Princess Bride" for the boys.

This is Little Westley. He is the only puppy that is exploring so he needed an explorers name.

This is Fezzik. Fezzik has really great markings so far.

Inigo Montoya is the smallest puppy.

This is little Sophia. She is just to cute.

In the next week the puppies should start to explore a little bit.
More Pictures
More Soon
Loretta

Eyes Opening!

2009-07-15T09:54:00.004-05:00

The puppies are starting to open their eyes!

Hey look! My eyes are almost open.

I can see you...

Me too!
The puppies can't see much just yet mostly shadows and changes in light.
Of course there are more Pictures.
Soon after their eyes open they start exploring the world around them.
More Soon,
Loretta

Puppies, Puppies, Puppies!

2009-07-14T09:21:00.005-05:00

Minnie's Puppies are doing really well. They still sleep most of time.

The 3 Musketeers.
If you have any name suggestions for the 3 little boys please send me a note, as we have not been able to agree on names yet.

And little Sophie.

I will have more pictures up as soon as their eyes open.
Ta For Now,
Loretta

2 Puppies have found homes!

2009-07-06T18:23:00.004-05:00

I just wanted to let everybody know that 2 of Minnie's little angels have already found homes: Our little girl and one of the boys. We still have 2 boys available.
Minnie and the puppies are doing very well.
They still sleep most of the time, but they are just too cute.

Of course eating is important too.

I will have more pictures of the puppies soon.
Ta For Now,
Loretta

Minnie's Puppies Birthday!

2009-07-01T14:39:00.005-05:00

The Puppies Have Arrived!!
Last night around 10 pm Minnie went into labor and an hour later the first puppy arrived.

The last puppy was born around 2:30 AM for a total of 4 beautiful little puppies.

Minnie had 3 boys in a row.

The last but not least was a little girl. She was just waiting for a dramatic entrance.
Minnie is doing great and will not leave the puppies alone for even a minute. We had to put her food and water just outside her nesting box so she would eat and drink.
More Birthday Pictures
More soon,
Loretta

Due Date Mix Up

2009-06-27T07:58:00.003-05:00

Minnie Update
All week I have been worrying and fretting about Minnie's pups.
Friday I decided to call the vet,
as I was getting ready to call the vet I went to my calender to double check dates and went beet red.
Some how I only counted out 8 weeks instead of 9 weeks.
So Minnie isn't actually due until This coming Wed.
Minnie is doing well, getting lots of treats and cuddles.

I am both embarrassed and Relived that I miss counted when Minnie was Due. Minnie generally has her pups early so I was very concerned when she was late.

Minnie said she wouldn't tell If I gave her extra treats!
More Soon,
Loretta

Fancy Found Her Family!

2009-06-22T16:57:00.002-05:00

Fancy has found her forever family in Clinton.

If you are still looking for a puppy Minnie is Due to deliver this week.
I will update the blog as soon as she delivers.
Ta For now,
Loretta

Fiona and Fancy are 8 weeks old!

2009-06-18T10:55:00.002-05:00

I am happy to let every one know that Fiona has found her forever family. She has been renamed Sophie and is looking forward to going home tomorrow evening.

Little Fancy is still looking for her forever family. She is positive she will find them soon.
Fancy is a very active puppy who loves to do tricks.

Fancy Loves to entertain and be the center of attention.

I hope to find time over the weekend to photograph the puppies having a bath and grooming. We shall see how the weekend shapes up.
We are also looking forward to Minnie having puppies the middle of next week.
Ta For Now
Loretta

Trip to the Park

2009-06-11T16:15:00.003-05:00

This is such a great shot! This is the best description of Fancy and Fiona. Fancy is always the circus clown, she always makes me laugh. Fiona is a princess, she plays the part just perfect too.

Action Shot!
Fiona going down the slide. Always have someone at the bottom of the slide ready to catch, just in case.

How do we get down?
Lots of slides are too high for puppies to jump down safely so we always give them a hand.

After all that exploring Fancy is ready for a nap.

