Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Busy, Busy, Busy!








Spring Creek Aussie babies are now nine weeks old! The last couple of weeks have been really busy for the pups! They have attended their first AKC agility show (although they had to stay crated inside the cargo area of the truck) where they were loved, cuddled and played with by so many of our agility friends!

Then it was off to Indianapolis for structure evaluation and their first chance to play in the snow! They loved it and so did Harley...they were running around like crazy and she was trying to keep them herded into a group! Thanks Shelly for driving down in the snow to evaluate the puppies! and thanks to Yvonne and Dave for letting us meet at your home!

Last week, they were evaluated for temperment/obedience aptitude and all of them did very well. Thanks to Cheryl L. for letting us meet at your home and thanks to Jean H. for doing the testing. The weather was so beautiful we decided to spend the afternoon down on the agility field. I set the pups up in the X-pen with a good view of the course while Harley and I worked independent contacts and weaves. When we were done, I let the puppies out for their first exploration of the agility field.

Here's a short video clip!


Monday, February 2, 2009

Harley's Back!

A week ago, the puppies went to their first agility trial--the Nashville Dog Training Club agility trial in Franklin, TN. We were entered to show for just one day, Thursday, since I didn't know how Harley would run coming back from having the puppies. We needed just one DQ for her MACH title, but I didn't really think we had a shot. I figured at the very least we'd go out and have a couple of giggles! Well, when we got to the show, she was sooo happy to be back, she could barely control herself...I made a prediction she wouldn't hit a single contact she was so fired up!


The standard course was first so I was prepared for the flyoff on her running contacts! (This tendency to fly has cost us many Q's in the standard ring! ) To my great surprise she hit every contact and Q'd! And to top it off, she took second place! I just couldn't believe it! She hadn't ran at all between October and the end of January! To make it even sweeter, my friend Elizabeth B., who was also needing only one DQ to MACH with her wonderful little sheltie boy Rio, also Q'd the standard run!

Now the nerves started to hit...we could actually do this! Harley loves jumpers and I figured we had a pretty good shot unless I just really messed up!


The 16" jumper's class was finally ready! Elizabeth and Rio ran about ten dogs ahead of us and they Q'd!!! The arena went nuts!! Wiping away my tears from Elizabeth's MACH, I took the line with Harley. On "go" we were off. Harley ran the course beautifully thru obstacle #16, a tunnel, and came out like a bullet...all we had to do was get three jumps straight across the ring, a left turn, then over the final jump. Unfortunately, I didn't expect her to be so quick out of the tunnel and got behind going down the line. She spun to look for me right before she took jump #19 and got a refusal! Despite not Q'ing, I could not have been more proud of my little girl Harley! She came out after being off for four months and ran her heart out for me...who could ask for more?!!

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

We're Available!! Eight Weeks Old!

The time has really flown by...hard to believe the puppies are now eight weeks old and ready for their forever homes! I can honestly say these puppies have been a true joy for me to have the luxury to raise and I will miss them soooo much!

So without further ado, may I formally introduce Spring Creek Aussies of Tennessee's first litter of puppies:


"Lug Nutz"



Lug Nutz is a blue merle male available to an approved show or performance home. He is quite the little character and is the dominant pup of the litter. We should have named him Jell-O as he wiggles from nose to nub! He is both toy and food driven and responds very well to the clicker. This is one high drive little guy! This pup is the total package...he has the looks, attitude, and the structure to back it up! We are expecting awesome things from this kid!


"Donut"


Donut is a black tri female available to an approved performance or pet home. This is one special little girl and I am thinking of keeping her, but for now she is available... :-) She is sweeeeet, so sweet! But don't let that sweet little package fool you, she can more than hold her own with her brothers and sisters! And man is she fast! I think she will also make a wonderful obedience prospect as she has a strong desire to please.

"Scooter"


Scooter is a black tri male available to an approved performance or pet home. He is the runt of the litter and the love of my husband's heart! Although slight of size, he is the police officer of the pack! When things get rowdy, he's there to straigten everyone out! He is very much like his mother...full of attitude! I think with his size he will be an excellent agility competitor. (Janet McLaughlin of Nashville is considering adding this little guy to her pack of all american agility competitors!)



