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Pupdate: Four weeks old!

March 17, 2011

Charity Upchurch Puppy Update , , , 2 Comments

Wow, the puppies sure have changed and grown in the last week!  Right after I shot the video last week, they began escaping their “sandbox” in the laundry room and were running amok.  Luckily, mother nature worked in my favor and made it nice enough to move them back outside.  Initially, they remained in the dog house with the door flap closed, but the kids and I brought them out to play for the almost 70 degree weather yesterday and they’ve decided that outside is where it is at!

I’ve constructed a rock ramp for them to get in and out of the dog house and have opened the door.  Naturally, in the event of a weather change, I will hustle them back into the dog house and close the flap so they aren’t going in and out (unless they are so motivated that they push the door open).

They have started to eat mush consisting of Iams puppy food watered down with puppy milk replacer.  Today (Friday 03/18), I was able to get a video of them eating http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zm4XDosBbA.  I was also getting a little disgusted at the resolution of my YouTube videos, so I’m hoping that these new settings on the camera and software improve things!

Here are their face shots this week, too cute!!

Bluestem Barb

Bluestem Bart

Bluestem Ben

Bluestem Bess

Bluestem Betty

Bluestem Buster

With the lovely weather and the active puppies, I was able to shoot a nice long video (taken Thursday, 03/17), so I’ll let you take a look at that in place of body shots:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVTq_dZSJ1U They are all weighing in at right around 5 pounds and are just a joy to be around for my entire family!  We are half way to getting them to their new homes and we’re planning on enjoying our time playing with and conditioning them!

Pupdate: Three Weeks Old!

March 12, 2011

Charity Upchurch Puppy Update , , , Leave a comment

I’ve had a bit of a non-profit collision (Girl Scout cookie money collection and Pheasants Forever banquet) and haven’t had time to take individual pictures of the puppies this week, sorry!  They have started to move around on all fours, so I’m not sure if they would hold still enough for me to take photos anyway!

Here’s the video that I took on their three-week birthday on Friday: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5aAyZQslqQ

All of their eyes are open and we’ll start to try solid food (puppy food watered down with puppy milk formula) this week.

Pupdate: Two Weeks Old!

March 4, 2011

Charity Upchurch Puppy Update , , , Leave a comment

 

"B" Litter: Week 2

Once the snow started flying last weekend, we moved Sue and the puppies inside, as it appears that the temperature is going to continue to fluctuate substantially and it is easier for me to check on them this way.  They are very uniform, all weighing in right around 3 pounds.  We had a checkup with the veterinarian this week and he stated that these are very robust puppies, even for the Wirehaired Pointing Griffon breed.  He prescribed Sue some additional vitamin supplements in order to help her support a very demanding litter.  Sue seems to be holding up well and is doing her job.

It was exciting to pick up the puppies this morning to see that half of the litter has their eyes open!  I shot this video a couple of days ago: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_mVlP9iMno

Here are their individual snapshots:

Bluestem Bart

Bluestem Bart's Face - eyes beginning to open

Bluestem Bess

Bluestem Bess's Face - eyes opening

Bluestem Ben

Bluestem Ben - eyes open

Bluestem Buster

Bluestem Buster's Face - eyes open

Bluestem Betty

Bluestem Betty's Face - eyes beginning to open

Bluestem Barb

Bluestem Barb's Face - eyes open

We received some exciting news yesterday, in that our new female puppy has been born in Quebec!  So a couple of weeks after these little ones go home, I will get to travel to Canada to pick her up!

 

B Litter: 1 week old!

February 25, 2011

Charity Upchurch Puppy Update , , , 3 Comments

The litter in the outdoor dog house/whelping box, with the top off

Announcing the Bluestem Kennels YouTube Channel!  You can either follow this link to the channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/bluestemkennels or simply type bluestemkennels (as all one word) into the search field.  I have uploaded a little video that I took of the puppies on Wednesday (while it was still warm out), along with a hunting video of Sue and a “first hunt” video from one of last year’s puppies.

The puppies have grown and changed so much already in a week, it is amazing how fast things happen.  Speaking of quick changes, we’ve been on a weather rollercoaster here, going from the highs of the 50’s and 60’s then to the 20’s today.  That’s February in Nebraska for you!

