All puppies have homes at this time, but email bluestemkennels@gmail.com to be on the contact list in the event that someone backs out at the last minute.
Here’s today’s two week update of the “X” litter pups between Obi x Sally.
Sally and the “X” Litter pups
Everyone is developing as they should, with their eyes opening and scooting around on their little legs. Here is the YouTube video for the week:
Here are their individual photos. We don’t even start the process of evaluating for homes until around the 5-6 week mark, but this is where we start to be able to tell them apart. I do not call them by these names, these are just for online identification purposes only.
Males:
Xander
Male Xander faceMale Xander body
Xavier
Male Xavier faceMale Xavier body
Xerxes
Male Xerxes faceMale Xerxes body
Females:
Female Xena faceFemale Xena body
Xantia
Female Xantia faceFemale Xantia body
Xaria
Female Xaria faceFemale Xaria body
Xandra
Female Xandra faceFemale Xandra body
Xyla
Female Xyla faceFemale Xyla body
I’ll be back on Wednesday with the three week update of the “W” litter between Duke and Briar. They are getting really big and active, so it will be fun to try and put it all together in this heat! Try to stay cool out there!
All puppies have homes at this time, but email bluestemkennels@gmail.com to be on the contact list in the event that someone backs out at the last minute.
Here is the two week update of the “W” Litter:
We are planning a temporary retirement from breeding starting in 2026. Our youngest is an upperclassman in high school and our two older are back in Nebraska, so we’re needing a bit more freedom of movement than producing litters every year. 2025 is our 15th year in a row (minus one year off for COVID lockdown) and we feel like we deserve a break.
I’ve decided to have a blog post for each litter, rather than trying to cram them all in to one post. So “W” Litter will be on Wednesdays and “X” Litter will be on Sundays. So here is the video and individual photos of the “W” Litter 2025 between Cedar & Spruce’s Apollo NA III UT III “Duke” x Bluestem’s Carolina Briar Thicket JH “Briar”.
Female:
Wynonna
Female Wynonna faceFemale Wynonna back
Males:
Winston
Male Winston faceMale Winston back
Wade
Male Wade faceMale Wade back
Waylon
Male Waylon faceMale Waylon back
Wycliffe
Male Wycliffe faceMale Wycliffe back
Washington
Male Washington faceMale Washington back
Oh and last but not least, here is the YouTube video. It was a hot one, but it was their first time outside and it didn’t seem too traumatic for them.
Thanks for checking in on us, I have to get ready to put dinner on the table and then hop on to an AWPGA board call so I will talk at you again on Sunday with the “X” litter.
The “V” Litter finished going home last Saturday and everyone is spoiled and loved. Our next litter will be later this year between Obi and Sally, email bluestemkennels@gmail.com.
Eva with Valentino to Arkansas
The first to go home was Valentino with Eva to Arkansas. She is a vet tech who duck hunts, so he will be well cared for and have adventures.
Tate with Victoria to Kentucky
Tate is excited to take Victoria out west for adventures and be able to leave her home with his girlfriend when he has to go out as an electrical lineman for storms. They will be based in Kentucky
Sheri, Stelios and Vance to New Jersey
Sheri and Stelios drove down all the way from New Jersey and picked up Vance early one morning. He will be a hunter and companion.
Alex and Vincent to South Carolina
Vincent went home with Alex down towards Charleston. He will hunt waterfowl and be a buddy.
Joe and his girlfriend took Vaughn to North Carolina
Vaughn went home with Joe and his girlfriend to the Raleigh, North Carolina area. They will hunt and try out NAVHDA.
It’s always fun to see everyone go home to their new families to become beloved members. I’ll take a break from blogging in between litters to catch up around the house and farmyard. I’ll be back to let everyone know when Sally comes into season for the next litter this year. Take care of yourselves until then.
If you’d like to inquire about future litters, feel free to email bluestemkennels@gmail.com. I have been quite busy as of late and am a few days behind on responses, so I apologize if you’ve sent an email this week and haven’t heard from me. Tomorrow is email day and I’ll get back with you then.
