"The early bird gets the worm, 

but the second mouse gets the cheese!"

~David Jakovac

I woke up at 5am yesterday morning, heart started racing, butterflies in my belly, feeling like I was about to take an exam. Anxiety attack? No, not at all. Despite the heart, the butterflies, I felt a deeper sense of anticipation, 
POSITIVE anticipation.

It was PICK OUT PUPPY day! (I'd never done anything like that before!) 
AND WE HAD SECOND PICK!

pile of snoozing chocolate pups

So... we were given a ride to Haverhill, Suffolk (about an hour and a half) by S's Mum and Dad. The breeder was waiting for us and led us into a room adjoining her house. Very quickly Ruby was shuffled out of the room with some treats to the back garden (to join us later once we had a first look at the puppies), and Mrs. Breeder had taken from a pile of snoozing chocolate pups three beautiful little girls to choose from.

"Walk any path in Destiny's garden, 

and you will be forced to choose, 

not once but many times." 

— Neil Gaiman, The Sandman, Vol. 4: Season of Mists 

We received photos today of the litter who are three weeks old today!!!  We did receive photos from week 2, but they didn't show much and were blurry, so I didn't post them here. Unexpectedly, receiving photos is becoming equally frustrating as exciting for two reasons: the pups eyes are now fully open, yet we have yet to see a photo showing them! Also, we still have no idea about what puppies are girls or boys so have virtually no idea which of the little peanuts could be coming home with us! 

weaning!

"I'm youth, I'm joy,

 I'm a little bird that has 

broken out of the egg."

-- J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan

Ruby's puppies were 1 WEEK OLD the day these photos were taken (which was the 28th October). This was the first time we were able to glimpse their precious little faces, and the brighter photos really show off the sheen and colour of their healthy little coats.



Any day now we will be receiving new photos from our breeder, once the puppies' eyes are opened up completely. No doubt the cuteness meter is going to be off the scale. I'll try to contain myself (or... maybe not.) I suppose from this point on they will really start showing their distinct qualities, both in appearance and in personality.
I wonder which one will come home with us??

"Happiness is a Warm Puppy"
  - Charles M. Schultz

The puppies have arrived!!

4 handsome boys and 4 beautiful girls born on 21st October.

Here they are at 1 day old!

(Okay, so I realise they look remarkably like the last litter, but I swear they are different! ...
...and our puppy is amongst the bunch.)

Based on the waiting list, we will have our choice from 2 lovely solid chocolate girls.

Ruby and pups doing very well.

Soooo excited to see them grow and change.



**having blogger editing problems !! Ugh!  



“All you need is love. 

But a little chocolate 

now and then 

doesn't hurt.” 

― Charles M. Schulz

Imagine a record playing, a calm soothing feeling in the air, daydreams of all 

things puppy ... "and they called it puppy loooooove, la la la la la la la..."   and then ...

*SCREEEECCHH!!* 

the needle stops abruptly mid-song. What the... ??!!

"How long is forever?

Sometimes, just one second."

- Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

The answer to the 'how many years does a cockapoo live?' question is this: at LEAST 14 YEARS. That's right, a cockapoo's MINIMUM lifespan is 14 years, and they've been known to keep wagging for 20! For me, this gives birth to the idea of ... well, giving birth. Not the 9 month pregnancy with its bloating and ballooning, mood swings or morning sickness, of course. Nor the excruciating pain or heavy drugs of delivery, sleepless nights with a newborn (save a few I'm sure), changing countless messy diapers, spit up, throw up, dribbling and screaming... 

BUT, the 20 year lifespan didn't stop the ever vocal Peanut Gallery part of my brain  saying immediately upon learning these stats the seemingly benign: "You're already [so and so age], so that will make you SO AND SO by the time your puppy leaps through the pearly gates of doggie heaven!" to which The Little Bastard part of my brain pipes in with the perfectly timed and bludgeoning remark "IF it lives that long ... if YOU live that long".

 Hm. 

“If you come at four in the afternoon,

I'll begin to be happy by three.” 

- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince

About 72 miles southeast of here, here being Northwest London, lives a gorgeous black and grey English working type Cocker Spaniel named Rosie who is expecting a litter at the end of October (only a few short weeks!) Inside this beautiful animal is, if all goes well, the little creature who will be a bundle of joy,  companion and partner in crime for many years to come. HOW MANY you ask? Well...

William - quite handsome, wouldn't you say? 

Before I get ahead of myself, and if you can bear to take your eyes off stunning Rosie, 
meet the rugged beast by way of miniature poodle who is the papa to Rosie's litter! 

So what do you get when you cross a Cocker Spaniel with a miniature poodle? 
None other than a cockapoo! 
Never heard of one?