And her name is.....?

This afternoon Dacro employees got together and picked a name for their sponsorship puppy. Pink's official name is EBONY. She is the first puppy in the E-Litter to have not only a Corporate sponsor but an official "E" name. Thanks to everyone at Dacro Industries!

She's three weeks old

From Dog Gone Ange...

She is growing cuter by the minute. She can now hear and her eyesight is starting to improve. They are all starting to interact with one another and their surroundings. They have moments of running and playing and then all of a sudden they get into a huddle and all fall asleep. They are so cute to watch that I could spend 24 hours a day staring into the whelping box. Below is a video of her trying to play with her very big brother Purple. There is a moment where Purple does a body slam and poor Pink is pinned under his enormous belly. It is probably not a good idea to try and play with the biggest puppy when you are one of the smallest. Our girl has spunk!! Don't forget to check YouTube for more video's featuring Pink or her personal photo album (the links on the right hand side of the blog)

She's two weeks old

I can't believe how much she has matured in the three days since I last saw her. I took over 200 pictures of the litter this morning. I found this stuffed animal with big shiny wings and a pink pillow that says 'L'il Angel' and I just knew that I had to buy it.

From Dog Gone Ange...

She has a Corporate Sponsor!

We are thrilled to announce that PINK is the first puppy in the E-litter to have a corporate sponsor. Once again, Dacro Industries Inc. has stepped up to the plate to sponsor one of Western Guide and Assistance Dog Society's puppies. This is the second puppy that Dacro has generously sponsored (D-litter's Dino was their first). Rumor has it that PINK should have a real name by the end of the month.

She is a week old!

From Dog Gone Ange...

Pink has made it through the critical first week of life. Although she hasn't gained as much weight as we would like her to, she is doing well. She loves to sleep on top of her brothers, especially Blue. She was quite the talker/complainer when I visited today. She wanted to nurse but just couldn't seem to latch on to a nipple. Later today, when her big brothers are snoozing, Sherry is going to give her some special one-on-one time with Libby with hopes that she will get a good meal and put on some weight.

What kind of a name is pink?

It looks like PINK may have a real name in the not too distant future. Generally the puppies don't get named until after they have had their aptitude tests at 6-7 weeks old. The idea is that the Society lets the corporate sponsors name the puppies that look like they will be the most likely to succeed as future guide or service dogs. We are just waiting to see if a sponsor wants to name a female puppy, and if not, we may have the privilege of picking her name. Since we are the foster parents of WGADS stud dog Wally, we have already had the honor of naming a puppy in both the 'B' and 'C' litters. Either way, we are just thrilled to know that PINK will be our foster puppy for the next 12-14 months.

She's growing

PINK is now two and a half days old. She and her brother Orange need a little extra loving care because they are not as large or as strong as the first three puppies that were born. She only gained 19g her first day, far below the 50-60g that her big brothers gained. Yesterday Sherry started putting Pink and Orange on Libby's tummy when the big guys were sleeping. That strategy paid off nicely. She gained about 60g in the last 24 hours.

I have added a new link to access all of Pink's videos on YouTube.

She's an angel

Meet "Pink", at least that is her name for now. She is the only girl in Western Guide and Assistance Dog Society's much anticipated E-litter. She and her brother 'Orange" were born on August 4th, 2007. Her other brothers , "Blue", "Green" and "Purple", where born on August 3rd.

From Dog Gone Ange...

Here is a video of her nursing:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LiBgm49cDE

Welcome the E-Litter

From Dog Gone Ange...

We have been volunteer puppy raisers for WGADS since 2001. Our first puppy was Wally, a beautiful Golden Retriever, who coincidentally is the father of the E-litter. We have been lucky enough to have Wally as part of our family for the last 6 years. Very early on in his career as a guide-dog-in-training, it became clear that he was a very special boy. WGADS decided that he might be the perfect candidate to become the first stud in their new breeding program. As the saying goes, the rest is history. Of the 5 litters that have been born so far, Wally is the father of the "B", "C" and "E" litters and the grandfather of "D" (35 puppies in total). We have been anxiously awaiting the birth of this litter not just because Wally is the Sire, but because we have committed to raising another puppy for WGADS (our 5th). The only problem is that we can only foster female puppies. Intact males sometimes have issues with bringing another male into the house and they can start marking territory (urinating) inside the home or become aggressive towards the puppy. Here is a link to a post on the WGADS blog talking about the breeding for the E-Litter.