Bett's pups

Joy the Wonder Dog!

2008-05-22T22:07:00.000-07:00

So I promised you a close-up photo of Joy leaping for the ball....and I try never to break a promise. She's got so much energy, as do all the other puppies. But she was the first to climb the steps and she's an incredibily fast learner.

Barking Up the Wrong Tree

2008-04-29T21:30:00.000-07:00

So this is your average everyday game of catch...isn't it? But ofcourse, see that little speck there jumping...why it's Joy the wonderdog! So she's been doing these twist jumps into the air to catch the ball...I'll have to get a closer shot soon, that's a promise!
The whole dog-gone family. It's a photographer's dream that 10 dogs just get together and randomly pose themselves for a family portrait...the only one missing is papa Jack.

So here's Benji...or should we call him Gumbi. The best thing about Benji is that he's such a people dog and he'll pretty much let you do anything with him. As you can see as Wrangler Julie craddles him like a baby here...everything's cool with him!

And here's Coda trying to get a bird. He's quite the avid tree climber...especially when there's a litter of puppies after you. (See Bessie in the corner watching).
And the match is on, and Joy throws a left hook and nearly knocks out Echo. But he doesn't go down, he's a strong fighter who'll hold his ground.

So the dogs can sit and will come to you but check this out. Photographic proof that Bessie will actually fetch the ball and bring it back to you...well...that is when SHE's in the mood to listen. Yeah well, we're half-way there.

And you thought your dog was cute?

2008-04-21T14:04:00.000-07:00

Mmmmm...KFC right at my door. Bernie is having a thoughtful moment below, probably thinking about the puppies, he loves spending time with them.
Not an unusual moment, Benji, sprawled out in the sun sleeping.

Bett excitedly running with the ball. I think she could probably play catch all day long.
Alright children, everyone in a nice straight row for the camera.

He he he hey Bernie, did you see those pretty dogs pass by earlier. He he, oh yeah Jojo, those were some fine ladies.

Benji hanging out with uncle Bernie, he's always there when you need a shoulder...or a nose, to lean on.
This is our new photo for our latest album cover...we plan to be the next Beatles. This is one pose you don't want to mess with.
Aaawwww....(yawn) looks like Echo and Benji are getting tired of sitting around and looking cute all day...ahhh, the life of a puppy is so demanding.
Check out this new yoga move I learned Jojo (says Bessie), it's call the chubby faced backwards bend.

Hey Jojo, Bernie, cut it out, stop fighting. I'll spend the morning with you Jojo playing tag and barking and me and Bernie can run around in circles in the afternoon. (Benji tries so hard to manage time between his 2 uncles.)

Puppy portrait Time!

2008-04-09T11:05:00.000-07:00

So our first two puppies are our short haired males. We've got Sage, whose one blue eye makes him stand out in the crowd. He's always on the go looking for the next adventure, so it's a surprise to get a photo of him standing still here! Below him is Benji, he'll almost always be the first puppy to greet you and the last to leave your side. He enjoys being the centre of attention and loves to curl up in your lap and fall asleep.

So let's move on to the long-haired pups. There's Bessie here, recognized by one ear standing up and the other flopping over, probably our most well-trained pup. She loves to catch the ball, and more than that, loves to get it from her mom Bett. She watches her like a hawk, eager to learn something new.
On the left here is little Echo, who stands out with his black face and quiet demeanor. But sit down with him and he's always game for a cuddle.

And last but certainly not least is Joy. She's got a white spot on her back, a speckled pink nose and is a little social butterfly! She will probably still look like a puppy even when she's 10 years old with her fluffy coat, little pink tongue hanging out and will always make you laugh when she looks at you and cocks her head to one side trying to figure out what your trying to tell her.

Bella leaves her EVR home

2008-04-01T18:31:00.000-07:00

If you have noticed that there are now only five instead of six pups it is because on March 26th Bella left for her new home in Penticton. Tess and Mark picked her up and promised to send some pictures of Bella soon - we have some to put up on our Blog too.

Playtime with the Puppies!

2008-04-01T17:29:00.000-07:00

Bessie and Echo playing with one if their favorite toys outside.
Here's mom Bett playing with a ball and showing her puppies how to play catch and retrieve, like the good mother she is.
The Master out walking with the puppies. Look closely at them, although they're young they already take their well-known Border Collie stance.

