Emma at 22 weeks

Emma posed for this photograph taken by Reed Hamel. Notice her beautiful ridge. She is growing so much, and can't go where she could a month ago, and she becomes bewildered.

I hope you enjoy the snapshots of Emma. Her face and head are beginning to mature now that she is 22 weeks old, and she seems to be nearly through her teething stage. She is enjoying her swim 2-3 evenings each week, always wearing her life jacket.

Emma loves the little zebra toy from Walgreen's. She sleeps with this one and a soft, stuffed pink pig. She is growing and covering much more of her LL Bean bed. Some times Buster, our Cairn Terrier, shares Emma's bed.

Emma and Pippin, our Sheltie, both enjoy the African leopard, though Pippin some times is a little possessive with this toy, particularly today. Emma listens when Pippin objects, some times Emma throws herself onto the floor and argues like a little puppy. We haven't been able to catch that event on film.

The following are the faces of Emma. The temperature has been so very hot, Emma and the others wish to spend no unnecessary time out-of-doors. When I am able, I will take some images of her full body.





Digital photograph taken by Reed Hamel, 7-4-07 in Gilbert, Arizona

Emma's Swimming Lessons

Emma, 16 weeks old, had her first swimming lesson today with Jeffrey Flocker, a physical therapist in Gilbert, Arizona. He is a certified physical therapist for humans, but his client base is all-canine. Visit his website http://www.caninerehab.com/faqs.htm. He began by treating his own family of Bull Mastiffs, and now he has a marvelous hydro training facility with all the tubs, elevator lifts, ramps, tables, pool and much more. In this Arizona environment, everything is peaceful with trees, grass and non-skid surfaces. Dogs and owners are comfortable year round.


Emma first was fitted with her floatation device. Once she was okay wearing the vest, then she was walked onto a platform over the edge of the pool. Jeffrey held her for comfort and safety.


The lift is easily lowered into the water free of any noise. As soon as Emma noticed the water level rising, Jeffrey stopped the lowering platform. Jeffrey got into the water, and gently nudged Emma into the pool.






















Jeffrey and Karen introduced Sparkle, their 19 week old Bull Mastiff puppy, into the mix. Sparkle loves to swim and showed Emma how it was done. Emma took the hint. Emma began swimming like a professional. She swam toward the side of the pool, and Jeffrey gently held her tail. She wasn’t afraid, she was just uncertain.















Emma learned where the pool stairs were. That was one of the biggest lessons I wanted her to learn. Look for the stairs if you fall into a pool, water safety 101.



Emma swam to the lift under Jeffrey's guidance. She emerged damp and ready to go home.











Emma's first pool experience was a good one. She may never look at a swimming pool as the place to play, but she will know how to swim and get out of a pool, if ever she falls in. I will take Emma into the pool again with me this evening, just for a few minutes.

If you would like to read more about the benefits of hydrotherapy, check out these two sites:
http://www.natural-animal-health.co.uk/hydrotherapy.htm
http://www.dogswimming.co.uk

Hydrotherapy is not just for dogs with problems, it is for dogs with strong muscles and healthy joints.

Emma has a New Bed

Emma on her new bed. How long will she fit on the 40-70 pound bed? Emma is just 14 weeks old in this photograph.


Emma has a new bed from L.L. Bean.

The new bed arrived this afternoon in a large cardboard box, and had to be on the front porch for a couple of hours before bringing it in. Gilbert, Arizona reached a temperature of 101+ degrees, so the bed and bed cover were quit warm by the time we turned our attention to the contents. We opened the box with Emma trying to help. The bed is the large size, for 40-70 pound dogs, larger than I expected. The cover is a washable canvas material, while the quilted bed is very soft and pillow-like. Emma watched as we inserted the bed, and seemed to know it was for her. Once zipped, we placed it on the living room floor. She wasted no time climbing on. The bed was warm and she fell right to sleep. She looked so cute; I had to take her picture. I hope you enjoy it, and I’ll let you know how Emma likes her new bed.

Medical Alert, Urinary Track Infection

When in pain, Emma's response seems to be to chew on her foot.

