Puppies at Timbreblue again!

Barrett

Although Jo and Derek raised a litter of puppies in December, we have not had a litter here at Timbreblue Virginia in over a year. While we still don't have a litter of our own, we are "babysitting" six puppies for a dear friend who is struggling with some health issues. These pups are very closely related to our own breeding and in fact look  just like one of our litters! For those of you who keep up with bloodlines and pedigrees, this litter is almost 100%  Appraxin. They were bred by Jo Pelton of Max Meadows, VA -- Jo has only two whippets of her own and the co-breeder, Patty Pelton, has just three, so these puppies have been well-loved and socialized.

Nevaeh

We have had them here for about three weeks now and they are just delightful. We're treating them, of course, just as if they had been born here, and will place them in homes just as carefully as we place our own. Because we've gotten so attached to them, we'll be happy to provide support to their new owners just as we do our own, so in addition to having their "real" breeder to call on, the owners are welcome to call us as well.

The puppies' mother is Rajopa Dynahmight Dance At Appraxin  (Dynah) and their father is Rajo Appraxin Song And Dance Man (Logan).

Remington

Just like Timbreblue pups, these guys come with AKC registration application, microchip, toys, chewies, and books, a leash and collar, as well as handouts on puppy's first night home, housetraining, crate training, etc. As honorary Timbreblue family members, their owners will be invited to our annual reunion (this year October 13 in Harrisonburg, VA) and added to our email list. Our puppy owners truly are our family and they get to know each other through the years, many of them swapping dogsitting and playdates.

The puppies are well paper-trained at this point and are learning to go outside this week. We call it "housetraining readiness."

Winchester

Tula

If you're interested in one of them, fill out the Timbreblue questionnaire (Jo does not have one online), give me a call at 540-464-8046 in the next few days and together we'll decide whether he would be a good match for you. We already have two of them tentatively promised, but there are four males still available as of today: Winchester, Remington, Tula, and Barrett.

New Champion Henry!

Well, whoever crossed their fingers for us, it worked! Henry (Ch Sporting Fields Move On, father of Rini's litter from 10/19/2010) finished his AKC championship yesterday in North Carolina. He spent just ONE weekend out with professional handler Michelle Queen, and on the second day of the dog shows he won Winners Dog for 3 points -- that elusive major. We're so proud of our pretty boy and grateful to Michelle for taking good care of him (he slept in bed with her) on the road.

Ch Sporting Fields Move On "Henry" with Michelle Queen

Chasing majors

To become an AKC champion, a dog has to earn 15 points. Of those 15, he has to have two "majors" which are 3 points or more at a single show. These majors have to be earned from two different judges. The way they calculate points is by how many dogs he beats. For example, in Virginia, defeating 7 dogs is a 3 point major, defeating 10 is 4 points, and defeating 14 is a 5 point major (the most you can earn at one show).

Our Henry "Sporting Fields Move On" -- father of Rini's first litter -- has 14 points with one major. We're hoping to finish his championship this fall, so that his kids and grandkids will have another champion in their pedigrees. We've entered him at some shows in North Carolina in the middle of June, and hired a professional handler to show him.

They just released the entry numbers for the shows and they ARE majors! So that's two chances that Henry will have to get those elusive majors. We're crossing our fingers =)

Sometimes it can take months or even years to find the right judge on the right day, so I'm keeping that in consideration and will keep trying if this first weekend out doesn't turn out to be the magic combination. But maybe you could cross your fingers for us, just in case!

Easy Chicken Jerky -- No special equipment

With the recent recalls and warnings about Chinese chicken jerky, it makes sense to make your own chicken jerky treats at home. You can control all of the ingredients, and you can make as much or as little as you need.

If you haven't been following the news about Chinese dog treats, we do not recommend giving your dogs ANY treats or chewies imported from China. There are many cases of sick and dying dogs resulting from ingestion of Chinese treats, jerky, and chewies. READ LABELS. The only treats I personally consider safe are those made in the USA, and preferably made in your own kitchen.

