Bluestem Kennels

The pups are all getting big, have their eyes wide open and are waddling around.  They just started on canned puppy food yesterday.  Another week or so and they’ll want to start spending time outside, right now they stay in their box with the garage door open for sunshine, fresh air and outside sounds and smells.

Here is this week’s video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LV4g9fQYaco

I’ve also started banging tins when I’m around to get them used to loud noises, which is part of how I start my process of gun exposure.  The pups will be too young to finish the whole process, the rest is left up to the owners.  I wrote an article about my puppy bird and gun exposure process a few years back and titled it “Early Exposure for the Gun Dog Puppy” and it is reprinted here: https://bluestemkennels.com/2016/08/08/early-exposure-for-the-gun-dog-puppy/

They will be up and moving next week, as well as eating lots of soft food, so come back and check them out then.  I hope everyone is enjoying the spring sunshine as much as we are.

It has been quite a week for the residents of Bellevue, Nebraska and the entire state of Nebraska for that matter.  By now you’ve seen it on the news I’m sure. The most shocking for us is that the neighborhood that we moved out of 16 years ago is under water.  Even today, the mobile homes are up to their windows with water.  The great thing is that we’ve all rallied together to take care of those impacted by the flood.  I wish that I had more to give for the relief effort, but 15% of the deposit money from this litter of pups went to food for those impacted by the flood here in Bellevue (the rest is needed for dog food and vet bills to keep these guys going).  So many people are coming together volunteering their time and making donations.  The Bellevue church community is running its own shelter and supply distribution center, ran entirely by local donations.  The American Red Cross is also operating a shelter and supply distribution center.  If you wish to donate to flood relief efforts in our area, please give to the American Red Cross https://www.redcross.org/local/nebraska/about-us/news-and-events/news/nebraska-flooding.html

Bluestem Kennels Flood Relief Food Donations to the Bellevue Christian Center

All of the new owners have been anxiously awaiting new phots and video now that the puppies have their eyes open and are much more mobile.  At this point, I like to put them in a new environment for 5 minutes or so every day or every other day to get them used to the idea of there being a world outside of their box.  But their favorite place is still in their box and it will be for another couple of weeks yet.  I will start spoonfeeding them mush over the next week so that we can transition to the pan

Here are the photos of the individual puppies.  They are for my record keeping and identification going forward as much as they are for anything else.  These are just names that I use as placeholders to post photos online.  I do not actually call them by these names.  In this case, I had enough “P” female names in my family to give the whole litter names.  Usually it is family and friends’ names or characters from literature.  Due to time constraints, I only do individual photos a few times.

Here is this weeks video, from their adventure on the living room floor to back in their box. https://youtu.be/I1NJSQSJOGc

Females

Phila Mae Face

Phila Mae Back

Peggy Face

Peggy Back

Penelope Face

Penelope Back

Patience Face

Patience Back

Pamela Face

Pamela Back

Males

Paul Face

Paul Back

Peter Face

Peter Back

Philip Face

Philip Back

I hope you all enjoyed those sweet faces, I know that I did!  Take care until next week and keep Nebraska in your thoughts and prayers.

Please e-mail bluestemkennels@gmail.com if you would like more information on this upcoming litter. 

I’ve been in denial about this for quite some time and only finally faced it two or three weeks ago when it was no longer able to be ignored.  The “P” Litter of 2019 cometh.  Some kennels have trouble with breedings not taking, I have trouble with taking a year off.

Pregnant Ruth napping in the sun today

We were in the middle of moving at the beginning of January when my 14 year-old son Conrad and I had to take some heavy items from the old house to the new (to us) one.  We left ten year-old Caleb at home, with Zoro in his crate and the girls in the yard.  We were gone for an hour at the most.  When I got home and saw three dogs out back and I didn’t see Ruth and Zoro in a tie, I thought maybe that Caleb had just let Zoro out and nothing had happened yet.  Wrong.

Zoro and Ruth sunbathing about a month ago

So here we are, puppies to be whelped any day.  With this being my SIXTEENTH litter in nine years, I think that I have this down and can handle it.  Get ready for some new puppy photos in the next week or so.

End of Hunting Season

Charles was able to get out for sharptailed grouse, pheasant and quail, all on public land right here in Nebraska this year.  Hunting season came and went and unfortunately I never made it out.  The hearing in my right ear is really starting to go and I’m not sure if I’m just going to suck it up and deal with it, wear an ear plug just in my right ear or slow down with hunting for awhile.  Charles is already deaf and loves to get out and chase birds, so I never have to worry about the dogs getting out.  I’ve done the Nebraska Grand Slam in my hunting career and I’m really wanting to get the out-of-state trips in once the kids are all grown.  I’m just going to keep getting in better shape and praying about it.

Charles and Zoro with some Southeast Nebraska quail, January 2019

Zoro in the snow a week ago

The dogs and the move

It has been quite an adjustment going from just living with the one youngest dog in the house with the older ones spending their most of their time outside kenneled to having three indoor dogs.  Of course, the dogs think that it is great being full time housepets.  I enjoy the company while I work from home during the day and not having the hassle of outdoor chores.

What is most suprising is how we’ve adjusted to not having a fenced yard.  Luckily it is a pretty remote neighborhood with no busy streets nearby, everyone has dogs so there are no complaining neighbors and the 3/4 of an acre is distributed equally around the house, so it is sort of a dog track.  We can walk on the sidewalk around the house and the dogs can range out and stretch their legs in the yard.  Even though we border a 2000 acre forest, the neighborhood full of dogs keeps the deer and raccoons pushed back so that the Griffs don’t seem to want to go out and chase.

The Winter of our discontent

This has been a very snowy and cold winter for many of us to say the least.  A record snowfall year in the Omaha metro area with plenty of snow days for the kids and teachers to enjoy.  Not sure what it is going to do to bird numbers across the plains, but we’ll find out in the fall.

My son just called that he is ill at school so it is time to say goodbye for now.  Until puppies!