It has been a wonderfully hectic Holiday Season.   We are finally getting around to posting some information on our latest litter.

We are proud to introduce these nine loveable labs.  At Willowbark we name the labs after the little colored ribbon used to keep track of each puppy.

In order of their birth they are

1. Navy – yellow male
2. Lime – yellow male
3. Light Blue – black male
4. Purple – yellow female
5. Silver – black male
6. Orange – yellow male
7. Pink – black female
8. Yellow – yellow female
9. Aqua – black male

For those keeping track at home that’s 5 yellow/4 black, 6 males/3 females

They are healthy, happy, growing like weeds and will be ready to take home in two weeks.

We encourage you to call 603-206-0159 with questions and to schedule a time to come by and meet the puppies!

Rich and Amanda

Well, our pups are 8 weeks old and weened and going home with their new families.  We thank everyone who has shown an interest in our lovely pups.  We will likely have another litter sometime next spring or summer.

Happy Fourth of July from the Willowbark family: Amanda, Rich, Miranda, Payton and Gabi and our wonderful Labs Huck and Becky!

Just wanted to add a couple of pictures that we took over the weekend!

Ms. Green

Ms. Brown

Ms. Black

Mr. Orange

Ms. Red

Here are some new pictures from yesterday evening! They are really starting to play hard and wear themselves out!

Just wanted to drop in with a quick update on the puppies! They are growing so fast! They are walking, playing with each other and boy are they vocal now! They are learning to bark and growl! Here are the latest pictures from tonight:

Ms. Black

Ms. Brown

Ms. Red

Mr. Orange

Ms. Green

Just a quick note to remind you to check out the new puppy page with individual pictures of each puppy! You can find it here: http://willowbark.wordpress.com/meet-the-puppies/

We are proud to announce the arrival of five beautiful labrador puppies, three yellow and one black female and one black male. There was a sixth, a yellow female, that sadly was stillborn. Fortunately, the remaining five are all perfect and healthy and HUNGRY!

They took their sweet time getting out. First stage labor began Friday afternoon, the first pup was born Saturday evening and the last came out Sunday around 11:30 AM. Needless to say, mother, babies and midwives are all quite tired and ready for a nap.

I will update this post with some other information and pictures soon!

Every day for the past week we have been monitoring Becky’s eating habits, sleeping habits and her body temperature. Each of these will give clues to when she’s ready to whelp. Last weekend we had some early warning signs (in the form of a reduced temperature and avoidance of food) but her appetite and temperature promptly rose again shortly thereafter.

She seemingly grows larger with every passing hour now and we wonder aloud how much longer those pups can stand to remain inside her. I once read that “a watched bitch never whelps.” I’m beginning to think there’s some truth to that statement.

In any case, we’re standing anxiously by, ready with our whelping supplies and some good books to read while we wait. Becky seems nonplussed about it all. Lucky her.

We thought you might like to see the X-Ray that was taken at our vet visit yesterday. We know there are at least 5 puppies in Becky’s belly, but some may be hiding. How many do you see?

Becky seems to be feeling fine and is active as ever, although it takes her longer climb into bed and on the couch. We are planning to finish the whelping box this weekend and we will be sure to post pictures of our progress. Be sure to check back soon!

We just returned from the vet and it’s official, Becky is definitely pregnant. The x-ray shows at least 5 pups in her tummy. We are so excited!