Puppy Diva 2015
Dam: GCH Blue Fairy’s Breaking Dawn, RN, CGC, VO
Sire: CH Hunter’s Lonestar Barclay
Table of Episodes
Prologue: Hello World
Week 1: Double Trouble.. Already?
Week 2: What’s My Name..?
Week 3: Everything is Working!
Week 4: On the Move
Week 5: Meet The Pack
Week 6: Big Dog Adventures
Week 7: Merry Christmas!
Week 8 & Beyond: The Force Awakens
Puppy Videos
Let’s Get It Started
On the bright side, we had plenty of time to do the research and find a suitable sire. We selected CH Hunter’s Lonestar Barclay aka Barclay. Barclay lives in Texas with his breeders/owners and he is a proven Sire with great temperament and excellent pedigree. He is 27 inches tall and 120 pounds. He’s broad – head, shoulders and hips. His coat is coarse, 3-4 inches long. His ears are the right length, set at eye level. He has a thick tail, slightly longer than hock length that curves nicely. He is well-muscled and has a fluid gait. Barclay is outgoing, friendly and loves to meet people. He is mellow with other dogs and has a strong scent instinct. Great match for our girl Bella.
Bella finally came in heat in September. Breeding process went as planned. Our only concern were high temperatures throughout September and October. Ultrasound confirmed pregnancy, but we could only see one puppy. X-ray on day 55 confirmed we were having yet another singleton puppy. Mixed feelings, but the excitement was building to welcome the new Blue Fairy Pack member. We were ready for a boy or a girl 🙂 The tough part is going to be picking a worthy name!
Hello World
Wednesday, November 11, 2015
The big day is here! We had a C-section scheduled to make sure our puppy makes it to the world. At 6am we arrived at our vet’s clinic ready to rock n’roll. The procedure went normal, no complications. Fun fact: the vet told us that there was likely a second puppy at some point. Too bad we did not have a chance to met him/her 🙁 Our puppy girl was born at 7:30am weighing in at 1lb 8 oz. Big and strong, tan/brown coat, with white face and chest. A tiny Panda bear! She would have been born breach i.e. feet first, just like her Great Auntie Mamba. Is it a sign..? Only time will tell.
Week 1: Double-Trouble.. Already?
The first week with puppies is always challenging. So many things to consider: Is the puppy eating OK? Is there enough milk? Is the puppy warm? Is the Mom keeping puppy clean? If the answer to any of these questions is “no”, well, the human(s) must step in. That’s also where the sleepless nights come into play. Every breeder will tell you that the first 72 hours are critical for the puppies and their Mom.
Our first 48 hours were tough at times. Bella needed time to recover from surgery and to realize that the tiny squeaky creature moving from nipple to nipple was actually hers. Bella did not mind nursing, but she would look at the puppy surprised, expecting someone else to step in and take it away. Our job was to make sure she connects the dots and takes over all duties. Feeding was easy. It’s the cleanup that we were not too excited about. On day 2, Bella finally figured out that the puppy belonged to her and finally started caring for her daughter. They became inseparable. They ate and slept together, cuddled up for warmth and comfort. I knew Bella would be a wonderful Mom. She just needed a little time to figure things out.
Our puppy girl has been very vocal from the very beginning. Making noises while eating and sleeping. We even heard a howl-like sound the other day. She will be a singer! She has been a great eater. Good thing Bella has a good supply of milk available! As a result, the puppy has been consistently gaining weight, 2-4 oz per day. By the end of the first week, she gained more than a pound and almost doubled her size. Very very good news to any breeder. With Bella exceeding at her Motherly duties, we are off to a great start 🙂
The Blue Fairy Pack members Ozzy, Mamba and Leeloo have been phenomenal during this important week. They have been respectful and kept their distance from Bella and the puppy, despite of their HUGE curiosity. We let them smell towels and blankets so they got a good scent of the new Pack member. Good dogs!
Week 2: What’s My Name..?
