We are all melting!

UGH it is SO HOT here in Nova Scotia that we are all just about to melt away. Even with the windows open there is almost no breeze coming through the house. The house is at 88 F and it is so humid too. The dogs are all panting everywhere and the puppies are pretty warm also. They at least are on the lower level of the house where it is a bit cooler but still way up over 80 F. We are not used to this kind of weather as a typical summer day around here is in the mid 70s. Several of the dogs have pretty big coats already getting ready for fall and now this heat is upon us. Too hot - we hope it goes away soon!

The fantastic four - day 12!

Well we have had a bit of a roller coaster ride here for the last few days with the puppies but thankfully with the help of my fantastic vet and lots of love, support and sleepless nights the puppies are all doing GREAT. We couldn't be happier. Puppies are so delicate those first few weeks and sometimes things just don't go the way you have it all planned. We hope that the puppies now continue to do well. They are so beautiful.

Their eyes are starting to open, you can see a tiny crack and a little bit of their eyes. They are starting to wobble around the box learning how to go up on all four legs. Sometimes they will now sit and you think they might be trying to look around. But mostly they still like to snuggle up with mom. Priscilla is doing great but is looking a little raggedy and worn out from all the laying around, though she is feeling good. It has been dreadfully hot here - unbelievably so - so we are all wishing for some cooler weather!

The princesses!

My two princesses enjoying each other. Pink girl at 8 days old and my little helper at 3 years old! Too cute!

Priscilla taking a little break!

Priscilla is being a wonderful mom and spends all of her time with the puppies. They don't like it at all when she even leaves the box to go outside for a little break. As soon as they realize she is not there they start calling for her and as soon as she goes back with them they all settle down! Too cute but poor Priscilla needs a break soon. The first few weeks are pretty hard on mom that's for sure.

The fantastic four are one week old!

Wow hard to believe that a week as flown by already. It doesn't really seem possible. I guess that is what happens when the world basically stops and you spend most of your time sitting in the whelping box with mom and puppies. The puppies continue to do well and are so cute. The top photo is Green boy next to Pink girl (their rickrack came off!). The second is of Purple and Blue boys! Next week is another big week for them when they start moving around more and near the end of the week the eyes and ears will start to open and they will start to see and hear. There is plenty of noise around our home for them that's for sure! Enjoy!

The fantastic four - day 5!

Priscilla and puppies resting - mom and puppies are doing well. So sweet!

The fantastic four - day 4!

You can see the puppies are growing already! They are getting a little plump and are starting to fill in a bit. Still have a long way to go though. They are still mostly snuggling with mom and don't like it at all when she goes outside for a little break. Green and Purple found each other and were sleeping so nicely together, but they like it best when mom is right there in the box with them! Priscilla still likes to be in the box too with her babies. So sweet!

And now White is Green boy!

Well after a lot of discussion with my helpers the decision was made to make white boy green boy! Too funny. They thought that green was a better color for the puppy and than white so green he will be! He still is a very funny puppy and loves to be upside!

The fantastic four - day 3!

We are still working hard with the puppies but they are doing well. I haven't had nearly any sleep since their arrival and am getting pretty tired but there always seems to be something that needs to be done! The puppies are really cute and very funny. The blue one loves to cuddle with mom and get in the warmest most furry spots. White boy loves to roll around and is often found upside down! He is already a comedian! Pink girl of course is a princess and purple boy is a total sweetie! We hope that they continue to do well and hopefully I will be able to get some sleep soon and also to catch up on all my many many emails!

A perfect summer day!

We had a great day with the kids, dogs and of course puppies. The sun was out with a bit of a breeze and some big white clouds in the sky. The temperature was perfect - not too hot and not too cold. Wish the weather was always like it was today!

My little helpers and the rick rack!

Well my littlest helper found the old bag of chips and thought that was quite the treat! They were all mushy from the heat and humidity in the puppy room but she didn't seem to mind! She was pretty sulky when the bag had to go into the garbage can!

So the rick rack color discussions are ongoing. Hopefully we will be able to settle on a puppy color soon. It is a hard decision for a two little ones if the puppy should be white or green! They love the puppies and love to hang out with me in the puppy room. Too cute!

The puppies - day 2!

The puppies and mom Priscilla are doing really well. I am pretty sleepy but that is always what happens with new baby puppies in the house. So red boy is now white boy and maybe soon to be green boy! The kids just can't decide what color they want him to be. They decided that 'red' was a puppy girl color! We are also trying to come up with a litter name and are thinking of the fantastic four. They are pretty fantastic and it is totally fantastic having puppies where their daddy lives across the ocean. Really amazing! Hmm maybe the amazing four! We'll see!

