Happily Ever After Schnauzer Stories

How is it about to be March? It’s just crazy and speaking of crazy, that is how my March will be. I have several litters due, and a few that I am whelping are HEA whelping contracts. A whelping contract at HEA is when we work with a bitch owner who can’t or doesn’t want to deliver (whelp) and raise the puppies until they are ready to go home. A lot goes into it, and many piles of paperwork, waivers, etc.

The summary explanation is we don’t own the female, but a client is paying us for our knowledge and expertise in breeding their bitch, handling the prenatal care and delivery. Once the puppies are born, we handle raising them, socializing them, and taking care of them medically as well. We the deworming, vaccines, vet checks, and more. If you aren’t experienced, it can be beneficial.

We had Giselle and Romeo’s artificial insemination scheduled at the veterinarian at 7:30 this morning. Besides getting an iron infusion myself this morning, we needed to take Déjà vu to the vet for her pregnancy x-ray. I will keep everyone in the loop on how this turns out.
This week we have several appointments and lots to do to get ready for puppies going home. Two of the females we have here for whelping contracts go to the doctor for their X-rays and prenatal checkups. Having a farm and working with animals means that all timing is on the schedule. We are at their mercy.

I am so excited that Spring is finally on the horizon. I know my dogs are ready too. They love sunbathing, and decompression walks in the pasture. The other fantastic part of Spring on a farm; new life! Puppies, keets, chicks, and more… Spring on a farm is impressive. Planting your garden, cleaning out floor beds, and spreading fertilizer.

As I wait so excited for Spring, I bide my time by reading. I read all year, but I can really get through a lot of my list in the winter. Although when you find me mowing, I’m always listening to audible simultaneously.

What books are on your reading list? I am currently reading a book for pleasure, Hercule Poirot The Complete Short Stories by Agatha Christie. I annually read, How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie, and that was the book I had finished before beginning Hercule Poirot.

I apologize in advance. I have been very lax in my blogging. It has been an extremely busy season in my life. Although it doesn’t appear it’s going to get any quieter.

We have almost completed our kitchen renovation. We are at the halfway point on our puppy reception room addition and only have to paint left on our downstairs bathroom remodel. How is that for a busy three months?!?

We also had a complete surprise, a breeder friend of ours was dealing with health concerns and needed us to take over a few of her litters. We are always willing to help when we can; since we were able to we stepped up to the plate and have had a blast with these babies!

We have several litters due over the next 5 weeks. We will be very busy. Wow! I am so excited though. Several of them are moms that we raised here at HEA and I am dying to see their babies!!!

We had such a gorgeous litter from Penny and Timon and I’m loving watching them grow up. They are now almost 4 weeks. By four weeks old, they can walk, run, and play! They can hear, smell, and see, and their canine teeth are growing next to their incisors. When they play, four-week-old puppies will begin to exhibit distinctive body language such as play bows, as well as growling. Four-week-old puppies are much more independent. Puppies start the weaning process at this age, transitioning from milk to solid food in small increments. Four-week-old puppies are also learning to control their urination. Week four marks the end of the transitional phase for a puppy. Also, they are getting their second de-worming. From four to six weeks, puppies continue to be influenced by their mother and littermates. They learn to play, gaining needed social skills from littermates, such as inhibited biting (biting to play, not to hurt). The puppies also learn the ins and outs of group structure and ranking within the group. Puppies become much more vocal during this period, with the appearance of play barking and growling.

Hello HEA Family! Whew! What a crazy, busy week we have had! It had been eventful for sure with construction and cleanout projects. Squeeze in a quick trip to Utah, four vet visits and litters delivered, and it went from busy to crazy quickly.! We are truly excited to see the construction projects completed, The kitchen, kennel, office, and puppy reception areas are all getting a facelift and we are excited about the extra space, but it is a lot of work!

Our trip to Salt Lake was very quick, but the scenery and landscape were breathtaking. There was snow on the ground and it was definitely waaay colder than NC when we landed, We were able to get three new dogs for our program. We look to introducing you to them in the coming weeks. They are adapting to our home and we will begin to socialize them this coming week.