With things settling down and Bella being just a perfect Mother, all that was left for us humans to do is sit back and watch. We also had a daunting task of finding a worthy name for our new Blue Fairy Pack member. Our tradition has been to use movie titles as AKC registered names so the first step was to inventory our favorite movies, movie stars and characters. No secret, I love action movies with strong female characters. There are many to choose from! As we were talking about different movies, our TV kept showing re-runs of 2 great movies: “Aeon Flux” and “A Million Ways to Die in the West”. They had one thing (or rather person) in-common: the leading lady Charlize Theron. Great actress and a beautiful women. Her movies are not too shabby either. So.. We decided to name our girl Charlie. How cool is that 🙂
Puppy activities this week were limited to long LONG naps and nursing. And making noises! This little girl has a lot to say, mostly in her sleep. She’s huffing, puffing, growling.. she’s barking, even howling. Bella and I often look at her and each other wondering what this puppy could possibly dream about..? She’s probably making plans for the most awesome adventures as soon as she get a bit bigger. Getting bigger does not seem to be a problem. Every day, we watch a 3-4oz weight gain. Approaching 5lbs too fast! We are very pleased with her overall development: she’s strong and her body is very proportional. Well.. for a little hippo 🙂 Every day, our girl has been making more and more attempts to use her legs to move around. I would not call is walking yet, but we can already see the big changes coming next week!
We developed a schedule for Bella and the rest of our Pack for meals and afternoon exercise. Towards the end of the second week, Bella started spending time outside of the whelping box and joining the Pack for sunset mayhem. Not for long though. After short time away, she’d run to check on the puppy, clean her up and nurse. Bella also got more comfortable with allowing the Mamba & Leeloo spend time closer to the whelping box. She’s still a bit nervous about Ozzy and I don’t blame her. Oz is full of enthusiasm when it comes to puppies and his tail just keeps going in circles when he catches a glimpse of our puppy girl! When Bella was away, we let the dogs smell the puppy and they loved it. In just a few weeks, puppy Charlie will have a pack of playmates to keep her entertained. We can’t wait!
Week 3: Everything is Working!
Happy Thanksgiving! Week 3 started with a big event. No, it was not the Turkey Dinner 😉 Our Puppy Charlie decided to open her eyes. We have been seeing slivers of light on and off since day 10, but we saw the big blue/black eyes open for the first time on Thanksgiving. What a gift! Once the eyes were opened everything started falling into place. The ears opened just a couple of days later. Her face suddenly became much more expressive. By the end of the week even her tail started wagging. Bonus!! Our puppy turned from a little hippo into a little dog almost overnight. Cute and interactive. Growing up too fast!
The next big milestone was mastering the walk. What a daunting task! Charlie has been consistenly gaining weight and moving that plump body around was certainly not easy. But our girl was determined. She was curious and committed every day to get to her Mom Bella for a meal and find a toy or a warm spot for a nap. Controlling the heavy butt was a challenge and watching her rolling over made us smile. Too cute! But her balance has been improving daily and I know she’ll be running any day now. Charlie also started playing with her toys – attacking them, growling at them and just pretending they were her siblings. Funny and sad to watch. If only she had real brothers and sisters.. I had to step in and start daily play sessions with Charlie. Tough assignment, but someone had to do it! Why not me 😉
As the days went by, Charlie made it her mission to get outside of her pen and start exploring the world “on the other side”. The first time she managed to climb over a pillow blocking the entry to the pen, she immediately turned around to get back to her Mom (who was watching the escape very VERY closely). But there was no stoppping our Charlie. Curiosity and instinct were undeniable. Every day, her adventures ourside the pen were longer and farther away. Nose leading the way! Scent hound in action!
Bella is an excellent Mom! She continues nursing and keeping her puppy clean. She is very affectionate and loving, but looks a bit surprised every time Charlie starts pulling on her ears or chin. I guess she didn’t expect her little puppy to grow that fast! Bella also mastered balancing her maternal duties with social time with the Pack. When puppy is asleep, Bella often hangs out with Mamba, Leeloo and Oz in the living room or howling at the coyotes. She’s also more open to the idea of the Pack getting to know her puppy. Good news for Ozzy who has been negotiating his spot next to the pen for days. Fun to watch!
