Puppies

Holly Jolly Christmas Litter: Winter 2017

Zazu

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Howard

+ more about the parents

This is the first litter for both Zazu (52 pounds, 24 inches) and Howard (82 pounds, 24 inches). Zazu is a fun loving, sweet girl with a great head and rear. She has excellent drive in harness and is built solidly for speed. Howard is a friendly and gentle boy. He has a thick coat, heavy bone, great balance, and a very good head.

Both have OFA 'Normal' eyes and have OFA 'Good' hips. Neither has a history of seizures or food allergies. Genetic diversity is extremely important to the long-term health of the Chinook breed. As with all Desert Sol litters, dam and sire were chosen to maximize genetic diversity of the resulting puppies.

CH 'PR' Desert Sol Zazu's Pride DNA-VIP

Birth Date: 5/1/2014

Pedigree: Click here to see Zazu's Pedigree

Hips: OFA Good

Eyes: OFA Normal 8/10/2017

Genetic Testing: MDR1/Dwarfism clear

Stats: 52 pounds, 24 inches

Other: Seizure & allergy free

More Photos & Info: Zazu's page

Zazu is a sweet, smart, and fun loving girl. She is an outdoorsy dog and will let you know when you are late for her morning walk. The sad puppy eyes and pathetic small whine will follow you around until the walk has begun. Zazu loves playing with other dogs and enjoys her weekly visits to PetSmart Doggie Day Care. She also loves people and can be just as friendly as her mama Kyra, although in her home she's a bit more reserved with strangers. After lots of training and socialization, she now warms up quickly to strangers- the more dog friendly the people, the faster she starts to lick you and want attention!

Zazu is a curious dog and will follow you from room to room to see what's going on, and will try to play with anything if she can. During chore time it's really hard to use the Swiffer sweeper with all the barking and attacking of the sweeper going on. Zazu has that perpetual puppy personality that we hope she passes onto her puppies! She had a blast taking care of and playing with Kyra's third litter, so we tell her frequently that although pregnancy isn't the funnest thing, she is at least creating little friends to play with soon!

Rain Mountain Lummi Song (Howard)

Birth Date: 6/28/2008

Pedigree: Click here to see Howard's Pedigree

Hips: OFA Good

Eyes: OFA Normal w/ Breeder's Option 10/20/2017

Stats: 82 pounds, 24 inches

Other: Seizure & allergy free

Howard (Rain Mountain Lummi Song) lives in Southern California with his owners, Mark and Jenine. They consider him to be the best dog ever and for good reason. Howard is a lively dog, full of life and love. He is gentle around children and “dog people”, but watches over his turf and family. Howard knows who is ok and who is not and it is a great comfort knowing he is always on the job. Jenine says she feels safe with Howard around.

Once, Howard and Mark went to visit their friend and neighbor, Darlene. Her grandson, who was about 7 years old at the time, was there and Darlene asked if Howard could stay outside since her grandson was terribly afraid of dogs. Before I could say anything, her grandson saw Howard, all 80+ pounds of him, and began to tremble. I could tell he was afraid, but before I could respond Howard dropped down on all fours to get as low as he could and put his head on the floor. Then he started inching slowly toward the boy. I said to the boy that it was ok if he wanted to let Howard smell him and showed him how to put his hand out. He did it and Howard gently licked his hand! A few minutes later, Howard and the boy were playing on the floor. I had never seen anything like that in my life! His entire life he has been like that around children – gentle.

Another time, someone knocked on our door at 2 o’clock in the morning and Howard woke us up out of a sound sleep with his barking. This was not the “someone’s at the door and I want to meet them” kind of bark, but the kind that let us know he was serious. I found my bearings and took Howard with me outside (by a side door) to see about our visitor. We trained Howard to heel with the words “stay close”. As we went out, I whispered to him, “stay close!” He never left my side, but focused intently on what turned out to be an observant policeman who noticed that we had left our garage door open! Howard gave me the confidence I needed to go outside. I don’t think I would have done that had I been alone. Once he felt me calm down, he went about the process of marking his territory, but not before letting the police officer pet him. Such a good boy!

Birth

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Week 5

Week 6

Week 7

Week 7 - 2/18/2018

Week 7 is here. This is the last normal week we'll have with the puppies before the flurry of the puppies going home. They all had their vet checkup on Valentine's Day and all are very healthy pups! They are playing longer and longer and are getting more adventurous, yet I don't think they are quite as adventurous as our previous litters. They seem to get into less trouble too! Maybe it's because there aren't as many to go out and explore. They haven't made it down the side yards outside, they don't really try to push past the x-pen we have set up inside (even though it just sits against the wall without being barricaded), heck they still have their whelping box in their indoor pen! That usually goes away by week 4, these pups love playing in it and as the night goes on it becomes their bathroom box and they are super good and sleep outside of the box- less mess!!! Such great pups I swear!