The puppies love to play fight with eachother at the ranch. You can see them outside every day running around.

Quieter Moments with the Puppies...Yes, they do exist

2008-04-01T16:54:00.000-07:00

As you can see, it's nearly impossible to come close to the puppy's deck without having them all rush to great you...no sneaking up on them!
Benji loves to be around Barnie, and I don't think Barnie minds too much. He's usually running up to him and licking his face, this is one of those rare quiet bonding moments.

This is Joy all tuckered out resting her head on the cat's play mouse toy. How could anyone resist those innocent eyes.
Another portrait of Joy as she's practicing the sit command...well...quite honestly the puppies aren't quite that far yet...but doesn't she "look" like an obedient dog?
Here's your typical Norman Rockwell dog family portrait, all that's missing is a big straw hat and a pitch fork!

Feline vs. Canine...who will win this wrestling match

2008-04-01T16:25:00.000-07:00

I'd say from all the pictures taken with the puppies, the funniest ones have been involving play time with Coda the cat! There's nothing he loves more than wrestling around on the carpet or being chased through the living room!

Bett's the leader

2008-03-16T09:01:00.000-07:00

As you can see from these three pictures, the pups learn from Bett how the game of fetch is played. It follows of course that the pups learn many other things from their Mum and for sure will fit right in with the rest of the border collie pack when they join them later this spring.

Dr. Quinn

2008-03-08T15:41:00.000-08:00

This is the only picture that we have of Dr. Quinn in action since all the photo's were taken of Dr. Dunsford tending to the pups (...and Koda, but that is another story).
Dr. Quinn spent most of the day tending to the needs of our horses and it looks like we got him in just in time - looks like he could eat a horse right about now :0)

Jack has a pedicure

2008-03-08T15:35:00.000-08:00

Jack takes it cool and easy as he is treated to a pedicure.
As you can see, Koda and Jack get along very well and, like a cat, is curious

....more 8 week check up stuff

2008-03-08T15:31:00.000-08:00

All the puppies also had their claws trimmed as well as eyes and teeth checked

....heart and lungs...

2008-03-08T15:22:00.000-08:00

.....looks like one of the photo's made mention of never got blogged in the previous one so here it is

Pups 8 week check up

2008-03-08T15:17:00.000-08:00

It was time for the puppies to have their 8 week check up, vaccinations and de-worming today so, seeing as we have 11 dogs in total and 34 horses that needed seeing to, we asked our Vet(s) to make a house call.
These photo's show Dr Dunsford, the better looking of the two Vets :-), and two other photo's showing one of the pups having his heart, lungs and eyes checked out ------- more to come!

Pups and kitten

2008-03-07T22:46:00.000-08:00

It has been fun to watch the pups play with Koda our kitten and good to see that they all get on so well with each other. We have several video shots that show all six pups in hot pursuit of Koda and of Koda putting the run on the pups, all in a playful way.
It's is fascinating to see how a domestic cat has all the charactersitics of their bigger relaives. For example, the way a lion is shown bringing down its prey -- Koda runs after a pup, leaps on its hind quarters and as it does, rolls over to the left to put the pup off balance such that, starting from the rear end, it too rolls over.
The playdul wrestling matches are ineresting to watch too -- being confronted in the wild by a cougar would not be nice!!
The pups look forward to being let into the house to play with Koda - it is good that they all become friends while the border collies are small -- but then again, the adult border collies know that Koda is part of the family and they play with him as well.

From milk to solids

2008-02-26T22:26:00.000-08:00

The pups are just over six weeks old now and Bett is gradually weaning them from feeding on the milk she provides to eating solids. As you can see from the video, Bett regurgitates partially digested food from her stomach and the pups eat it all up in very short order.