For any casual readers looking for a puppy, this litter is all spoken for, but please let me know if you are interested in a pup from next year’s litter.

For my reserved buyers, please do not ask to make a pick at this time or start getting attached to any particular puppy based on these photos.  They are for informational purposes only.  The distances and perspectives are not the same on the individual photos, so size will not be distinguishable.  I am weighing and measuring the puppies, but will only release weights, measures and litter rank during the final selection process, which will be at 5-6 weeks of age.

Sue and the litter in our indoor dog studio (aka the laundry room)

The puppies will be coming home to you at 8 weeks of age, which falls on the weekend of April 16-17, so if you are planning on traveling to us to pick up the puppy you now have that information.  If the puppy is being shipped air cargo, it will go out Monday or Tuesday of the following week.

Time for some individual introductions of the puppies:

Male: Bluestem Bart

Bluestem Bart’s face

Female: Bluestem Bess

Bluestem Bess’s face

Male: Bluestem Ben

Bluestem Ben’s face

Male: Bluestem Buster

I didn’t get a face shot of Buster, but in my notes it says that he has an all-brown face with a white spot above his nose.

Female: Bluestem Betty

Bluestem Betty’s face

Female: Bluestem Barb

Bluestem Barb’s face

Like a good mother, Sue gets very upset when one of the puppies is away from the litter to be photographed, so taking the individual pictures is only a once a week event.  I look forward to sharing the amazing changes that will happen to these puppies over the next seven weeks, now in both video and still photos!

Guiding at Pheasant Haven: February 20, 2011

February 22, 2011

Charity Upchurch Guiding Hunts, Hunting Tales , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

A cool, moist day for a hunt.

Everyone wondered if we were in for rain or snow as we set out Sunday afternoon in search of pheasants and chukars.  For the first time, the owner had completely turned over the reins for this hunt and it was just Charles, Sam and I on the property with the hunters.  It was three generations of a family from a rural southeastern Nebraska town by the name of Geneva: a grandfather and great-uncle, the son and the sons-in-law, and most importantly, the grandson.

The flushes all came in singles throughout the property.  We hunted for a couple of hours, took a water break back to the cabin, then set out again for more birds for another hour and a half.  It was getting up towards supper time when we finally parted ways.  The weather cooperated and so did the dog.  The best part of the day was to see the anxiousness and timidness of the young lad melt away, turning into joy and excitement for the sport.  This was confirmed by his dad, as we all left and shook hands, he stated that his son told him, “Dad, this pheasant hunting is fun!”

A chukar partridge flushes between two hunters.

"Nothing like a good clean kill."

Charles and the youngest hunter.

A hunter walks into Sam's point.

Another chukar goes down.

Sam retrieves a chukar.

A rooster pheasant in flight.

A rooster pheasant upon impact.

The youngest hunter requests to carry a pheasant.

A happy young hunter, what it's all about!

Three generations of hunters: grandfather, grandson, son.

The hunters and their quarry along with Charles and Sam.

Pupdate: Day 3

February 22, 2011

Charity Upchurch Puppy Update , , , Leave a comment

The puppies have spent the last few days nursing and establishing their pecking order.  Whereas they were of all uniform size on day 1,  slight size and movement differences were noticeable today.

Growing babies

The pup closest to the front decides to push itself up on its front paws

Sue unwillingly took a day off from exercise the day of the whelping and is excited to be back out in the forest unburdened by a large belly.

Sue is feeling like her old self

Pupdate: Day 1

February 19, 2011

Charity Upchurch Puppy Update , , , 6 Comments

Sue took a food and water break, so I stuck my head in the dog house/whelping box to check the pups out.

The brood

Snuggle bunch

WELCOME NEW PUPPIES!!!

February 18, 2011

Charity Upchurch Puppy Update , , , 1 Comment

Most of them were born before I was up and around, but a few came this morning and the last arrived right after lunch today.  I took these shots in my utility room, where I placed them while I was cleaning out the dog house/whelping box in the kennel.  It’s been quite an adventure!