Yesterday the pups got their first shots, microchips and veterinary examinations at Steele Creek Animal Hospital right across the border in Charlotte. I’ve been going there for my orthopedic tests since we moved to the Carolinas, but the vet that I normally use doesn’t have weekend hours so I wanted to see how these folks did. I was very impressed with the professionalism, they even checked for the boys testicles without me having to ask. All of the pups checked out with a clean bill of health, weighing in between ten and twelve pounds.
Dr. Schuver of Steele Creek Animal Hospital of Charlotte
Here is this week’s YouTube video:
Here are the last individual photos of them. We did live bird and dead bird introductions. They were smitten as expected!
Female:
Female, Victoria, checking out the live quailFemale, Victoria, picking up the dead quail
Males:
Male, Vaughn, pointing the live quailCaleb walking Vaughn from the live bird to the dead quail station
I would have gotten more leash pictures, but I have a feeling that my telephoto lens is on its last legs and it was struggling to focus while they were walking. Each pup was walked on the leash by Caleb.
Male, Vaughn, picking up the dead quailMale, Valentino, checking out the live quailMale, Valentino, picking up the dead quailMale, Vincent, checking out the live quailMale, Vincent, picking up the dead quailMale, Vance, getting walked out to the live quailMale, Vance, checking out the live quailMale, Vance, picking up the dead quail
This is the exact sequence that I’ve been following with my pups for several years now and it seems to be a good first impression on birds. Of course, the owners need to continue the process of bird and noise exposure, but at least it isn’t a brand new process starting out.
Really there is nothing left to do now but send them home! I’ll make sure to catch up on the phone one more time with all of the new owners before you head over to my house. Looking forward to meeting everyone in person and getting these little monsters home!
All of these pups are spoken for, but feel free to reach out to bluestemkennels@gmail.com about our future plans.
The “V” Litter is getting downright crazy these days. Their teeth are coming in, they love to run and fight with each other, they are attacking my fan palm tree, biting my pants and shoes, you name it, they are up to it. We’ve made it through picks and so here are the pups and where they are heading.
Males:
Male, Vance, face. He’s going to New Jersey.Male, Vance, side profileMale, Vaughn, face. He’s going to North Carolina.Male, Vaughn, side profile.Male, Vincent, face. He’s staying in South Carolina.Male, Vincent, side profile.Male, Valentino, face. He’s going to Arkansas.Male, Valentino, side profile.
Female:
Female, Victoria, face. She’s going to Kentucky.Female, Victoria, side profile.
I almost forgot to add the YouTube video for the week!
We also pulled out the kiddie pool today since it was 75 degrees out and let the pups splash around in there. This week I start with cap gun fire while they run and play. They get their first vaccinations and microchips on Saturday, then Sunday they’ll get to meet some live and dead birds. Next Sunday will be our last blog post update before the puppies go home! Talk at you then.
All of these pups are spoken for, but feel free to email bluestemkennels@gmail.com regarding future litters.
I’ve had a busy weekend getting the puppies de-wormed and keeping them fed, exercised and their kennel cleaned, so I’m a little late on posting. I took the photos out of normal order, so I’m going to drop those in first, post my YouTube video and I need to get on my way for the evening and get ready for the week.
I’ll be getting with the future owners over the next week and a half about what we think is the right placement for everyone, the males are all so even, it is going to be a tough decision. They all look great as you can see! Catch you all next week!
All of these puppies have homes, but if you’d like to talk to us about future litters shoot us an email at bluestemkennels@gmail.com.
I’m a day late to post because yesterday the basement was just beyond stinky with the pups and the weather was nice enough to move them and their kennel to the back porch. They’ve made the transition from puppy mush to kibble over the last week and they still nurse when Briar lets them.
Here is this week’s YouTube video:
And here are their individual photos. Although most of the new owners and I don’t decide who is going where exactly for a couple of more weeks, we did decide that the girl is going to Kentucky to live with an electrical lineman and his girlfriend since he is gone for long periods of time during storms and she’ll be able to handle the female better. Now it is just a matter of figuring out which male will go where!
All of the puppies are spoken for, but feel free to reach out to bluestemkennels@gmail.com to inquire about future litters.
After we did our puppy video and individual puppy pictures, the little ones got their first mush meal. I mix canned puppy food with puppy milk replacer and they love it. It is always a mess since I start by spoon feeding them, then blobbing some on their blanket and letting them find the bowl. They should be ready for the puppy saucer going forward, but it is good to have the first taste out of the way so that I know they are ready for it.
