Farmington Valley Golden Retrievers

It has been a very busy weekend here in our home in Farmington, Connecticut. We started the weekend on Friday picking up our new female puppy. What a gorgeous girl from a gorgeous litter. Dodi and Walter did an amazing job whelping and raising their latest litter. Gabby had to have a last run in the yard with her mom Trude, before she said goodbye and started the journey home with us. (Please click on the photos if you  want to view in larger scale).

Saturday was our daughter Kristen’s birthday party. Her dog Pearl joined the party with our four goldens, and our newest arrival Gabby.

There were some initial growls and sniffing moments when our group met Gabby, but she is very self assured, and made herself right at home.

The other dogs are not as impressed, but seem tolerant enough at this point.

Easter Sunday started out with another crowd and dinner. So Gabby got to meet lots of new faces.. Still there was time to explore the back yard and make some interesting discoveries.

We tried some photos of Lauren and Kristen with Gabby to possibly update our home page for our website. Our daughters were in high school when those photos were taken. Time has moved along, but they still make an arresting photo in my mind! We will have to see what magic Celeste Rockel (our website designer extraordinaire) can do with these latest photos. PS Celeste, I am having some technical troubles to get the story line matching the photos in the composer program.. Please help pretty please, and pardon everyone for the way the story is displayed.

And at the end of this long day, man and puppy alike needed a little nap, as evidenced by our son Brian joining Gabby for some quiet time.

 
And when everyone had left, and the house was quiet again, Gabby showed she feels happy and comfortable in her new home, by just curling up under an end table, happy and at peace.
 

 
Thank you Dodi and Walter of Mardovar Goldens for giving us such a great puppy to rekindle the stories of  Golden life and love from Dogville.

Here she is… Our newest female member of our family. Posing for a piece of cheese, and licking her muzzle. More photos to follow this weekend when she officially arrives here in Dogville.
 

 
Thank you to all who sent us such positive messages after getting our first blog email out of the blue in two and a half years. And to think some have already put their name on our list for the next litter. Thank you for such positive thinking.
 
Mike and Barb.

I just returned home this morning after being on call for the weekend, so this week’s puppyville update is delayed a bit. This last week, (week 7), started out with a lot of smiles and puppy hugs. In what has become a tradition of sorts, I bring two puppies from every litter that we have, to my offices, the Delivery and Operating Rooms. The wonder of a puppy is magical. Just look at the open, happy smiles that they generate from people of all ages.

If we could bottle the effect that they have on us, we would no longer need our high blood pressure medications, antidepressants, or anxiety meds.

How neat to be a wizard of the future, and write a wellness prescription for two ounces of puppy essence mixed with the glow of a bride, and a teaspoon of energy of a child. Without a doubt, the only way to start every day..

By the time I got through two of my three offices, Mr. Black and his sister were getting pooped. It was the first real truck ride for both of them outside the quick trip to the vet, so they were a little carsick. When I took them out of the cat carrier in the Delivery Room, I was a little embarrassed that one of them had gotten sick on both of them. So much for that wonderful new puppy smell.. However, Dr. Slater and Dr. Brushwood, came to the rescue, and gave them both baths in the utility sink. Thank you again Lauren and Rebecca!

We were then able to carry on our mission of spreading smiles to all the healers on duty!

By the time I got to Dr. Wolf’s office, the pups had fallen asleep from all the excitement.

So back home we came to rejoin the rest of our golden family.

This week we had more visitors, of course. Some repeat visits from excited clients and now new friends who are less than seven days away from taking home their special dog. And other neighbors and friends that we thought to share our blessings with, who we knew would enjoy the magic that holding a golden puppy brings. Hard to improve with words, these photos capturing that Golden magic at work..

On Friday, Donna, our good friend and breeding partner, came by to do the temperament testing on the puppies. Everyone passed with high marks except for our special boy, Mr. Black, who we now know is deaf for sure. All the puppies were very uniform in their personalities, which meant that all our client choices were approved.

Of course, what would the blog be without a couple of “Rocky” moments. It appears that he will be sharing our home for another month at least, while our son in Italy appears to have found a home for his family and will be moving in in June. Rocky still is “all boy”, and is constantly trying to undermine my efforts to get our flowers planted.

There are at least three huge holes in our backyard, that I just have not had the time to fill in.

