the APPLE a Day Litter
Born September 27, 2015

Ripening Apples - 11/15/15 - 7 Weeks Old

The Apples are ripening very nicely …… most of the time at least!!!!  However, occasionally Grandma June has spoiled them to the point that they are little monsters, rotten to the core little darlings!!!!   Yikes, did I say that out loud!???

They are puppies in every way - they run, hop, climb, explore, go up steps - even down sometimes!, and are into EVERYTHING!!!  Our weather here has been amazingly warm and nice for SD in November, so they have had lots of lovely days outside experiencing and exploring the real world - full of noises, sounds, colors, shapes, textures and other living things!!!   A tired puppy is a GOOD puppy!!!   All these new adventures give me the opportunity to watch them become the unique little Apples that they are and therefore help you pick the right puppy for your family, your lifestyle and your dog experience.  They are completely weaned after Karma had to say goodbye to them.   She loves her puppies so much that it is a difficult thing to do, but necessary for both she and the pups.

Today they went to their last puppy check before “ getting PICKED” time arrives!!!   MacIntosh topped the scale at a whopping 14.8 pounds, followed closely by Jonathan, Winston and Galloway who weighed an even 14.  Big girl that she is, Jubilee also weighed in at 14 pounds followed with a more typical female weight of 11 to 12 pounds for Jazz, Gala and Pippin.   They each got their first puppy shot for bad things like parvo, parainfluenza, hepatitis, and distemper - OUCH!!  and will need two more of these shots about 3-4 weeks apart in the future.  Then we microchipped them for permanent identification - BIG OUCH !!! - but again soooo worth it!!!  You may notice a tiny boo boo between their shoulder blades, but it will heal quickly - it’s a BIG needle!!!  They also got wormed for the third time along with another annoying toenail trim.  Last but certainly not least, every body part is checked out and noted on their puppy checkup sheet by the nice doctor.   You will receive a copy of the check list where every body part is noted so you and your vet can be aware of anything that may need to be watched.  The big deal today was hearts, lungs, teeth and testicles with all pups passing with flying colors!!!  Everyone at the clinic loves puppy check up day and we all have a great time!

As I continue to try to get them as ready as I can for their big day, little transitions continue to happen.  I have them down to eating twice a day which is the most probable feeding schedule they will have with their new family.  I still add warm water to their food right before I feed it to them so that hopefully they don’t choke yet they still have to chew which cleans their teeth.   I recommend that you continue this practice for the rest of their lives.  I will send home sample packets for a few days worth of food so that I can help you with that transition as well.

They are all very, very good at using their litter box and never ever go to the bathroom where they sleep in their crate.  You should be thinking about and planning ahead on where YOU want the bathroom to be at your house.  I recommend a nice spot way out behind the garage and be prepared to CARRY them to that spot every time you take them out for the first week so they don’t have the opportunity to make a mistake and go somewhere else on the way.

Time for Grandma to help ‘pick’ the ripened Apples, but I know the Apples will never fall far from the tree!!!!


Females:

Gala - medium red, medium mask, big white spot on chest, minimal white on toes
             “Pet” due to offset teeth.  People loving, interested and attentive, easy to be around
Jazz - golden red, medium mask, medium spot on chest, one white foot
             “Perfect Pet”.  Loves people, outgoing, very busy, lots os sass and silliness
Pippin - dark red, full mask, big spot on chest, minimal white on toes, smallest female
              “Perfect Pet”.  Go getter with lots of sass and swag, GOOFY and fun
Jubilee - very dark red, full mask, some white on chest, minimal white on toes, largest female
              “Perfect Pet”.    Gentle, quiet, happy go lucky, easy going, a watcher


Males:

Winston - dark golden red, medium mask, medium spot on chest, minimal white on toes
                   “Pet” due to kinked tail.  Personality to burn, engaged in everything, very bright and curious
MacIntosh - golden red, medium mask, large spot on chest, minimal white on toes, largest     
                  “Perfect Pet”.   Such a ham, full of himself,  adventurous, confident and affectionate
Jonathan - dark golden red, medium mask, small spot on chest, minimal white on toes
                   “Perfect Pet”.  Silly clown, active, scrappy, funny, eager to please
Galloway - very dark red, full mask, small spot on chest, minimal white on toes            
                 “Perfect Pet”.  Happy, playful, very observant, loves attention and people



For my horse loving families, a little South Dakota type humor :

It is time for the Rhode Apples to hit the road for their new homes.  But that, by NO means, makes them Road Apples !!!   Hah!!

The BIG Apple - 11/4/15 - 5.5 Weeks Old

At risk of sounding like a ‘crabby’ apple, these Apples have gotten HUGE this last week and a half, and have turned into little monsters - I MEAN DARLINGS !!!!!  How they grow this fast is amazing to me and I have been raising Ridgebacks for 20 years!!!

