Copper follows Phoenix

"Copper" selected her new family today, after they found her to be the one continually returning to them when they were trying to choose one of our three remaining female pups. Lo and behold, she's moving to Simsbury, too! Maybe they'll becoming playmates at the local dog park or go shopping together at Simsbury's new Farmer's Market held on Thursdays, 3 - 7 PM. We hope so since we participate in the market as vendors of our organic honey, skin products, and beeswax candles. It's always fun to see "our" offspring in their new settings and to follow them as they grow.

Phoenix moves to Simsbury

Our gorgeous redhead, "Phoenix", relocated north to her new family's home in Simsbury, CT, leaving the 'Land of the Sun' for the happy homestead complete with pool and a very excited family ready to spoil her with all the affection and toys a young puppy deserves. It was not an easy choice for Virginia and her daughter and son: "Cedar" was nearly the twin of Phoenix in so many respects that we offered to "flip the pups" while they called heads/tails... whichever landed the way they called it... fortunately for the pups Phoenix won their hearts and we never got to test the coin flip with dogs theory. Perhaps it was Phoenix 'smile', so much like her mother, Sedona, that won them over.

So now, it's down to three sister pups, all of which have 'dates' with prospective owners today through Saturday. As the doting 'parents,' we screen the suitors and are looking forward to another match made in heaven. That likely leaves one... will she be our Cinderella? We'll find out: another caller has an appointment for Saturday afternoon. If the slipper doesn't fit, our damsel pup will assuredly be rescued by another charming suitor.

DON'T BUG ME! a best seller

Our newest product, DON'T BUG ME! natural insect repellent made its debut over the weekend and was an instant hit... selling out completely by late Saturday. Stasia wanted to develop a more pleasant smelling and EFFECTIVE bug spray than those found on the market and she SUCCEEDED.

We joke about it being "GIRL SCOUT" tested... during a camporee in May Nadia's troop got to try the new spray and reports were: NO BITES. Containing a variety of essential oils in skin nourishing jojoba oil, DON'T BUG ME! is effective against mosquitoes, ticks, black flies, and 'no see-ums' for 4-6 hours. Since then, we've tested ourselves in the twilight hours when mosquitoes are feasting and can say not only are there no bites but you can see the mosquitoes approach with 3-4 inches of your skin and then fly away... it really repels!

The nice thing is DON'T BUG ME! contains no DEET or synthetic chemicals and is safe for use on children and animals. We're very excited about our bug spray... it's made with quality ingredients that cost a bit more but we have the peace of mind that it is SAFE and EFFECTIVE!

It will soon be available at our online store (we had to reorder all the ingredients)... Look for it there or at our farm market stands by July 4!

Adios to our Three Caballeros

Well, the boys are spoken for... Yesterday, "Tucson" rounded up his new owners and rode high in the saddle of his new owner's Honda into the sunset, heading for greener pastures in Madison, CT. It was love at first sight for both parties. It didn't hurt that Tucson turns to mush when you hold him on his back and rub his belly! Tucson's new owner, Mary Ann, was a bit hurt that we nixed her plan to feed him pizza (the crust ends, of course!). Hard to resist pleading puppy eyes but we don't recommend human food for dogs. Well, a little crust here and there can't hurt, right?

So, now it's an all-girl party for this litter! Strange, as we often have high demand for female pups and this time they're the last to go. Two are likely to go in the next couple of days, and we expect the final two to be on their way to new homes by weeks' end. This has been a fun litter but, in all honesty, mix summer with puppy and that recipe begs for individual/family time with new owners!

Pictures from New Homes

We love receiving pictures of our pups in their new homes and this one is a doozy! Now known as KIPPER, (a.k.a. Jerome in Sedona's litter) this little guy is all decked out for the upcoming July 4th weekend. Surrounded by toys and cared for by a loving couple, he's doing well. He had a brief bout with a loose stool for a couple of days--possibly brought about by a change in drinking water (chlorinated vs. our well water) but a couple of additions of Pepto-Bismol has returned his situation to normal. The new owner has had a few questions for us along the way and Kipper's transition from litter mates to best friend seems to have gone well. Thanks to Kipper's owners for sharing his photo!