Chicken Jerky

Ingredients:

• Chicken breast fillets (watch the sales ads for bags of frozen chicken breasts)
• Garlic powder (just a dusting)

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 200F
• Spritz a baking sheet with cooking spray, or use a sheet of parchment.
• Rinse chicken breasts, trim off any fat, and pound flat with a meat mallet, to approximately 1/4-1/2" thick. Slice into strips if desired. Dust very lightly with garlic powder for flavor.
• Place chicken strips on baking sheet, spread them apart so they are not touching.
• Bake for 2 hours, checking temperature with a baking thermometer every 20 minutes to ensure even cooking.
• Remove and cool on wire racks. Slice into serving sizes as desired. Cooking time may vary -- Treats should be completely dry, not soft at all.
• Serve when completely cool. Will keep in fridge for 3 weeks, freeze in zip-lock bags for up to 8 months.

Warning! Dogs LOVE chicken jerky! Keep your fingers at a safe distance. =)

--Jo.

Payton Helps Out in the Shower



The Irrepressible Payton

 This post came to a whippet email list from our dear friend (and Party's breeder) Dwight Caffee in Oklahoma. It is simply too good to keep to myself!
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I woke up this morning - It's gonna be a great day -

We all know that whippets will accompany you to the bath if you don't shut the door - WELLL I didn't get it all the way shut the other day -


I was in the shower and I heard the door slam open - Payton had entered the room with his usual gusto - he doesn't do anything calmly - everything is in a grand style and with enthusiasm - as I said I was in the shower -


About that time he decided to join me, so under the shower curtain and into the tub he came, wagging his tail so hard his whole body is wagging - he's getting soaking wet and bouncing around the tub like a whirlwind - here I am - trying to stay on the no slip pad - on 1 1/2 legs trying to find something to hang onto - get rid of the bar of soap and wash cloth without dropping it where I might step on it and me yelling like a banshee for him to get out - it's a crowd for a person and a 50ish pound rambunctious whippet in close quarters -

He finally decides to get out but the shower curtain is on the inside of the tub - he was convinced that he got in that way he could get out the same way - so he puts his front feet on the side of the tub and holds down the shower curtain and jumps out anyway - down comes the whole thing rod and all - out onto the floor a very wet Payton, shower curtain and rod tangled up - he extricates himself and leaves the room shaking, running thru the house and throwing water everywhere -

Meanwhile I'm still yelling at him and trying to get out of the tub without slipping on the tangle of  shower curtain, so I'm half way out and hanging on for dear life to stay upright and here he comes again and jumps back in the tub - the water is still running so he is getting wet again and shaking more, that 2X4 tail wagging like hell beating everything to death and getting the whole bathroom soaked, floor to and including the ceiling -- he jumps out again and I caught him with a towel and at least got some of the water off of him by the time we got into the kitchen - I was chasing him down buck naked still dropping wet myself - finally got the shower turned off - rehung the shower rod and curtain, got back in the shower to finish MY shower and the water was cold - nuff of that - I don't do cold showers - took 6 towels to mop up all the water-


and that was just the start of my day -


dwight

Drinkwell pet fountains -- a great way to keep fresh water available 24/7

I am often asked about products that I recommend for our puppy owners. I try to recommend items that are easily available via online shops and not too expensive. This is the first of a series of posts that I will share with you to let you know what works in our home and what we recommend. I invite comments and thoughts from readers about what works or doesn't for you, either way.

As breeders, we advise puppy owners to keep fresh water available 24/7. Sometimes this is easier said than done, especially when a hyperactive puppy can drain a water bowl in a couple of quick minutes. It can also be difficult to keep a water bowl full and fresh in a multiple dog household, such as ours. If you manage to keep enough water on-hand, it often develops that weird algae scum stuff and then you end up having to scrub water bowls every time you turn around.

I recommend the Drinkwell pet fountains for dog and cat households. We have used Drinkwell fountains for over six years (the same exact fountains, they last forever) and are delighted with them. I have tried three brands and find Drinkwell is the longest-lasting and best made of the water fountains available today.

As an added benefit, if you prefer your pets drink filtered water, the fountains have a carbon filter to purify the water they drink. You need to plug in your fountain for it to work, but they have fairly long cords, so you can stretch it around a corner if needed. It's a two-prong plug, so if you need to plug it into an extension cord, you can do that.

