The I Litter
Born August 22, 2010
Oakie
"Oak Island"
Oakie was the first born of the litter & one of the largest, weighing in at .85 pounds. At 5 days old, Oakie weighed 1 1/4 pounds. Oakie is the darkest clear sable male, but not quite as dark as his sister, Sunny. Oakie has a partial collar that connects to his chest with a narrow strip on the left side. The connecting strip from the blaze to the collar, will either completely disappear when he is grown, or be very narrow. He has long white stockings on the front legs, a full white chest & white back feet. Oakie did have rear dewclaws that have been removed.
5 weeks old - Oakie still continues to be a leader in the litter. He's a fun loving, rambunctious pup at times, but still can be calmed down fairly quickly by being held in my arms on his back. I am working with him some on his mouthiness (not loud, but using teeth) and trying to teach him to have a softer mouth. I really enjoy watching Oakie play and interact with the litter. Always in the middle of things, he says there is never a dull moment when he is around. He's my kind of guy. 😉
7-8 weeks old - Oakie was my number one choice for the male I would like to see stay intact. He is making his home in Guy Wilson ES territory in GA with the Payne family. He will be helping out on their farm and will be evaluated for the possibility of being a future stud. Having a litter with 4 clear sable pups in it has made me look past the coat color and into the heart of the dog. I am thrilled about the possibility of Oakie carrying on the tradition of the White Oak English Shepherds. Oakie has been renamed to Cody. His owner tells me that Cody means "helper" which is very apt for an English Shepherd.
"Mackey Island"
Cedar
"Cedar Island"
Cedar was the 6th pup to arrive, weighing .85 pounds. By day 5, he weighed 1.20 pounds. Like his brother Mack, Cedar is currently a very light colored clear sable male. I can make out his white markings now. Cedar has a fairly long white tip on his tail, white front and back feet, a full white chest, a small amount of white on the back of his neck, a smaller blaze. Like Mack, Cedar should darken up some as he gets older. When born, I couldn't see many of his white markings either. Cedar was born with rear dewclaws that have been removed.
3 weeks old Cedar weighed in at 3.35 pounds on day 22. Cedar fell asleep pretty soon after nursing, so I don't have as many action shots of him this week. I still have a hard time telling the difference between the "twins" and have to look twice or at least see the back of the neck markings to determine if I am seeing Cedar or Mack. Both boys are very similar in size and attitude toward life in general at the current time. It will be interesting to see how they continue to develop & if they stay so close in temperament. Both of them are extremely easy going in whatever occurs in their life right now. Even before their eyes opened, they were okay with being picked up & put on their backs - a very trusting attitude that I can appreciate. As you can see, white markings are more apparent this week.
5 weeks old What a difference a week can make in what you see about the pup. 😉 Cedar has a good natured, fun seeking, instigator type of personality when interacting with the other pups. Sometimes it seems to be a "tag you're it" type of thing. I have seen this in past litters, it's not a matter of the pup trying to be Number 1, but more of a "hey, I am right here, too." Cedar is still happy to be a follower. Thanks to Cedar, the pups can no longer have a short side to their pen in any shape, form or fashion. He would figure out a way to come right out every or anytime he so desired. He still enjoys being held, petted and loved upon by his humans.
7-8 weeks old Until the day they left, I still had to look twice to see if I was seeing Cedar or Mack. Cedar was quite a love while he was here & always into something or another. The second trip back to Claire's house showed us that he could move those ducks. Unfortunately, I didn't have my digital camera with me. I was taking video that day instead.
Cedar is staying fairly local - just a town away from here. He has joined the Lassiter family, along with their two young children. Cedar is now known as Henry and will be a companion to the children, and perhaps, a help with their goats.