NEWS FLASH! Nicholas Wins!!!

The sire of our latest litter, Legacy's Willcare's NICHOLAS won Best of Winners from the Bred-By Exhibitor class yesterday and got his first Championship points. His owner, Kevin Bergeson, is justifiably proud. Maybe he'll walk in the footsteps of Sedona's grandfather, Broad Reach Ruff Stuff ("Colby"), #1 AKC champion in 2001 and 2002 for North America.

Eight Weeks and Ready to Go!

Time flies when you're having fun! Our pups just turned eight weeks and are on their way to their new homes. 'Jerome' was the first to go, heading for nearby Deep River, CT. His first night without his siblings apparently went fine. A few trips outside overnight to do his business and the rest of the time he was a snoozer! As for the rest of the gang, it seemed like, "Great! More chow for the rest of us!" This picture is of "Cedar" a female with some nice cedar color. She's still available and looking for a new home...

Bee Time

It was a tough spring with weather below normal aggravating life for the bees and beekeeper. The cool weather kept the bees in their hives and slowed the onset of the spring bloom and nectar harvest. The result was the loss of several more hives, on top of those lost over the winter. Not a pretty picture. Fortunately, we've replaced the lost hives and expanded our operations with the goal of increasing our honey production this year. We continue to suffer or enjoy, depending upon your perspective, from annual sellouts of our honey. This last year our Lavender Honey was a big hit and we look forward to offering it again this year. We planted significantly more lavender from which we'll harvest buds for infusing into our wildflower honey. Those plants are young but look to add some nice flowers in a couple of weeks. Our older plants have a profusion of buds that will give us a good start on the harvest.

As for honey production, we have a couple of hives that are filling fast with honey while most are slow to take off this year. It's too early to tell how this harvest will turn out but it's a bit discouraging at this juncture. The locust is about to bloom and the clover appears to be in full bloom--a very important nectar source for us. We have about three weeks remaining of the Spring/summer blooming period before we hit the dirth of summer. Sometime in late August the first of the goldenrod will appear and the bees will be back at work racing the calendar to bring in the fall flow.

Six weeks and Time for the Vet

How time flies when you're a puppy! Sedona's brood is now six weeks old and they got their first shots...all received a clean bill of health from our veterinarian. Even little 'Cottonwood', who started out her life at a wee 5 3/4 oz. tipped the scale at over 5 lbs. Of course, her big brother, Schnebley, nearly broke the scale at 9 lb. 7 oz. By the end of the visit this litter came through and promptly snoozed through the remainder of the visit. An interesting twist this time around was the inclusion of a measles vaccine with the traditional parvo/distemper shots our pups usually get. It turns out the measles vaccine works to bolster the puppies' immunity against distemper during the time the puppies immune system is adjusting to the post-nursing phase of life. The mother's milk provides antibodies that suppress the effectiveness of the distemper vaccine; the measles virus is apparently similar in structure to the distemper and the vaccine is not suppressed by the mother's milk. Thus, an additional measure of protection is provided by the measles vaccine. No, the puppies won't develop little red spots and turn itchy!

This picture reveals our snoozers following their check. Note the coloration by the tails... how else can one keep track of an all yellow litter?! We use Sharpies to mark each pup. This helps us distinguish each one so we can better track weight, personalities, etc.

A stroll outside on a beautiful spring day is a must for every puppy and brings a smile not only to their faces but ours as well.

Sunshine on our Shoulders

Nothing beats a day in the sunshine. Taking advantage of some nice warm weather, the litter gets time outside to run around and then can doze in the luxury of a Little Tykes playhouse. Getting seven squirming, excited little guys to pose for their mug shots isn't easy, as you can see here!

Sedona Seven

Congrats to our newest mother, Sedona! She gave birth to seven healthy puppies on April 21. Every puppy arrived squirming and ready to take on the world, even the littlest one, nicknamed "Cottonwood".

Of course, being Sedona we had to give this litter an Arizona theme. So names include Copper, Cottonwood, Tucson, Schnebley, and even Cedar. Well, cedar may not seem Arizonan but Nadia insisted on the name, and almost every puppy has a reddish coat like mother Sedona, so even red Cedar fits!