I am so sad to announce that Marvel went into early labor and we lost the litter of 3. Unfortunately, when a momma has the babies too early, they just aren’t developed enough to survive. Her babies were adorable, but they passed immediately after birth. Miss Marvel took a trip to the vet this morning for a check. The ultrasound revealed a retained placenta. She was running a fever, which indicates an infection. Our vet is awesome! Immediately got our girl some fluids and antibiotics. Shout out to Dr. Roberson at Animal Hospital of East Davie. She takes such good care of our crew.

We had successful litters from Salem and Fancy this past week, so our first look list customers will be hearing from us sometime this week. Our puppy count was correct, but we lost one puppy, she was born sleeping. If you tuned into our live videos, we showed you Salem and her puppies. As promised, we will walk you through our process of pregnancy, birth, and raising puppies to their go-home date!
The birth of puppies is an exciting time. It’s beautiful to watch mother care for her newborns, especially in the early stages of life. We see mom’s instincts take over, and the love they have for their babies. It’s awesome!!! Newborns are highly dependent on their moms. They are born with eyes and ears closed and are helpless. They cannot see and can hear very little, if at all. Yet they can make noise, which sounds like high-pitched squealing. They have no teeth at birth and are unable to walk. Newborn puppies are incapable of urinating or defecating on their own. In addition, a newborn puppy cannot regulate her body temperature. Most newborn puppies are instinctively able to find their mother’s nipples and begin nursing right after they are born or ‘whelped.” Once cleaned up (my mom or by us depending on the situation) they will crawl towards the mother’s warm belly, find the teats, and begin to suckle. They have “heat-seekers” on the sides of their noses and they follow the heat.

Newborn puppies will spend about 90% of their time sleeping during the first few weeks of life. That’s more than 22 hours a day, but sleep doesn’t happen all at once. Pups will nap on and off throughout the day and night, keeping warm with littermates and the mother’s body heat. We use heat lamps and heating pads in the whelping area to make sure the puppies are staying warm enough. In between naps, they spend the rest of the time eating and being groomed by mom. Newborn puppies eat about every two hours or more. During the first few weeks of a puppy’s life, the mother dog spends the majority of her time providing food and care. She typically goes out for a very limited time to stretch and use the potty. The mother keeps her puppies clean and nurses them. She licks the anus and genitals of each puppy to stimulate urination and defecation. During this time, humans can gently hold and pet the puppies as long as this does not seem to upset the mother dog. It’s more likely for human contact to be welcomed if those humans are part of the mother dog’s family.

A newborn puppy is too young to go through any kind of training, but there are some things you can do to get them used to people and the environment. If the mother permits it, we handle the puppies regularly for a short time but are careful not to keep the pup away from mom for more than a few minutes. Thankfully all of our moms here at HEA are quite bonded to us and very proud to show off their babies and have us hold and snuggle them. We use this time to cuddle and pet the puppy, acquainting them with the smell and feel of humans and the environment.
Tune in next week for more on Salem’s litter!

For those of you fortunate enough to visit Happily Ever After Farms, you may have met our Salem. Salem is our black beauty. She is a non-fading black miniature schnauzer, and came to us from Texas. Her personality is quiet and laid back. She is super sweet and we love her!

Salem is due this week, and I am so excited about this litter. She was paired with Prince, and because of their temperaments, we are keeping a female from the litter. The temperament of both parents is exactly what we are looking for here at HEA. One of the most critical steps to picking the right puppy is knowing the temperament of the parents. They “created” the litter, so it’s easy to make predictions about the litter from seeing how the parents look, their health and understanding behaviors or temperaments.
I have to share a funny story about Salem from when she was a puppy. As I have already said, she is a non-fading black- JET black. When we first brought her home, she was a complete fluff ball, weighing all of 2.5lbs. Even as a puppy, she was very quiet and rarely made a peep. Even to this day, she only barks to alert. We had finished dinner, and the kids wanted to play outside for 30 minutes before it was time for showers and bed. I realized I needed to take Salem out to the potty, and put her in her play area before focusing on watching the children race up and down the drive on their bikes. Frantically I searched, but couldn’t find her anywhere. I called for her and looked in all her favorite snuggle spots. Desperation was setting in, tears running down my cheeks. My children had run outside; what if she followed them? My anxiety hit maximum strength. I hit my knees literally and started to pray. Asking God to help me find this little girl and give me peace. As I finished praying, I looked up, and low and behold, there she was! She was sleeping behind the recliner in the shadow, and her jet black coat of hair made it impossible to see her. Until she was about 5 months old and reliably coming when called, she wore a bright pink sweater to never scare the living daylights out of me again.