Emma has a urinary track infection (UTI)! What were her symptoms? How would a puppy contract such a thing? What we are doing to treat her condition and prevent another.

What was different? Emma, at 11 weeks old, soaked her crate bedding in the middle of the night, and didn’t know she had done it until she awakened in the morning. I let her out of the crate/kennel, took her outside to finish her chores, cleaned her up and cleaned up the mess. There was no particularly unusual odor, so I thought she just slept too hard after a hard play that evening. A couple of days later, it happened again. Again, she didn’t even know she was wet until she awakened in the morning. I spent time with her breeder, Lin Hainlen, who was troubled by the behavior. The crate is supposed to be a clean place, and animals strive to keep their bed clean. I contacted my veterinarian who requested a urine sample to rule out a UTI. Instead of ruling it out, Dr. Junger discovered rod shaped bacteria. Emma is now on antibiotics for the infection.

Female puppies squat when they urinate, and sometimes the little hairs around the vulva touch the ground. If this happens, bacteria can make their way up the hair and into the puppy’s urinary track. I don’t know if this happens with male puppies.

Preventing UTIs is simple, but not foolproof. Dr. Junger and Lin Hainlen both mentioned the hair touching the ground scenario, so Lin suggested gently trimming the hair so that nothing touches the ground when the puppy squats to urinate. Do not pluck the hairs, or shave the hairs, only trim them up close to the vulva.

Emma and Food Issues

Emma and her best friend and playmate, Pippin, enjoy a shared dog bed.

Emma is nearly 13 weeks old, and she is growing like a weed. There are some food issues, she doesn’t have a reliable appetite for her food. Variety seems to be important for her dining pleasure, even first thing in the morning.

Emma and Pippin, our young Sheltie, co-support one another during mealtimes. After their breakfast of The Honest Kitchen Embark, Missing Link, Vitamin C tablet with home made bullion to complete the dish, they each have a whole carrot to chew on. Emma has lunch each day of Natural Balance kibble, and she manages to get a half a cup eaten. There is a morning play and at least 2 hours of hard napping, then play and nap in the afternoon. She is awake and most active when the children are home and ready to play or go for a walk. The evening meal is always tasty and inviting. However, yesterday both girls decided their regular meals were not edible, and refused to eat. I left the dishes down for them, but still nothing was eaten. Lunch time I set down fresh kibble, and very little was eaten. The evening meal was the same way, very little eaten.

Neither Emma nor Pippin have less energy, they are not chewing on things, nor are they more aggressive. They just are not eating. This morning the same thing happened, so I called Lin Hainlen, the breeder, for suggestions and direction.

Any suggestions?

Emma Goes Home to Visit

Emma took the hour-long drive back to Copper Ridge Rhodesians Kennel, the place of her birth. She knew the smells of the house the minute we reached the front door. The large metal and glass front door opened and she dashed in to greet her mother and some of her siblings. She was so happy. We were there a couple of hours while Emma and her litter-mates played and drank water, then fell asleep as a nearly seamless mass of puppies, for one more time.

Emma slept soundly the entire drive home. She prefers to sit in the passenger’s front seat. She has become accustomed to that seat, because that is where she has been sitting. I have been taking her on short car rides, just so she is accustomed to car travel. The car rides are part of the socialization process. She hasn’t completed her shot sequence yet, so I don’t take her in public, or where other dogs have been, that will come in another 4 weeks after her last shot.

Raw Food Diet for Emma

I have been reading extensively about the pros and cons of various diets for Emma. She is 12 weeks old and still not eating all Lin, her breeder, recommends for the puppies. There is the conventional, over the counter in the grocery store food, then there are the specialty brands, like those recalled, and finally the raw or part-raw diet like The Honest Kitchen.