The Drinkwell fountains have a reservoir that you fill from the tap.Our main fountain is the "Big Dog" size, and it lasts two or three days in a 5-dog household, so it would last about a week for a smaller household. The reservoir bottle is inverted, so it keeps the water sealed and fresh until it is circulated through the fountain. When it enters the fountain, the water passes through a carbon filter to purify it, before cascading through the fountain opening into the bowl below. Many dogs and cats prefer to drink the "waterfall" and others prefer the bowl. You can adjust the flow of the fountain to make the stream faster or slower. We also keep the smaller "Original" sized fountains in the bedrooms where the dogs sleep at night. I usually end up refilling the smaller fountains every night before bed.

Maintenance of the Drinkwell is quite simple. Every 2 or 3 days, I unplug our fountains and take them into the kitchen. I dump all of the water out of the fountain and reservoir, and then spray the fountains out with the spray nozzle on my kitchen sink. The pressure of the spray dislodges any "water scum" that may have accumulated. I spray carefully around the moving parts, like the paddle that adjusts the flow speed. I put some fresh water in the reservoir bottle and shake it around to rinse. Usually that is all that is required to keep the fountains clean and working well. You can spray the carbon filter with your spray nozzle or firm pressure from the sink to rinse it thoroughly. I replace the carbon filters once a month. A refill pack is about $2 per filter.

Once a week I take the whole thing apart (which is easier than you would expect -- directions are included with the unit, and once you have done it you know how it goes together) and scrub with soap and water. I keep a scrubby sponge under my sink for the pet fountains. The whole scrubbing endeavor takes about five minutes from disassembly to final rinse. I rinse the whole unit with my sink spray nozzle. Fill the reservoir with water, pour it into the bowl, then plug in the base and allow it to circulate through the unit. Then fill the reservoir again and invert it in place. Ready to go!

Juliet's puppies at 2.5 weeks old

Juliet's "Paris Pups" are 2.5 weeks old now and boy are they growing fast! Their eyes are all open, ears are working, and they are growing like crazy. Two of the boys are over 2 lbs already, and the others are gaining on them. We only have two girls from this litter, who are both spoken for, but we should have a boy or two available to the right homes. Check out our questionnaire if you are interested in a puppy.

Juliet's puppies are here!

Juliet welcomed a litter of nine puppies on December 12th -- 7 boys and 2 girls. The labor was long and exhausting, but we all got through it and now we have these wonderful babies. All of the puppies are thriving and growing fast. You can read more about the puppies on Juliet blog at http://julietwhippet.wordpress.com We will probably have one or two boys available from this litter.

Juliet is expecting!

Juliet, expecting

We're happy to announce that Juliet is expecting a litter due in the first week of December. She was bred to our boy Blue, who is the father of her Gemstone and Blues litters. She is an amazing mother and we are so happy to look forward to her sweet babies. We have a waiting list for this litter but contact us if you are interested. You can keep up with Juliet through her blog at http://julietwhippet.wordpress.com

Our overachiever, Miss Ashley

You've probably seen us post about Ashley before -- she is the serious overachiever of the family, owned and trained by the amazingly talented and driven Bobbie and Fred Lutz of Winchester, VA. Ashley has titles in conformation, obedience, rally, agility and lure coursing. She is a Champion of Versatility (given by the American Whippet Club in 2010) and we are SO proud of her achievements! Ashley is also known as GCH, UGRCH, UAGII, UR03, UCD, Timbreblue Windrydr Biker Girl, CD, RE, MC, FCH, NA, NAJ, NAP, NJP, CGC, TT, CAV (all of those letters are titles in various sports).

Ashley going Best of Breed at Warrenton Kennel Club

New Champion Moka!

Our wee baby Bonnie (Blue & Chippy's baby from the Nautical Litter of 2010) grew up to be a beautiful butterfly! Moka aka Ch Timbreblue Abraxas Mocha Martini just finished her AKC championship on Sunday 10/09 -- a couple of months after her first birthday.

She finished with four 3pt majors, three of those from the puppy classes, and was ENTIRELY OWNER HANDLED by Rebecca Zaun. This is really unusual in whippets because they are so competitive and there are so many extremely talented professional handlers. We are so proud of Moka and Beca and are looking forward to following their progress as they go for their Grand Championship.

