Mr Blue

Miss Yellow

Mr Red

We have PUPPIES! But some bad news.

Four puppies born July 17th! 2 males, 2 females. 

I did not announce their birth because 1 puppy was not gaining weight and having a difficult time. Miss Pink who was the first born, was losing weight on a daily basis. I could not get her to accept the bottle so every 2-3 hours, day and night, I would have to tube feed her. She continued to lose weight for the next 6 days. 

 I usually make my own homemade formula for the puppies, but since there was only 1 puppy and the recipe made 1 litre, I thought I'd use the store bought variety. I could make 10 CCs at a time and it would always be fresh. When I realized she was still losing weight on day 6, I decided I had better do everything in my power to save her, so I made 1 litre of homemade formula. I was given the formula recipe in an Intensive Care for Puppies seminar. And thank goodness I was! Although I had to continue to tube feed her, she started gaining weight, rapidly. I thought we had won the battle! Each day she grew stronger and gained weight but I still couldn't get her to nurse. 

 By day 11, she was fat and sassy and her eyes were starting to open. But she still wasn't eating on her own. It was obvious I could keep her alive and even thrive, but there was something else wrong. I reluctantly took her to the vet. Fearing I would not come home with her. Unfortunatley poor Miss Pink had a cleft palette. Her nasal passage and her mouth were connected. And that's why she couldn't nurse. She was unable to get any suction. This was the first time this had happened in almost 30 years of breeding. The vet was shocked this had not happened to me before. He told me she was too small for surgery and that she would not have a good quality of life. It broke my heart... She seemed to be happy sleeping in his arms so I turned around to leave. I looked back one more time. He said she would have lots of love and snuggles. I was devastated. 

 The only thing I could do was bury my face in three, happy, healthy puppies at home and talk to Fia about where her puppy was. We will all fight on to see another day.

The COMMERCIAL is out!

August 2020 we were hired for 5 days to shoot a commercial. It was all very hush-hush! I was unable to share for what company, or the story of the commercial. It's been a secret for almost a whole year! Now, finally I can share! I started training 3 puppies for the commercial when they were 6 weeks old. Lots of things like sits, downs, recalls, go to X and stay, chase toys etc. Lots for their little minds to remember! I picked 3 puppies so if 1 puppy got tired, we could use another, and if she got tired, there was a third. The training went very well. Everyone was very impressed with all the Guardian Angel Shepherds! We had a blast! Although it looks like only one mother and one puppy throughout the story, there were actually 2 Moms and 3 puppies! I have to say an extra special thank you for the owners who delayed getting their puppies for a week so we could shoot this commercial.

Some of my welcoming committee!

Remote Dog Lessons - K9 Partners

My dog obedience club, Eagle Hill Obedience, has been shut down since March of 2020. I am launching a remote learning company called "K9 Partners". Anyone who is interested in remote lessons via ZOOM or telephone can email me at k9trainer@dogwhisperer.ca to arrange a date and time. Lessons will be private, one on one, for 1 hour. Introductory price is $95/hr. Lessons can cover anything from problem solving, to obedience, to management, to problem prevention. You can ask questions for the whole hour. You, decide how the lesson proceeds. Generally speaking, one lesson gives you all the education you need to fix most problems. The Puppy Kindergarten Course can be accomplished in 2 lessons and a Beginners Course can be accomplished in 2-3 depending on how much time you have to work at home. Payments are made using emoney transfers. Why come to me? I have over 40 years experience in training dogs. I've owned my own obedience club for almost 30 years and I have taught Veterinary Technicians at Olds College both dog obedience and behaviour for 10 years. I spend on average $2500/year on taking training seminars on learning new techniques for training both dogs and humans. I will never stop learning! And neither should you! Email me today at k9trainer@dogwhisperer.ca. Let's get that problem solved today!

Gaia

Gaia after a hard day of playing with toys and chewing on bones.

Emotional Support Dog - Cal!

Hello Mary Ann, 

When Cal was just a puppy we ordered him a collar that came with an unexpected branding. “Emotional Support” said the removable velcro tab. We though it was cute at the time but now more than 2 years later, we can see what an omen it was… 

Cal has recently turned 3 years old and so has our marriage. We were married in Reykjavik in the spring of 2018 only week or so before heading straight from the airport to the farm to pick up Calibre on our way to our new home in BC. This is how Calibre came to grow alongside our new marriage. We we're nervous and excited when we picked him up  but did not comprehend the shear magnitude of the endeavour before us. A new marriage is hard and raising a puppy (to ours and Mary Ann’s standards) is challenging but the rewards have been astronomical to say the least. All of our hard work has been returned to us ten fold as our family settles into a life of trust and loving together as a unit. Calibre found his job in our family and became the peacekeeper that enabled our family to settle\\\\\ into routines,  compromises and understandings with calmness, grace and ease. He manages the vibe in our household with the same commitment we manage his training. It’s really something spectacular, our friends and family have been amazed. If any kind of tension arrises in anyones voice or even a frustrated breath out Cal will emerge from his kennel instantly and calmly sit beside the offending person (showing no signs of agitation himself). In a composed but stern fashion he will hold space for that person until the negative energy dissipates (mostly this only takes a few moments as his energy is so soothing) he then wanders off to lay down again with an absolutely hilarious annoyed “huff". The tension in the house breaks immediately and the vibration raises to joy and laughter. This can happen with even the SLIGHTEST hint of sarcasm in ones voice… it is nothing short of amazing. It has allowed our household to mature into one of peace and serenity and I sometimes wonder how many years it may have taken us to achieve this without him, if at all! Especially in these recent trying times we have been living in, the world can feel very unpredictable but our home feels a place of stability, a world of rules, boundaries and limitations for everyone. With the pronominal amounts of stress and uncertainty these trying times have brought everyone we credit Calibre as our Guardian Angel allowing our young marriage to wether the storm, we could not be more grateful Mary Ann,

With love,

Amelia, David & Cal

"Painting of Zeus" 2 year old Guardian Angel Shepherd