When our moms are in season, there is a lot of planning involved. Even before they breed, we check the health records and pedigrees. Also, we chart female and male pairings to see who is breeding around that time. We don’t want a conflict with using a male too often, and we attempt to have variations in color, size, and temperament. We need to know who we can mate with whom. We also try to breed to fulfill the wants and needs of our wait list. What puppies are currently being requested from our waitlist? Once all of that is worked out and decisions are made, we plan the breeding. Your dam needs to be in season before she can be bred. The timing is not set in stone, so we watch carefully to know when this happens. Just like humans, the girls tend to have a change in disposition. Sometimes grouchy, sometimes lovey dovey. We will see swelling in genital area, and there is typically a bloody discharge. If a stud is nearby, he will get more excited and interested in the female. The rule of thumb is once the dam is finished bleeding, she will be ready to breed. This is usually between days 7-12; however, every girl is different. Like most women, the dam will not accept the stud until she is ready to breed. She may even snap at him to keep him away until she is ready. Once she allows the stud to mount her, they should “tie.” Be patient; it may take more than one try, especially among inexperienced dogs. If the stud starts to mate the female, it is best to leave them alone, not get involved or intervene, even if the dogs cry. Once they are tied, you can then hold the female, do not allow her to roll or drag the male. She can hurt him. We typically like to get 4 breeding “ties” per heat cycle.

The gestation period for dogs is 58-68 days, and we count 63 days from the first “tie” to give ourselves the best estimate. If we are going to do an ultrasound, we schedule it between days 25-30. We like to do our x-rays at day 54-57, so we know the bones are calcified enough to get an accurate puppy count. We request the x-ray at our vet for several reasons: 1) to see the accuracy of our estimated due date, 2) estimated puppy count and 3) if there are any potential problems. All of these help us to see any issues and quickly know during delivery if she is done or should we seek veterinary help.

We feed our pregnant females Royal Canin Mother & Baby starter food during the last three weeks of pregnancy. This provides her with adequate calories and nutrition for the growing fetuses and helps prepare her for lactation. We also start fenugreek a few days before her due date to make sure her milk is ready for her babies.
We are very excited for Salem’s litter to be born and to walk you through all the stages of raising her litter to give you behind-the-scenes access.

It feels good not to have any sad news to report that we have a good update this week. We are swamped; of course, work on a farm never stops. It’s time for puppy hair cuts, preparing the books for the end of the year. We want our accountant to love us.

This past weekend we went to a business conference in Nashville, Tennessee. This conference is an annual event for us. I always learn so much, and it feels wonderful to connect with other Christian business owners. Iron sharpens iron, the verse in Proverbs 27 reminds us, and that was definitely the feeling this past weekend. It is always humbling to sit at the feet of people that I admire and learn from them. I was delighted to have Abby, Tracie, and Tommy all attend with me and get to talk with them about what they got out of the same conversations.

While we were gone, it was amazing to see the continuing progress on our kitchen remodel project. It is still far from over, but I am very excited to see all of the vision come to life. I am still praying that the project is completed before Thanksgiving. I will keep you all updated. It will be entertaining to share the before and after pictures when it is all done. And it will be fantastic to have a kitchen that was designed with actually cooking meals in mind.

We have had a slight lull over the month of October with the birth of puppies. That will be coming to a halt; we have so many litters due over the next six weeks. It will be all hands on deck here at the farm. I am hoping to be able to film another birth and share it with you. And, of course, be prepared for x-ray photos and happy birth announcements.
We will be busy with lots of farm chores over the next two weeks as well. It is time to refresh the bedding for the goats in the barn, and it is time for a deep clean of the chicken coop and completely refresh everything in the chicken coop. There are some minor repairs also to be done to prepare for winter. A farmer’s work is never done.

We will also be doing some maintenance on our play areas for the dogs. It’s time to add more gravel and do a lime treatment before adding the gravel. We use agricultural lime several times a year. Each season changes, actually. It speeds up the breakdown of waste and keeps everything smelling fresh. This is done in conjunction with the other treatments that we do, such as bleach and odoban. Lime is that we have to do it right before a rainstorm or put a sprinkler on it to water it in heavily. That is why we do it before adding another layer of gravel. The lime will burn the pads of the dog’s feet if we do not water it in heavily and, of course, have fresh gravel on top. As I said, it is an essential part of the ecosystem to make sure that any pieces of solids get broken down, but we need to make sure that we protect our dogs.
Stay tuned for an adorable puppy photo influx this week as they get groomed and look so grown up!