Puppies love to chew and our Princess Fiona is always checking things out.
A firm NO and a distraction always does the trick to stop unwanted chewing behavior.
Our Pictures from the park.
More Later
Ta

Fiona And Fancy are 6 weeks old!

2009-06-08T07:05:00.003-05:00

Fiona and Fancy have had a very busy week. This week they enjoyed a trip to the park, their first visit to Petsmart and a trip to the vet. They also enjoyed rolling around in the mud right after their bath. Ah the joys of being a puppy!

This is Fiona and Goofy. Goofy is one of our puppy training cats. He is very good with the puppies and teaches the puppies everything they need to know about cats.

We always keep our puppies until they are 8 weeks old because between the ages of 6 and 8 weeks of age they learn lots of social skills from each other and the other Bichons we have at home. Right now they are learning that biting hurts! As their teeth come in they become very nippy, by biting each other they learn what it feels like to be bitten. If they try to bite an adult Bichon they receive a Warning to stop. If they bite a cat they get scratched.
Dexter doesn't mind being bitten but I do!
This little play fight only lasted a minute and then the puppies were off chasing again.

Here is a cute picture of Fancy. She is a charmer.

Here is a picture of our little princess Fiona.
It is a lot of fun watching them grow up, but a lot of hard work too. This week they started sleeping in their own kennels. Fiona is having a harder time getting used to the idea of being alone at night. During the day when they are tired we often find them sleeping in Rose or Minnie's kennel.
Kennel training is a great tool for potty training. The main rule is when you are not spending time with the puppy she goes into her kennel(plastic ones work best). A dark kennel is like a den, I like to tell children that the kennel is your puppies room. At about 9 pm they go to bed and first thing in the morning they go out to potty( I bring out a cup of coffee). They tinkle and then play for 10 min before they have a BM. I love being able to start potty training in good weather. After having 15-20 min of play time they are ready to eat and then nap. Whenever we go to town they also spend time in the kennel. It is important that puppies always go strait outside when they leave the kennel(unless the door was left open), even if they were only locked in for a few minutes. The puppies also use their kennel when they go for a ride in the car. Ok, enough about training More Pictures Please!

More Pictures of Fiona and Fancy
I will add some pictures of the girls at the park later this week.
Ta for now!

Fiona and Fancy are 5 weeks old!

2009-06-01T19:28:00.001-05:00

Fiona and Fancy are 5 weeks old!

This week they discovered Dexter our pot bellied pig. Dexter loves puppies!

Dexter has two main reasons to love puppies. First he loves when they spill food and he gets to clean up the mess! Second he loves when puppies crawl all over and chew on his ears and feet! I am not sure why but whenever a puppies gets close to Dexter he lies down. Dexter will gladly spend hours entertaining puppies.

The puppies have also been spending time terrorizing all the other dogs. Winnie is visiting from Minnesota and has been a target all week. This weekend they had her doing the splits.

Minnie has been the favorite snuggle aunt this week (she is due to have a litter of puppies late this month). Fawkes always gets the puppies involved in a game of tag. Mamma Rose has been wrestling with the puppies.

Daddy Saul has introducing the puppies to all the fun things on the farm to check out.

Fancy is very fancy with beige ears. Fancy is also the puppy to choose if you want a dog to do tricks. She already has 2 tricks that always get attention. She is a little more active, always getting into things. I think Fancy will be a little more work, she will want to learn tricks and be the center of attention. She is always making me laugh.

Fiona is like a proper princess she is very pretty and laid back. She waits for things to come to her. Don’t get me wrong like a proper princess she can make a stink when she doesn’t get her way, but she doesn’t do it often. Fiona will make a great dog for someone who has to leave her alone when they go to work. She always gets and AWWW!

This week the puppies are starting leash training. To start we let the puppies walk us and then we gradually change roles. The puppies are also starting kennel training without mom. This week they will sleep together in a kennel and next week they will start sleeping alone. To finish up their busy schedule they will have at least 2 trips to the park, and they are very excited to meet the vet.