Lin feeds her dogs The Honest Kitchen diet of dehydrated raw for one meal then kibble from Dick Van Patton called Natural Balance for the second meal of the day. She is recommending the same diet for Emma, reinforced with Missing Link and Vitamin C. I am following her lead, because her dogs all look healthy and happy, they are long-lived, and there is research to back up the approach. I have been adding raw whole carrots for Emma to chew on and small pieces of fresh apple. When I brush Emma’s teeth, she leans into my finger as if her gums and teeth are bothering her. She is chewing on everything, despite her endless supply of chew bones. I have also been doing TTouch on her gums at night as she is ready to retire for the evening. She is sleeping all night now. (I would too if someone were giving me a relaxing rubdown and foot massage as I lay in bed ready for sleep.)

I would love to hear your opinions about puppy diets for large breeds.

More Photos of Emma at 12 Weeks

Emma always looks so grand. Even at 12 weeks old, she looks so mature to me.
Emma and Pippin, our pet Sheltie, love to puppy play. I hope they will have some new rules as Emma grows to be 3 or 4 times Pippin's size.
Look below to see Emma playing with a visitor, and my son just happened to catch the look. I love this photo, because she didn't trip over her own feet. She is gaining agility, improvement each week.

Emma's New Collar

Emma is only 10 weeks old in this photograph. She likes to be wherever I am, even if it is in the restroom. I put this soft place for her to wait, though I don't think she will fit in it very much longer.

Emma has a new dog collar. It is 16” long and she wears it on the first hole. She will surely grow into it, past the last hole, and will need a larger one in a few weeks. Her collar is rolled leather. That shape is supposed to last a very long time and not wear the hair beneath it. I learned that tip from Barbara Raynsford, a former Doberman Pincer breeder/show participant, and now owns and operates Heritage Grooming in Gilbert, Arizona.

Emma’s collar will have a tag, which allows anyone who finds her to get in touch with us. Both Petco and Petsmart have the machine to make beautiful tags. The tag will only hold her name and our last name on the top line, our telephone number on the second line, and the state we live in on the last line.. She will have a dog license from the county, as soon as she is old enough to have the rabies shot , and a tag to alert anyone that she has a chip for identification. She has a microchip in her back for further identification, just in case she looses her collar.

Fitting the collar was easy. When it was buckled, I made certain there was plenty of room for two of my fingers to slip easily between the collar and her neck. Because she is a growing puppy, I will test her collar using the two-finger rule every day as I pet her. When the fit becomes snug, not tight, I will let it out a notch until there are no more holes. Then is the time to go to the next collar. If the collar becomes wet, I will remove it so that it does not shrink around her neck.

Emma and Russian Borsch

Emma was the center of attention at our home Saturday. We had a few friends over for some Russian cuisine. Each knew of Emma because of the e-mail announcement I sent to everyone with her 8-week-old photo attached. I think they came to meet Emma as much as the visit and meal. Many brought gifts of play toys and long lasting displays of affection.

Russian food is not something I can just throw together. I shop and cook for several days. Emma loved the process. She loved the kitchen aromas and remained as close to the center of the action as possible. She had been having trouble eating as much as Lin Hainlen, the breeder, said she should be eating. Preparation for the meal, and the wafting aromas stimulated her apatite, and all of a sudden she was hungry, eating almost the amount she is supposed to.

I use “The Joy of Cooking” recipe for my Borsch. I e-mailed Lin this evening with the ingredients to be certain Emma could have her “dish of choice” to mix with The Honest Kitchen, Embark. She also has Van Patton’s Natural Balance kibble in her diet. I am hoping Lin can find no reason for Emma not to enjoy her Borsch on a regular basis.

Note: Onions are a toxic for your dog as chocolate, so leave out the onions!

Happy Easter Morning with Emma

Emma and Buster played much of the morning in the living room, at least the times when they were not in the kitchen hoping for a treat.

The following e-mail was sent to Emma's breeder, Lin, this morning. Look for her response at the end.

Happy Easter Lin,

Emma has had a busy Easter morning. She slept until 5:15 a.m. when she needed out and her stomach was growling. She played and ate a hearty breakfast, then was outside with me doing yard work and watering until nearly 10 a.m. She learned about water hoses and water from the hose. What fun! She helped me sweep the front porch and dead head flowering plants. She stayed with me most of the time, except when Pippin chased the birds, or Buster ran and played. All the dogs are tired and sleeping. Emma is with LeiAnna in the office on a bed LeiAnna made just for Emma. Emma has a stuffed elephant that she particularly enjoys next to her, and the bed is next to LeiAnna's feet. Classical music is filling the house, and life is wonderful.