Week 4: On The Move
Week 4 was just pure fun. Every day was a new adventure for our puppy Charlie. She has been getting more and more comfortable walking and hopping around. Rapid turns and jumps became her favorite movements, making us laugh every time. Her curiosity is undeniable and she’s following her nose to a fault. Sometimes I think she forgets that she can use her eyes too. But.. That’s the charm of a scent hound. Our adults often run into objects when following an exciting scent 😉
Getting out of the pen became a daily occurrence. No barrier can stop our girl when she decides to leave the “nest”. The need to explore and stretch her legs was just too strong. Not a problem during the day when we keep an eye on the puppy and our adults. At night though it’s another story. Who knows what she could get into when nobody is watching 😉 Bella has been a great watch dog and has been alerting us every time the puppy would make a move. Good Mom! We finally had to start zipping up the entry way at night, just to keep everyone safe and happy.
Every day our Charlie was becoming more active and interactive. She continued to terrorize her toys and started attacking her Mom Bella’s ears and paws. Watching them play is so much fun! Charlie has been playing with us too, however, we quickly discovered her sharp SHARP teeth! Seems like the teeth appeared overnight and just kept growing like crazy, and poor Charlie just could not stop herself from chewing everything and everybody. Nursing has to be painful for Bella I imagine, but she doesn’t seem to mind.. yet. Weaning is inevitable… and mandatory very soon.
Towards the end of the week, we took Charlie outside to check out the great outdoors. We have been enjoying nice and sunny weather in SoCal and it was time to expand Charlie’s world just a little bit. Charlie was curious but cautious, checking things out. Bella was shielding her puppy all the way and trying to lead it back indoors. Maternal instincts in action. Ozzy was close by just in case. After all, he’s the Pack protector and he just loves his new girl. Mamba observed from the distance and Granny Leeloo stayed on her couch in the living room. She figured, we had it under control. Pack dynamics.
Week 5: Meet The Pack
Week 5 was exciting. Big changes and many new things for our girl Charlie! First of all, it was time to introduce our puppy to the Pack. Ozzy & Mambas have been watching from the distance for days, respecting Bella’s “personal space”. But, it was time to mix things up. After all, we knew that Ozzy is a wonderful puppy-sitter and Mamba has a good idea about “managing” puppy teeth 😉 We setup a big crate in the living room, so Charlie could hang out with all of us during the day and have a safe place to nap, while the main puppy headquarters continued to be in the bedroom for the nighttime. Living room was also a perfect staging area for trips outdoors and beginning of potty training. Grown up stuff!
The transition from an uncoordinated puppy to a fully functional little dog was amazing. Every day, our Charlie was more coordinated and confident. Her wobbly walking turned into running almost overnight. She quickly learned how to interact with the big dogs, how to read their body language and react to their warning growls. After all, not everyone had Bella’s patience to put up with puppy mayhem. Ozzy has been very patient with the puppy as long as she let him clean her. Charlie is the cleanest puppy in the Universe after she’s done playing with her Uncle Oz! Mamba enjoys to watch puppy action and sometimes gets involved. She has more of a “management” approach. Leeloo likes to check on the puppy occasionally but prefers her spot on the couch. True Grandma 😉
Week 5 has been a benchmark for us to start weaning. The best time for me is right before weaning: the puppies are interactive and fun, but their Mom does all hard work: feeding and the cleanup. Once weaning starts, the “work” is transferred to humans. Oh well.. It was time to find out how our puppy would handle transition from Mom’s milk to lapping liquids and eating a mixture of rice cereal, ground dog food, goat yogurt and water. The first meal was simple: milk formula only and our girl was a pro from the very first sip. She was even blowing bubbles just like you’d expect from an Otterhound 😉
Surprisingly, Charlie transitioned to kibble very quickly. She was not too crazy about the weaning formulas and once we offered kibbe, she was excited. Maybe she liked the crunch 😉 The easiest transition yet! At the end of the week, Charlie knew exactly the location of our kitchen for meals and the big dogs’ water bowl. Good girl!
Bella has been very attentive and continued to nurse. 