Click here for more fun pics of the pups.

Ta For Now!

Fiona and Fancy are 4 weeks old!

2009-05-26T15:00:00.003-05:00

So Fiona and fancy are now 4 weeks old! they've been very active little pups, all over the place getting dirty, so everyone got a bath and brush this weekend. Here are the pictures!

(More can be found in the Picasa Album)

Fiona was very happy to get her first bath, and didn't complain at all.

Fancy was a little more timid, but came out happy in the end.

Here she is next to a pretty little dandelion. Cute!

Mommy Rose always loves her baths, and really enjoyed getting groomed. She's a doll.
Daddy Saul is a very affectionate old boy, and while he may not love his baths as much as mommy does, he tolerates them well.

As always, if you have any questions at all, don't hesitate to ask us, and have a wonderful week!

~Loretta and Kim

Fiona and Fancy!

2009-05-15T23:15:00.003-05:00

Fiona and Fancy opened their eyes and are now walking about! Aren't they so adorable?

New Names

2009-05-01T11:09:00.002-05:00

Rose checking out the photo shoot.
We have decided that the puppies new names are.......

Fiona and Fancy

This is little Fiona.

And Fancy

At 1 week old the girls are still spending all their time with mom. They have started super puppy training. Super Puppy Training involves holding the puppies in different positions for 3-5 seconds each, they also get a foot massage everyday and tactile stimulation. The whole routine takes about a minute and then back to mom. If you just can't get enough of Fancy and Fiona I have posted more pictures on my picasa site.

Fancy and Fiona will be ready to go to new homes in June.
Minnie will be having her litter of puppies right about then too!
Ta for Now

The Puppies are Here!

2009-04-24T13:18:00.003-05:00

This is our very pregnant Rose at 8 am this morning. She was in labor when we woke up at 6AM, at 6:50 her water broke. As I collected all the puppy birthing supplies Rose followed me from room to room wagging her tail. I collected several clean towels and sat down on the living room floor with her. Rose had other ideas, after jumping on every chair in the living room Rose decided to have her puppies on the Lazyboy (not to worry it had several layers of towels).
I was very worried about her, and called the vet just in case of an emergency. I have a really nice vet, I called every hour to check in and we agreed that if she didn't have her puppies by 10am we would have to do a C-section.

This is Rose and her new little girl. This little gal was born at 9:45 am, just as I was getting ready to call the vet again.

Rose had another little girl at 11 am. What a pair they make!

Rose and the girls have been moved from the Lazyboy into her kennel behind the Lazyboy. I hope you have a great weekend. I will post more pictures of the girls next week.
Ta for now,
Loretta

April Update

2009-03-31T08:16:00.003-05:00

We love to cuddle. In this picture we are baby sitting my cousins princess Winnie.
After much contemplation we have decided to only have puppies over the late spring and summer months. I am a big believer in socialization at an early age and being able to go to the park and play is a great way to get out and explore and meet new friends. Our puppies start going for rides in the car at 5 weeks and start meeting new friends as soon as they have had their fist shots at 6 weeks.

This is our little Rose. She is the smallest Bichon in our house at 7 pounds. Rose is expecting a litter of puppies the end of April.

This is Saul our Man of the house. He is around 12 pounds.
More Later. Ta for now.

Happy Homes

2008-10-25T17:23:00.004-05:00

I am happy to report all of our puppies have found their forever homes.
Ricky went home to Altoona today with a very cute Crestipoo.
I had never seen a crestipoo before, I was amazed at how soft her hair was. And Soo Cute!

We are starting a waiting list for our spring/summer 2009 puppies.
If you would like to add one of our Bichon Puppies to your family let us know.

This is Rose. She is the digger of our family.
She is also the smallest Bichon in our family. Rose weighs between 7-8 pounds.