First taste of puppy mush
The pups are getting up on their feet, barking, howling and wagging their tails. They are starting to seek and enjoy human attention. This is where I feel comfortable really starting to take them out of the whelping box and playing with them. If we get a warm day soon, we can go outside (but it looks like that is at least a week away).
Here is this week’s YouTube video:
Then here are their individual puppy photos. This is probably going to be the last time that I can get their individual photos by myself on an elevated surface. We’ll either have to be on the ground or I’ll have to have Caleb help me going forward.
Female:
Female, Victoria, faceFemale, Victoria, back
Males:
Male, Vincent, faceMale, Vincent, backMale, Valentino, faceMale, Valentino, back (you can see his heart spot, hence the name)Male, Vaughn, faceMale, Vaughn, backMale, Vance, faceMale, Vance, back
I spent lots of time playing with and feeding puppies today, so I need to get on with my evening. I’m glad to share with you all these cute little beings and how they grow and develop. I’ll be back next weekend.
All pups are spoken for, feel free to email bluestemkennels@gmail.com about future litters.
I felt comfortable enough with my veterinary support team in Bellevue, Nebraska to take Briar back with us to visit our adult children. The Christmas visit had been planned for a long time, but Charles left Duke and Briar together in the dog box in North Dakota in October, we confirmed a pregnancy right after Thanksgiving, so we nearly cancelled. I’ve whelped far more litters in Bellevue and have made sure to breed a line that whelps naturally without complications.
I’d had her set up sleeping next to me on a blanket in the AirBnB, but the night of the 26th she was restless and digging at the carpet under the nightstand. There was a mudroom adjacent to the outside door and it was open to the living room so that I could just set up an ex-pen to keep her from running the house tearing stuff up while she was whelping. I took up residence on the living room couch and heard the first pup arrive around 11:30 PM Central/12:30 PM Eastern (that is why their birthday is on the 27th, since that is when most of them were born, and even the first two were after midnight Eastern).
Even though the sandbox was there, she had dragged a blanket out on to the floor and was whelping on the blanket on the floor. After the second pup was born, I lifted Briar off of the floor and into the plastic sandbox with a different blanket to keep the mess contained. I didn’t have to take any sacs off of the puppies, she did it all herself and had the five pups by 1:30 AM Central/2:30 PM Eastern. Four boys and one girl, all healthy and nice with no stillborns.
We drove straight from Bellevue to home in Clover, South Carolina in one 18 hour shot. The sandbox fit perfectly in the back of my Toyota Sequoia and we kept the heat cranked up. The trip home was uneventful, we just had to make sure that Briar was walked away from the dog polluted gas stations and truck stops for fear of tracking disease in to the nest. We got the kennel set up in the basement the next day.
They are growing like weeds and all seem healthy at one week old yesterday. I have matched the puppies with their owners and the one immediate alternate knows who they are. If you are farther down the list, I’ll be in touch soon and let you know what it looks like for Sally and Obi’s litter later in the spring/summer (or if anyone drops out of this litter).
Here are their one week photos:
V Litter One Week Old
I don’t take individual photos, take videos or assign them names until they are two weeks old. This is because of potential mortality during early life, which is totally normal for breeders. These all appear healthy and strong. I will be back next Saturday to let you all know how they are doing!
For those who have emailed me in the past week, I will be sure to get back with you tomorrow, I’ve been busy matching up owners for these little ones and with the holidays. I hope that it was merry and bright for you all!
Fall 2024 was one of the busiest we’ve ever been with hunting travel, testing and hosting events! We started off in September with Obi’s NAVHDA Invitational pass, hunting the Nebraska Sandhills in October, Charles headed up to hunt North Dakota the second part of October, Charity finishing off her National Specialty Chairperson role at the 2024 AWPGA National Specialty North Carolina in November, which was the same weekend that Charles helped spearhead the Saluda River NAVHDA chapter’s first test in Newberry, South Carolina, then right after we hosted our family Thanksgiving at an AirBnB in Atlanta, Georgia, Charles headed back out to Nebraska for pheasant season! Phew! We’ll be staying home and playing with puppies for most of 2025 and we’re looking forward to it.
You can always reach us at bluestemkennels@gmail.com then we can connect via phone from there.