"Chevy" (aka "Wheelie")


Chevy is not available...she is staying here with Mom and Dad! This little puppy is the reason for breeding this litter...I wanted a little blue merle girl like her Mom Harley, and boy did I get what I wished for!!! She has enough attitude and toughness for all of the puppies combined! I can already tell she is going to rock our world!


"Bentley" (aka "Clutch")

Clutch is not available. He is the first puppy to leave the pack! He is now known as Bentley. Today he went to live with his new family. He is now owned and loved by Jill Best and her family in west Nashville. We hope one day to see him competing in any venue as he is one phenomenal little aussie! Another pup with the total package...super structure, great masculine look, and wonderful attitude!

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Puppies Are Growing Up! Seven Weeks Old!

The Girls!

Wheelie (reserved)
& Donut

The Boys!

Lug Nutz, Clutch
& Scooter
The puppies are doing great and are on a wonderful schedule. They get playtime outside their nursery at least three times a day to romp and run throughout the house! Harley is wanting to play with them, but they are still too interested in the teat to play with her! They are fully weaned and Harley has dried up almost completely.
Chopper and the pups is another story... We have to crate him when the puppies are out due to his injuries. He worries the whole time they are out playing! He's so concerned they will take "his" toys! He doesn't think too much of sharing with them right now...toys, affection, or food! At this age, as a package, they are a little overwhelming! He liked them much better when their movement was limited to the whelping box!
The pups are very close to being paper trained! Big YAHS!! They still have an accident every now and then, but for the most part, they go to their paper! Last week we worked on introduction to the clicker and this week we will work on the "sit" command. We will also introduce the puppies to the collar and lead.
The puppies will be evaluated next weekend for structure and temperment.

Monday, January 12, 2009

Puppies Are Six Weeks Old!

Wheelie (reserved) Clutch
Lug Nutz
Donut
ScooterThe time is passing so quickly....doesn't seem quite possible for the puppies to be six weeks old! It is exciting for me to see them at this fun and playful stage...but sad too knowing I won't have them very much longer! With the exception of the one I keep!

Puppies went on a trip to the vet today to get their six week checkup and first round of vaccinations. Everyone checked out great and not one puppy cried getting their shot! Brave little babies! And fat too...everyone is now at or over six pounds!

Time to introduce the clicker!!!

Friday, January 9, 2009

Chopper is Home!

Chopper was given solid food on Monday and did very well, and his IV was removed Tuesday. And on Wednesday evening, our boy was able to come home from the hospital! I am so glad to have him back home... Chopper is the love bug and goof ball of the family and when he isn't here, there is a definite void...

I have to say though, that he is confused about the whole crate issue... In our house, the crate is the time out area when puppies misbehave... So when I went to crate him shortly after arriving home, he gave me a look that seemed to say, "Mom, I haven't been bad...whatever it was, I didn't do it....I haven't even been home!!"

Right now his rehab consists of several short walks each day. He must be on lead whenever he is not crated. This is also very confusing to him as we haven't used the leash in the house in a long time! We will meet with his physical therapist next week to start the full rehab regime. Dr. Newman is very optomistic that he will regain full function of the leg as long as we are diligent with his physical therapy and rehab.... so that is wonderful news!

Thursday, January 8, 2009

Puppies Are Five Weeks Old!

Clutch Wheelie (Reserved)
Donut
Scooter
Lug Nutz
The puppies are now five weeks old and are bundles of pure energy! They are a joy to me and have been a wonderful distraction to Chopper being hospitalized. They are constantly exploring and pushing the boundaries of their play area...in other words, they like to escape! It's hard to get pictures now unless they are asleep so this week's pictures are sleeping pictures!

Chopper's Surgery

On Saturday morning, we met with the orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Paul Newman. He ordered a new set of X-rays and developed a plan of care. They brought all of their equipment to us...and I'm talking an operating room load of equipment! Dr. Amy's techs gave Chopper a knockout haircut (balls and all) and prepped him for an epidural for surgery. We were allowed to be with Chopper through all of this.

Chopper was in surgery for two hours. After surgery, they did another series of x-rays to make sure the plate, screws, etc. were all in the proper place, then closed him up. We were able to be with him immediately after as he came out of the anesthesia. This meant so much to us to be able to be with him instead of waiting, worrying, and pacing in the waiting area!

Dr. Newman repaired his leg with a rod (which runs the length of the tibia), a pin, a 13-hole plate, 13 screws, and wire. Chopper will have to stay at the clinic five days of initial recovery.