This is Minnie. Minnie is 5 years old and the queen of our family.
Minnie is our largest female Bichon she weighs between 12-14 pounds.
In this picture she is pregnant with her first litter. This is Fawkes. Fawkes is the joker of the family, she always makes me smile.
Fawkes weighs between 9-11 pounds.
Fawkes is also our underdog, she had 9 puppies in her first litter.
Most Bichons have 4-5 puppies in a litter.
This is Saul. Saul is a GREAT Dad, he loves to play with all of his little ones.

More soon, I love taking pictures of the family.
Ta ta for now.

Ricky Ricardo is 10 weeks old!

2008-10-23T16:13:00.003-05:00

We have had a very busy fall, and are looking forward to a quiet winter -
Well less busy, anyway.

Little Ricky is the only puppy we have left still looking for a home.
He and momma Rose love to play tag the morning -
Then I feel like an old lady when I say
"It is all fun and games until someone knocks an eye out!"

This week has been cold and rainy so we took pictures in the house.
Ricky doesn't seem to mind the cold weather as much as I do, it must be his beautiful fur coat!
Goofy waits by the door until Ricky comes out to play, then they wrestle in the leaves and Mud.

Ricky loves to travel and meet new people.
He is such a Charmer!

He loves to cuddle up after dinner and watch TV. "Keeping up Appearances" is his all time favorite.

He loves to try new treats. This week he discovered smoked pig ears.
Ricky thinks they are great! Maybe next week he will discover breath mints!
More Pictures of Ricky!

We are a funny bunch at our house, this last litter was given names from the British comedy Keeping up Appearances. Last weekend we were raking Grandma's yard and I asked has anyone seen Richard.
I start calling Richard, Richard.
My husband just stood there and looked at me with a funny smile and said,
"What, I am right here."
I replied,
"No,Richard the puppy."
So now I ask, has anyone seen Little Ricky.

More Later, Ta Ta for now.

Puppy Update

2008-10-22T07:27:00.002-05:00

As of this morning we only have Ricky still looking for his new family. I hope to have new pictures up later today. We will see how the morning goes.

Lucy Ball went home over the weekend. She was very excited to be living in Ames, several of her siblings live in Ames so maybe she will run into them on walks.

Buddy (BJ) was very excited yesterday to find out that he will be going home on Sunday. Buddy asked that I wait to give him a bath so he can be sparkling clean when he goes home. With the rain today I think I will wait.

New Names

2008-10-15T09:31:00.005-05:00

We have had a very busy week!
The puppies have been working on house training, and enjoy going to the park at least once a week. Of course, going to the pet store is their favorite as they get to pick out treats.

I have changed Hyacinth's name to Lucy. She has grown and developed a personality of her own, and Lucy suits her better. When Lucy wants to sit on my lap she bounces up and down until I pick her up. When she is really excited outside, she bounces like a ball. So Lucy Ball fits her just right. I have also made new folders of the puppies, so each puppy has their own album of pictures. Her album is: Lucy Ball

I have changed Richard to Ricky - Not a big change. Ricky is a great little guy who will face whatever life throws his way. He loves to explore, so if you like to travel or just go for long walks in the park, Ricky is your guy. Here are pictures of Ricky Ricardo.

Ricky and Lucy love to take naps together.

Bj, the puppy Formerly known as WILLIE, was returned to us October 8th because he had too much energy for the elderly people that adopted him. He is potty trained and enjoys sitting on my lap while I watch TV in the evening. BJ loves car rides and walks in the park. BJ also likes to be called Buddy. Pictures of BJ

Please feel free to contact me with any questions! If you would like to see more pictures of the puppies with their litter mates, click
Puppies

Keeping Up Apperances Episode #8

2008-10-07T14:48:00.005-05:00

This weekend Onslow and Violet went home with their new families!

Richard and Hyacinth are still looking for homes. While they wait they have been having lots of fun going to parks and meeting new people.

Hyacinth is a quiet little princess. She loves long walks in the park and playing dress up.

Richard just woke up from a nap and I caught this pose. He is also a quiet little guy. Our little explorer, he would love to be your traveling companion.

