JJ was born via C-Section and weighed in at 12.5 oz. She is named in honor of Jennifer Doudna, CRISPR research pioneer. Due to the C-section and anesthesia, Birdie did not accept her little pup right away. After a few days of diligent and creative work by her humans, Birdie became a devoted and loving mom.

Here are a few early photos.

JJ has reached the milestone of four weeks now. She has been enjoying the great outdoors and had a lot of little human visitors for many days and has been very gentle with her new needle teeth. She adores her Auntie River and loves to snuggle and play with her. Momma Birdie still means food and baths. Here are photos of her with her Auntie River.

And some with mom>

Just so you all know, this little cutie will be staying with her family in Riverside. What lucky pup!

I will be placing a breed-potential puppy from this litter.

Pups have had a lot of visitors, including me! Such fun to meet them and get to know them a bit in person. They are growing fast! Now that the deep freeze is over, they got to spend time outside in the snow and absolutely loved it! Here are a few photos of the gang.

Boys rule in this litter with 5 boys and 2 girls, whelped on December 18, 2022. All the pups and momma Simonie and doing well. Rivertrail Chinooks is raising this litter in Ithaca, NY. Simonie is from the Closer to Home Litter of 2019. Here is a collection of photos of the pups. They can also be followed on Instagram under rivertrail_chinooks.

All the puppies have now joined their forever families in homes from Maryland to New Hampshire. It has been fun watching them grow and develop their individual personalities. They are already claiming the hearts of their new families and exploring new realms. A huge thank you to Kali Hart for doing such a fabulous job raising these puppies and to her husband, Steve, for his support and assistance all along the way. They gave these pups a great head start.

Please join us in wishing all these puppies many wonderful adventures, belly rubs, and love. Here is one last roundup of photos from the past week. Enjoy!

These puppies are ready to go to their homes! They have been well prepared by their human mom, and by Willow. Some of their activities have included tons of socialization with many children and adults, practice at recalls, potty training, sitting on command, grooming, and getting used to loud and unexpected noises. They have done really great with learning to walk on leash and having time away from their siblings. In fact, they all cry until they get their turn at the leash walking! Blackjack left for his forever home today, but he is just a few houses away and will be back for frequent visits. The rest will go to their homes at the end of the week.

McClain (Lainey)
Female
Wt. 11.77 lbs.
Pink Collar

How is it seven weeks already? These Spook Nook puppies are living up to their name and their great grandfather, Ukko, who was born on Halloween. They are really enjoying pumpkin season and getting ready to enjoy some spooky treats of the season! They love, love, being outside and were very happy when the rain stopped. They have experienced the front yard now too, where they have been greeted by many children, and were unphased by a noisy lawnmower that was nearby. They all enjoyed a car ride around the neighborhood and did very well. Soon they will venture out into the greater world, but not quite yet.

I got to visit these sweet puppies over the weekend. They are everything I expected them to be, solid and affectionate. They were unfazed by the rain and still spend plenty of time outside. They are doing a great job interacting with all of their visitors, large and small. They are learning to come running when called, and it is fun to see the whole pack dash over. They are alert and more and more tuned into the world that surrounds them. They are getting a lot of socializing and exposure to new things every day.

Blackjack
Male
Wt. 10.48 lbs.
Teal Collar

These puppies are having a blast in their outdoor space and expanded indoor area. They got to experience a bit of rain today, which made digging in the dirt that much more fun! They keep jostling for position on the weight chart, keeping us guessing as to where each will land. They are enjoying softened kibble but still really enjoy a meal at mom’s milk bar. How Willow puts up with those sharp teeth is anyone’s guess. She is a real trooper!

Ike
Male
Wt. 6.73 lbs.
Green Collar