Healthy snack between meals! We can count on Bella to check on the puppy at 4am and spend the rest of the night in the pen. Charlie loves her early morning milky treat 😉 During the day, Bella has been spending more time away, counting on us humans and the rest of the Pack to keep her puppy entertained. She often naps on the couch or patrols the yard with Ozzy while Charlie is playing with her toys or sleeps in her bed. Yes, Charlie still climbs into her bed when she’s tired and just needs a safe place to crash. She’s almost too big, but somehow finds the way to squeeze in. Very cute!
Week 6: Big Dog Adventures
The most amazing thing about our puppy Charlie has been her rapid growth and development. It seems she turned into a little/big dog overnight! This week was all about doing all big dog things: eat from a real dog bowl, try dog chewies and most of all, run outdoors with the rest of the Pack.
Weaning came easy: Charlie went from her Mom’s milk to dog food kibble right away. We were first just mixing it with goat milk yogurt, but later, we started adding fish oils and canned dog food for variety. She LOVED it and her digestive system handled it very well. She’s been negotiating with her Mom for milk, but every day both of them grow less enthusiastic about the process. Teeth enjoyed cow ears and bully slices. Welcome relief for Bella and Ozzy’s ears. Although both of them have been growling at Charlie, they continue allowing her the chew on their ears, tails and body. Especially Bella! She has been patiently playing with the puppy and allowing her to nurse. 
I don’t know how she does it.. those puppy teeth are razor sharp! Playing with toys of all kinds have been in full swing. Natural killer shake is fun to watch. Entertainment never ends.
Potty training has been exceptionally easy. Charlie never peed or pooped in her crate! Amazing! She sleeps thru the night and wakes us up around 5am for potty and then goes back to sleep. We’ve never had such a well self-trained puppy. Our job is to make sure her good habits continue.
This week, we have been taking long trips outdoors. Gradually, our pee brakes became short walks around the yard. Charlie enjoyed following the big dogs around, mostly by tracking them, since her little legs can’t keep up yet. After a couple days, we graduated to the “big” yard or as I call it “the wild side”. It is an extended part of our yard, perfect for dogs with lots of things to smell and discover. Charlie was fascinated with all different terrains, grass, sand, sticks and plants. Everything was an adventure. Climbing up and down little slopes was a big workout and our girl handled it well, despite of tumbles from time to time. Bella and the rest of the Pack provided guidance and reassured her she was safe and it was OK to fall. The most exciting thing though was to watch the puppy follow her nose and the scent of her Mom. Tracking already! Very very awesome 🙂
Week 7: Merry Christmas!
Hard to believe Xmas 2015 is here! Our Pack and Charlie have been in the middle of all Holiday preparations: watching and chewing – what else! This year’s Christmas tree has been raised off the floor and put on a table to keep it safe from puppy teeth. Plus, these shiny ornaments look way too much like toys and would be tempting our Charlie a little too much 😉
This week has been very active. We established daily routine: 5am potty wake up, rain or not, in the dark. Not very exciting since temperatures in SoCal have dropped to 40F (yes.. it’s freezing for us and we need serious coats!). After a brief trip outdoors followed by a mandatory nap. At 7am though, Charlie is ready to rock and nothing can keep her in the crate. She will scratch, she will cry until we let her out. And she is fired up! Running, killing her toys and waking up the big dogs, not paying too much attention to the growls. Very funny! Puppy breakfast gets the whole pack going. They know their breakfast is next. 
As soon as the dishes are done, we go outdoors to explore the yard. Charlie loves to explore the wild part of our yard. There are sticks, leafs and grass to chew! There is also a lot of dirt to dig. But climbing up and down hills seems to be Charlies favorite thing to do. Since she can’t really keep up with Bella and the others, she has to rely on her nose to find them in the bushes. She always does! Great tracker already. After all the outdoors excitement, it’s nap time. Couple hours later, we repeat the cycle. Tired Otterhound puppy is a good Otterhound puppy 🙂
On Christmas Eve, Charlie met her big Auntie Addie. Bella’s sister stopped by for a few days while her humans took a trip out-of-town. It was fascinating to watch Addie figure out how to interact with the puppy. Addie is very energetic and playful. Unfortunately, Charlie is still too slow to keep up. It only took a day or so for both of them to get to know each other and find a way to “hang out”. Addie has been the morning puppy-sitter and always up for a run, while Bella was napping on the couch. Blue Fairy hounds are not morning creatures!
