Libra delivers

The babies have two mommies with Blue Run's Noel Joy sharing
the nursing duties. With such a large litter, it is helpful when one
of my other girls volunteers to help. Also pictured is one of the
pups at 3 days of age. Most of the puppies are marked with
about 30% white markings on legs and chest area. Very flashy!

Libra delivered 11 female puppies. The chance of having an all
female litter of 11 is one in 2048. The puppies are all wavy and
most have white chests and front legs. A few only have white
toes and a white chest and chin. All but the one lost during the
whelp are doing great and Libra turns out to be a very gentle
and careful mother. She looks a lot more comfortable, too, now
that all those big babies are out. Weights were between 12 and
14 ounces which is ideal.
Here is a short video of the puppies at 10 days of age:
http://youtu.be/tKdVMsgCAGk

Amelia, one of the promising 6 month old pups

It was so much fun to see Amelia today, the first visit since she departed 4 months ago to her new home. Like all of the puppies in this very fine litter, she is turning out beautifully. I am very proud of my boy Willie
(Blue Run's Aries) and my girl Lilly (CH Blue Run's Red Robin) for producing such stunning puppies with lots of potential.

I am currently waiting for Libra (Blue Run's Libra) to whelp on December 23rd. She is chock full of puppies. I am guessing ten.

Puppies coming December 23rd

CH Blue Run's Black Jack and Blue Run's Libra are pictured here. Their puppies are due December 23, 2013. I expect black wavy puppies with very substantial heads and bone. Both these dogs have been fully health tested and have "Good" OFA hip ratings, normal CERF exam, and do not carry GM-1, PRA, or JDCM. This is a line breeding on both head and tail of the pedigree. Puppies will probably go to their new homes around the first of March, 2014.

How do you know if it is a puppy mill?

Recently "The Whole Dog Journal" published an article on how to tell if you are dealing with a puppy mill versus a truly dedicated hobby breeder. I realized my own ignorance of this subject prior to becoming a breeder. Most people haven't a clue how to distinguish a puppy mill from a reputable breeder and most people haven't a clue how to find a quality puppy. So, I have been developing a list of caveats that puppy seekers should know when they begin their search:

Red flags for puppy buyers:
The breeder is not a member of their national breed club
There are multiple breeds being sold by the same person
Both sire and dam are "on site" (good breeders usually go to the best stud and don't use what is just handy)
The breeder does not compete their breeding dogs in conformation shows to establish their quality
The breeder will sell you a dog without meeting you
The breeder will ship a puppy unaccompanied
You are not encouraged to meet the dam and see the where the puppies are raised
The breeder pursues you to make a purchase
The breeder uses the internet to market their dogs with cute pictures involving toys and bows
The health testing is vague. A good breeder should list what tests were done and the results.
The puppy is sold through a commercial outlet like a mall pet store (100% mill puppies)


Why should you avoid buying a puppy from a puppy mill? If you "rescue" a puppy mill dog by paying for it, you are part of the problem. These breeding dogs are kept in abusive conditions. If the market for their puppies dries up, they will no longer be used as breeding machines for profit. It's always about the money. A good breeder is happy if they break even. And a good breeder should be able and happy to supply you with the names of their buyers who can provide references.  I marvel that so few people think to ask for references! This is a big and expensive purchase. Why not approach it by doing your research as you would with any important decision you will have to live with for years to come?

ISA is Blue Run's Aquarius

This pretty little girl is well on her way to finishing her championship. She lives in Florida and is a member of my Zodiac litter born in 2010. She already has a suitor in the wings and she should produce lovely puppies.

Fabulous Willie/Lilly pups are all sold

Born just last week and now all sold to families, most of whom have agreed
to a potential show prospect. This is such a promising litter that I am
delighted to have found such wonderful families for them all.

Lilly's puppies have arrived

I am delighted with the eight beautiful puppies delivered May 24th. There are 5 girls and 3 boys. The one that is mostly white (Hot Pants) is called a pie bald. The other two with a lot of white are referred to as parti colored. Two of the pups have the Irish markings with white boa, white chest and paws. The remaining three are predominantly black with white on chest and feet, one almost all black. There are two curly pups but that is hard to appreciate once they are dried off. Most of the puppies are spoken for but I am still looking for a few local families open to having a show/breeding prospect.

Lilly and William are Expecting

CH Blue Run's Red Robin (Lilly) and Blue Run's Aries (Willie) are expecting.
This is the first breeding for the very handsome Irish marked William and the
second for petite tuxedo marked Lilly. Willie has just started showing and
he is pictured with the ribbons from his first weekend of shows. Lilly is
pictured in previous posts.

Both parents are wavy and probably all of the pups will be, too. Puppies
will arrive on Memorial Day, 2013. They will be black with white chests
and feet and moderate sized like the parents.

Charlie has a new home

Charlie was adopted by one of my families with a 6 year old PWD named Scout. I know Charlie will be given lots of love and attention by this family. They live in the area so Charlie's first owner will have the option of staying in touch as this promising boy develops.

Libra begins her show career

This is Blue Run's Libra from the Zodiac litter on the occasion of her first ring appearance when she surprised me with a major win. We were just hoping she'd stand still for the judge on this first outing. The judge commented "It's nice to see a Porty with good bone in the ring." Libra cleans up nice and hopefully lots of other judges will appreciate her exuberant personality. The handler says she's bouncing around like a rubber ball showing "too much" enthusiasm for the judges to get a good look at her.

Lilly"s and Chase's Brood born 10/18/2012

These are the handsome  eight week old puppies produced by my girl CH Blue Run's Red Robin (Lilly) and GCH Kimlyn's Catch a Dream (Chase). The independent evaluation of this litter suggested that 6 of the eight were show quality/prospects. All of these pups were placed in local homes with enthusiastic young families. When you have this many high quality pups, it's nice to keep them close by so one can watch them develop.