It is never easy after saying goodbye to our puppies and getting use to a quiet house again. When we are raising puppies, my days are full and then so quiet after they are gone. After the last puppy left the middle of May, I went through “puppy withdrawal”🥲. I waited a week or so before I finally faced the task of packing up the gates, crates, and all the puppy gear until our next litter and transformed our puppy room back to our breakfast room.
Puppy Room with Whelping Box 
Puppy Room With Crate and Puppies 
Puppy Room transformed back to our Breakfast Room
I am so thankful that all our puppies have joined wonderful forever families and are so loved. When I receive an email from their families, I am excited to read how they are making out in their new home and I’m always amazed at how quickly they grow. Thank you to all our forever families for the updates and pictures of your puppies. I have posted the pics on the past litter pages. It’s always fun to see the littermates growing up!
Last Wednesday my dogs headed to the groomers for a Spa Day. When we returned home, I asked Tom to help me get a picture of our three beautiful girls together – freshly groomed. It is never easy taking a picture of a dog and three dogs together is even harder. Tom is not a patient man so I had to act quickly, or we wouldn’t have a picture and the opportunity would be lost because……….
…….after we took a couple pictures, we let the girls into the yard and Ruska headed straight into the pond. I don’t dare tell her groomer that all the time she spent blow drying Ruska, making her so beautiful, was short lived – LOL!
Ruska is a sweet, loving, gentle dog that loves to please. She is very friendly and loves everyone she meets. This was accomplished with lots of work. Puppy days can be a challenge as I remember well. When Ruska was a puppy during her teething stage, she had many teething toys, bones etc. but her favourite thing to chew was leather shoes. I would constantly remind my family to put their shoes in the cupboard when they came home. However, this didn’t always happen, and Ruska took every opportunity to take advantage of my family’s forgetfulness. Ruska destroyed many leather shoes and boots before her teething stage ended and her adult teeth were, in.
Another challenge was “recall”. When Ruska was a puppy, we were having renovations done on our house. With workmen in and out, Ruska took every opportunity to escape out the front door when she saw her chance – then began her favourite game of “chase”. She had a mind of her own then and conveniently”forgot” her recall training. We had many people in the neighbourhood helping me out when Ruska made her many escapes. After many weeks of this, I took to my computer for help and began researching ideas to help with this problem. Let face it, I was never faster than Ruska and never would be, so I had to try to outsmart her. The next time she made her escape and wouldn’t come back when I called her, I got down on the ground, curled up into a ball and stayed still. It worked, Ruska wondered what happened, came running back to check on me and we headed home together. Yes, puppy days are a challenge. I guess that’s why puppies are so cute – you take one look into those beautiful eyes and your heart melts!
Ruska did mature into a wonderful dog and mother and has passed on her loving gentle nature to her puppies. This year Ruska had her fourth and final litter of puppies and is now retired from breeding, but her blood line is already continuing through Brinkley and soon will continue through Echo as well.
Taking Ruska Home 
Eight Weeks Old 
Twelve Weeks Old 
Eighteen Weeks Old 
Nine Months Old 
One Year Old 
Two Years Old 
Three Years Old 
Four Years Old 
Five Years Old 
Six Years Old
Happy Sixth Birthday Ruska!
Ruska celebrated her sixth birthday with Ellie and Willow. Brinkley was at my son’s house for a little holiday. Ruska got a new toy – a KONG Squeaky Tug-Of-War toy and a special treat – three “Bully Sticks”. which she shared with Ellie and Willow.
All such lovely dogs and I enjoyed reading Ruska’s story!