Litter Theme Names (Suggestions appreciated!)

With special thanks to Missy the below list of names is the beginning of ideas for the pups. I can never think of catchy names. I had originally wanted a theme about LOVE (since it was close to that "V" day) and I was going to put it in Spanish in a shout out to mi familia de Espana. After ELEVEN puppies I agreed with Missy English would be much easier :)

Suggestions are welcome, but here is the list of names:

Ebonwald's Double the Affection
Ebonwald's Devoted to You
Ebonwald's Dont' Deny our Love
Ebonwald's Dangerous Admiration
Ebonwald's Diggin on You
Ebonwald's Dare to Fall in Love
Ebonwald's Dream of Romance
Ebonwald's Dedicated to Us
Ebonwald's Delectable Kisses
Ebonwald's Dazzling Hearts
Ebonwald's Dear to Me


As this is my fourth litter, I would like to stick with "D" for the beginning of the names.

Thoughts?

Update on Duncan Miles (f/k/a Mr. Cole)

I'm not sure a dog could be more loved or doted on than Mr. Duncan Miles! He and his Pem sister Lucy are quite the team now according to their mom! I couldn't decide which photos she had sent me should be on the blog so I picked a few of my favorites and a few random ones to give you an idea of just how awesome his home is. He gets to go to the groomers, Petco, lots of walks and has a plethora of bones and such to keep him occupied when he and Lu are not running full out in the house. He is a Levi x Daisy pup and is a pink (e/e) pup. Notice how his nose color is just an off black now for those genetic junkies :) I miss him but seeing these pics fills my heart with love for him, and for his new family. It was totally meant to be, and everything happens as it should. Thank you Leslie for being an amazing person and a great mommy to one of my pups :)

Puppy Photos

I realize now I did this wrong. The girls I photographed on the blue, the boys on the white. Oh well. Now that you know...I should have gotten pink blankets for the girls haha. The litter remains consistent in weights, everybody is very fast and content. except for Boy #1. He's fat, and nursing with milk coming out of his mouth and screaming for something yet to be determined. He's not sleeping next to his littermates but I'm betting he'll be a dramatic puppy haha.

ELEVEN puppies update

After blogging about the 10 pups, Ell had an 11th puppy. I can't believe it. She was a basketball on legs, and pitiful for a good 10 days before she whelped. NOW I KNOW WHY! Ell does not cease to amaze me. When she had her first litter she never uttered a sound while she whelped, proceeded to immediately get up after each pup to lick it off and get it moving. I was a bit nervous with her first litter after the catastrophic litter with Zoe, and I ended up using Oxytocin on the last pup Ell had in her. And I lost that little brindle girl. So this time around, despite my best efforts with anxiety, I waited it out and let Ell tell me when it was time to whelp, and let her take her time. She did just that! Never stressed out, worried, panicked or nervous (except right before the first pup I had to lay along the whelping box stroking her back), she handled every pup with ease and in the pile of brindle pups she would find the newest one and continue to clean it and get it going.

Ell took 14 hours to whelp, we started right around chore time yesterday at 5pm and she finished at 930 this morning as I was coming back to do one last check before running to town for supplies. Also surprisingly she had most of the puppies breech (tail first) and the entire litter was very consistent.

Pups and Weights:
1. Brindle Male - full collar, lopsided blaze 9.4 oz
2. Brindle Male - half collar, full blaze, white on ear tip 9.2 oz
3. Brindle Female - half collar, narrow blaze 9.6 oz
4. Brindle Male - full narrow collar, narrow blaze 8.7 oz
5. Brindle Male - full collar, incomplete blaze, white muzzle 9.3 oz
6. Brindle Male - 3/4 collar, hourglass blaze, 10 oz
7. Brindle Female - minimal white (mini Ell) 11.5 oz
8. Brindle Male - no collar 8.6 oz
9. Brindle Female - white spot on neck (no collar) 9.2 oz
10. Brindle Female - two tiny spots on neck (no collar) 9.1 oz
11. Brindle Female - wide blaze and wide full collar 9.5 oz

to say I'm shocked and excited and now nervous is an understatement. But so far Ell is proving her motherhood by being a trooper feeding them all (i'm making sure all look full and red nosed and rotating pups if need be) and enjoyed a brief romp outside in the last snow bank we have. I had to put a lead on her and pull her out of the box but she seems to be happy to be able to walk up the steps again to the doors :)

Photos when I get a bit more rest. The rest of the critters need my attention now

They are here! (Brindle Brigade!)

They are HERE!! The Higgins x Ell pups have arrived. As expected, they are ALL brindles, some a bit darker, but all brindles. 6 boys and 4 girls, lasting over 14 hrs. Ell FREE WHELPED them all, and they are all between 9 and 10 oz (except for the Mini - Ell who was 11.5 oz) so a very consistent litter. Ell is only 25 pounds so having this many pups in her was painful to watch, but she is every proud, ever a good mother and very exhausted! She does have enough room at the milk bar for them all, but will try and rotate them just to ensure everyone gets some of the best 'table settings' (as my Grandpa calls them).

The whole gang is here

Test Results

I did DM and Extension gene tests for Cass and Campbell. I knew they could be carriers for 'e' as half of their litter was 'ee'. I also knew they 'could' be carriers for DM as their sire was a carrier. Its a given they are fluff carriers as Daisy IS their mom and she is a fluff. :)

As expected, both Cass and Campbell are E/e (both carry pink)

Campbell is DM N/N normal
Cass is DM N/A carrier

I am not happy or sad about these results, but will use these as tools as I move forward with them.

Cass is available as a show dog to a show home (or to a pet home where I have access to show him).

Ell T minus 10 days...

I don't think she'll make it 10 more days. Xray scheduled on Monday to see how many kids are in there. She's already bigger than last time....