Emma barked for the first time. The neighbor lady was in her yard last evening, saw me and came over to her side of the fence to talk. Emma was a happy little puppy greeting her at first, then moved away, cautiously, and barked one time. I tried to coax her over toward the neighbor again, but Emma wanted nothing to do with the stranger. She seemed relieved when I moved away from the fence, circling my legs, and glancing back at the neighbor. Earlier yesterday the neighbors across the street came over to meet Emma, including their almost 2 year old son. Emma was puppy clumsy, but ever so gentle with the little boy. She has made quite an impression among the neighbors, not just for her beauty, but for her character.

Every member of our household appreciates Emma. The emptiness we have all felt has been filled by her precious being. Thank you.

Lin's reply:
I am delighted to get your updates. Kiss The Divine Miss Em for me ......

Happy Easter to you all!

Hugs,
lin

Emma is Home

Emma needed a good rest after her long car ride and meeting her new home and family members. She was 9 weeks old in this photograph.

Lin Hainlen, owner of Copper Ridge Kennel, had done many things to make our transition with Emma easier for everyone. She does this with every litter and every puppy in every litter. Before Emma was ready to come home with us, she had been socialized to be a healthy family member.

Emma's socialization and road to good health began with her birth. Lin and her family were present from the puppy’s birth, which happened in a special room designed for whelping, located in the Hainlen’s home. The litter of eleven was raised in the same room where they were born. The room where they were born has a large dog door built into the wall so the puppies can begin their own house training, as they are ready. There were no accidents after the fifth week. Lin, her family members and many visitors, handled Emma from birth, so she thought people were important to her wellbeing. Everyone entering the baby room, had to spray their shoes with disinfectant, and wash hands with disinfectant soap. There is a television and stereo in the puppy room, and one or the other plays regularly so the puppies are socialized to a future home environment. The puppies are provided with a play yard equipped with tubes and tents, rocks to crawl over, and a clean grassy yard. When puppies become dirty from playing, they are wiped down with a damp cloth and their feet cleaned. Each week their ears are cleaned and teeth are brushed.

The day Emma was ready to travel to her new home, she had been given her first shots, and had been screened for worms and other unwanted intestinal visitors. She had no adverse reaction to the vaccinations, and the fecal tests were negative.

We arrived at the Copper Ridge Kennel before 3 p.m. Thursday, April 5, 2007. We began with the paperwork. There was a contract to read and sign, a check to write, AKC registration paperwork, identification chip information to fill out as the new owner, and many other valuable and supportive items to review in the folder. I do wish the information could have been e-mailed ahead of the trip. Once in Emma's presence, all I wanted to do was pay attention to Emma.

A family from New Mexico arrived a few minutes after we did, so Lin showed us the basics at the same time. She made take-home bags for each puppy filled with samples of calcium and multivitamins, food and toys, one toy had been played with by the litter so there would be familiar smells for the puppy. Lin showed us how to clean our puppies with non-alcohol baby wipes, and brush their teeth. Lin made certain the identification chip functioned and checked the numbers. She also showed us how to trim toenails, and the tool to use.

We were on the road home with Emma by 5:30 p.m. My daughter went with me to keep Emma company on the ride. Twenty minutes out of the driveway, Emma vomited, and I had not prepared for such an event. We stopped to take care of Emma and clean up as much of the mess as possible, then continued home. Emma slept soundly the rest of the trip.

Pippin, our black and white Sheltie, welcomed Emma immediately, after all, the two are the same height and weight, and Pippin is only twenty months old. We hope the two will grow up together, and Pippin can establish her position while Emma is still small. I think both puppies are not alpha, however, our Cairn Terrier boy, Buster, who is nearly ten years old, is very alpha. Buster was aggressive at first, perhaps assertive is a better term. It took him until the next morning to decide Emma was okay. Now, only two days later, the three are a pack, and I seem to be pack leader. Enough for now, I don’t want to get ahead of myself.