Schnebley? The town of Sedona was named for Tom Schnebley's wife so we had to have a Schnebley (there's a landmark in Sedona named Schnebley Hill). Besides, it's a great dog name, don't you think?

Ten Days to Puppyhood!

Hard to believe another litter is on the way. Our Sedona (reddish yellow lab) will experience birthing for the first time. The stress meter goes up a bit with a first litter and we're a bit anxious about how she'll do. Thankfully, she's a strong, healthy mom-to-be and has been an observer of several litters born to her mom (Bromley) and aunt (Mingus) so we're confident she'll do well. Stasia, on the other hand, pegs the stress meter. Each of the newborn pups are her 'babies' too!

The sire of this litter is Legacy's Willcare Nicholas, who's father is Am Ch BISS Willcare's Prestige. Both Sedona and Nicholas have excellent pedigrees with a substantial number of AKC champions in their lines. Sedona is a granddaughter of Legacy Labrador's Broad Reach Ruff Stuff, a.k.a. "Colby". He's a Best in Show and Multiple Best in Specialty Show American and Canadian Champion. Colby was #1 Labrador Retriever in the country for 2002 (All Breed) and 2003 (Breed & All Breed). And was the PEDIGREE AWARD WINNER for Labradors in 2003. While we take pride in our breeding program our main interest is providing individuals and families with the best quality puppies. We do this through extensive hands-on socialization so that when they are placed in their new homes they will become a welcome, well-adjusted addition to your family.

If you're new to our blog we invite you to browse through our archived posts to learn more about our litters and our philosophy for raising labrador retriever puppies.

Someone Please Tell Mother Nature It's Spring!

Enough with the cold weather already! Here it is the second week of April and the bees have been able to get out for a meal only once! This has been a tough winter-into-spring for the bees. By mid-March the weather has usually begun bringing on 50 degree days--the minimum most bees need to get out for foraging. Since they haven't had that opportunity their winter stores are exhausted and some hives are facing starvation. I've tried to get some sugar syrup onto the hives when it's warmed up a bit but they need the warmer weather to even move to where the syrup is, and they haven't had that opportunity.

As a result of the long cold spring, and perhaps because of the up-and-down temps all winter, we lost about half our hives this winter. I recently spoke with another eastern Connnecticut beekeeper who's experienced similar losses. I attribute most of the loss to the difficult weather and the fact that most of the dead hives were populated last Spring with new bees from the South. Oftentimes, these bees don't have the genetic makeup to survive New England winters. Compounding the problem was the extended drought of last August and September, when the bees began consuming rather than collecting honey. Despite our efforts to feed the bees in the Fall some went into the winter short on supplies. One other factor could be the possible existence of Nosema, a disease growing more common. The only registered treatment for nosema in North America is fumagillin, a natural extract from the fungus Aspergillus fumigatus.. Randy Oliver, a California beekeeper, has some excellent articles on nosema and some treatment options. Ideally, I should have our hives tested to determine if nosema is a problem.

Fortunately, we have ordered some replacement hives, known as packages, and some will be arriving today. Packages are made by shaking into a box about 3 lbs. of bees from an existing hive. With the addition of a caged new queen one has the ingredients for establishing a new hive. Once the package arrives the queen in her cage is installed in an empty hive filled with honeycomb frames and the bees are gently shaken into the hive box. The remaining bees in the screened package will pick up the queen's scent and will make their way into their new home. The lid is replaced, a small amount of sugar syrup is installed in a feeder jar and then one waits. A few days later, a check on the hive will reveal the queen has been released by the workers from her cage--they'll have chewed out the candy plug that separates (and protects her) from the colony until they've accepted her as their new leader. From there she will begin laying eggs and the new hive will begin its life here in the Essex area.

This process will continue over the next few weeks as we get additional packages. Until this year, we've had to drive to a supplier in Greenwich, NY, to obtain our packages. Fortunately, I've discovered a new source for packages right here in Connecticut. That's where we're getting our first shipment of packages from. The remainder were ordered in late January from the New York supplier. Given the high rate of hive failure experienced by beekeepers nationwide in recent years, one has to get orders in early in the season in order to be assured of new bees. Many suppliers run out quickly as beekeepers discover in Spring the extent of losses exceed their expectations.