Ozzy has been very involved with entertaining Charlie. His obsession with cleaning got much better and he actually has been just letting her chew on his beard, ears and head. Not sure why he likes it, but he looks like he does! We are looking for a joint toy time. It’s coming.. I can feel it!
Mamba developed her own relationship with Charlie. No chewing, but lots of cuddles and management when we are “out in the wild”. Interesting.
Leeloo keeps her distance for the most part, but continues to check on the puppy to make sure she’s OK. 
Bella spends a lot of time playing with Charlie. She definitely has more patience than Ozzy and the girls. Bella also enjoys quality time on the couch, where these puppy teeth will not reach her 😉 Nursing still happens, but it is definitely painful and we hear more growling these days. Plus, Bella’s food has been reduced back to maintenance, so she’s not producing much milk at all. We were trying to tell it to Charlie, but these singeltons are not the greatest listeners 😉
Week 8 & Beyond: The Force Awakens
Week 8 started with a splash. Literally! We have been watching our puppy Charlie around our pool very closely. Yes, puppies can swim, but who really wants her to fall into cold water and better yet, who would want to jump in to save her.. Charlie has been smart though, avoiding the edge and making sure she’s not crowded by the big dogs. At 8 weeks old, we were sure the danger has passed. NOT! As I was taking pictures, I heard a big SPLASH. Charlie dove nose first, then turned around under water and re-emerged huffing and puffing. No panic. Swimming like a little otter 🙂 I was able to call her to the steps and help her out of the pool. No big deal, just a wet puppy running around. Very funny!
The next big milestone was a visit to our vet for the first “real” puppy checkup. We prepped our truck for the puppy: crate, couple of toys and a chewy, just in case she needed entertainment. Mom Bella & Granny Leeloo tagged along for company and comfort. Charlie handled the ride well. After few minutes of whining, she settled for a nap. Good girl. When we arrived at the vet office, everyone fell in love with the puppy all over again. Last time they saw her, she was only 3 days old, weighing around 3lbs. Now, almost 8 weeks later, she’s 20.6lbs, full of teeth and energy. Charlie enjoyed all the attention. The exam went well – she got clean bill of health. Vaccines and microchip were a little less fun. Lastly, we draw blood for the Otterhound Epilepsy Research at University of Missouri – well, Charlie said that was no fun at all, but she survived. Barely! LOL. When I put her back in the crate, she was chewing a toy within a minute. Maybe it wasn’t that bad after all 😉
This week, Charlie became part of our daily routines with the big dogs. She started participating in morning and evening meal times and after dinner “chewy time”. They have been sharing the big dog water bowls for a while now. Funny how Charlie’s ears and chin were saoked, just like a real Otterhound. Yes, she’d be completely wet when sharing a bowl of water with her Mom or better yet with Uncle Oz.. Shower time! Sunset runs in the wild part of our yard became part of our day. She’s been exploring the bushes and the farthest corners of the yard with the Pack. Just a fearless hound! And let’s not forget the “bling”! Charlie has been proudly wearing a collar for several days, looking good and confident.
One of the biggest accomplishment of our puppy was the almost immediate use of the doggie doors. Our previous puppies understood that doggie doors are cool and can be used to get in/out of the house, but they have not been using them consistently for potty and play. Towards the end of week 8, Charlie was making right decisions when she “needed to go” and when she wanted to go. Even the rain would not stop her. Very very impressive little puppy!
There was only one thing left to do before leaving to her new home: a spa day! Toe nails, ears and coat got a special treatment. Can’t say Charlie liked it, but she sure enjoyed a nap afterwards.
Puppy delivery day was sad and exciting at the same time. We knew Charlie was going to a great new home, but saying good bye to our puppies is always tough. As always, it was a Pack experience. We relied on our dogs to make the new home smell and feel just like ours. And they did an awesome job playing in the yard and getting comfy on the couch. Why not! Charlie did not seem to mind us leaving. She was busy with her new family. As one chapter ended, another one begun. Good bye Charlie.. Hello Wookiee – Blue Fairy’s Force Awakens 🙂