They are sooooo much fun now - go go go is the story of their lives.   They have figured out how to run, although it still looks a little bit like a rocky chair gallop, but it is RUNNING!!!   They spend all day terrorizing their toys and each other.  The poor toys suffer badly, but at least it gives ears, toes, tails and nose’s a break.   Karma, however, just couldn’t take the teeth anymore!!  She no longer would lay down to feed them, so in order to eat, they hung from her in a very, very uncomfortable looking position - certainly for Karma !!!  Her long suffering looks convinced us it was time to wean the little darlings.   They are eating their puppy mush with amazing gusto, and don’t even snorkel in it much anymore!!!  

The apples got to experience the warmth of the sun, the feeling and smell of green grass, the breeze spinning golden leaves in all directions - OUTSIDE was a whole new world !!!  We have been so lucky with the warm fall we are having that many days the Apples play outside most of the afternoon.   It can be quite overwhelming at first with all the new sights and sounds.   Harvest is in full gear and so are the tractors and semi’s going by.   They have met all their adult relatives and lots and lots of family and friends who have stopped by to visit them.   All the apples LOVE to be held, cuddled and played with.

Another yummy worming, another annoying toenail trim!!  Both of these puppy rearing activities should continue every month for at least the first year of their lives and it would even be best to continue ALL of their lives.  They have the litter box usage down and never ever go potty in their crate/bed.  This behavior will make continued crate training and therefore house training much easier.  You will just need to select where YOU want the bathroom to be and then be sure to CARRY them to that spot every time you take them out to go potty.

This photography session is always the most interesting for me as it is the first time they are ALONE in a strange new environment and then funny noises and lights are going on all around them.  They each react a little differently, they each respond a little differently, they each adjust a little differently, so it is a great opportunity to watch them becoming their own unique little selves.


American as Apple Pie !!!!


Females:

Gala - medium red, medium mask, big white spot on chest, minimal white on toes
             “Pet” due to offset teeth.  Easy going, friendly, quiet and gentle
Jazz - golden red, medium mask, medium spot on chest, one white foot
             “Perfect Pet”.  Loves people, outgoing, very busy
Pippin - dark red, full mask, big spot on chest, minimal white on toes, smallest female
              “Perfect Pet”.  Go getter with lots of sass and swag
Jubilee - very dark red, full mask, some white on chest, minimal white on toes, largest female
              “Perfect Pet”.    Curious, funny, goofy, happy go lucky


Males:

Winston - dark golden red, medium mask, medium spot on chest, minimal white on toes
                   “Pet” due to kinked tail.  Personality to burn, engaged in everything, very bright
MacIntosh - golden red, medium mask, large spot on chest, minimal white on toes, largest     
                  “Perfect Pet”.   Such a ham, full of himself,  adventurous, confident
Jonathan - dark golden red, medium mask, small spot on chest, minimal white on toes
                   “Perfect Pet”.  Silly clown, active, scrappy, funny
Galloway - very dark red, full mask, small spot on chest, minimal white on toes            
                 “Perfect Pet”.  Happy, playful, very observant, loves attention

Apple Dumpling Gang - 10/25/15 - 4 Weeks Old

What a GANG of little apple hoodlums they are!!!!  They can run, hop, jump, climb - you name it they are on a roll.   They have gotten to be so rambunctious that the time came to move them into the big puppy play pen where they can run around a lot more and get into even more trouble!!!  “Rotten” to the core - every one of them!!!   Also in the big puppy play pen is the ‘litter box’ where they quickly learned to ONLY go potty in the litter box.  Hopefully, this will help you  teach your puppy that there is an appropriate place and an appropriate time to go to the bathroom.  Toys have also been added to their world with the hope that they will spend more time chewing on the toys than on each other or on their mother!!

Karma is still keeping up pretty well on managing to keep them all fed.    It is literally draining for her however!!!  We will start feeding them puppy milk replacer soon, followed by puppy chow soaked into a mush with the idea that the weaning process will actually take about 2 weeks.  Karma does spend quite a little more time AWAY from them, not that they are crab apples or anything, but they just won’t leave her alone if she is too handy.   The teeth, the teeth - as if toenails weren’t bad enough, the Apples are starting to get their teeth!!!  I think once they figure out how to use them, it will be the end for poor Karma!!!  

Each Apple is becoming their own little self, still no real flaws to note.  Long way to go yet - teeth, testicles and personalities! - all have to come in.

There will be no BAD APPLES in this bunch:

Females:

Gala - medium red, medium mask, big white spot on chest, minimal white on toes
Pippin - dark red, full mask, big spot on chest, minimal white on toes
Jazz - golden red, medium mask, medium spot on chest, one white foot
Jubilee - very dark red, full mask, some white on chest, minimal white on toes

Males:

Galloway - very dark red, full mask, small spot on chest, minimal white on toes
MacIntosh - golden red, medium mask, medium spot on chest, minimal white on toes
Winston - dark red, full mask, small spot on chest, minimal white on toes, bump tail
Jonathan - dark golden red, medium mask, spot on chest, minimal white on toes