Yarrowfell Dalmatians

Crumble's Puppies

Crumble with the puppies - 17 November 2002

On Thursday 14 November 2002 Crumble, Yarrowfell Whirlwind ET, went into labour and delivered 11 puppies, one of which was stillborn. The sire of the litter was Shadow, Ch Gentry Shadows Of A Dream ET.

Three days old

Three weeks old - Crumble says "OK, I've had enough now..."

Pictures of each of the puppies as they have grown up:

Where are they now?
20 January 2003
5 January 2003, the "Puppy Party"
21 December 2002
13 December 2002 (229K, wma format, use Windows Media Player)
6 December 2002
28 November 2002
21 November 2002
17 November 2002

3 December - First time with solid food (Farex baby cereal): Lincoln (L) and Oxford (R)

The times and weights of the puppies are:

							BAER test result
Number	Time	Weight at birth	Sex	Colour	Name	Comments	Left	Right	Official Name
1.	1245	10 oz	Male	Dk Blue	Oxford		Normal	Normal	Caxton
2.	1305	10 oz	Male	Lt Blue	Cambridge		Normal	Normal	Cambridge
3.	1400	8.25 oz	Female			Stillborn
4.	1455	9.5 oz	Male	Green	Lincoln		Normal	Normal	Cavalier
5.	1520	10.5 oz	Male	Tweed	Harris		Normal	Normal	Check Point
6.	1522	11.5 oz	Female	Heather	Heather		Deaf	Normal	Catch A Dream
7.	1730	10.5 oz	Female		Patch	Patch Right Ear	Normal	Normal	Camelot
8.	1735	10.75 oz	Female	Sparkle	Sparkle		Normal	Normal	Champagne
9.	1745	11.5 oz	Male	Orange	Oran Park		Normal	Normal	Canned Amber
10.	1840	11.5 oz	Male	Black	Knight Rider		Normal	Normal	Checkered Flag
11.	2050	11.5 oz	Male	Lt Green	Lime Fanta		Deaf	Deaf

Lincoln being weighed - 17 November 2002

Crumble and the puppies - 21 November 2002

The names come from a piece of coloured wool we tie around the neck of each puppy at birth. This allows us to keep track of the growth and development of each pup until they get their spots (Dalmatians are born covered in white hair only). This method of naming puppies has led to some interesting adult names - the grandmother of this litter is called Jaffa because she had red wool around her neck from birth, while the great-grandmother was called Lilac.

In the whelping box - 21 November 2002

We have a policy of testing all our breeding stock and every puppy from every litter for deafness using the BAER hearing test. Click here for a page with detailed information on BAER testing and why we do it. The puppies are tested after they have been microchipped for identification. This ensures that the results of the test can be unequivocally linked to the relevant puppy. An example of the certificate issued to each puppy is shown on the left - copies of the actual certificates are available on request. We publish the results of all our testing hoping to encourage other breeders to do likewise. If you are buying a puppy from a breeder and they are not BAER testing the puppies, ask why not? The test is now inexpensive and available in three states in Australia, and does not harm the puppy if conducted correctly. Some breeders will argue that their puppies have been home tested - remember this is unreliable and will not diagnose puppies that are unilaterally deaf.

Oran Park being supplementary fed - 17 November 2002

The big cuddle - 21 November 2002

We maintain a waiting list of prospective owners of puppies (some people have been on it for two years), and all new owners are extensively "vetted" before we let them have one of the pups. This involves, at the very least, visiting our farm prior to the birth to see the fully grown dogs, discussions on what to expect from a Dalmatian and how to train them, and a commitment to undertake basic obedience while the puppy is growing up. As someone once said who went through this process "It's like trying to adopt a child getting a puppy out of you!".

Oxford (L) and Sparkle (R) being weighed at 2 weeks - 28 November 2002