E.C.
This handsome little fellow is named for my grandfather, Early Caraway Smith, known to friends as E. C. Smith. My grandfather was a licensed surveyor, plus a full time farmer. Around 1949 he began looking for an all around farmdog that would be a heeler, not a header, like many of the dogs he had used in the past. Once he purchased his first English Shepherd, he never owned another breed of dog.
E. C. was the second puppy to be born, weighing in at 1.10 pounds. He was born with double rear dewclaws, which have been removed. He does have white on his back toes, some on his chest, his chin, around his nose & a smidge on the back of his neck.
At 5 weeks, E. C. is still finding his place in the midst of 6 sisters. He still enjoys a good belly rub, while laying on his back in my lap. He can be quite vocal at times, like when he thinks he shouldn't be in the pen. He is turning out to be quite a looker with his white on his chest, plus the brown highlights in his fur.
At 7 weeks, E. C. is beginning to assert himself around the girls. Except for an occasional grabbing of my jacket sleeve, he is normally well behaved. A quick verbal correction is usually all it takes for him to realize that is not the way he should be acting. He seems to be unflappable in most situations. E. C. will start his home life in GA with a military chaplain and his family. He might end up being an international traveler depending on where the Elder family is stationed next!
Holly
My grandmother, Blonza Holleman Smith, has been inspirational to me for a good many years. She was always busy doing something, whether it was taking care of the family, working around the farm, or crocheting or tatting when she was "doing nothing" at night. The name Holly is pulled from my grandmother's maiden name of Holleman. According to story my grandmother told me, the first children born to Bud & Vera Holleman were named by her maiden aunt, Bertha. Aunt Bertha was a well read lady, who came up with some pretty unusual names including the name of Blonza. My grandmother used to smile whenever she was introduced to folks and quip that "there aren't too many of us in captivity."
Holly was the third pup to be born and weighed in at .85 pounds. After delivering two pups over 1 pound in weight, Kira seemed relieved to have one this size! Holly will be sable and white. She does have long white front stockings, back stockings as well, white chest, blaze and muzzle, along with a white tip on her tail. She was born with rear dewclaws which have been removed.
At 4 weeks, I have caught Holly watching the TV at times. A loud noise on the program will make her stop, sit and watch for a minute or so, and then she is back to exploring. She continues to lighten up some with age. Her blaze is shrinking & there is some ticking spots beginning to show up in her white.
At 5 weeks Holly, like her siblings, seems to know her name. I always find it amazing to watch them process which one of them I am calling and then come. My husband and I have decided that Holly will be remaining here as our next generation for our breeding program. Holly is a sweet little girl who enjoys playing with her siblings & interacting with her grandmother, Bec. When Bec is with the pups, Holly is usually there trying to get her attention.
At 7 weeks, Holly and her siblings went for their herding instinct testing at Claire Apple's place outside of Pittsboro. I didn't get any pictures of the pups working, but Holly didn't let the wing flapping get to her at all. Holly is a middle of the pack kind of gal, which should work well with our pack here. I am planning on working her both at Claire's and eventually do some agility with her down the road. Whenever I look at Holly, I see her daddy at this age. I always think about how pleased Ed Lynn Jarratt would have been with this litter & especially with Holly. He always thought so much of Dillon, Russ' boy.
Clo
Clo is a shortened version of Clorine, my only surviving great aunt and Grandmama's sister.
Clo was the first pup to be born and weighed in at 1.05 pounds. Clo has white on all four feet, a good amount on her chest & belly, tail tip, and a tiny smidge on the back of her neck. Again, she appears to be black and white, but waiting to see if she stays a true black or not. Clo was born with rear dewclaws which have been removed.
At 4 weeks Clo comes across as one of the thinkers of the litter. If all the other pups are running wild, I can usually find her sitting near by me & watching my face. Clo is a sweet girl who does enjoy the attention of being held. The pictures don't do her justice. She has a lovely shaped head which I just didn't capture in these shots. She is such a sweetheart.Clo continues to watch, before leaping, at 5 weeks of age. Once she does something new one time, she develops enough confidence to do it again without any problems.
This is one pup that I have enjoyed watching grow up & develop into a really nice pup. At 6 weeks, Clo continues to watch and learn, but has developed a calm confidence about her in dealing with her littermates and everyday events. I think she just gets prettier with each passing day. At 7 weeks, Clo is still one pretty girl, both in actions & markings. She has been a lot of fun to watch grow and mature while here. She has developed an a taste for exploring, along with her sisters, Roz & Cara. I can usually find them all together outside. Clo will be staying in NC, but moving to Winston-Salem to live with the Wagner family & their 2 year old ES, Patches. Looking forward to hearing great things about her new life!
Ella
Ella is named after my Memaw Clement, and is the only name not pulled from the Smith side of my family. I always remember Memaw working at Hudson Belk in downtown Raleigh. After my grandfather passed away and she retired, Memaw would stay with us for several weeks at a time. While she was with us, we always ate good! Fried chicken and baked spaghetti were two of her signature dishes.
Ella was the fourth pup to be born and weighed in at 1.10 pounds. She is a lovely little tri-color pup with white on her muzzle, all four feet, tiny tail tip, chest, belly & a stripe on the back of her neck with a narrow partial collar. Ella was born with rear dewclaws which have been removed.
At 4 weeks of age Ella is a fairly calm pup with the occasional need to show her littermates that she is bigger & tougher than they can be. 😉 As with all the pups, she likes attention & will lay quietly in your arms while being petted.