What a whirlwind of a week! Well, almost two weeks now. There have been lots of puppies born and puppies going home. Spring and fall are for sure the busiest seasons here at HEA. We have had some exciting deliveries and thankfully some normal and uneventful ones too. As a breeder, the latter is desired.

With school routine and soccer practice going I am so thankful for my behind-the-scenes help. We honestly couldn’t do any of this well without them.

The first delivery I am going to share with you is that of Paris. She is a miniature schnauzer who weighs 12 pounds. We bred her with a 7-pound male, which usually ensures that the puppy size will be manageable for the mother to give birth. Although genetics are funny and that is not what happened. You see, when you have the DNA from two parents, they have DNA from their parents as well, and sometimes you get “throwback” genes. What breeders are saying when they use this term refers to the recessive genes. The ones you didn’t know were there. We do health testing, and that can show us some things, but not everything.

In the case of Paris, this meant large puppies. Until Paris’ delivery, the largest puppy born at HEA was 9.5ozs. From a 19lb female. The first puppy, Paris, was 10.5ozs. To put this in perspective, most puppies born here are 2.5-4.5 ozs. Those from our larger minis are 3.5-7.0 ozs. To say this puppy was enormous is an understatement!

This caused Paris to be unable to push the puppy out, and we had to step in. Unfortunately, this can happen, but when the puppy is breach, which means backward in the birth canal, it is much more difficult. To pull a puppy this big out is extremely difficult and painful for mom. She was crying, I was crying, but if I didn’t get the puppy out, everyone would die. The mother, the other two puppies, and that was not going to happen on my watch.

Thankfully the other two puppies were and still are alive, and Paris loves being a mom. She is excellent at taking care of her babies. Her other two puppies were also substantial but not nearly as hefty as the first boy.

We will use a different male subsequent breedings to make sure that she has smaller babies.

The other delivery I will share is that of Iris. Those of you that follow us on Facebook already know that we had to spend the day at the vet, and it ended in a cesarian section. But I will, for the purpose of this blog and documenting our journey, recount the details. We knew from Iris’ x-ray that she had 6-7 puppies. Having the x-ray truly helps us understand what to expect as to be prepared when delivering the litter.

This litter wasn’t so much just the size of puppies, although the last one was a decent size. Iris got very tired, and she didn’t have anything left to push. After the vet’s use of sterile lubricant and oxytocin, we were left with no other choice than to have a cesarean section. We knew from the ultrasound that the puppy was already gone. A dead puppy cannot stay inside. It was cause infection and kill the mother. With heavy hearts, we had the vet do her job and remove the puppy.

We are happy to report that Iris and her puppies are healthy and doing very well.

The next litter due at HEA is from Prim and Bomber. Though not until the very end of September, stay tuned to see what happens next time on the farm!

Exciting Times here at the farm!

Even though our litter volume is slower over the summer, we are BUSY!. We are constantly repairing equipment and getting ready for the next big rush of litters. Planning and preparing are significant parts of our schedule. With several litters due and care for dogs never slowing down, we must use every moment. That’s just for our dogs! We get the blessing of preparing and shopping for 5 children for food and back to school. It’s always a juggling act at Happily Ever After, as I am sure you can imagine.The first few days of school always throw a huge kink in our schedule, but we are slowly getting our school routine down. Add to the mix all the vet appointments, back-to-school doctor appointments, and of course, let’s throw a CPA appointment in to add a little more excitement. Insert eye roll, necessary for running a business, but not my favorite, to say the least. There’s a lot of hard work transferring the “hobby” to a business.

As unpleasant as the “business” side of our life can be, our joy comes with PUPPIES! We are so happy and excited to have puppies again. We always enjoy introducing babies to their new potential parents and doing puppy “live” for our Facebook fans. I really get excited walking into the nursery room. Soon there will be lots of puppy breath and cuteness to greet us.Along with that comes a very hectic schedule of late nights and lost sleep. Once the puppy “boom” begins, it doesn’t slow down until the end of the year. I’m glad we got a lot of errands finished because we will have to stay close to home again as many of our girls are due, and we are watching for litters.
Prim was born here at HEA and belongs to one of our team members. She is an Alice offspring and is a non-fading black momma with beautiful double blue eyes. Such a striking combination! We had Prim’s ultrasound and know that she is confirmed pregnant. She and Bomber will have beautiful puppies with exceptional dispositions!
We have stunning liver-based puppies from Saint and Khaleesi. Gorgeous shades of chocolate, and I can’t wait to watch them grow up and see the beauty.