Lin and I had been in communication for the past several weeks, so I had most of the items to make Emma comfortable and the house puppy proof. I want Emma to know what a kennel is and how to relax through the night when kenneled. I want her to be safe, and a kennel is the safest place for her when no one is home. As she grows older and matures, there will be no need for a kennel at night, but she will be able to recall kennel time if she ever needs to be in one for any reason.

Emma had been in a kennel during trips to the veterenarian, so when we put her in the kennel the first night, she didn’t quite know what to do. We made certain that she had a good dinner and a good play before bedtime. I put her kennel next to my side of the bed, gave her a nice soft bed and a treat to calm her. She slept six hours before awakening with a little whine. I let her out of the kennel and walked her to the outside door. Within ten feet, she was relieving herself. I praised her for “doing her chores” and we went back inside where Emma and I returned to bed to sleep another four hours.

Friday was a busy day for all of us, including Emma. She had a veterinarian appointment with our medical providers. Dr. Christian gave her a clean bill of health, as I thought she would.

Friday night, April 6, 2007, Emma was sure of how the household operated. She didn’t object to being in the kennel at night, after all, she had played until she was very tired. She slept until 4:00 a.m. this morning when she needed out, and was very hungry.

4-4-07 Diary of Emma

Emma is the middle puppy. She is dining with two of her ten siblings. Reese, their mother looks on.

Emma is 8 weeks old in this photograph taken at her birth home of Copper Ridge Rhodesians. She had many things to contemplate that day.

Emma comes home tomorrow, April 5, 2007. The car ride from North Scottsdale to Gilbert will take approximately an hour. I know this experience will be life changing for her, mostly because she truly loves her mother, Reese, and doesn't really know us, yet. I know the day will be fun and go quickly for Emma, it is the night that concerns me.

I have a large dog wire kennel all set up in the master bedroom where my husband and I sleep. It is also where both cats and Pippin, the little Sheltie sleep. My hope is to calm Emma while in the restless stage, and not let her mood escalate to the frantic stage. I have learned some of the Tellington Touch techniques, and plan to use them to help her calm down during the night, if need be. There is a plan for play during the evening, and a nice dinner, after all, a tired, well-fed puppy sleeps all night, so they say.

Emma is eating The Honest Kitchen brand Embark with Natural Solutions kibble by Van Patton, three times per day. We already feed our dogs The Honest Kitchen brand, so adding the kibble brand is easy. We have arranged our schedules so that she will be able to eat and play mid-day. We use distilled water from our own distillation unit, so everyone has clean water to drink. I also like to give the dogs raw, whole carrots to chew on, and a little peanut butter inside a Kong for time in the kennel. I think she will have a good diet to grow up on, not too much protein, as most of the processed puppy foods provide.

Tomorrow, we will do the paperwork transferring information about Emma, payment for her, and plan for her future health. Emma has an identification chip in her, instead of a tattoo, and I will need to register that number to us. She has a veterinarian appointment Friday for a check-up and a "getting to know your doctor" visit. She will also visit our groomer's shop, just to get acquainted. Car rides and play times away from home are part of our plan for her socialization.

I think we are ready for Emma to come home. The house is puppy proofed, there are plans for the other animal introductions, she has a bed that is safe and secure, good food to eat, clean water to drink, and a loving family that is very excited about her arrival. I will let you know how it goes.

Adopting Emma

I am bringing Emma home on Thursday afternoon. I have waited 16 months for a Rhodesian Ridgeback girl from one special breeder. She is nearly 9 weeks old, and ready to join our household of 2 dogs (a 9 year old Cairn Terrier boy, and a 16 month old Sheltie girl) and 2 cats (brother and sister, 10 year old Abyssinians). I have never known a Ridgeback, though I have done extensive reading about the breed, and have learned to appreciate the 9 adult Ridgebacks at the Copper Ridge breeder's home. They seem to be such placid, loving and sensitive companions, though very large.

I would like to read the wisdom you all have to share about successfully blending Emma into our family for many years to come.