Moving to new quarters

2008-02-23T14:44:00.000-08:00

We are still having problems uploading videos so here we are with some more still photo's and while you are left guessing as to what is going on let us first bring you up to date on Bett's feeding program - yep, writing about eating again so let's keep it short :)
The pups are 47 days "old" now and it has been fascinating to observe how Bett is weaning them off milk and onto solids. The video shows it all and for those of you out there who do not know how it is done you would probably go AAaaarg when you first see it :)
The process is that Bett upchucks half digested food followed by the pups cleaning it all up in very short order!! -- I bet you really want to se that video now, eh :=).
So, how about the two photo's - well, it is just as well that we are closed to guest reight now because we have reconfigured the dining room patio area into a puppy pen - it now looks like a war zone!! You will notice the boards that we put around the railings to stop the pups from falling through - also the paper in the corner which the puppies are already trained to poop on.
We figure that in about two more weeks we will move them to yet another living space that they can call their own. As for the deck, Ken already has a work order to sand and stain it before the end of March - before our 2008 guest ranch season starts - good idea? :O)

Video - hopefully :)

2008-02-17T22:12:00.000-08:00

Eat, poop, play & sleep :)

2008-02-16T11:30:00.000-08:00

If you say we show a lot of pictures of the pups feeding you are right and that is because they spend so much of their time doing that - when they are not pooping, playing or sleeping that is :).
The weather at Echo Valley Ranch is perfect for winter - blue sunny sky and temperatures above freezing. Even when the temperature drops below freezing, sometimes in the double digits, it still feels quite warm in the sun and with the right clothes on. Life is good :)

Out door accommodations

2008-02-14T19:23:00.000-08:00

OK - so part of the routine is to take the pups out to the great outdoors every day. This photo shows one of our dog winter residences with the pups checking it out. If it was spring time, summer or fall for sure these little guys would be living outside most of the time - as it is, it is winter so they are out for about 20 minutes then back inside where they promptly poop on the news paper in their "play" pen :)

Puppy love :)

2008-02-13T21:59:00.000-08:00

We take the puppies outside every day now and as you can see they really appreciate Nan for it :)
You can see Barney in the background - the head popping up over his back is Bett.
Try clicking on the picture - it should open up to full size

Pups first day out

2008-02-12T20:29:00.000-08:00

Five weeks old and off to the races - this is the first day that the pups have seen the great outdoors and they loved it. The temperature cooperated too - a balmy +9C today!!

Standing room only

2008-02-08T09:40:00.000-08:00

Standing room only, three each side :)

Nan is pups new mum :)

2008-02-05T20:52:00.000-08:00

As you can see, Bett is having to share the raising of her pups with Nan who is shown right inside the puppy pen!
The top picture may be the first lesson the the pup at the tip of Nan's fingure is being given - I wonder what he did to deserve that.
The bottom picture shows a very happy Nan with a very happy and content family of pups :)
I wonder what Bett thinks about all of this?

Very active puppies!

2008-02-05T16:53:00.000-08:00

A video of the antics of the puppies is really what is needed now but until we can get that to work for us still pictures are going to have to do.
As you can see the pups are now feeding out of a bowl - much to Bett's delight since she is getting a tad tender on the underside - combination of sharp teeth and sharp claws all doing what ever it takes to get the most milk.
We are having a lot of joy watching the pups develop - they are 29 days old today and out growing their temporary pen real fast - they can almost knock it down!
We have started to give the pups names and will let you know what they are when we take separate pictures of them

Video of Bett's pups on the loose

2008-02-03T11:55:00.000-08:00

Here comes another try to upload the video.

Video upload failed

2008-02-03T11:52:00.001-08:00

Oh darn! - after what seemed to take for ever the video upload looks like it failed. The full 54Mb showed that it had uploaded but it is now evident that it did not - will try again :(

Bett's pups on the loose

2008-02-03T09:56:00.000-08:00

As you will see from this video, Bett's pups are super active even though they are only 27 days old.
The puppies are being raised indoors since our winter months are too cold to have them outside, most days in January are in the -5 to -12C temperature range but can drop to -40C.
There are two rooms that we use, the one in the video is the Echo Valley Ranch guest games room in which we have put up a pen to contain the puppies when we are not with them. The night room is a basically bare room with a smooth concrete floor that is easier to clean up.
We will put up a new video every week to show the progress; we have found the rate of development of the pups to be quite incredible!

Bett's sister Maise

2008-01-30T08:45:00.001-08:00

Maisie is Bett's sister and lives with John and Joy Gritten in Fife, Scotland, close to St Andrews, on the edge of a forest. The photo is of Maisie and her friend Hanne shown on top of the hill next to John and Joy's house, overlooking Dundee across the River Tay.