Major and Prada’s babies are growing and now have their eyes open. The teacups are just too cute; all puppies have forever homes. Prada is such a good momma that she has taken one of Dahlia’s boys in as a surrogate. Little Scrappy is growing so quick under her care.
Cleo and Captain’s litter went to the vet last week, and we got the healthy and all clear with the fecal negative, and that is all you ever want to hear as a breeder. All the hard work, planning, and following protocols has paid off.

The first week of September is coming, and with it 4 mom’s, yes we said 4, moms have had their prenatal checkups and X-rays- Arabi, Annie, Paris, and Iris. Arabi and Paris are first-time momma’s, and we a thrilled! As of publishing this blog, Arabi and Annie have had healthy litters.
We are also excited to have our first potential sable litter! Our fingers are crossed for a red sable. Honey is our sweet little liver pepper. She is a first-timer and has bred this week; she is due in November. We will keep you posted, but we anticipate that litter to be born in November.
As you can see, our life never slows down. We meet regularly to decide who will be with whom and plan the health and care of our dogs. They bring such joy to our lives, and we look forward to them bringing joy to yours!

So you have decided to get a puppy…now to find a breeder! How you select the breeder is as essential as the choice of color, size, and gender. How do you choose? Price? Protocol? Environment?

Schnauzers have a long life span. So often, we see comments about the rising costs of puppies. Many times we hear, “Oh, I only paid $800 for my last one!” Once you choose to get a dog from a breeder, it’s helpful to arm yourself with facts so you understand the cost of raising a litter of responsibly bred puppies.

While the price varies from program to program throughout the country, paying more money for a puppy from a thorough and ethical breeding program can help save costs down the line. Crossed lines or inbreeding can cause a myriad of issues for you. Vet bills or broken hearts from puppies that are not correctly bred or genetically clear cause untold heartache and grief for their families. Ethical breeding is not about just putting two dogs together and having a litter of puppies. It takes organization, planning, accurate record-keeping, and bettering the breed.
Supporting a responsible breeder will keep you safeguarded from scams and irresponsible programs. Not only will a responsible and ethical breeder ensure the health and safety of your puppy. You’ll also be supporting an ethical program that genuinely cares about the well-being of their dogs. Peace of mind when you are purchasing not just a puppy but a thriving breed and healthy puppy.

So why so much for a puppy? Expenses can add up quickly for a reputable breeder. The average cost of a responsibly bred litter fluctuates, but being a responsible breeder takes a great deal of money, energy, and time.
This blog post outlines the general costs and how much effort, work, and sacrifice goes into a single litter here at Happily Ever After.
Research, research, research! Our team spends countless hours reading the latest updates from Vets and breeding sites for thelatest medical and genetic material. We look for a new delivery or “whelping” aids for our moms and their puppies to make things easier and safer for their babies. New medications for every situation, new equipment, new regulations… .it’s never-ending because things change.

Breeding, breeding, breeding! We do a great deal of research into the studs and dams that we chose to breed. Checking lines and genetics to make sure we are clear. Sometimes even with that, we decide that a particular dog is not the personality or look we choose to breed. The standard we are looking for when we choose a mom or dad at HEA is not there. Yes, we re-home them to a perfect family, but we spend a great deal of money purchasing, vetting, and raising that dog.
The demand for particular colors or sizes drives the breeding pairs we use. If our customers need something we don’t have, we use outside stud services. Stud services are around $1,500-$3,500. Stud services can also involve travel, overnight stay in hotels, gas, meals, driving, flying, or semen collection. Collectively, this entire process can add up to $4,500. What if the breed doesn’t take? It starts all over again with the next heat.