So we officially have a Roo'er!!! And our kitty Spyro is the one who brought it out of Joy, during week 7 just like he did with her mother Zazu when she was a pup. Spyro had ran to the laundry room to get away from pesky puppies and Joy followed him from a safe distance and started to growl/roo at him. Adorable! I was happy to be in the kitchen with the camera nearby so I could catch it on video for you all to see (and hear). She was sort of making those sounds from time to time in a brief moment when playing, but now it came out in full force. I'm guessing Joy can be a good Roo'er like her mama, if her people and future cat friends keep encouraging it out of her. :)

Silver is our people friendly pup. He will stop whatever he's doing to run over and say hi to you! Tail is wagging, ears slightly back, face looks like it's smiling- it's pretty darn cute! Winter loves to bark when he's playing and enjoys squeaky toys. Every night when the pups come inside to play, both Joy and Winter will make a beeline for their clean whelping box to play with all the toys in there! It's like their private club house.

Photos

Videos

Joy enjoys the rubber toys to gnaw on while Winter likes the soft plushy toys. After a bit of playing on their own they start to wrestle with each other. Frosty is our silly puppy. He continues to do his funny nightly ritual. It seems like he and Silver are buddies. Our puppies usually pair up with their special sibling more often than the others.

We are enjoying our time with the puppies as we head into our final week. Families have been notified which puppy they are getting and plans to come pick them up are being made. It makes me a little sad thinking about what next weekend will bring, until the little buggers start nibbling on my fingers... :D

The Holly Jolly Christmas litter (as always in order of appearance):

Desert Sol Frosty

Song:

Frosty the Snowman

Sex:

Male

Weight:

13lb 5oz

Song Origin:

Frosty the Snowman is a popular Christmas song written by Walter "Jack" Rollins and Steve Nelson, and first recorded by Gene Autry and the Cass County Boys in 1950. It was written after the success of Autry's recording of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" the previous year; Rollins and Nelson shipped the new song to Autry, who recorded "Frosty" in search of another seasonal hit. Like "Rudolph", "Frosty" was subsequently adapted to other media including a popular television special by Rankin/Bass Productions, Frosty the Snowman.

Desert Sol Joy

Song:

Joy to the World

Sex:

Female

Weight:

13lb 13oz

Song Origin:

Joy to the World is a popular Christmas carol written by English hymn writer Isaac Watts, based on Psalm 98, 96:11-12 and Genesis 3:17-18, in the Bible. The song was first published in 1719 in Watts' collection; The Psalms of David: Imitated in the language of the New Testament, and applied to the Christian state and worship. A version by the Trinity Choir was very popular in 1911 and the carol has since been recorded by many artists including Andy Williams, The Supremes, Bing Crosby, Ella Fitzgerald, Johnny Cash, Nat King Cole, Neil Diamond, Pat Boone, Perry Como, Vic Damone and Mariah Carey.

Desert Sol Winter

Song:

Winter Wonderland

Sex:

Male

Weight:

14lb 8oz

Song Origin:

Winter Wonderland is a winter song, popularly regarded as a Christmas song, written in 1934 by Felix Bernard (music) and Richard B. Smith (lyricist). Richard Smith, a native of Honesdale, Pennsylvania, was reportedly inspired to write the song after seeing Honesdale's Central Park covered in snow. Through the decades it has been recorded by over 200 different artists. Due to its seasonal theme, "Winter Wonderland" is often regarded as a Christmas song in the Northern Hemisphere, although the holiday itself is never mentioned in the lyrics. There is a mention of "sleigh-bells" several times, implying that this song refers to the Christmas period.

Desert Sol Silver

Song:

Silver Bells

Sex:

Male

Weight:

15lb 6oz

Song Origin:

Silver Bells is a popular Christmas song, composed by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans. "Silver Bells" was first performed by Bob Hope and Marilyn Maxwell in the motion picture The Lemon Drop Kid, filmed in July–August 1950 and released in March 1951. The first recorded version was by Bing Crosby and Carol Richards on September 8, 1950 with John Scott Trotter and his Orchestra and the Lee Gordon Singers which was released by Decca Records in October 1950. "Silver Bells" started out as the questionable "Tinkle Bells." Said Ray Evans, "We never thought that tinkle had a double meaning until Jay went home and his wife said, 'Are you out of your mind? Do you know what the word tinkle is?'" The word is slang for urination. This song's inspiration has conflicting reports. Several periodicals and interviews cite the writer Jay Livingston stating that the song's inspiration came from the bells used by sidewalk Santa Clauses and Salvation Army solicitors on New York City street corners. However, in an interview with NPR co-writer Ray Evans said that the song was inspired by a bell that sat on an office desk shared by Livingston and himself.

Puppies

Holly Jolly Christmas Litter: Winter 2017

+

CH 'PR' Desert Sol Zazu's Pride DNA-VIP

Rain Mountain Lummi Song (Howard)

Birth

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Week 5

Week 6

Week 7

Week 7 - 2/18/2018

The Holly Jolly Christmas litter (as always in order of appearance):

Desert Sol Frosty

Desert Sol Joy

Desert Sol Winter

Desert Sol Silver

Week 8