Litter K
Kip
Kipling, NC
The Kipling name is serving a two-fold purpose in this litter. First of all, it is the name of a town about 25 miles south of Apex. Kipling is also the name of Ed Lynn Jarratt's first registered ES back in the 60's. One of my main breeding goals is to help preserve the NC Jarratt line ES. Holly's sire Dillon was from the last litter that Lynn's Russ sired with our Bec. Kip (Jarratt's Rudyard Kipling) was Russ' great great grandfather. Holly is the granddaughter of Lynn's Russ. Kip was the first born and arrived at 2:15 AM. He was the largest at birth and is a shaded sable boy with minor white markings on his chest. He was the only pup in the litter born without rear dewclaws.
4 weeks - Kip is the first pup I have observed that will stop & watch what is happening on the TV set. It's always neat to see this happen since it lets me know that the pup is now aware of life above the floor level. Kip does seem to respond to his name when called. He was one of the pups that escaped from the whelping pen at 1:30 am, at 3 1/2 weeks of age. Kip was born with a slight kink near the end of his tail. He is usually a fairly easy going pup, but is beginning to assert himself a little bit within the pack.
6 weeks - Kip is growing up to be a beautiful little guy. I can always expect to see Kip right near me whenever I turn around. He has thoroughly enjoyed playing under the Gardenia & Hydrangea bushes these past few days. He is playful, likes to explore and for the most part, comes when called. 😉 He is willing to explore things on his own as well. As Kip gets older, I can begin to see those "black & tan markings" show up in his sable coat. The sides of his body have lightened up as he has gotten older, but it looks to me like he probably has that "fading gray" gene like Holly & Dillon. When all is said and done, he will be darker when grown - very similar to his first pictures. Right now all 3 boys are very similar in temperament and size.
Kip was the last pup to leave and has now made his home in Ohio with the Stivers family & older "brother" Vox, the BC. Kip continued to be a wonderful, loving pup while he was here and is fitting in nicely in his new home. Kip's new name is Samwise, because he is going to be a faithful, dependable companion.
Kelly
Kelly, NC
Even further south of Apex is the town of Kelly. I selected the name Kelly for the only sable and white female within the litter. This name also has significance within the Jarratt line. Kelly was the granddaughter to Lynn's Kip. She too was a sable girl, so it seemed only natural that Holly's first sable and white daughter should carry Kelly's name.
Kelly was the second born within the litter. At the end of the first week, she is the third largest pup. I can always tell when Kelly is nursing because she is very vocal - she nurses with gusto! Kelly has some white on her feet and does have white on her chest as well. She is "redder" in coloring than Kip & will be more along the lines of Holly's coloring when she is grown. She was born with rear dewclaws that have been removed.
5 weeks - Always in the thick of things, Kelly is proving herself to be quite a social little girl. I can always count on being greeted by Kelly, who in turn expects to be picked up so she can plant many kisses on my face. 😉 She is not one to shy away from adventure. On her first trip outside, she not only managed to climb the 2 steps to the porch, but come back down without too much
trouble.
7 weeks - Even though Kelly would like for you to believe that she is the ultimate leader of the pack, she can be a marshmallow at times with her people. She does enjoy spending time with "her" people and is most willing to do what is asked of her by them. She honestly didn't see much use in working with Claire on a continuing basis while we were there, because that bond didn't exist. She did however, show herding instinct with the ducks. I wasn't able to get many pictures of this since most of the work was done too close for me to get the camera focused. 😉 She was willing to work with Jan & Kay during our agility outing & went through the "scary" tunnel without much trouble at all! Kelly has been a fun little pup to have around these past few weeks!
8 weeks - Kelly was the first pup to leave and traveled with Kira & me to the Linda Rorem herding clinic on the 20th of May. Needless to say, Kelly was quite popular that morning & was handled by most of the participants before having to leave around lunchtime. She will be making her new home at Highgate Farm in Marshall, NC. She is the only pup staying in NC. Kelly will be retaining her name. Lynn Jarratt would be pleased. 😉
Kimball
Kimballton, VA
Since Jack resides in VA, I thought it was only fair to have at least one pup named for a town in his state. Kimballton is located in the western part of VA.