The well-being of the dogs! A great deal of maintenance is required to make sure all of our dogs are well cared for. From the Royal Canin food we use to kennel sanitation, we ensure that our dogs are well cared for and ready to graduate to retirement homes. Our moms and dads are vetted regularly for health and well-being. Just regular appointments and Rabies vaccinations add up very quickly, as you can imagine.
Our moms require additional testing. OFA and health testing can cost around $430 for each prospective dam that will produce puppies. Dams need to get regular health checks, as well as a test for a disease called Brucellosis. Brucellosis is a disease that affects all kinds of dogs and livestock — it even has the potential to transfer from dogs to humans. Signs of the disease are late-term abortion, stillbirths, and conception failures. It cannot be overstated how important it is to test both dogs, male and female, for this disease before beginning to breed them. This test, along with a health check, can cost anywhere from $80 to $175.
As an industry standard, we also perform Embark testing on each dog for genetic testing to assist inbreeding. The cost is $125 per dog.
If the dam needs implantation or insemination after collecting sperm, this can cost up to $1,000. An ultrasound is necessary to check in on the pregnancy status, which can be around $180. Considering all goes well with the first attempt at breeding, implantation, or insemination, the total cost before the litter even arrives averages out at nearly $10,500. That’s a staggering amount to offset for an unproven dam that may or may not produce.

Babies…Babies…Babies! The end goal of every breeder is to produce beautiful, healthy puppies that better their breed. Throughout the pregnancy, we invest in exceptional food, prenatal vitamins, and x-rays at an average cost of $300.
In anticipation of the puppy’s arrival, a breeder will have to accumulate all the necessary supplies, including a heat mat, heat lamps, siphon bulb, mucus trap, clamps, surgical scissors, calcium, and several medications be kept on hand and a whelping box. The cost of this kind of preparation averages out at about $300. The actual cost of birthing can reach up to $3,500 — especially if there are complications or if the dog has a c-section.

It adds up quickly! Premium food for the nursing mom two weeks before delivery up to the weaning of her puppies along with weaning puppies will cost nearly $600. Essential vet visits for the puppies can add up quickly as well — worming puppies costs around $250 when you factor in stool samples and medication. Shots for Parvo, distemper, and a regular vet visit will land around $400 depending on how many puppies are in the litter. Other costs include emergency vet visits for sick puppies.
Additionally, puppy care packages with our info binders, vitamins, and toys for new owners to take home can land around $160. Replacing puppy toys and towels, home destruction, utility costs for added laundry and heating, communication with new buyers, and the 24/7 job of looking after a dam and her puppies — all of this can accumulate to nearly $1,600. Ultimately, the total cost of responsibly breeding a litter of puppies can range anywhere from $7,700 to $23,900.

Why breed? You have to love your breed to be a breeder. There is not a dollar amount for missing anything social or family-related around mom’s due date. Although it’s an expensive and time-consuming undertaking, the energy and thoughtfulness we as a reputable breeders put into our puppies is the foundation of what will be a better world for dogs.
It’s important to note that a high price tag does not always equate to a responsibly bred puppy. Scammers and irresponsible sources come in different sizes and prices, which is why it’s key to make sure you’re connecting with a good source. Investing a little more money into your puppy now could save you both in the future. When you choose an ethical and responsible breeder, you’ll be supporting a breeder that pours a great deal of money, energy, time, and love into each puppy that comes out of their program.

Truly, I do not wish away the summer, promise! Although, I am very excited about our litter lineup in August and September. We have several of our girls who are due to come into heat and will have their first litters. I love “puppy surprise.” Every time we have a litter, you don’t know for sure what you will get, and it is so exciting. We are about to repeat our spring here at the farm, where we have several of our mamas that like to cycle together.

Often people wonder why we will have lots of puppies and then a considerable lull of almost no puppies. This happens because, much like a sorority house, when females live together they tend to “cycle” together. Then we have pops of several litters at a time and then times with none. When you also add in that dog’s cycle every six months, you see why this continues to happen. So hold on to your hats because we are about to have a house full of puppies! I know those are on the waiting list are very excited, and to be honest, so am I.

I have so many gorgeous pairings coming that I know they will have people waiting with bated breath. Cruella and Zazu will have black and silver and salt and pepper puppies. After her vet appointment yesterday we are expecting six puppies! Prim and Bomber will have non-fading black puppies with possible blue eyes. Prim goes for her ultrasound the end of the month. Annie and Pete will have a mixed color litter; my educated guess is liver pepper, liver, liver parti, and salt and pepper. Dahlia and Tucker have a litter as well, we lost two but they rest are thriving! Prada and Major have their much-anticipated litter of mega-coated liver teacups, four beautiful healthy babies, two boys and two girls.

