Summer Memories at the Cottage

It has been a great summer here at Northrock.  We had lots of fun weekends up at the cottage with the dogs and I wanted to share a few photos...   

I can't believe how quickly it went by and now that we are into September we are enjoying the cooler temperatures.  Fall is my favourite season and we are all looking forward to long hikes in the conservation areas with the kids and dogs.

In the Womb…Sophie’s pregnancy and the rest of the gang.

I have been remiss about posting to the blog as I tend to post more regularly to my facebook page Northrock Barbets .  However, here I am and here is the latest news from Northrock…

I am very pleased to say that Sophie is confirmed pregnant by palpation.  At 6 weeks along (42 days) she is beginning to look a little bit bigger, her abdomen is firmer and her nipples are enlarged.  Although, to the casual observer you would really be hard pressed to tell she was pregnant.  Depending on the number of puppies she is carrying, she will become noticeably larger in the last couple of weeks of her pregnancy.  Click here to view a Dog Embryo / Fetal Development Calendar that lays it all out.  We are getting more and more excited as her due date approaches.  Her first breeding with CH Chmurnik z Górki Podduchownej CGN took place on February 20^th and we are expecting puppies on April 24^th.  

Dog Embryo 39 Days

Photo credit: National Geographic

If you would like a glimpse into the canine womb to see what exactly is going on, National Geographic has created an incredible video called “In the Womb: Dogs”.  It is a fascinating documentary about the fetal development of 3 different breeds.  If you ever get the chance to watch it I highly recommend it.  Here is a little teaser.  http://natgeotv.com/ca/in-the-womb/videos/in-the-womb-dogs

To view more of this documentary check out these links:



In other news, Kelly turns 8 months old tomorrow and her puppyhood is flying by.  She is a very funny dog with a definite mischievous streak! We are enjoying her immensely.

 

Good ol’ Quincy is very much loved and somewhat spoiled… he is the only one of the dogs allowed up on the furniture. He has quite decidedly taken over the living room chair and it has become an evening ritual for our daughter to spend time reading to him before she heads up to bed.

Daphne is well… Daphne is special.  Like most cats she knows what she wants when she wants it and doesn’t hesitate to let us know.  She has become quite demanding in asking for her evening meal and is always trying to bump up the time from her 5 o’clock feeding to more like 4 o’clock.  That is unless she somehow forgets to wake up from her afternoon nap and sleeps late.

Christmas 2012

Walking to School...

Every Wednesday the kid's school has a healthy initiative to encourage the kids to get more physical activity.  They call it Walk to School Wednesday.  So come rain or shine we always try to walk on Wednesdays so the kids can hold up their hands in class and be counted as one of the walkers. The thing is we only live about a km from the school so pretty much everyday is a walk to school day for us.  Which is great.  We all get a little fresh air and I think it's easier for the kids to sit still and learn if they've had a chance to burn off a bit of energy first.  Walking 3 dogs at a time is a bit much, especially when the kids often want to hold my hand too LOL. So, we usually take turns bringing different dogs.  Today was Quincy's day.   Now I get to go for walk number two and get the Barbets out for their exercise.  Having dogs sure keeps you fit.  Who needs a gym membership when you've got sporting dogs?

Useful Retrieves

Last fall I posted a video about Quincy retrieving his food bowl.  Well I've finally gotten around to getting a video of both Sophie and Quincy doing this.  Having a dog that can retrieve is fun for both you and your dog.   Enjoy.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas Everyone! 

I am so filled with gratitude and joy today.  Our family has so much to be thankful for and it has been such a happy celebration of Christ's birth.  I am so glad for the love of family and friends at this special time of year but I am also so very glad to have my beloved animals in my life.  Daphne and Quincy have been with us the longest and we have lots of memories of Christmas' past with them.  Sophie and Coco are our more recent additions and we are enjoying making new memories with them.  I had a wonderful walk with the dogs this afternoon and they are all resting most contentedly and enjoying an afternoon nap now.  Here are some photos of Christmas' past below. The photo above was taken this afternoon upon our return from our walk.  

Dinner is going into the oven soon.  Tonight we are having a yummy tourtiere homemade by yours truly and leftover blaukraut from last night (thank you Oma).  A tossed salad will round it out.  Our big feast was last night so tonight is a little more casual.

Merry Christmas to you and yours from all of us here at Northrock.

Sunny Sunday Morning

Sophie found this deflated ball in the park the other day.  She was so proud to have discovered it abandoned by the school children.  She carried all the way home wagging her tail the whole time.  It has now become a great toy for the dogs.  It won't last forever but while it does they will certainly get lots of joy from it. 

Throw it! Throw it! Throw it!

Fabulous Fall Weather

My dogs are tired now and sleeping legs up in the air on their backs.  We have been having such wonderful weather these last few days but the forcast calls for rain and showers for the next several days :0(  I decided we would take advantage of today's sunshine and after I dropped the kids off at school the dogs and I went for a long walk in Sunnybrook Park.   It was warm and sunny, we hiked along trails, over bridges and ran across the fields.  I brought my camera but the batteries had no more life left in them so I have no photos to share with you.  I do however, have some photos I took yesterday when the dogs were keeping me company while I raked leaves.  I love the fall!

Quincy in the leaves - Tollers look great in fall photos.

My boy looks good for a 10 year old no?  His Grandma just turned 16.  I think Quincy has got a lot of life left in him yet :0)

 It's hard to take photos of black hairy dogs but here you can see Sophie's eyes! 

My two treasures....Quincy always looks like he is smiling....

Get Your Dish :0)

I don't remember when I taught Quincy to bring me his food bowl.  It was a while ago though 'cause he's been doing it for years now!  I have yet to teach Sophie to get her dish also...hmmmm maybe once the kids are in school....click treat :0)

Quincy Turns Ten!

Quincy turned 10 years young on June 9th!

 

It's so hard to believe that a whole decade has passed since he was born.

He really was the cutest puppy and we are soooo thankful that he came into our lives!