So... we have certainly been blessed with an abundance of little fur babies here at Taylormade kennels. November was an AMAZING month and a real roller coaster of a ride!

On  November 7th, the day Sullivan and Pinkerton's puppies turned 5-weeks-old, (which is the start of puppy picking for the families who have reserved their puppies) Nala went into labor. She had a beautiful Fancy Nancy litter of 8 with Bentley. Unfortunately, one puppy had something wrong and passed away about an hour after delivery, our 4-year-old daughter still talks daily about our puppy Maribelle in heaven, it's so so sad. 

Then 12 days later Piper went into labor with her flourishing Tree litter of 7 with Sullivan. Two days after Piper had her puppies, Star graced us with the Luxury Car litter of 8 with Sullivan. We had a really bad scare with puppy #6, Lexus, she was having trouble getting the fluid out of her lungs and in my overzelous attempt to help her, blood started running out of her mouth and nose! I thought she was not going to make it, and I, still hurting from the loss of Maribelle (Nala's puppy)  instantly started crying my eyes out and trying to save her. My mom was assisting me and she couldn't even understand me I was crying so hard. She called the vet for me and then she and my 7-year-old daughter rushed Lexus off to our AMAZING vet for extra help. I rolled into a fetal position in the whelping box after they left, sobbing and feeling like I failed the puppy. Just then I heard Jeff's sweet voice over the webcam say "Hi Michele I am here" he was watching from work, I love that man, he is always there for me! I asked him to start praying, I was praying for a miracle, my mom asked my daughter to pray as they were rushing to the vet. I was so overwhelmed but I had to get back to work because puppy #7, Porche, was born and couldn't get the fluid out of her lungs, and also puppy #3 Lincoln was still struggling to get the fluid out of his lungs. If you are wondering why the puppies were having so much trouble, this can be normal for perfectly healthy puppies to have problems like this. This is one of the reasons dogs have so many puppies, because many puppies do not make it upon arrival due to fluid in the lungs. Breeders help the improve the mortality rate of puppies by rubbing, suctioning, swinging, and getting those precious babies breathing!!! It is one of the most stressful things in the world for me, and we have been blessed to have only lost 2 in our current lines. When I raised Miniature Golden's back in 1989 we lost 4 out of a litter of 7 puppies because we were not skilled in the life saving practices, again so sad. I have a friend who was not home when her dog had a litter of Miniature Golden Retrievers and the whole litter of puppies died, it was so devastating. This is one of the reasons we keep a webcam and I take mama's temperature so I can be prepared. Every life is so precious, and I do everything I can with education, practice, and prayer to keep them alive.

About an hour after my mom and daughter left with Lexus, my mom called and exclaimed "she is going to be just fine!" Our vet checked her over and she is perfectly fine, you saved her and the blood was probably some irritation from the suctioning. God is so good and I felt overwhelming joy and relief. Now Lexus IS doing perfectly, you would never know she went through that ordeal and came home and nursed happily from Star, *whew*

Bentley and Ruby's Box of Chocolates litter due in 11 days, if you can send all your love, good thoughts, and prayers our way, it would be very much appreciated! I could sure use an easy delivery right now.

We have been so busy with the puppies, providing fresh bedding, providing Early Neurological Stimulation, worming, weighing, socializing, caring for the beautiful mamas (they want in, they want out, they want in, they want out, and so forth) then of course our family has had our share of excitement. My husband, Jeff, had a kidney stone he dealt with for a month and Finally had surgery November 4th, my duty is to provide tons of lemon water for my sweet man. Our 7-year-old broke her arm running down the driveway and slipping at a high speed just in time for school picture day! Our 16-year-old son went on an invite-only race from our school to Arizona with his Cross Country team, then 2 weeks later he went with the team to race in California.

Our oldest son turned 19 and just before his birthday he hit a deer with his Cadillac. The beloved car that he bought just 4 weeks earlier! The irony here is that my husband and 16-year-old son spent 13 hours painstaingly hunting and dragging a deer for our dogs and family, and our other son hits one in a split second and totals his car?! My dear friend and fellow breeder Terri Gibbs commented that "some guys use bullets to get their deer and some guys use Cadillacs" which cracked me up! My 19-year-old hates deer hunting. On his 19th Birthday he scored a Mercedes! Thankfully he has a job to support his love of luxury vehicles, he removes asbestus from old buildings, I know... scary job, but he does wear heavy duty full suits, and protective gear to protect himself from the asbestus.

To add to all the drama, 2 days before Thanksgiving the stomach bug that had been going around our community hit our family, first it was our 1-year-old who threw up while my husband's cousin and his family came to visit from Arizona, then that night our 4-year-old and 7-year-old daughters started throwing up, ugh so not fun! We had our dear friends come for Thanksgiving as well, we warned them that it might not be safe to come due to the contagious stomach bug, but they were coming to get their new puppy as well so they decided to chance it. Well, the day after Thanksgiving 3 of their 7 children were throwing up and they had to travel home, not fun! Luckily they had an adorable puppy to distract them on the way home.

On Thanksgiving our 13-year-old was dutifully helping get ready for the feast and took the trash out with no shoes on... there was a piece of glass in the trash bag that dragged over his bare foot and sliced all 5 of his toes open!!! It was awful! I was in the middle of cooking when my husband had to rush him to the ER. Five stitches and a boot fixed my boy back up, thank you Timponogas Hospital!  

I can't wait to see all the medical bill after this month!

It's about 1 am and I really really want everyone to see the puppies so here are the adorable fur babies for your enjoyment.

Here are Bentley and Nala's puppies, they will be 4-weeks-old tomorrow but here are their 3 weeks pics

Now for Piper and Sullivan's Tree  litter

Here are Sullivan and Star's luxury car litter, they are going to be two weeks old tomorrow but here are their one week photos.

Sullivan and Pinkerton's puppies have all been going home the last few weeks! It was so fun getting to be with 4 of our puppy parents and what AMAZING friendships I will cherish for a lifetime. I need to go hug my dogs for bringing these wonderful people into my life!