The puppies are here!

The puppies arrived last night! We have one sweet girl and three beautiful boys. So far mom and pups are doing well. The first few days are always so difficult. The girl is pinky, the boys are purple, red and blue. More photos coming soon!

A few pictures of Lanta

Well here is daddy Lanta again! He is incredible - so very beautiful! We are so excited to meet his new puppies. We know this combination with beautiful Priscilla and spectacular Lanta is going to be something really special! Stay-tuned for the puppies' arrival.

We see four puppies!

Well we took Priscilla up to the vet clinic today and did her pregnancy x-ray and we clearly see four puppies! So we are very happy with that! The sweet puppies are due on Friday and we are so excited to meet them. They are going to be so adorable! I have numbered their little heads so you can see them clearly. Fingers crossed for their safe arrival!

A summertime walk to the lake!

Well here in Nova Scotia we have plenty of lakes for the dogs to go swimming and one of our favorite places is just down the road from where we live along a very lovely walking trail. A 30 minute walk leads to an incredible swimming place where you feel like you are in the middle no where. We had five Leos on our walk but didn't get a photo of all of them together, but you can see the dogs love the lake and we love to watch them swim! Was such a beautiful evening to be out on a walk!

One more week until the puppies come!

Well this week has flown by! Priscilla is still feeling great and hasn't really gotten any bigger so we are not anticipating very many puppies.... I can feel at least one little puppy moving around in her tummy! That is so delightful. I have Prissy resting on her side and place my hand on her belly and can feel the puppy moving around in there! Very sweet! We will be doing our puppy count x-ray in the middle of next week so then we will know for sure how many puppies are coming!

Fingers crossed!

Happy 8th birthday Wanderweg's A litter!

A very happy birthday to all those beautiful puppies born all those 8 years ago! We are so happy that so many from the litter of 12 are doing so well! We know that each of their owners are giving them a special extra tummy rub and a special extra treat today to celebrate all those long and wonderful lives. What a special litter our A litter is! A number of the puppies were born pretty tiny and our sweet Elly, who was Isaac's mom, really saved the day by helping feed the smaller puppies. Elly never really liked her job but she would come in and the puppies would feed and she was so sweet to them! All those memories! Such a beautiful litter of lovely Leonbergers!

Happy birthday to Wanderweg's A Leo litter! We wish you all a great day and many more great years! Hugs and kisses to all!

Two weeks to go!

Well we have two more weeks until the puppies are coming. Priscilla is great though she is not too big so we are not thinking she has too many puppies. She still has a bit of a waistline which should be gone by now with a good size litter. But what will be will be.

Here she is! You can see her tummy is down a little. It has been so hot here she hasn't been doing too much. She is still looking very beautiful even with her big tummy!

Priscilla is still growing ... a little!

Well Priscilla continues to grow a little, not too much but a little, so we are thinking she is only going to have a smallish litter - but we will see in just over two weeks!

Since her last measurement on Sunday she has gained another inch or maybe a little less, but we'll say that she is 30" around her waist and 36" around at her last rib.

She continues to be a very picky eater, she likes steak best with a little bit of parmesan cheese on top!

Happy 4th birthday to Stella and her littermates!

A big happy 4th birthday to those sweet puppies. We hope you are having a wonderful day! Stella has had a great day so far, she got to eat Priscilla's breakfast in addition to her own, she got to chew on a great big marrow bone, she got to clean the kids breakfast bowls and eat their leftover lunches, she got to get a birthday hat and have her picture taken and of course there is always cheese involved with that! In addition the weather is sunny and cool today - so she is loving that! We love Stella so much. She is a total sweetie and so beautiful too!

A very big happy birthday to our 'D' litter. We send our love and many extra tummy rubs!

Priscilla is growing ... a little!

Well it is now 6 weeks since Priscilla was bred and she is getting a little round. She is certainly pregnant, but we are wondering how many puppies are growing in there? I am always trying to figure this out before the x-ray we do to count the puppies right before the puppies are born. So I sometimes measure the girls to see how much size they gain. I measure them at their waist and also about where the last rib is. The measurements aren't exact and there is some uncertainty but some people claim the female will grow 1 inch for each puppy.

My first measurement with Priscilla was last week when she measured 28" around the waist and 34" right behind the last rib. Today she is 29" and 35" so she is gaining - a little! I'll post her measurements in a couple of days! Most of the size comes between 6 and 8 weeks! We hope that she has a few puppies growing in there!