28/12/2025
How is it possible that the Season’s Greeter’s Litter turns 11 today!!
Missing their Mamma but loving all the memories of Sky’s first litter and the launch into dog breeding and eventual Blue Sky kennel.
Happiest birthday to those sweet puppies. I hope you all have a wonderful day.
11 years(!) ago today, Sky had her first litter of Chinook puppies and the introduction /crash course in puppy rearing began.
I have the sweetest memories of that first litter despite the rough start and difficulty and challenges we had getting them to eight weeks. I remember around the clock bottle-feeding, with an army of dear friends that helped me get those puppies to four weeks and past the critical zone. Middle of the night conversations while bottle feeding, bonding in the whelping box, the day 2 trip back to the vets and the chaos of convincing Sky they were her babies.
I distinctly remember telling anyone who would listen, that I was never, ever doing it again. For the first 4 or 5 days, that is.
Then the magic came.
We found a rhythm and got skilled at feeding the 7 pups all day/ all night. Accepted that Sky, due to no fault of her own, was not going to be the model Mom we hoped for with this litter. So, We jumped right in!
Then, their eyes opened and I had a front seat to the absolute wonder of watching them grow. Seeing personalities develop. Hitting milestones. Growing so fast. Long before they left for their forever homes I began grieving their leaving. Still had 4 weeks to go but couldn’t believe they were halfway to the finish point and the time would come for them to go.
I loved raising puppies, even with the challenges, difficulty and devotion of time it took. “Poopageadan” was its own crazy thing. Other breeders told me that was why there was a week seven and eight to make the sadness of letting them go, ease.
So I threw a going away party to help keep me busy the last two weeks with the paperwork and cooking. And so my babies would leave mostly at the same time. New forever families could connect and my dear friends who also loved them, could see them off. Most of us, Jean Parrish and my TTT’s especially couldn’t look at each other without tearing up. But the party was great and we all adjusted back to the quiet.
Pupdates from forever homes would come and seeing them happy and thriving with their new families made it all worth it.
Wishing our 11 year old puppies the happiest birthday. If any of you want to share photos of your puppies at 11, that would make me so happy.
Much love from your first Mama and many thanks for our forever families for finding your way to Blue Sky and to the army of friends that helped me raise them.
Cheers!