Pool time

2008-01-30T08:23:00.000-08:00

Jack has been imortalised by the artist who painted Jack on the far wall of the Echo Valley Ranch games room. As our guests will attest, Jack has a very keen interest in watching the game of eight ball and snooker. To get Jack's attention you have to sink the balls however ot else he will abandon you in short order, play well and he watches all night!
The puppies on the pool table are the two females that we have promised to good friends of ours, the Nystrom family. The Nystrom's have already given a name to the pup with the spot on its head, they have called her Bella - was that your idea Anika, it is a good name and now when we look at Bella we see the bell on her head :).

Feeding time - again :)

2008-01-29T19:52:00.000-08:00

Bett continues to be a wonderful pup mum and feeds six hungry puppies that grow at what seems to be an alarming rate. We have been very surprised to find that even at 23 days old the pups climb out of their wooly basket to do their business on the news paper put down for them on the floor inside their pen.

In the pen

2008-01-27T19:26:00.000-08:00

Before their three week old birthday the pups are on their feet and moving around. The temperature is in the -10C range outside so we have set up a pen indoors that will confine the pups and their you know what to a manageable space. Just as well we do not have guests with us at Echo Valley Ranch right now :).
Bett is an amazing mum and very nimble; she can jump in and out of the pen without landing on the pups - the pups can not do that yet though so we opened the side for this picture. As you can see, one of the pups made a run for it :).

Two week old birthday

2008-01-21T18:39:00.000-08:00

Oh how time flies - two weeks old allready :).
Notice how much they have grown since their last birthday, you can tell by seeing how big they are compared with Nan's hands.
The pups all have their eyes open now and becoming quite active - they will probably be in their new play pen by next birthday :)

Taking a break from the pups

2008-01-20T18:30:00.000-08:00

Lots of snow at Echo Valley Ranch today and Bett loves it!

Feeding time - again :)

2008-01-20T08:49:00.000-08:00

Can you count the pups? I bet Bett knows how many their are without even looking :)

Barney & Koda greeting

2008-01-19T19:14:00.000-08:00

Barney is a bordere collie and what looks like a cougar hound mix. We took Barney in to rescue it from a neglectful previous "owner" who no longer wanted him. As you can see, this cougar hound gets on just fine with Koda - we will keep an eye on their ongoing relationship though :)

Jack and Koda

2008-01-19T19:09:00.000-08:00

We have changed the name of our kitten back from "Chance" to his original name "Koda". Koda is no longer taking a "chance" with the border collies, as you can see Jack accepts him and in this photo is looking at a tinfoil ball that Koda is poking under his nose. It is fascinating being this close to animals, they all have their very own personalities and spirit within.

Dog condo

2008-01-19T09:28:00.000-08:00

This is a photo of one of the border collie winter residences; there is another one just like it just down the walkway to the lodge. If you are wondering where the residents are right now, they are off having fun in the snow :)

January 19th - 12 days later

2008-01-19T09:19:00.000-08:00

Do you remember the size of the pups when Nan first held one in her hand? Even then, after just a couple of days, it was evident that they had grown quite quickly but look at the size of them now!
While in Vancouver I went to the pet shop and bought some powdered milk to be used when Bett has had enough of her pups pulling and now scratching her as they feed. I came out of the shop with one small bag that cost $118 - from there I went to the supermarket to buy vegetables to take back to Echo Valley Ranch. For exactly half, $59, I filled multiple bags with potatoes, brocolli, swedes, onions, cabbages, beetroots, bok choi, carrots and lettuce.
Hmmm, me thinks that pet shops are taking advantage of pet lovers!

Away 'til Friday

2008-01-15T10:53:00.000-08:00

Bett's Blogger is way from EVR until Friday - stay tuned :)

...the other side of the fence

2008-01-13T15:18:00.000-08:00

Just in case you were left wondering, yes, Bett does cross the fence when called to action.
Bett can be seen "eyeing" about tweny horses directly behind the spot this photo was taken from.
Oh well, all in a days work before heading back to her pups.

Bett's other job

2008-01-13T14:49:00.000-08:00

While the pup's are enjoying their 1 week old birthday party, Bett is tending to one of her other jobs. Bett was trained to work with sheep in her homeland, Wales, and applies what she knows to work with guests, horses and cows here at Echo Valley Ranch.
To see her run nobody would ever be able to guess that she has six border collie pups back at the Dove lodge!