We are so appreciative to Kinslow Veterinary Clinic and their staff for their open-door policy and for the extraordinary care shown to Chopper and to our family. Huge thanks to Dr. Paul Newman and his staff for coming to our rescue and saving Chopper's leg!

Our Boy Chopper - Tragic Accident



This past Friday, January 2, 2008, our boy Chopper was struck by a car in front of our home. The driver never stopped. I do not blame the driver for the accident, but am appalled that someone could hit any animal, and especially such a beautiful boy, and not stop. I still can't believe that he went out to the road as both he and Harley have been trained to stay away. This is something I train/re-inforce daily when I check the mail. Unfortunately, it only took him being out of my sight for a couple of minutes for him to be hit. Thankfully, I was able to get to him immediately and take him to Kinslow Veternarian Clinic here in Lebanon. I could tell his back left leg was broken badly but didn't know what else could be damaged.

For the first five hours it was touch and go. Dr. Amy Hastings was afraid that his bladder had been ruptured or that he might have other internal injuries. She didn't want to X-ray until he coule urinate. Dr. Amy and her staff hooked him up to an IV, gave him a little pain meds, and crated him. All we could do was wait to see if he could pee. I tell you I have never prayed for pee before! I called our friend Billy Murphy and asked if he would please post to our Leaps and Bounds Agility group list for prayers and positive thoughts. By 2 pm, we had pee! They immediately sedated him and took X-rays.

The breaks were really bad. The fibula was broken in several places but they were relatively clean breaks. The tibia was another story. It was broken into shards lengthwise, split to the crown on each end. Dr. Amy informed me that they were not equipped to repair this kind of damage, but could call in an orthopedic surgeon. They sent pictures of Chopper's x-rays to Dr. Paul Newman in Franklin, Tennessee, and within a few minutes he called back and said he thought he could repair and save the leg. We scheduled surgery for 8:30 the next morning, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2008.

Puppies Are Four Weeks Old!

The puppies turned four weeks old yesterday! Harley has began to wean them and they are eating softened Merrick's Puppy Plate kibble. Boy are they getting fat!

The weather is beautiful, 60 degrees in January! Decided it was time for a trip to play outside in the leaves so we headed out with Mom and Dad. Harley, who has been demonstrating an indifferent attitude toward the pups since she is weaning them, suddenly became the over-protective first time mom again! Too many dangers lurking out here in the great outdoors! Within a couple of minutes though, she relaxed and let the pups venture out, explore, and have a little fun chasing Chopper!

I have a really cute video of the pups playing in the leaves with Mom and Dad but can't get it uploaded to this site or You Tube....technical difficulties...need a copy of uploading video for dummies!

Sunday, January 4, 2009

Harley - Road Trip


The road trip was really great for Harley. As I had mentioned in an earlier post, she was experiencing a little cabin fever being stuck in the house with the pups all the time! She was pepped and acting like a puppy herself the whole trip!

She doesn't believe in sleeping on a road-trip (unlike her partner Chopper who falls asleep the minute we hit the interstate)! Harley is hyper alert when travelling. One of her favorite past times in the truck is looking for cows and motorcyles!
When we got home, Harley decided she was ready to wean the pups! They are four weeks old now so with them getting those sharp little teeth I guess it's time! They are also making their first big move...from the whelping box to the nursery!

Merry Christmas! Time For A Road Trip!

Merry Christmas and Happy holidays to all! Sorry it's belated! The puppies were three weeks old on the 21st! I decided they were old enough now to take a little road trip to see family in northwest Alabama. Johnny wasn't able to go so he took Chopper with him to work the weekend in Manchester.

So, the Saturday after Christmas, we woke up early and made sure the babies were full to the brim, loaded them up in a crate in the truck and headed out. They slept the whole way...almost four hours! Harley and Chopper both travel very well and I was hoping the pups would as well. We arrived just in time to unload and they were ready to nurse! Good timing!

We stayed three days giving them plenty of time to explore and socialize with a whole range of people...from one to eighty years old! They seemed to have a blast checking out their new surroundings. They are all very social and inquisitive, not afraid at all! They even got to meet my sister's little year old maltese, Tipsy. Harley wasn't real hip on that though!
The ride home was uneventful with the puppies sleeping the entire way. I think the puppies were all were glad to be back home in the whelping box though!