Ideally, I'd like to get in the position of developing our own additional hives. That thought will be covered in a future posting.

Eleven weeks and all are home

We're happy to announce that all of Mingus' pups have homes (as of 9 weeks of age), from Boston to the Eastern shore of Maryland and Connecticut in between.  Her pups are always a joy for us, a very mellow group and this was no exception.  In fact, we kept 'el Capitan', to join our pack!  It'a always fun and personally rewarding for us to see the pups and their new families together.  Some are getting a dog for the first time and others are replacing a companion recently lost.  Regardless, bringing a puppy home is the first step toward many years of happy and sometimes crazy times ahead.  Congratulations to all you new owners!

Our next litter is expected in April... we'll keep you posted right here.

In the meantime, we highly recommend Cesar Millan's books and DVDs from his "Dog Whisperer" show on the National Geographic Channel. And for new puppy owners, we also suggest "The Art of Raising a Puppy" by the Monks of New Skete. Check 'em out:

Seven Weeks!

Hard to believe how fast time goes by!  Now seven weeks old, these guys/gals have become chow hounds.  They go crazy when food arrives and it disappears within about a minute--typical lab style!  The next 45 minutes are spent in play time, chasing around the kitchen, sniffing out new smells, finding flower pots, stray papers, you name it, to sample, dig, or keep away from a litter mate.  They're a roll-ie poll-ie eight lbs. each, except for little Sacagawea who still doesn't quite look like a lab!  She's spry and bounces, the fastest lab pup on the planet without the added bulk of her brothers and sisters.  Despite her diminutive size she's very popular, desired by at least three prospective owners!

Three Yellows

Here are some pics of Lewis & Clark, and Yosemite, at six-and-one-half weeks. All the pups are becoming much more playful, requiring a full hour of up-and-at-'em running around (in our kitchen since it's wintery outside) after mealtime. After that they retire to the whelping box and pen for sleeptime until the next go-around.

First Vet Check a Success

Now six weeks old, our pups got their first checkup at the vet's office today. All went well, with each getting the first of the series of three puppy vaccinations they'll need the first year.

They now tip the scales at between 6 to 7 lbs., with the exception of little Sacagawea who comes in at a whopping 4 lbs. More on her later.

The accompanying photo is of "Clark", one of the two yellow males in this litter.

New Pups! Theme: Pacific Northwest

We welcomed six black and yellow puppies from our black lab, Mingus, early on November 29th. Labor began around midnight and by 8 AM she was done (or so we thought). About six hours later she birthed a stillborn pup, which caught us all by surprise. Nonetheless, the six we have are healthy and growing fast!

As is our custom, we've named this litter after a recent vacation destination. Last summer we traveled to northern California to visit San Francisco, Yosemite, and the Redwoods, and then continued up the coast of Oregon and Washington. Thus, our three male and three femaile puppies have the temporary names of: Lewis, Clark, Sacagawea, El Capitan (F), Yosemite (F), and Wizard (M) (after the island in Crater Lake).

Our smallest puppy, Sacagawea, was born with some intriguing markings reminiscent of the first labrador retrievers that arrived in England in the 1840s from Newfoundland. Known as "St. John's" labs, these early emissaries had white paws, a white chin, and white chests to contrast with their black hair. It is not uncommon for black labs to be born with some white markings but they often diminish or completely disappear. We're not sure what will happen with Sacagawea but it seems clear that her heritage extends back to the St. John's labs.

OPEN HOUSE SALE - Dec 8

Our Third Annual OPEN HOUSE SALE is set for Saturday, Dec 8, from 12 - 6 PM. We hope you can stop by to do some holiday shopping and will sip some warm mulled cider and enjoy some good cheer.

We'll have our kitchen and dining room filled with our handcrafted soaps, skin creams and lip balms (winter's here--time to stock up!), beeswax candles, and our organic honey. This year we also have our own infused organic lavender honey. Consider stopping by our website to place an order online or simply to get some ideas of what we have for sale.

Parking will be on the grass and along the road, if you can't find a spot near the door. You may also be able to take a peak at our newest litter of lab puppies! We hope to see you there! Driving directions can be found at our website.