Today we had a huge break in the rain! The sun was out all afternoon and the puppies had some serious playtime outside! We let both Sojo and Grace out to play with the puppies. Both parents loved their playtime! And the puppies enjoyed the organized chaos.

Grace gave birth to nine lovely white puppies.
Six boys.
Three girls.
All of the puppies are healthy and thriving. I am filled with bliss as I help Grace mother her little brood!

I have to be honest: I did not expect 2021 to be quite as successful a show season as it ended up being for my “baby” Grace. The fact of the matter is, American Kennel Club dog show season in Alaska is painfully short. It is incredibly difficult for a poodle in Alaska to finish her AKC Championship in a single show season. With only 16 All-Breed dog shows and 1 Non-Sporting Dog Club show between May and the end of July, my goal for the Alaska show season is usually to collect the major wins necessary for a Championship title and then take our time traveling around for single points in and outside of Alaska.

COVID-19 has hit our collective reality pretty hard.
Some people were expecting this new form of normal. Some people were caught quite unprepared. Despite our varying levels of preparedness, something wonderful has been happening these last couple of weeks;
We have been pulling for each other.
There has been so many stories shared among us about love, patience, understanding for our fellow man. In the face of such a scary time for many, our humanity is shining a beacon of hope.
I love this about our species.

Puppy socialization is getting your puppy out and about to be social with other creatures. Domestic dogs interact with all sorts of living things; other dogs, humans, cats, pet fish, urban wildlife (rabbits, raccoons, skunks, squirrels) not to mention the wildlife who stick around when our human habitats intersect with their own (moose, deer, wild cats, bears and birds of prey). In short, our puppies don’t really have much of a choice; they must be acclimated to these other forms of life. And the best way to accomplish this is through simple socialization.