It's birthday time

2008-01-13T12:25:00.000-08:00

Bett's puppies had their 1 week old birthday today and by the looks of it some of them are party poopers :0).

All is OK

2008-01-12T10:17:00.000-08:00

It looks like Jack has been accepted back into the family by Bett. No snarling at Jack or any other warnings what so ever. That is good news - perhaps Jack will do some puppy sitting duties when Bett is away? OK - we know, no chance of that in the dog kingdom :)
But then again - Jack and Bett are very special border collies - and Echo Valley Ranch & Spa is a magical place - so, who knows? -- to be continued :)

Bett is back from exercise

2008-01-12T10:10:00.000-08:00

Caught in the act - Bett is back early from her morning exercise and looking through the window at Jack with their pups -- we will let her in and watch what she does.

Jack visits pups - Day 6

2008-01-12T10:07:00.000-08:00

While Bett is out having her morning exercise, Jack pays a vist to his pups. Not sure what Bett would think about that ....but we shall see

Day 6 - Getting bigger

2008-01-12T09:36:00.000-08:00

It is quite incredible how quickly the puppies are growing and how strong they are becoming. We had a vistor yesterday who told us he was very surprised at how mobile they were already and wanted to have one of the males. We told him, sorry, but other than two of the females that we promised to a good friend, the remainder are destined to be residents of Echo Valley Ranch & Spa.

Day 5 - Heading back to pups

2008-01-11T14:44:00.000-08:00

OK, who can find Bett in this picture? - she is heading back to her pups.

Day 5 - Bett's first day out

2008-01-11T14:02:00.001-08:00

This is the first day that Bett is outside and away from her pups. You would need to be here or see a video of how healthy Bett is - you would never guess that she is nursing a family of six pups the way she bounds arround the ranch!

Day 5 - Bett accommodation upgrade

2008-01-11T13:12:00.000-08:00

Bett has now been moved from the electrical room to the games room. A very fine accommodation upgrade :). As you can see, Bett is now spending some of her time disconnected from the hungry mouths of her pups.
Nan is a super assistant for Bett and among other things has done a fine job of keeping the electrical room clean - if you know what I mean :0).

Day 4 - Jack first visit with Bett

2008-01-10T10:23:00.000-08:00

We decided to let Jack see his new off spring and found that it may have been a tad premature. Bett made it quite obvious that Dad was not welcome and seconds before taking this picture Bett snapped at Jack. The pups were never in any danger since Dad Jack would never hurt them or anything else coming to that.
Notice how Nan is holding Jack by the scruff of the neck :) - not to safe the pups, but to keep Jack out of the range of Bett's snapping jaws :)

A basket full of pups

2008-01-10T10:17:00.000-08:00

In case you have not guessed already :)

2008-01-09T14:34:00.000-08:00

The purpose of "Bett's pups" blog is to provide a way of letting all of the past guests of Echo Valley Ranch & Spa, and any-one else who may be interested, to see the progress of Bett's family from the time they were born through to becoming mature Border Collie's.
For those of you who do not know already, Border Collie Bett is the mail order bride of famous Border Collie Jack.
Bett emigrated from Wales, UK, to Echo Valley Ranch & Spa last summer; our thanks go out to the good work done by Jan Powell and her brother Lawrence who took care of all the details that have to be complied with for such a move.
By the way, all of the staff and guests of Echo Valley Ranch and Spa love Border Collies, perhaps that is why we now have eleven of them - 7 adults and six pups!!

The father of Bett's pups

2008-01-09T14:30:00.000-08:00

Bett 7 days before having pups

2008-01-09T14:29:00.000-08:00

Day 3 - info for border collie specialist :)

2008-01-09T10:34:00.000-08:00

Day 3 - three days after giving birth to six puppies, Bett finally has a good poop! :)

Day 3 - Content after finishing morning meal

2008-01-09T10:02:00.000-08:00

Day 3 - Three day old pup!

2008-01-09T10:01:00.000-08:00

Day 3 - Room service at EVR

2008-01-09T09:59:00.000-08:00

Puppy love

2008-01-09T00:06:00.000-08:00

Day 2 - Bett's family

2008-01-09T00:03:00.000-08:00

Jan 7th - six puppies born

2008-01-08T23:56:00.000-08:00

Bett giving birth to her puppies

2008-01-08T23:50:00.000-08:00