Litter M
November 2012
Monroe
Monroe, NC
Monroe is our tri-color boy. He does have short white front stockings, white back feet, a full collar, white muzzle and a small white tip on the tail.
5 weeks - As you can see from some of the photos, Monroe still is not a true black, which I would expect for a tri-colored ES. Not sure if he will keep the face markings, or if he will eventually turn into an open faced tri like Liberty. In general, I can count on Monroe to be around. He likes to be held & is content to be on his back. He does get frustrated when I feed the little girls inside the crate. Once he is finished eating, he wants to get to their food! He does use some problem solving skills (reaching in through the bars), but it hasn't paid off for him yet. 😉
6 1/2 weeks - Monroe did a wonderful job of interacting with both Jan Santel & her helper Kay. He liked the tunnel so much, that he went through it twice! Again, another pup that confidently went up the A-frame & with a little bit of encouragement, conquered the down side without much trouble at all. He too decided that it was not that big of a deal & turned around & went back up again! Monroe shows a lot of promise in making good decisions, even as a pup.
Monty
Montgomery Co., NC
Monty is beginning to show quite a bit of tan highlights in his body fur. He does have a full white collar with a bit of black in the middle, next to his backbone. His blaze does connect to his collar, but there is a good chance that this connection will disappear as he gets older, or will be a tiny strip. He will be quite the looker with his white stocking feet, blaze, muzzle,
collar
Five weeks - Monty can be one of the more adventurous pups within the litter. I can usually count on Merry & Monty being off investigating things when I am missing a pup. Normally he is a fairly quiet boy to the point that he can be right there beside me, but I don't know it until I look down. Still very good about being held on his back in my arms. He has been a joy to have around.
6 weeks - Monty did a wonderful job of interacting with both Jan Santel & her helper Kay. Most of the pictures here are of Monty working with Kay, who is wearing the red coat. With very little encouragement, Monty trotted right up that A-frame without giving it a second thought. Coming down was a little trickier, but once he got to the bottom, he turned around & went back up again. They say that conquering agility equipment is a great confidence booster in dogs. Monty had confidence & self-assurance going in. I really like this quality in a pup!
Mingo
Black Mingo River, SC
Mingo has a tiny blaze, which will most likely disappear with age, white stockings on his front legs, a narrow white collar that is almost a complete circle, white back feet & a longer white tip on his tail. He is a cute boy!
Five weeks - Mingo is a handsome little boy - the smallest of the big pups, but his personality is big! He is like a mischievous little boy. He too has shown some problem solving skills by figuring out how to climb the shorter fence inside the house! Fortunately, he has not challenged the taller one, so we are good in that respect. He usually comes quickly when called. He is not as "brown" coated as Morgan, but does have the seal highlights to his coat.
6 weeks - Mingo did a wonderful job of interacting with both Jan Santel & her helper Kay. He was the first pup to be "tested" on Thursday. A lot of expectations are heaped on that first pup, but Mingo held up to them all. 😉 As you can see, Mingo was definitely food motivated & went up and down the A-frame without too much trouble. Crossing the top was a little daunting, but he conquered it and went on down the other side. Mingo has been a good middle of the pack sort of guy. He's been a good pup to have around!
Merry
Merry Oaks, NC
Merry is going to be a flashy young lady with her wider collar markings & those long stockings both on the front and back legs. Merry also has a long tip on her tail, like her sister Mindy. Merry currently has a narrow blaze, which may disappear when she is grown.
5 weeks - Merry is probably the tallest of the pups. In this respect she reminds me of how leggy Liberty was when I picked her up in MN. Merry enjoys checking out new things & will go by herself, even if the other pups are not quite so interested. She is usually a sweetheart of a girl. I can normally find her right underfoot when we are sitting down with the pups.
6 weeks - Merry did a wonderful job of interacting with both Jan Santel & her helper Kay. Being very food motivated paid off for Merry as she went through the tunnel and up and down the A-frame. She possessed a lot of confidence going into this exercise. I really like how she is standing upright as she climbs. There is no fear in this stance! 😉 I truly enjoy watching a pup master this skill set without too much trouble. Merry was excellent in this regards.
Morgan
Morganton, NC
What a lovely face! Morgan has short white markings on both her front and back legs, a full collar, and blaze that will probably be about the size of Dillon's when she is grown. She certainly will be a looker!