Maggie and Sarge are due, and they have a mixed litter that includes Wheaton puppies, and I always love to see what they give. Iris and Saint are due in September, and they will have liver and liver parti. Although we have always put Khaleesi and Tucker together, this time, we put her with Saint. We always try to plan our litters to line up with our waitlist so that the puppies being born already have families waiting on them. So that meant that we needed to have more liver-based puppies.

We are waiting on Penelope, CoCo, Kylie, Mocha, Amelia and Ellie to come into heat, and then they will be bred to have their first litter of puppies. Penelope is white chocolate with green eyes, and I cannot wait to see the white puppies from her and Sarge. CoCo is a liver tan, and we plan to breed her with Saint for more liver tan and liver puppies. Ellie is a black teacup, and we will be putting her with Major, which will give us liver, black, and possibly salt and pepper. Amelia is a phantom liver tan and we plan to put her with Saint because liver tan!!! Last but certainly not least, we have Kylie and Mocha; they were born and raised here at HEA Farms. Mocha will be bred with a stud named Rudy, a toy-sized liver stud from Carolina Legacy Schnauzers. Kylie will be coupled with Prince Naveen, who is a toy-sized salt and pepper.

I hope this gives you a glimpse into what is to be expected this fall from Happily Ever After Farms, Inc. We promise to keep you informed on all the adorable puppies, but please remember. We do not release our puppies to our first look people until at the earliest one- two weeks of age and sometimes not until four weeks of age. This ensures that we do not ever have to make the dreaded phone call to a family to tell them we are so sorry, but their puppy is no longer with us. I promise it’s as hard, if not harder, on us to make that call. I have not had to do very many, but the ones I have done stay with me always.

Other than the influx of puppies, we have lots of other excitement coming up on the farm. We are updating and making an addition to our kennel and installing two new play yards, one for younger puppies and one larger one for the dogs. I look forward to sharing that progress with you. I am also hoping to get our new office space done, although either way the end of August, the main bathroom is being updated due to a major plumbing fail, ouch. Our basement bathroom is on the list as well but it has had to be postponed due to needing to do the main bath. It was destroyed in the flood we had in our basement during covid!

Late fall, the most exciting thing is happening for me. I am finally getting my kitchen remodeled! If you have been out to the farm and seen my house, you know why this is so exciting. It needs to be updated so severely. The layout and counters are grotesque, and the amount of prep space is paltry. With a large family, we need a functional kitchen. We cook almost every night, so this will indeed be life-altering.

Would you please continue to stay tuned with us for more updates on the farm and puppy progress? We are so excited to share with you all that will happen, whether good or bad. I wish everything could turn out the way we plan, but sometimes that’s not the way it works.

If know anything about our family you know every summer we head to Lake Norman in Mooresville, NC for a week. It’s a blast!

This past week July 24 to July 31 we connected as a family and it was amazing. We enjoyed having two of our furbabies with us.

In the words of my dad, “The sun sets at the end of lake week. One trip to the emergency room but otherwise another wonderful vacation!”
My dad envisioned this vacation for our family in 2013. One week every year where our immediate family gets together and lives in a house, cooking, cleaning, laughing and playing together. It is an amazing gift. To be able to really reconnect, life slowing down and have the chance to have deep conversations and catch up on life. A weekend is too short and holidays are busy. This is all about family.
Life is so short, we get busy and time flies. My dad and Jess put so much thought and effort into making it so fun for the “grown” kids and grand babies. From boating and jet skiing to games and pool time. The “lake week Olympics” which includes trophies and medals to sweet treats. I just wanted to say THANK YOU! For the gift and wisdom in seeing the importance. I love you both.

We also celebrated my grandmothers 88th birthday!!! I feel so very blessed to get to my all her favorite foods and watch my kids give her birthday cards. Getting to sing her happy birthday over her favorite coconut cream pie and seeing her tear up surrounded by her family. Very special memories…

This year the boys learned not only how to drive but also flip into the pool. It was amazing to watch them grow and change. This trip is soo special.

Scarlett was not to be upstaged, she learned how to do a hand stand…

Prada also went with us and was very lazy since she is very pregnant. Next week is when we get her x-ray and prenatal check up.