Tuck
"Currituck Island"
Tuck was the second pup to put in an appearance. Tuck weighed .80 at birth, and at 5 days weighed 1.30 pounds. Tuck is still pretty dark looking where his tan markings are concerned, but he will "tan up" in those areas over the next few weeks. Tuck has the larger Shepherd Spots over the eyes, like his sire, Rudy. Tuck has a full white collar, a long tail tip, full white chest, long white stocking front feet and back feet. He also has a narrow white blaze now, but I expect that it will disappear by the time he is grown. Tuck was born with rear dewclaws that have been removed.
3 weeks old Tuck is currently the largest pup at 3.85 pounds on day 22. There are times when I look at him & see his grandfather Dillon at the same age. Not only does he have most of Dillon's white markings, but there is something about the head shape that makes me take a double look at the boy. 😉 Tuck is quite willing to investigate new surroundings. Like all the pups, he enjoys climbing over and under our legs and into our laps for a little extra loving.
5 weeks old After all the places the pups had explored, both in & outside the house, I was surprised to see Tuck go through a semi-bravery issue with the front hall and the front door. Once he was out the door, he was fine. Once he was out of the hallway into the den, he was fine, but getting from point A to B was an issue for about a day and a half. After he figured out that he "could" do it, then things went back to normal. Tuck still strikes me as loving pup, likes to be held and petted, but is a little more reserved when showing his affection in the way of licks. Does however, enjoy a good head rub. 😉 Comes when called and appears to enjoy being in people's company. He is developing some ticking on his muzzle now, which is hard to see in the pictures.
7-8 weeks old During our first visit with the ducks, Tuck showed us that he had the instinct to actually work them. Most pups will notice the ducks and move them (a little chasing), but Tuck was blocking and going to their heads to turn them. It was pretty impressive.
Tuck has made his new home with the Clark family in Ohio. His new owner is a large animal vet & she has plans for Tuck to travel with her when she makes house calls. He is still a fairly calm kind of guy & should do well in this situation. I am looking forward to seeing if he continues to look and act like his grandfather Dillon as he grows up.
Indy
"Indian Island"
Indy was the third pup to arrive, and by far the smallest of the group. Just weighing in at .55 pounds at birth, Indy at 5 days had climbed up to .85 pounds. I wouldn't be surprised if he just about catches up with everyone else before leaving here at 8 weeks of age. Even though Indy looks like he might be a tri-colored pup, I suspect that he will be a sable and white boy similar in color to his mother, Holly. I could tell after he dried off that he was not black, but brown toned. He currently has the "b&t" face markings, as well as the legs, but Holly did & still does on her face. I am beginning to see him lighten up overall & seeing the sable showing up across the back of his head and around his eyes (not to be confused with his Shepherd Spots). Indy has a full white collar, front stockings with the left being longer, white back feet, and a tip on his tail.
4 1/2 weeks old It appears to me that Indy does have the fading gray gene. As you can see from some of his pictures, the sides of his torso have lightened up considerably from last week. This will continue over the next 3 months before changing back to the coloring of Holly. She did the same thing as a pup. Indy has a sweet nature about him, but sounds larger than life whenever one of his littermates wants to tangle. He is quite the explorer as well. I have finally figured out that his head shape is similar to "grandma" Kira & her littermates at the age of 4 weeks. I went back and looked at some pictures sent to me by Kira's breeder to verify that hunch.
5 weeks old The old saying that Number 2 tries harder really applies to Indy. Being a little bit smaller (around a pound) makes a difference in how soon he can accomplish things that the others do. After a couple of days of watching his littermates trot up the front steps, Indy accomplished this as well. Where the others were long enough in their bodies to pull their back legs up, Indy discovered that he would have to "jump" up the steps. It's pretty neat to watch him go! Indy is beginning to actively seek out play with the other pups. If I hear the sounds of a puppy tussle, it is not because Indy started things, but he will stand up for himself and finish it, if need be. 😉 He does not go looking for trouble. Indy truly enjoys being with his people & is quite affectionate when in my arms.