Ch Timbreblue Abraxas Mocha Martini

Young male adult whippet available

NOTE: Thank you to all who were interested. This young boy is now spoken for, but let me know if you are looking for a young adult and I'll be happy to ask around in our breeders' network and find a whippet for you!
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One of our closest friends has a young boy (almost 3 years old) looking for a new home. His family had a change in circumstance and are unable to keep him, so they did the responsible thing and returned him to his breeder. Now we have the opportunity to help him find a wonderful new home.

He is neutered, brindle and white, 30 lbs, great with kids. He has a high prey drive so he would not be good in a household with cats or very small dogs. He is crate trained, a good car rider, up-to-date on all vaccines. He was raised as an only dog but has been socialized with other whippets so he would do well in a household with a doggy friend to keep him company. He is a happy and healthy young boy. 

Please let us know if you are interested in adding this sweet boy to your family.

Litter plans and a new home for Daisy

Hi guys, it's been a little while since we have updated you on our litter plans. We are planning to breed Juliet & Blue, hoping for an early December litter. We also have tentative plans for breeding Rini either this winter or next spring. Both litters should give us blue puppies, but of course we can't guarantee any specific colors in any litter. Juliet and Rini both have waiting lists, but let us know if you are interested and we can talk about whether a puppy from one of our litters would be a good choice for your family. Visit our website to inquire.

If you're looking for a puppy or adult sooner, let us know and we'll be happy to help you find one. The whippet community is very close and we always know of breeders with puppies or adults available.

In really good news, Daisy is at home with her new family in Arlington and settling in really well. We are thrilled for her and her family. All of our Flower Child puppies are settled in with their new families and we even got to see a few of them at the recent Timbreblue Reunion in Harrisonburg, Virginia along with their sister who stayed at Timbreblue, Tiger Lily.

Young puppy available

UPDATE: Daisy will be going home Thursday to her new home in Arlington, Virginia...welcome to the Timbreblue family, Elise and Aaron!
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Daisy is a female brindle whippet puppy from Chippy's latest litter, born June 4th. Her placement with her new family didn't work out (whippet puppies take a lot of supervision and one-on-one attention for the first few months) so she is available again. Daisy LOVES attention ... while the other dogs are playing and getting into trouble, Daisy wants lap time and cuddling.

We only place young puppies in homes where someone will be home all day for at least the first few months. Whippets are very social and they need lots of attention and socialization to grow into responsible adults. Please contact us if you are interested.

Pair of adult whippets available

NOTE 10/07/2011: Ilu and Levi have a home lined up and will be going for a trial visit soon. We hope for the best for these awesome sweet whippets. Thank you to all who inquired.
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Hi guys, a breeder friend of ours has two whippets available, she wants to keep them together in a new home. Here is what she said about them:

Illu and Levi

Due to a job and having to move across the country and not living in the proper accommodations for dogs, I have two wonderful Whippets available. If anyone knows of a home looking for two wonderful companions, I have a brother and sister pair available and I would very much like to keep them together if possible. Illu (boy) and Levi (girl) will be 5 years old in November, are spayed and neutered, up to date on everything, know basic obedience and even a few tricks (especially Levi), they are good with kids having lived with a baby/toddler.

Of course they are house broken, crate trained, leash trained, etc. I would really really like to keep these two together, they have been together their whole lives and I would hate to part them. No rush, they have been here for some time while their owners were figuring out if they would continue with the job out west or come back east and they are now staying on the other coast due to a job opportunity. Here is a picture of them together, playing outside :) Levi is on the right, Illu on the left. They love toys (Illu especially), treats and lots of love!

If you are interested, please contact me at inquiries@timbreblue.com for more info.

Bunnies

We've been having a discussion on the Timbreblue email list about whippets and pet bunnies. (Bottom line: Not a good mix.)

Pre-whippet, we had a big white rabbit named Lisa.

