Dear Rosie

Dear Rosie,
It's never easy to say goodbye to family. I will look back on the two short years we had together as nothing short of life changing. As the hardest part of my life came to a climax, you came into my life. Roy and I had just moved back to Utah as I looked to begin my journey to become a teacher. I remember thinking that I would never have a chance like this to become a breeder. I excitedly looked searched for a future friend for Roy. I didn't have to look for long.
I can still see the picture of your beautiful sweet little face on my screen, and I remember knowing that I wanted to have you in my family. I drove a short distance to the home where you were living, with Roy close behind. We sat in your current owners home while Roy excitedly tried to say "hi", but you would not leave your master's side. I didn't realize it at the time, but this moment so well defined what my experience would be with you. It only took a moment and you were in the car coming home with me.

It took some time, but before long you Roy and I were family. The three of us shared the bed (even if it was a twin), and you were always happy to snuggle up next to me when it was cold. I loved that you would climb into the bed, and rest your head on my shoulder. Those first couple of months were a particularly rough time for me, and all along the way I had you for support. Your sweet face, peaceful smile, and wagging tale got me through some really rough times.

Then spring came along, and it was obvious that you were about to bring puppies into the world. I remember preparing our home for them, as you got bigger and bigger. You got HUGE! It became impossible for you to keep up with Roy when we would go play, but he always made sure you got to retrieve the ball from time to time. 

3:45 am May 23 2014- I woke up to a squeal in my room. I jumped out of bed and turned on the lights. Sure enough the first puppy was on his way. We called him Tank because he was so big compared to his siblings. I watched in awe as you delivered puppy after puppy. You knew exactly what to do. Each one was carefully cleaned, and set safely beside you before the next arrived. There were times when I thought you had to be done, after all you were barely a year old and were having your first litter. It wasn't until number 13 arrived that you stood up to admire your work. You were so proud, and so tired. The next 9 weeks you dealt with a lot, but handled it like only the best mom's could. Every puppy got the food they needed, and they were always clean. But even with all that love you still knew they needed to go to their new families. I will never understand how you were so well prepared, but I will always admire that were.

As the puppies left to live with their new families, you seemed to sigh with relief that you would be able to recover. You began to play just as hard as you ever had. You grew back your beautiful coat, and your energy sprang back. It was back to cuddling on the couch, and sleeping in my bed.

It wasn't long, until litter number 2 came. I will take the blame for not giving you much time to recover, but you never held it against me. Just as the first you raised the puppies with perfect love. There were more trials this time, but nothing would stop you from keep your puppies healthy. Once again they went to new homes with your sweet temperament, ready to become someone else's family.

Thankfully there were no more puppies for you, I made sure of that. I wanted you to have a long break, and to be able to enjoy being a dog. Months passed and you became a wonderful, happy, and loving dog instead of a puppy. You waited patiently for me to get home from work every day. You would be sitting in your cage waiting. The minute you saw me your tail would wag, and you would smother me with kisses as I took you out for a run. Even Roy couldn't keep up with you. You would beat him to the ball, but let him bring it back. It was like you were letting him join in the game, even though you could always beat him. When I prepared to throw the ball you would always stand completely still, not even blinking, as you waited for me to throw. Sometimes you even tried to cheat by waiting several feet away in the direction you expected me to throw. Your ears would perk up, and your smile would show until the ball went flying. Then like a dart you would take off. 

As you went into heat, I wanted to be extra certain you wouldn't have puppies. You went to stay with grandma and grandpa. I remember saying goodbye and loading you into the car. It was hard, but I knew they would take good care of you, and I knew you would take care of them. 

It wasn't long before both grandma and grandpa were making it clear that they loved having you around. Just like me, you loved them.

The call came today that you were sick. I could barely breath. Grandpa explained that you were not going to be able to recover. The hardest thing I have ever had to say was "let her go". In those three words I said goodbye to you. Mom put you on the phone one last time. I could see you lying in the vet clinic. I could see your ears perk up as you heard my voice. I could hear your breath and knew that your tail was wagging on the inside. I could feel the love you have for me.

Dearest Rosie, I love you. You have changed my life, and gotten me through some of the worst days I will ever experience. You are the best companion I could have asked for. I know I will see you again someday, but all the days between now and then will be a little less without you. Goodbye my friend.

Entering the best part

The puppies are now little dogs. By that I mean they enjoy things other than sleeping, and eating. Now when people visit they are quick to come say "hi", and sniff shoes (since that's all they can reach usually). They rough house with each other, and then sleep peacefully on the giant dog bed I bought for them. When I get home from work they meet me at the door with all 11 of their little faces looking up at me. There really isn't anything comparable to the welcome I get.
This is by far my favorite stage of the breeding process. Personalities are starting to develop and the pups always look like they're having fun.
With my last litter there was one puppy that showed this kind of energy even earlier then the rest, and for this reason she was first pick in the last litter. She was a deep red color, even as a puppy, which also helped her current owners decision.

"This is our sweet puppy, Laika. She is the coolest part of our family (next to my husband and our fish) and she has literally completed us. Laika has brought us several sleepless nights, motivation for long hikes and so much extra love into our lives. She is intelligent and receives a plethora of compliments from others (they are especially amazed at her deep red color, her shiny coat and her blonde feathering). Laika has a great temperament, can hike off-leash (even when she was just a few months old), and she is ALWAYS excited to go with us anywhere. Her quirks include: sitting on strangers' feet to force her friendliness, rests her right arm on the armrest in the car, plays with her vitamins, sleeps against the coldest wall in the apartment, and knows all her commands in Esperanto smile emoticon If you're crazy enough to say no to one of Roy & Rosie's adorable puppies, you're making a big mistake."