5 weeks - Morgan can be similar in nature to Mingo. Neither would be content to be low man on the totem pole, but have a love of life that is endearing. 😉 The best I can tell, Morgan will be the one in the litter that will be the most like Dillon in coat coloring. As you can see from the picture on the left, it is a obvious brown coloring . She is quite content to be cuddled & will seek people out for loving.
6 weeks - Morgan did a wonderful job of interacting with both Jan Santel & her helper Kay. Morgan wasn't quite so sure about the whole ordeal, but the promise of cheese sure made everything just a little bit better. She followed the cheese through the tunnel, up & down the A-frame & then turned around (without cheese) & went back up again. The second trip up displayed a lot of confidence! It is so very neat to watch these pups accomplish something like this!
Mindy
Ed Lynn Jarratt's Mindy
Since this litter was planned to help bring back some of the Jarratt bloodlines through Dillon & Liberty, I felt that it was only right for one of the pups to carry the name of one of Lynn's dogs. She is the one pup that truly carries Dillon's white markings, from the full white collar to the longer tip on the tail. Even though her blaze currently connects to her collar, this narrow strip will disappear with age.
5 weeks - Mindy, like Monroe, does not have a true black coat. Again, I am wondering if she might turn out to be an open faced tri-color like her mom. No matter what, she will not have a true black coat. Mindy is usually fairly compliant when asked to come or when cradled in my arms. As one of the bigger pups in the litter, she can play a little rougher with the little ones. However, she had a great time playing with Big Sister Holly last night. Holly seemed to have a good time with Mindy as well
6 weeks - Mindy did a wonderful job of interacting with both Jan Santel & her helper Kay. Of all the pups, Mindy was the least interested in the food being offered. In spite of this, she was very willing to attempt the tunnel & the A-frame and succeed in her efforts. She wasn't so sure about the coming down part, but managed to figure out how to do it without too much trouble. Mindy enjoyed romping around with our helper Kay after the testing was done.
Maggie
Maggie Valley, NC
Maggie is one of our little girls. She & Moxie were about half the size of their littermates when born. They both arrived at the same time, but I had stepped away from the pen for just a moment & did not actually view their arrival. The question has been asked if the two little ones are twins. I will pose the question to my reproductive vet in a few days. Both girls are similarly marked with Maggie only having a white diamond on the back of her neck & a very narrow blaze.
5 weeks - Maggie & Moxie both continue to be first in line to climb up in my lap. Maggie seems to be just slightly more laid back than Moxie, but is also learning to stand up for herself with the bigger pups. She is quite a little sweetheart. It's hard to believe how much they have grown since birth! They both sport a brown tinted coat, not as brown as Morgan's, but will still be considered seal & white.
6 weeks - It took a little bit of encouragement for Maggie to go through the tunnel, but apparently she was trying to avoid the standing water in between the ribs of the tunnel. Going up the A-frame was not a problem for Maggie & she didn't have to be encouraged much to climb it. I have seen many older pups & dogs that wouldn't even consider going up the A-frame at all! Once she got over the fear of coming down, Maggie was willing to go down the slope without any trouble. Go Maggie!!!
Moxie
Mocksville, NC
As you can see, Moxie is marked very much like her sister Maggie. Moxie does have a full collar, but a short blaze. These girls have impressed me with their strength from the time of birth. In spite of their size, I believe that their strength is a testament to the hardiness of the breed. I do believe that Liberty delivered about four days earlier than she should have delivered. At one week old, these two girls have reached the size of the smallest, pup at the time of birth.
5 weeks - Moxie has continued to grow, not only in size, but in how she interacts with the rest of the litter. This week saw both little girls beginning to "play" in a big way, plus sticking up for themselves when one of the larger pups would try to assert themselves over Moxie or Maggie. I am throughly enjoying watching these two little ones grow. Moxie definitely has a strong tough streak in her, but still likes and seeks out that interaction with people and dogs. She is going to be a really neat pup to watch grow up.
6 weeks - Moxie did a wonderful job of interacting with both Jan Santel & her helper Kay. As you can see, she went through the tunnel without too much trouble. Going up the A-frame was a cinch for little Moxie. Even coming down the other side wasn't too bad! Once she got to the bottom, she turned around and went back up again. Talk about confidence! 😉 Moxie possesses a great amount of confidence when she goes out into the world.