7-8 weeks old Indy was the last pup to leave. I told Brian that it felt funny not having him underfoot after he had gone. When he left, he was a little over 9 pounds. During our visits to the herding trainer's house, Indy did well with the ducks. Indy will be similar in color to his mother when grown. I am waiting to see if he has more black on him than Holly, but that will take some time before his coat color is completely established. Holly was between 6-8 months before hers was in its final color.
Indy is staying in NC with some folks that I have had the pleasure of knowing for the past 5 years. I am excited about Indy being with the Mason household & know that he is in for a wonderful life.
Sunny
"Sunset Island"
Sunny was the 4th puppy born and the first girl to make her arrival. She weighed in at .70 pounds at birth. At 5 days old, she was almost 1 1/4 pounds. Of all the clear sable pups, Sunny is the darkest one in color. You can see from her pictures that Sunny has a full white collar & her blaze actually connects to the collar. Her blaze will probably be about the width of Holly's when she is grown. I still expect there to be a connecting stripe between the blaze and the collar, but it will be narrower. Sunny also has a full white chest, long white front stockings & white back feet. She was born with one single and one double rear dewclaw that was removed earlier in the week
3 weeks old Sunny is still the darkest clear sable of the litter. Sometimes when she is near Holly, it reminds me of some of Holly's sable, but of course, without any black hairs. Sunny was one of the last pups to open her eyes. I can tell a difference in her confidence level about what is going on around her, since her eyes have opened. Like all the pups, she is very mobile & also likes to be held and petted. She was the second pup to respond to my calling at 15 days in age. At 22 days old, Sunny weighed in at 3.75 pounds.
5 weeks old Of the two girls, Sunny is the go getter of the group. She likes to rough and tumble with the boys, be one of the first to be places and do things. Sunny likes to explore & so far shows no fear at new things she encounters. She is a little more independent than Kit, but seems to like being with her folks, rather than being alone. She is easy to love, likes being in my arms and is okay with being on her back or being held up in the air. She is quite a lovely girl.
7-8 weeks old Sunny was the first pup to leave. She now calls Baltimore, MD her home and lives with the Norris family. She is going to have a great time growing up with the Norris' young daughter.
Sunny is now known as Ruby, in honor of Beachum's Rachel's Ruby who appears through the Jarratt side of Holly's pedigree. This is quite fitting since the original Ruby was also a clear sable and white English Shepherd.
Kit
"Kitty Hawk"
Kit is our tri-colored girl. She was the last pup to arrive and weighed in at .85 pounds. On day 5, she weighed 1.35 pounds. Kit has a narrow full collar & a tiny white connecting strip from the blaze to the collar. This connecting strip will disappear, probably before she is 8 weeks in age. She should have a narrow blaze when grown, and the white on her front right toes may disappear depending on what sort of ticking she ends up with in her white. She will have the larger Shepherd Spots over the eyes - like Rudy's. Her tan will become more noticeable as she "tans up" over the next few weeks. She also has a full white chest. Kit did not have rear dewclaws.
3 Weeks Old Kit was the first pup to respond to my calling at 15 days in age. She also has figured out how to scale the fence, but hasn't gone over it yet because I have caught her in the act & picked her up. She likes to explore, be held, play with her brothers, etc. At 22 days old, she weighed in at 3.40 pounds
5 Weeks Old Kit is the more laid back one of the two girls. Right now she is a fairly quiet girl, but don't take that to mean that she can't make herself be heard or that she is not in the midst of whatever is going on. She is the most affectionate pup in the group, being very liberal with lots of licks/kisses whenever she is held and petted. She will stand up for herself whenever one of the other pups tries to push the issue of who is in charge.
7-8 Weeks Old Kit continued to impress me with her ability to just roll with the flow - that quiet confidence. I especially saw this in our trip to Autumn Winds Agility Center. She was the only pup that not only went up the A-frame without any trouble, but also came down it. The up side is always easier, than the down side. Could be that she was so food motivated that she never looked past the food, but she did the whole A-frame!
Kit is making her home in VA with the Old family. She will be kept intact and hopefully will be a part of the next generation of breeding English Shepherds.
