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 three week update of the “W” Litter:
It has been unbearably hot here the last few days, but luckily all of the puppies are in the basement until they are four weeks old. Once they reach that age, they are able to regulate their body temperatures, plus they just get too stinky to be inside.
I haven’t started feeding these guys mush yet since they are so big and fat on mom. With there only being six, she can easily handle them. I will start mush tomorrow, just so that we can start the process over the week of them being able to gnaw on kibble once they get outside.
When I walked in this morning with the cameras they happened to be nursing, so I pulled a chair up to the kennel and stood leaning over the top to make this video:
When they are in this “in between” stage before they are running the yard, these are the worst individual photos to take. The lighting isn’t great, they don’t want to hold still, just not my best photography. But here they are anyway:
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
I’ll be back on Sunday with the three week update of the “X” litter!
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!
Bluestem Kennels 