Lisa was a male, but that didn't bother Jo, who gave him his name. She was about nine, and she chose names she liked regardless of gender limitations. We also had a big yellow tomcat named Mandy. Lisa ran around in the backyard with the pony and the collies with no problems (the pony did step on one bunny with tragic results, but that was Spuds. I think Lisa would have broken the pony's leg if she had stepped on him.) I can't believe I can remember all these names. There must have been a hundred of them during the kid-years in South Carolina, if you include the possum, the raccoon, the squirrels, etc. I was a wildlife rehabilitator so we often had various critters living with us for a few months. My efforts to rehab injured and orphaned wildlife would have been doomed if I'd tried it once we got the first whippet. I remember a fledgling blue jay...but nevermind that. The jay was the last of the wildlife and he just underscored that I needed to be very, very careful with whippets and prey...um, wildlife.

Back to Lisa, though. He was (mostly) housetrained and oh did he love biting electrical cords in half. I worked from home in those days as a conference coordinator and was on a phone call one day with a keynote speaker...Big Deal Phone Call. I had carefully waited till the kids were in school, crated the collies so they would be quiet, and did my best to sound professional. I had the phone cord stretched across the room because I was looking up something in the file cabinet. I heard a noise and turned around to see Lisa sitting up on his hind legs reaching for that cord! I put my hand over the phone and whispered "NO LISA!" but alas rabbits are not especially responsive. The line went dead.

We live half an hour from town so I jumped in the car, raced to Radio Shack, bought a new cord, came home, hooked it up and called the fellow back. I think I made some excuse about a storm and living in the country.

Lisa was the last rabbit who ran around loose in the house. I had to have him neutered for humping my leg (we had a country vet who could not understand why I wanted to spend $50 on neutering a rabbit. "Why don't you just eat this one and get a female?")

During the Lisa years I found a little chihuahua-sized dog by the road. I tried hard to find her owner but no luck. We named her Gremlin and she stayed. Unfortunately she liked to chase Lisa. I kept them separated but didn't worry too much about it because Lisa could beat up the little dog easily.

Once I got home to discover a note from my neighbor Marsha. Lisa had gotten out of the yard and Marcia's dog had gone after him. Marsha screamed at the dog, who dropped the bunny, but Lisa was limp and hit the ground like a load of laundry. Marsha scooped him up and threw him in the car. By the time she got to the vet, he was hopping around the back of the car, so she just turned around and came home Apparently he had fainted.

Eventually though, Gremlin won a fight and that was the end of Lisa It took me two years to 'fess up to Jo what had happened. Since Lisa was living mostly in the yard by then, she didn't notice he was missing for a few days. She didn't much like Gremlin anyway though and that was the final straw. Gremlin went to live with some friends from work, where she spent the next ten years becoming atrociously spoiled.

I believe Lisa was the last bunny. He was enough.

Sharyn

Photos from Skyline Kennel Club

A couple of photos of our 2010 pups showing at Skyline Kennel Club in May 2011.

Siren, "Timbreblue Drives Too Fast" (Blue & Chippy's daughter from Chippy's first litter, at home at Timbreblue in Virginia):

Siren

Geisha, "Timbreblue's Lil Lightning Strikes" (Blue & Juliet's daughter from Juliet's Blues Singers litter, owned by Maria & Martin Fuchs):

Geisha

Chippy's puppies, ten days old

Hi guys, here are some more photos of Chippy's flower children at ten days old. We are hoping their eyes will open any day now! It can be anytime after 14 days, which is Saturday the 18th. We do have a puppy or two available from this litter, let us know if you're looking. They'll be ready to go home after August 13 when they are ten weeks old.

Chippy's Puppies!!

Chippy's litter with daddy Devon arrived starting at 2:50am Saturday June 4th. Chippy gave us nine puppies total, three boys and six girls. We chose a "flowers and trees" theme for the litter names, with flower names for the girls and tree names for the boys.

The girls are: Lilac, Buttercup, Daisy, Petunia, Tiger Lily, and Honesuckle. The boys are: Spruce, Birch, and Cypress.

Please enjoy the following photos with us. If you are interested in a puppy from this litter, please visit our website to learn more about us and our breeding program, and fill out our questionnaire.

Photos of all the puppies on day one.

Henry's son Woodstock in Germany

Here is Henry's son "Woodstock" or "Sporting Fields Here I Am" who lives in Germany.