NOTE:  All the puppies from this litter are firmly reserved

Litter delivered by c-section:  March 3, 2012

Number of puppies:  3 males, 2 females

Sire: GCh. BISS Alki's Robert Redwood for Landhof "Robert"

Dam:  Ch. Landhof's Fairlaine of Brush Creek "Fairlaine"

Breeders:  Kelly Beebe & Kathleen Borgmeyer

Registered name: Willow Brook's C...

Comment: Ms Fairlaine surprised us again.  After not getting pregnant after her last encounter with the handsome Robert back in September of last year, we did not hold our breath this time either. Because of her tendency to become portly quite easily, the Beebes were not sure if indeed she was pregnant or just getting pleasantly plump until the x-ray on Feb. 27 revealed that she was indeed pregnant with 4-5 puppies.
While Fairlaine is a great mother, she is not exactly a stellar whelper which resulted in the loss of puppies in her 2nd litter, hence we decided to do a planned c-section. On March 1, she moved to Brush Creek Farm because we have easy access around the clock to a first rate reproductive vet at about a 30 minute driving distance. Based on reverse progesterone tests, the c-section was performed on March 3 and we now have 5 healthy babies, 3 boys and 2 girls. They are very nicely marked, healthy and vigorous babies. Stay tuned for more Fairlaine baby news.

Update 3-12-12: The puppies were one week old on March 10, they are doing great as is their mom. Fairlaine did not have much milk for the first couple of days which necessitated supplementing the puppies by bottle with a commercial canine milk replacer. But in Swissys, it is fairly uncommon that a mom does not have enough milk during the entire 3-4 weeks of lactation. So sure enough, Fairlaine's "milk bar" started to fill up around day 3 and she now has plenty of food to keep her 5 growing babies full and happy. Today, the babies were all in the 2 lbs range. Visit the video page for Kelly's new video.

Update 3-17-12:  The babies are now 2 weeks old, their eyes are almost open, they now also begin to hear and they are startinng to wobble around. They are progressing very nicely and should be fully mobile in another week. We usually start weaning between 3 and 4 weeks, this depends primarily on the mom's milk supply and her overall care of the pups. Some mothers let the babies nurse and continue to clean them long after they are fully weaned, others call it quits once the babies are on solid food. It is only during the neonate phase from birth to about 2-3 weeks that the pups need the mom's stimulation to eliminate, i.e. pee and poop.
Once Kelly and I figured out how to exchange pictures and videos - we now use an online storage system - getting visual updates has become much easier, and with Megan as the official and very prolific photographer, we will have picture updates more frequently.

Update 3-24-12:  The little Swissys are doing wonderfully, growing like the first grass in a warms spring rain..  They are all now almost around 4 lbs and Kelly will begin to wean them in the next few days. Personalities are starting to emerge at the same time that mom Fairlaine is pulling back from hovering over her babies nonstop for 24 hours, she is now is away from the babies for extended periods of time but always seems to know when it is time for the milkbar to open. Check Megan and Kelly's latest video.

Update 3-31-12:  Today is 4 weeks since the 5 babies made their entrance into the Swissy world. They are now fully mobile and weaned and their main food is puppy kibble. Mom Fairlaine still lets them nurse occasionally but of course, she does not lay down anymore but lets the babies nurse standing up. The puppies are now all within 7 oz between the largest at 5.11 lb (Ms Pink) and 5.4 lb (Mr Yellow). Today is also round 2 of our 4-6 times deworming schedule. We deworm more frequently if we actually see roundworm which is usually not before the mother stops cleaning up after her babies, that happens usually after the pups are fully on solid food, i.e. between 3 and 5 weeks. There is a new video available, Megan and Kelly are doing a super job document the development of these babies.

Update 4-7-12:  The puppies are at the 5 week mark, they are getting bigger and cuter by the day. Today, they had their first visitors. The Brookins family from Kansas City dropped by to meet Fairlaine and the puppies, and especially "their" baby, Ms Pink. The kids, Riley, Lauren and Charlotte had a great time playing with the puppies and also made fast friends with Ms Fairlaine. After the visit, the pups enjoyed another nice day outdoors and met Buddy, the Beebes Saint Bernard mix and socialized with him through the fence as Buddy is much too big to actually play with the puppies. This week, there are 2 new videos available.

Update 4-14-12:  Today, at 6 weeks, the puppies got their first vaccination against the dangerous and potentially fatal parvo virus. They will need 3 more vaccinations between 8 and 14 weeks to protect them against the most common canine viral diseases that affect primarily puppies and younger dogs. The puppies now stay outside as often as the weather permits, light rain is not a hindrance as they have a very nice shelter which is more like a "puppy palace" than a plain old dog house. They love it and don't just use it to get out of the rain but also just to chill out or nap.
Megan Beebe has become our official phot and videographer, she does a great job, hcek out her newest video. Carter Beebe is the able assistant, he often gathers up and holds the puppies for Megan's photo shoots.

Update 4-29-12:  The puppies had an exciting couple of weeks. On Monday, April 23, they had their first long car trip, traveling from Lathrop to Columbia and back. We met at the U of MO veterinary teaching hospital for the customary blood draw in support of the epilepsy research project to find the DNA marker in Swissys for this heartbreaking disease for which there are currently no screening tests available. We have participated in this research since its inception in the late 90s and by now have about 550 samples in the database as all of our puppies are sampled before leaving for their new homes. We usually combine the blood draw with the conformation evaluation and the final pairing of the puppies with their new families which is what we did with Fairlaine's babies.
Yesterday, on their 8-week birthday, the puppies got the first of 3 combination vaccinations and their first dose of heartworm preventive. In less than a week, some will join their new families, with the last two leaving around May 13.
Our young photographers have been busy, check the new video and the pictures.