Progression

Another quick update. It’s crunch time at work, so the next two weeks will be a bit quiet as I try to keep up with deadlines. I love my work, and am so blessed to have this wonderful job, but I do look forward to the day when the Llewellins can be all that I do–I long to be out training everyday or taking care of the pups, maybe running in some grouse trials, etc. I would love that and that is, of course, the goal (to be a full-time trainer/breeder).

A few new photos of Grace and Ellie:

They are both doing great! Ellie continues to gain weight little by little. She is a little fire ball! She is getting better at getting around but tries to run, instead of walk. Just like babies do. She falls a lot. Ellie is still receiving bottles and seems to be making the adjustments between them and nursing from Shay better and better.

Gracie is getting up on all fours more, but is such a butterball that she scoots more than walks. She has been barking/growling the past two days–I love when they start that! They are just trying out their voices. How stinking cute. Such personalities really starting to show.

I look forward to Sunday when I will give them their first taste of special puppy mash! The first day or two it will just be given once, then I will increase it to twice, then three times a day. Shay will still nurse as well.

By the way, Shay is doing fantastic. I think she’s never looked better. Her coat is glistening and soft. She is in excellent spirits, lively, fun, playful. I love her so much. She is such a fantastic bird dog, an excellent mother, and such a wonderful companion.

Santana

Santana continues to seem to have nothing on her mind but eating–but being very finicky about what she wants. She is almost at the half-way point in her pregnancy with just about 33 days to go. She should start getting larger and larger, of course, and seems to be doing so. Here is a pretty awful photo taken today with my cell phone. The photos I keep taking inside are even worse–terrible lighting.

I can tell in the photo, but you may not be able to. What we are looking at is her cut or tuck–it is gone. This is not the best angle to see it, but she is certainly full of growing puppies.

She is beginning a bit of a waddle, as I call it. Not all that detectable by someone else, but I always look for a bit of a change in the walk and gait and Santana is starting it. She continues with the personality changes and just wants to be next to me (making it even more difficult to try to get a photo). I am trying to work from a desk upstairs at certain times of the day to spend more time with her and the other gals, now that Shay and the pups are in the downstairs room/office. And Shay and Santana who have always gotten along fabulously have been growling and squaring off with each other at the gate. Santana came downstairs one day when I forgot to close the gate and her peering in at Shay and the puppies did not go over well with Shay! A bitch does not appreciate any other dogs around her pups. So, I just trying to keep everyone happy, but all of the dogs are very restless right now. They are tired of being cooped up and need to start running more than around our 1-acre again, soon!

The weather is lousy, but that’s what it is this time of year. Snow and rain and mud. Quite miserable. At this point, I am ready for a cool, dry, 50° spring day (nothing warmer though). I can run the dogs, get a million outside projects started, etc. It’s time. I can’t believe I am saying it with my love of Winter, but this in-between is no fun and flat-out depressing and dirty. Time to move on, now.

That is all for tonight. I have a thousand things racing through my mind to write about, but I just cannot get to it at the moment! I will soon.