Some mother-puppy loving! Bitsy is the BEST mom. Last year, she was also a great mom, but a brand new one. She had to learn how to situate herself in her box so she wouldn’t lay with her back to a puppy or even on a puppy (this happened a lot last year!) This year, she seems to remember what she learned and is more comfortable and efficient. She is very tired, but also comes to say hi to us and tells us when she is hungry (wagging her tail the whole time).
When you tell people that a black lab mother and a chocolate lab father can have yellow pups, you often get confused looks. The lab genes are fascinating and hopefully if you are one of those confused ones, this post will help clear it up. Last year I posted a similar genetics post, but we weren’t sure of what Bitsy’s genotype was (we were not sure if she got her mom’s yellow gene!). This was all cleared up when we had 3 yellows in our last litter:)
The genes that control the labs coat color are the B and E locus.
So, since we know the genes of Bitsy and Freedom, I put together a chart that shows the probability of Bitsy having a yellow, chocolate, or black.
So according to the genes, the probability of having a black and a chocolate are the same. Which is quite interesting because in our last litter we had 3 yellows and only 1 chocolate! Only time will tell what colors this litter holds (it happens sometime tonight!) Stay tuned for more posts:)
Time has been FLYING. In just one week, Bitsy’s second litter of puppies should be here! Bitsy is looking nice and big… and is always hungry. (She is a healthy dog though, green beans and carrots are her favorite). We are thinking that she is larger because this is her second litter… but who knows, there could be a lot of pups crammed inside! Only time will tell:)
Hopefully soon, the puppies will begin kicking and I can post a video, like i did last year!
Be sure to contact us if you are interested in putting down a deposit!
Hello again! As some of you know, we bred Bitsy with Freedom (same dad as last years Cereal Litter) about 6 weeks ago. You can never be 100% certain that a pregnancy will result, but at this point, we are fairly certain of it as Bitsy is looking more pregnant day by day. It looks like we are in for another summer of puppies!
Bitsy a couple weeks ago
Bitsy today! Looking big!
The due date of Bitsy’s next litter is June 16th!
I have created a new page for the 2013 litter. (Theme of the litter is TBA:)
New lens should make for some fun puppy photos!
This gallery contains 13 photos.
The past few days have been been very eventful, hence the lack of posting! Before the pics, there is first some sad news: On Wednesday, Bitsy had some kind of GI tract upset, which she expressed by not wanting to … Continue reading
Early this morning, Bitsy whelped a perfect healthy litter of 8 puppies. The first puppy came at 12:25am and the last at 3:32 on their due date of 6/24/12. All of the pups are very healthy and weigh between 12 and 16 oz!
The first three puppies were all beautiful black females. We were wondering if the litter was going to be all black, but still very grateful for healthy pups.
Our cat, Cali, was very intrigued with all the commotion and squeaking
The fourth puppy came out a little yellow male! This yellow pup is a darker yellow, similar to it’s grandma, Aspen.
The 5th puppy was a black male, the 6th another yellow male! This yellow male, however, is a much lighter yellow than its brother. The 7th was a chocolate female — a rainbow litter!
An earlier x-ray at the vet had indicated that there would be maybe 6, probably 7 puppies, so we were not expecting an 8th pup. But Bitsy knew she wasn’t done yet… turns out, there was an 8th hiding! The 8th pup was also a light yellow male.
Everyone is exhausted (including us), but healthy and happy too. Stay tuned or visit the current litter page for more pics and updates!
No puppies yet, but we are think they will be arriving soon! Bitsy has been “nesting” and breathing heavily all day. We are all taking turns comforting her and misting her with water. We hope to meet the new pups soon!
Here are a few videos of Bitsy today! You can see the puppies kicking in the first video:)
Here are a few FAQ’s and some details about some of the logistical things.
5 days till Bitsy is due!
One week from today is Bitsy’s due date! We all can’t wait to meet the puppies that we feel kicking and moving:) Her whelping box is all set up so she can become comfortable with it.
Here are some recent pics of the mom-to-be!
LoveaLab 