Ella continues to be a calm pup in the midst of all the chaos at 5 weeks of age. She's not above "starting" something with her siblings, but usually I can count on her not being the instigator. At 6 weeks, Ella & EC are pretty tied as being the largest pups in the litter. Ella is pretty easy going in most situations.
At 7 weeks, Ella is by far the largest of the girls. She is beginning to blossom a little more personality-wise & I like what I am seeing. By the nature of her size, she could be the alpha girl, but in general is content to be just one of the girls. Ella will make her home in VA with the Wallace family. She may have some agility in her future, but for sure will be a walking companion as she grows bigger.
Dubie
Dubie was another one of my grandmother's sisters named by their Aunt Bertha.
Dubie was the sixth pup to be born and weighed in at .85 pounds. She actually has more white on her than her brother, E. C., but is still black (or seal!) with minor white markings. The front white toe markings will probably disappear by the time she reaches 8 weeks in age. She does have white on her chest & on her back feet. She was one of the two born without rear dewclaws.
I can always count of Dubie to seek me out while the pups are playing. She is a super sweet pup who doesn't mind being turned on her back in my arms. I am not sure how it happened that I didn't get a picture of her during the 3 week old time frame, but it did. I really like the personality of this particular pup.
At 5 weeks, Dubie is coming into her own & is standing up for herself around her littermates. She is still a very sweet girl. She is beginning to show brown around her eyes, like her brother, E. C. I can always count on Dubie to be nearby while we are playing. Dubie is really developing into a beautiful girl, both inside & out at 6 weeks of age. She loves to play, but also seeks that contact with her people. I can usually find her at my feet looking to be picked up and loved on for a few minutes. She is a fairly confident pup & enjoys exploring new places.
At 7 weeks, Dubie continues to impress me with her temperament and how she seeks me out when we are together. You can see her seal highlighting when the light hits her just right, especially around her eyes. This should continue to become a little more prominent all over as she gets older. Dubie will be making her home in CA with Val & Howard Carenza-Pack, plus a couple of cats for herding!
Cara
According to the story, by the time my Great Aunt Louise was born, the children pleaded with their mother to allow them to name the babies. Louise Carabell Holleman was named by her siblings.
Cara was the fifth pup to be born and weighed in at .90 pounds. She is a black and tan little girl with some minor white markings. She does have white on her muzzle, a small blaze (which will probably disappear), a small tip on her tail, toe tips & a small amount on the back of her neck. She was born with rear dewclaws which have been removed.
At 4 weeks, Cara is a pistol! If I were to pick the leader of the pack, right now I would have to pick her. She is definitely not the biggest girl in the litter, but to watch her move, you would think she was. 😉 She is in charge of things. Cara is one of the 3 pups who currently carries her tail curled over her back. I will have to get pictures of this for her 5 week old shots. Her tail carriage is very much like her mother's. Kira does relax her tail in a downward position at times, so I am hoping that Cara will with time as well.
Cara is still a "mover and a shaker" here at 5 weeks in age. Even though she still is the leader of the pack, she will defer to people and enjoys being held and petted. At 6 weeks, Cara loves to play, explore and seems to have plenty of confidence. She continues to seek out human companionship instead of being totally independent like some leaders of the litter we have had in the past. She is a very nice pup.
At 7 weeks, I really admire Cara's gumption and her willingness to take on things that need her attention! She has quite a classy look to her with the b&t markings, along with the black mask on her face. She is a really neat pup that is the kind I would normally like to think about keeping. Cara will be making her home in VA with the Crompton family on their farm. Hopefully, she will eventually be able to take care of their goats, among other livestock.
Roz
Roz is named for one of the two Holleman children that didn't survive past childhood.
Roz was the last pup to make it into the world and the smallest, weighing in at .75 pounds. I am really going to have to wait to make a call on her coloring. You can see brown shining through her dark markings, but I am not sure yet whether she will be a dark sable, a seal with the same coloring as her dad, or some variation of b&t. She does have white on her front toes, back feet, from her chin down through her belly & a fairly large marking on the back of her neck. The small blaze on her face will disappear with age. She was one of the two born without rear dewclaws.
At four weeks, Roz is still lightening up with the sable undercoat really beginning to shine through in most areas. She is still very dark down her backbone, but most every other place there is sable coloring under the underlay. My best guess is that she & Holly will be close to the same color as adults. Holly is definitely going through the fading stage & I am not sure at this point whether Roz will fade or just stay sable. Roz is still the smallest one of the litter, but not by much. She is very willing to stand up to any pup that thinks he or she can take Roz on! I suspect she will be more like Kira in bone structure (body & head) when grown.
Roz is one of my favorite pup-kids. She always makes me smile whenever I see her. She is learning to take care of herself & doesn't let the bigger pups push her around much anymore! At 6 weeks, Roz continues to be the smallest of the litter, but has enough self confidence to "appear" bigger. I personally think she is a very special girl. I have found that when the pups are sacked out in the den, I can walk through & Roz will get up to follow while the others continue to sleep. I really like this trait. It reminds me of her mom. I think she is going to make one super dog!
At 7 weeks Roz is still quite a character. She is by my feet whenever we are together, but is quite the explorer as well. She & Cara are wanting to expand their horizons some by crossing the driveway into the field, but a quick bang on the food pan will bring both of them back running just as fast as they can! Roz will be making her home in Arizona, living with the Jackson family and their older male ES. Mainly a companion, Roz will also have the opportunity to help out with some cows and horses.