VC Wyo Plainsman Kenobi NA I, UPT III, UT I x 2 “Obi” and Charles with their NAVHDA Invitational Pass Photo by Ted WentinkObi on point at NAVHDA Invitational. Photo by Terry Ann FernandoObi retrieves a chukar to Charles with an Iowa skyline in the background. Photo by Terry Ann FernandoCharles got a grouse and a duck or two, Caleb got two ducks our first day
The one memorable push from the first day was we circled a pond full of ducks. The boys were on the south side and I was on the north. I had the easier walk, so I could have easily ran in and busted up the ducks off of the pond to get my own shots in. But I’ve had plenty of ducks in my time and Caleb had zero. So since I couldn’t see where the guys were at I held back. By the time the ducks were flying and the boys were shooting, I was way out of range and running in at the last minute.
Although I totally got skunked on this trip to the Nebraska Sandhills, the best part was watching Caleb connect with his first sharptailed grouse on our second day. I couldn’t see who was shooting and all that I could see was the grouse getting totally smacked. It was great shooting by Caleb and I was very proud to be there for his first grouse.
Our fifteen year-old son, Caleb, with Obi and his first sharptailed grouse in the Nebraska SandhillsHe also got a duck later on, so we took a photo of that back at his grandma’sCharles and two grouse from the same day, in my mom’s backyard with the dogs
Caleb really upped his game on the last day with two sharptailed grouse and a duck
Caleb with two grouse and a duck, Charles with two grouse in my mom’s backyard with the dogs
Sorry for the unceremonious photos, most of the time we are just documenting what we can as we are tired and hungry by this point!
While Caleb and I headed back to South Carolina after the third day, Charles stayed on in the Sandhills for a bit longer and then continued on to North Dakota for their pheasant season.
Obi and Duke with the first North Dakota roosterBelle and Obi with a couple of roosters and a grouse in North DakotaBriar retrieving a rooster on day two of North DakotaDuke and a couple of roosters on the last day of North DakotaThe natural beauty of North Dakota never disappoints
Once Charles returned from North Dakota, we were right in the thick of the first NAVHDA test for the Saluda River NAVHDA Chapter, which Charles helped found and Charity was National Specialty Chairperson for the 2024 AWPGA National Specialty North Carolina in Winston-Salem and Pinehurst, North Carolina.
Belle, 19 Griffs Texas Bluebell, earned her NAVHDA Natural Ability Prize II with 102 Points with Caleb as her junior handler. Since Charles was so busy organizing, there is photo of that unfortunately.
Charity with the Best of Breed trophy and other trophies and ribbons at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds. Photo by Ann SummerfeltBriar is now Bluestem’s Carolina Briar Thicket JH after finishing her AKC Junior Hunter title at Nationals. Owner-handled by Charity. Photo by Charles Upchurch.Judge Michelle Clemens, myself with Sally as the bye dog, then Jessica Frazier with Jewels in AKC Junior Hunter at the Sandhills Pointing Breeds Club. Photo by Jim Clemens.Jewels and Sally with a double point with their noses right on a quail. Photo by Jim Clemens
All of the “thank yous” for the specialty are in the Griffonnier, the magazine of the American Wirehaired Pointing Griffon Association, but I’d like to most especially thank my husband Charles for putting up with all of this and helping as the field chair.
Once we wrapped up the specialty and the NAVHDA test, we enjoyed a quick Thanksgiving in Atlanta, Georgia with our East Coast family, then Charles was on the road again to return to Nebraska for pheasant season.
Obi and Belle with the first pheasant of the first day in NebraskaCharles with Obi and Belle and some Nebraska pheasants and quail at the end of the first dayDuke and Sally with a rooster of day three in Nebraska
Charles was pretty worn out in the Nebraska pheasant hunt, so I don’t think that he got good photos of each day.
Nebraska is also about connecting with our folks from home
I really apologize for the four month photo dump and not much writing to go with it, but sometimes it is all I have in me. Especially after all of this activity and organizing, and now we’re going into the last 10 days before Christmas!
I realize that I have photos of hunts from some of our puppies and retired dogs that I have not had a chance to post, but those will have to wait until the new year.
I hope that you all have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Now that National Specialty is over, I will have more time to communicate with you all.
Bluestem Kennels 