-Kari Nelson Grua

Community

Perhaps one of the unforeseen benefits of being a breeder is meeting the people that give homes to your puppies. I feel very fortunate that I am in regular contact (or have the ability to get into contact with) with all of my puppies owners. There are no words that can adequately explain the joy that comes from seeing the incredible happiness they bring to people. My puppies have become important part of their new families, and have provided the love to these families that only a dog can bring them.
I love seeing the pictures. I love hearing the stories. And I especially love hearing how these puppies bring happiness to everyone they meet. One of these people is Michelle Stanley. I remember getting the call from Michelle, asking about a puppy because her previous golden had just passed away. You will not find a more loving dog owner then Michelle.

"This is a picture of my sweet Ember. I'm so happy to have found this angel. She brings me so much joy and was wonderful company while my man was deployed. I've watched her from the moment he got home. She has been a wonderful comfort to him. I believe she helped him adjust to being back home tremendously. The group of people who have fur baby's from Roy and Rosie are great. I love seeing them grow up. I love golden retrievers. They are such loving dogs."

Michelle Stanley 

I look forward to meeting the future owners of this current litter. The puppies have just recently learned how to play together, and rough house. They may only wake up for 15-20 minutes at a time, but while they are awake they are wrestling, and boxing with each other. They practice growling, and barking. They walk as much as they can on their wobbly little legs. It is incredibly cute.

Where are they now?

It has been far to long since my last post. This is made even more clear by the size of the puppies. They are quickly getting to the point where I will have to introduce them  to a new place to sleep. They are beginning to walk on their wobbly little legs, and are not shy about vocalizing their frustration at their siblings. Most evenings I will wake up at some point to the ferocious growls of a 3 pound puppy.
Since some of you reading this may be considering getting a puppy I thought it might be helpful to hear from some of the current owners of my pups. I feel very fortunate that I am in regular contact with most of their owners, and the other ones are not hard to contact if I want to hear about how the puppies are doing.
I reached out to the Facebook group where we all share our experiences with these wonderful dogs and got the following reply from Sandi Pershing.

"This is a picture of Remington, the runt of Roy and Rosie's first litter. We love this guy so much, and can't imagine life without him. Michael is a great breeder who genuinely loves what he does. In addition to having an amazing puppy, we also now have an extended puppy family thanks to the community of owners who stay in great contact. Having a puppy from Roy and Rosie has only one downside...I want more."
-Sandi Pershing

Round 2

All night long I have been sleeping next to a panting dog all night long. I woke up with Rosie staring at me with a proud smile on her face, as if to say 'it's time'. I didn't want to think she was quite ready yet so I went about my normal morning routine. I honestly thought that puppies weren't going to show up until next week, but I must have been a little off with my timing. As the morning went on it became more and more clear that Rosie was ready to get this birthing over with. She started crawling into small spaces (what most breeders will call "nesting"), and panting more and more. Finally I got the picture and set up her welping area. It wasn't a moment to soon. I saw the first little girl's head poke out a few moments later and the birthing began.
Although I've done this before, I am still amazed at how Rosie handles the situation. She was calm during the whole thing, and each time a new puppy showed up, she took care of everything by herself. Each time a puppy tried to escape, Rosie would gently pick it up in her mouth and carry it back to the rest of its siblings. Between puppies she constantly cleans and dries off the other pups, and makes sure they are all accounted for. I guess this is something else that amazes me, not only does she take care of the birthing process all by herself, but she also makes sure all of the puppies are accounted for, clean, and dry.
I look forward to the next several weeks. As nice as it is to see the last litter in such loving, and excellent homes, I am excited to meet the future owners of these puppies, and allow them to change some lives.

Getting ready to say goodbye

As the day for the puppies departure comes closer, a lot of people have been asking me if it will be hard to see the puppies go. Overall I would say the answer is "no". That may sound heartless, but it doesn't mean that I won't miss them in some ways. I think it will be easy to see the puppies go mainly because I feel very comfortable with the owners that they are all going to. I feel lucky that I have had a chance to meet most of the future owners in person, and the rest I have been able to talk to about the living situation the puppy is going to. I have really enjoyed getting to know their future owners, and see the excitement in their faces as they consider names, and other things for their puppies. Kids are especially fun, because no one lights up like a child at the thought of getting a puppy.
There are, however, parts of saying goodbye that will be hard. The puppies are much more social nowadays, and love playing with people and their parents. If I'm lying on the couch, its not uncommon for a few of them to try (unsuccessfully) to get to me. Their little faces will appear right next to mine as their tails start to wag. You can almost hear them saying "Come on! Let's play, Mike!". I will miss staring into their little eyes, and cradling them in my arms  as they fall asleep. What can I say, I'm a sucker for puppies.
Puppy Attack!

Little dogs

Every time people come to visit the puppies, they ask me if I can tell the difference between the puppies. Despite not being great at telling the difference, I am starting to notice the inner dog come out of these puppies. As puppies most of these little guys weren't incredibly interested in people. Their day was consumed by eating and sleeping. Now the puppies are experimenting with wrestling, playing, and playing tag. It is no longer uncommon for me to be sitting on my couch and have one of the puppies come dashing out of the kitchen to tackle a sibling, or to attack the vacuum cleaner.
Another part of their transition into becoming dogs is their desire for attention. These puppies do not appreciate being ignored. If I am sitting on the couch and not playing with them they will try to jump on the couch with me or start nibbling on my toes (they sometimes nibble a little to hard). One of my favorite things is when I am lying down on the couch and one of them jumps up, puts their paws on the couch next to my face and stares at me with its adorable face.

The puppies have also begun to take much more interest in people. When their future owners come to visit, many of the puppies are quick to ham up the situation, and lay in their owners laps. I love seeing them bond with their future owners.