This is Fawkes with Richard. Fawkes is another of our female Bichons that enjoy taking turns baby sitting the puppies.If you would like to see more of this weeks pictures
CLICK HERE
or check out our album and see the puppies as they grew
Here

This is our last litter of puppies for the year. We will be taking deposits for Spring/Summer 2009 puppies soon. Let us know if you are interested. We hope to here from you soon.
Ta Ta for now!

To the Park!

2008-10-02T12:25:00.003-05:00

Yesterday we took another trip to the park in Ames. This time I remembered to bring the camera. Ok, in reality this time I packed a basket with all the puppy toys and treats and had room for the camera, so we were packed and ready to go the night before. I always forget something if I don't prepare ahead of time.

Why do I dress the puppies up?

Mostly training but also it makes them easier to identify in the pictures. They tend to move quickly and a tee-shirt or dress makes editing the pictures much quicker. If they happen to go home to a family that likes to play dress up it is a bonus because they are used to playing.

This is Richard. He is our little explorer, he seems to travel the farthest the fastest. This morning he took and adventure to the other side of the house, I had to quick find a flash light. Of couse by the time I found the flash light he was waiting by the door with this look on his face. I just can't resist that look and swooped him up for some cuddles.

This is Hyacinth. She is just too cute. She loves to cuddle in the Lazyboy with me. She is a quiet little princess, and loves to play dress-up.

This is little Onslow. Onslow is a go getter. When he is tired he likes to lay by my feet for a nap. With the weather getting colder he is my current favorite.

Violet and Emmit have already found homes and are very excited to go home in the next week or so.

This is our little Violet.

And our Emmit.

If you would like to see more pictures
click here

Of course you can always email. We check our email several times a day and are happy to answer any questions you may have.
My email is lorettaspins@gmail.com

We hope to here from you soon. Ta Ta for now.

Play Time!

2008-10-01T12:00:00.006-05:00

This week I wanted to share a little more about the puppies upbringing. Having a lot of safe experiences while puppies are young helps them be better adjusted adults. We start by exploring outside in our yard when the puppies are around 4 weeks old(the weather has a lot to do with when we start). After the puppies have had their first set of shots we start exploring farther and farther from home. We go to the park, the pet store and we try to do at least 1 trip to Grandma's house (a 3 hour drive). This afternoon we are going to the park, I should have the pictures up tomorrow.

This is Minnie. All of our adult dogs play with the puppies. Kind of like baby sitting or having a really cool aunt. They play chase and hide and seek. They also teach the puppies when it is time to stop playing, with a bark or a growl.

This is a set of pictures with our puppy proofing cats. We have 3 or 4 cats that love puppies, but we live on a hobby farm so we also have cats that dislike puppies/dogs. Raj and Goofy are the first to come over and play. Here we are having a Scavenger Hunt. We scattered treats in the yard and everyone is looking for a quick snack. Raj and Goofy are great with the puppies and love to play. As with all good baby sitters they have fun but also teach the puppies when they have had enough in a firm but gentle way.

Click here for more pictures

In the pictures the boys have had a bath, but the Sun was starting to set so the Girls had their bath after the photo shoot. I should have pictures of the puppies at the park up sometime tomorrow. Ta Ta for now!

Keeping Up Apperances Episode #5

2008-09-23T08:45:00.003-05:00

Today we go to the vet and get shots and a full check-up!

The puppies are 6 weeks old today and they are having a great time. Sunday we went to Grandma's house for a visit. A 3 hour car ride and everyone the whole way. The puppies are enjoying playing outside and playing hide and seek in the house. This week we have several outings planned, so they will have more car experience and some leash training.

Here are the stars of the blog!

This is Hyacinth: she is a bundle of fun and loves to play.

Richard is our little explorer. He travels the farthest in the shortest amount of time.

This is Onslow. He loves to play and cuddle.

Mommy Rose.

Daddy Saul

Violet has already picked out a family and is excited to meet all her new brothers.

Emmet has also found a family, and can't wait to hear about Disney Land!

For More pictures click here!