It is a blessing to bring precious collie babies into the world from a well considered breeding. It is also a big responsibility to be the caretaker of these adorable creatures. On the reality side– it’s a lot of work and sometimes it’s quite a mess!
The puppies are going through a lot of changes. Out of the whelping box, they are no longer nursing, but eating a diet that went from puppy gruel, to puppy slop, to moistened meat and kibble not much different than our adult collies.
They have just turned six weeks old and have started to spend some time outside when the weather is nice. That is always when the trouble starts. The little angels will try to eat any horrible thing they find on the ground like a toddler. The next day or so this shows up as diarrhea. If one puppy eats the wrong thing, he will share those germs in their water bucket with his siblings. All the puppies got a raging case of diarrhea. Imagine 12 puppies with watery stools! Believe me– it is not a pretty picture! I buy white wrapping paper from UHAUL in boxes of 200, and I am on box number 10! I have gone through almost 2000 large sheets of paper trying to keep these little buggers clean.
The puppies did fine at the vet check on January 13th, but had the runs by the next day. They had been wormed and were tested negative for parasites, so they have been getting treated with puppy Kaopectate. Things are starting to normalize- thank God! They play like Tasmanian devils, and eat like pigs, so they haven’t lost much ground.
Thank goodness my daughter Caitlin has come over frequently to help me with the puppies because they are a handful. Here are a few pictures of them. I tried to get a picture of each one on a table so people could see their bodies. Some of the puppies were cooperative, some thought the table was scary, and some thought it was a big game. At least we got some kind of picture of all of them.
All the puppies are now six weeks old. The next big event for the puppies will be the eye checks on Feb. 2nd and 3rd. A couple of the puppies are still potentially available. After the eye checks, the available puppies may also change. Right now I am planning to keep Roy and one of the sable girls to grow out as show prospects. Ralphie is also potentially reserved for a show home too. Everything could change in the next 3 weeks.
(I love the rears on these puppies!)
These babies are keeping me very busy – but email me if you would like more information!
tairiscollies@yahoo.com
They are all lovely!!! I would so much like to know more about the possibility of a reserve for my family. I have loved collies for 60 years and been blessed to have them with me. We have had many collies over the years but I lost my wonderful Jake last summer. He was my friend and companion for 14 years and I can’t replace him but I would love a chance to love another special dog.
We live in Colorado in Black Forest a small town near Colorado Springs. We’re staying in our trailer in Aubrey. I hope you will call me and maybe we can see the lovely dogs you breed.
There is nothing like a collie in my book. Sandra you are welcome to come see the babies. Right now they are all tentatively spoken for except for Olaf. That could change in the next 2-3 weeks. Email me and we can schedule a time for you to come by.
tairiscollies@yahoo.com
I am curious, how does someone know if a dog is reserved for them if several people asked for the same dog? Did the individual get an email or are they told of the process? If they get no response at this point does that mean they didn’t get the puppy?
Your dogs are beautiful! We are starting to look into getting another dog and have decided on a smooth collie. It seems your recent litters are more rough collies. Do you have plans for any future litters of smooth collies, or know anyone who does?
I get a lot more inquiries for collie puppies than I have puppies available. I am a hobby breeder- breeding for show prospects, not a commercial breeder with puppies available all the time. Often several people may be interested in a particular puppy. I place puppies based on my best judgement of that home being the best option for a particular puppy. My first priority is picking the puppy I want for myself. If I owe the stud owner or a co-owner a puppy, they come next on the priority list. Then I try to sort the puppies by their show potential or whether they are better suited as a nice pet. People I already know tend to get preference over a stranger as I already trust them and know they will do right by my puppy. If someone wants a puppy that I think will be available, I sometimes take a deposit to hold that puppy. If I take a deposit from someone- THEY WILL GET A PUPPY FROM ME UNLESS THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THAT PUPPY. If their chosen puppy fails a health screen or has a bad eye check I will offer a refund of that person’s deposit. Sometimes, and especially if it is a small litter, I will not take any deposits and I won’t make my decisions on placing puppies until they are 9-10 weeks old and their health and eye tests have been completed.
Smooth collies are great! The only smooth collie I have now is my 12 year old smooth girl- Melody. At this point, probably the only way I will have any smooth collies is if I decide to breed one of my rough girls to a smooth male. There is a slight chance I might do that sometime, but I am mainly a rough collie breeder. I do have a few friends that occasionally have some smooth collies available.