Sue tends to her brood

Busy Mama

Waiting for Puppies and Pheasant Cordon Bleu

February 14, 2011

Charity Upchurch Kennel Update, Puppy Update , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Happy Valentine’s Day from Bluestem Kennels!!  It is an extra special observance for me as a native of the North-Central Nebraska town of  Valentine, which was recently named a “Best Adventure Town” by National Geographic Adventure magazine!  Check it out: http://adventure.nationalgeographic.com/weekend-getaways/nebraska/valentine-travel Over the years, we have had some adventurous upland and waterfowl trips to the Nebraska Sandhills ourselves.

Spring is in the air here in the woodlands of Eastern Nebraska!  Robins galore, squirrels scurrying about and a pleasant morning sunshine for some photography this morning.  We are still anxiously waiting the arrival of the puppies, but I anticipate that by this time next week, I’ll have some puppy photos to share.  Of course, I will post those up as soon as they are born, so it could be any day now!  For now, here’s some shots of Sue and Sam during morning exercise.

Sue on the sniff

Sue doesn't let her big belly stop her from inspecting a deadfall

Sam looking regal in the sunlight

Sam on the sniff

Closeup of Sue's belly

Sam running to check back in

If you have any pheasant breasts hanging around in your freezer, you really should try making this Pheasant Cordon Bleu recipe for your Valentine!  It is an adaptation of a Tyler Florence chicken recipe, but it didn’t take very long and the family was very pleased with the results (as Charles cooked in restaurants in his younger days, I have a tough crowd).

  • 6 pheasant breasts, skinless and boneless
  • Salt, black pepper and either crushed thyme, basil or oregano
  • 6 thin slices deli ham
  • 12 thin slices of good cheese (typically Swiss, I used extra sharp white cheddar
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1 cup bread crumbs (I used Italian style bread crumbs)
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lay the pheasant breast between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Using the flat side of a meat mallet, gently pound the chicken to 1/4-inch thickness. Take care not to pound too hard because the meat may tear or create holes. Lay 1 slice of cheese on each breast, followed by 1 slice of ham, and 1 more of cheese; leaving a 1/2-inch margin on all sides to help seal the roll. Tuck in the sides of the breast and roll up tight like a jellyroll. Squeeze the log gently to seal.

Season the flour with salt and pepper; spread out on waxed paper or in a flat dish. Mix the bread crumbs with thyme (or oregano or basil), salt, pepper, and oil. The oil will help the crust brown. Beat together the eggs and water, the mixture should be fluid. Lightly dust the pheasant roll with flour, then dip in the egg mixture. Gently coat in the bread crumbs. Carefully transfer the roulades to a baking pan and bake for 20-25 minutes until browned and cooked through. Cut into pinwheels before serving.

Pheasant Cordon Bleu

Enjoy!!

Litter 2011 Update

February 8, 2011

Charity Upchurch Puppy Update , , , , 2 Comments

This morning, Sue and I made a trip to Bellevue Animal Hospital for an exam and x-ray.  I originally had scheduled the visit for Monday, February 14th, but she is getting quite large and her milk has come into her teats, so I wanted to be more sure of her due date and not risk having her whelp by surprise.

The x-ray didn’t give us an exact number of puppies, but it did give us an idea.  It looks like she has a minimum of 8 puppies, but it could be as high as 10 or 11.  Counting skulls and spines from the side angle x-ray, the veterinarians and I believe the 10-11 is closer to being correct.  This also corresponds to her tremendous size.

We also determined that my original due date of February 22nd is pretty accurate.  The mineralization of the skeletons is not yet to a point where we were seeing their pelvises and femurs, so that tells us that we have another 10-14 days left of gestation.  This is a great relief to me because the subzero weather does not break until Thursday of this week.

I took some pictures of Sue over the weekend while she was out:

Sue has been spending most of her time walking, but briefly breaks into runs

The thinning of the fur on her side is caused by hormonal changes

Sue plods along

Closeup of Sue’s belly

I received so many compliments on Sue’s temperament from the vet techs and the veterinarians at the office.  I suppose many pregnant females can be growly and irritable when being handled, but Sue is always a sweetheart.

“I love you, Dad!”

“Whoever said that money can’t buy happiness has never bought a puppy” – Unknown

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