Kimball is one of the "twins" in the litter. Basically she is a black and tan girl with a slight amount of white on her rear toes & some white on her chest. I expect the white on her feet to completely disappear by the time she is grown. Kimball was also born with rear dewclaws that have been removed.
5 weeks - Kimball is such an adorable little girl, and quite the adventurer outside! She enjoys romping around under the chairs around the table, following me into the kitchen and just being nearby. I can see some of her grandma Kira in her. I have long admired Kira's devotion & willingness to please me. I think that this pup will have a lot of that same type of personality.
7 weeks - Kimball continues a joy and delight to have around here. I can always find her in the midst of whatever is going on with the pups. Being very food motivated, she went right up the A-frame and down the other side without looking at how far it was down to the ground! 😉 Kimball was the pup that received high marks on her puppy herding instinct test. It was neat watching her not only move the ducks, but cover them when they tried to move out of spot and move to the head of the flock to turn them.
8 weeks - Kimball was one of the last pups to leave here & is now making her new home with the Graves' family in NY. I am still waiting to hear what her new name will be, but it is looking like it might be Dixie. She will be kept intact for possible breeding in the future.
Kure
Kure Beach, NC
Kure Beach is located just south of Carolina Beach in NC. This is a two syllable word & is pronounced "Cure-e".
Kure is our other "twin" in the litter. He is a black and tan boy with minor white markings on all four feet - toes only, along with a bit more white on his chest than Kimball. It's hard to tell them apart from the topside, but once they are up and walking, it will be a little more obvious when you see their chests. Kure & Kimball are running about the same size and weight so far. He was born with rear dewclaws that have been removed.
5 weeks - Kure is still okay with me cradling him in my arms on his back. He comes quickly when called and is enjoying playing with some of the toys inside the house. Outside, he is quite an explorer. He tends to be a middle of the road kind of guy. I really like the looks of this guy! I keep saying he reminds me of his father Jack in looks. I think that Jack has put a lot of his easy going personality on all of these pups.
7 weeks - Kure continues to impress me with his "people" skills this past week while working with people he didn't know. He still reminds me the most of his daddy Jack in this respect, along with his build and head shape. He can be one to test limits at times, but then be the best one to cuddle up with for awhile. Kure has been a delightful pup to watch grown here at the house.
8 weeks - Kure has moved from NC to VA to make his new home with the Clifford family. Some of his future duties will include accompanying his mom to her place of work & meeting and greeting folks while he is there. Kure's new name is Keither.
King
Kings Mountain, NC
At the other side of Charlotte, near the SC border is the town of Kings Mountain. If you study the old pedigrees, especially the black and tan pedigrees, you will see a number of names that are used over and over which include such classics as Prince, Duke & King. What better name to use for the truly black and tan male in the litter than King?
King has just a touch (a small spot) of white on his chest. He appears pretty dark right now, but will tan up over the next 7 weeks before leaving here. There will be no question in anyone's mind that he is a black and tan at that point. 😉 King was the last pup born & currently is running a tie in the weight department with Kip. King was the only pup born with double rear dewclaws, which have been removed.
5 weeks - King continues to "tan up" as the days go by. He is a fairly quiet pup so far, but is beginning to come out a little as he gets older. He is beginning to "shine" a little more now. 😉 He does respond to his name & enjoys exploring new areas. I enjoy spending time with this little guy! King seems to fit into most every situation without any trouble.
6 weeks - King surprises me at times in how willing he is to explore a new situation either by following Holly or just on his own. If I am missing him, I can usually find King at the end of the house checking things out down there. He continues to be a loving pup, but will not hesitate to stand up for himself if needed. He does seem to enjoy being outside & is usually the last one to come in the door. As with all the pups, King enjoys digging in the dirt, finding sticks & parading about with his "prize" before the others. He continues to be a middle of the road kind of pup within the litter.
8 weeks - King continued to have that quiet, confident air about him as he reached the 8 week old mark. He & Kip were still the heavyweights of the litter. King is making his new home in Canada! He will be kept intact as a possible stud for Breeze, another b&t ES that shares his home. Looking forward to seeing b&t pups in Canada in a couple of years! King's new name is Fisher