And finally, we had a little scare with Mr. Black today. While he seemed to enjoy the company and activity this morning, his behavior was very erratic this afternoon. He would walk in circles just crashing into things, roll over, and then go in another direction. He began drooling a bit for no apparent reason. Barb and I just talked it out about his symptoms, what he wasn’t demonstrating.. fever, diarrhea, and vomiting, and decided not to bring him to the ER. So we put him in the big crate in the family room and kept vigil. He finally fell asleep.

When he awoke an hour later, lo and behold he was back to his “normal” self. Alert, playing with a bone, and he had a healthy appetite for supper. We just think now that he doesn’t have any stamina, and we will have to limit his play time until he gets stronger. He won’t be going anywhere soon, but it is going to be a bit stressful not knowing exactly what his issues are.

But like our special “Abby” taught us many years ago, we will live in the moment and enjoy the best that every day has to offer us all.

Like a bushel of fall apples, a large basket of stories are just waiting to be written from the events of the past week here. Over the next few weeks, I will share with our readers just how unpredictable this “business” is, and show you why no one should be doing this work unless their love of the breed exceeds the many trials they will face. But first..

Just as important to us as the many smiles our dogs generate from the visitors to our home, is the recognition from the professionals that we use, that we are breeders to be recommended and respected.  We always look forward to seeing Dr. Steve Feldman of Animal General for that final “litter visit” and review. We packed all our little furry children into two crates and made the drive at the end of last week.

There is usually some mild chaos as the pups stretch their legs and explore the wealth of smells that surround them.

Then comes the moment where we beam with pride as Dr. Feldman makes his final comments. “Another wonderful litter and all healthy”. The untold hours of work fade away as your efforts bound around the room with energy and affection. And many kudos back to Dr. Feldman and his wonderful staff. They all deserve special applause for their dedication and clinical acumen in caring for our many animals over the years. This final picture of the visit to our vet says it all about Steve’s caring and commitment.

But along with all the happy moments, are those situations that are just the opposite that we must face and endure. Mother Nature always seems to exact its price in keeping the score even between a happy outcome and one not. And our clients are sometimes the sad recipients who must pay.

First was the family who long wished for a golden to add to their family. When they were notified of their place in line for a puppy, the husband went to get tested and unfortunately was diagnosed as allergic to dog dander. Next was 5 year old Carson, who used to come to my office to see my “dog photos” while his mother had her OB visits. I promised him when his parents decided the time was right, we would have a golden puppy for him. This summer the timing was right, and his sister and he enjoyed playing with the pups in our yard. The following day we were saddened to learn he had an asthma attack that prior evening, and the allergist painted a grim picture if a long haired dog entered the family. There is a hope he will outgrow this sensitivity, but for the family that had been planning on a golden puppy for the past three years, it was a crushing blow. And finally, we had a surgical emergency with one of the pups two days prior to the puppy leaving for its new home. We are saying our prayers for Mr. Black as he is fighting for his life in the ICU at Tufts Veterinary Hospital in Massachusetts. Our best wishes go out to Leslie and her family for their disappointment in waiting so long for a puppy, only to have seen their plans go horribly awry. We will keep everyone informed as we know more.

Despite the threat of drenching downpours this weekend, we have had a nice flow of clients, neighbors, family, and friends to the whelping box. The socialization skills of our pups are developing nicely, and true to their golden heritage, they exude major cuteness and cuddliness. Emma is still forbidden from seeing her pups. She is almost well and we hope by next weekend she can return to them. Her milk is drying up nicely and her antibiotic course is almost done. She still looks longingly at the cellar stairs, but she is not crying as much now thankfully.

Barb has to work extra hard to keep the box and puppies clean for company. Usually a visitor day starts with baths for all and then a manicure. Trimming 200 little nails turns out to be quite a chore as well. We want to be sure that none of the pups scratches anyone.

We just had an upgrade to our website and email system at the end of last week. I haven’t learned the new system so I can’t upload all the photos of everyone I was expecting to show off. The email system is new to me also, so be patient if you don’t hear back from us as quickly as usual.

We expect another full day of golden lovers today. I expect everyone will leave a little happier in spirit and with a smile in their hearts from the good vibes these little creatures give off. I will leave you with one photo of a very clean and fluffy puppy, waiting to be held and loved.