Jairkingsly Labradors

Have you ever wondered what your dogs get up to when you are out? We did! Our dining table was in the conservatory which of course was a sun trap, on a couple of occasions we noticed a dog dust shaped pattern on the table, to say we were puzzled is an understatement, it couldn’t possible be Tilly, due to her arthritis there now as no way she could’ve have got onto the table so poor Poppy was the most likely suspect that was until one night we have friends to visit and were sat at the table opening a takeaway, when a certain chocolate Labrador , Tilly aided by a dining table chair sat very proudly in the middle of the dining table, we all sat there looking at her for what seemed ages before bursting into laughter, she just sat the looking at us wondering what we found so funny, the dust marks on the table were made by Tilly using our dining table as a sun lounger! Unfortunately Poppy decided to copy her and on occasion became a hoover on the table, no crumbs were safe ! So it turns out we had two Gordon Ramseys in our house.

With the dusty table mystery finally cracked, it was time to focus on our beloved Poppy. Once the breeder confirmed that Poppy had had her hip, elbow and eyes scored, we set a date for her to meet her special someone. I’ve mentioned before that Poppy is a stunning dog, both inside and out – loving, kind, and just a tad quirky. So what better day for their first meeting than Valentines Day, 14th February? That year, we had a snowy backdrop, and Poppy arrived at her date, where they were introduced in the cosy lounge and a crackling log fire. Only Poppy could have a setting straight from a rom-com, this was a better setting that most humans! To ensure a successful match , Poppy returned the following week, but this time the romance was replaced with a snowy, cold field. The signs of a successful mating soon appreared-she started trailing us around more and napping more than usual. By week three, we booked a vet appointment for an ultrasound and were thrilled to discover she was expecting five puppies. The vet said there could be more, but at least we had a ballpark figure. We joked that with Poppy’s track record , she might surprise us with 15! 😂

As the weeks passed, Poppy’s diet was upgraded to something more calorie-dense and nutrient-rich to satisfy her growing appetite. One of the funniest moments was when she’d suddenly stop mid-walk to scratch her belly, clearly resting to the little ones moving around inside her! About three weeks before her due date, we had another ultrasound. This time the vet could only see two puppies. As i mentioned earlier, ultrasounds aren’t foolproof, and with Poppy’s deep chest, the others might have been hiding out of sight. She didn’t look very pregnant, so maybe the vet was onto something. We setup a puppy nursery with a whelping box under our dining table, complete with a curtain for privacy. Dogs have a gestation period of about nine weeks, son on Saturday 13th April, Poppy began pacing and panting. We stayed up all night with her, but no puppies made an appearance. The panting and pacing continued sporadically, and finally, late afternoon on Sunday 14th April, the first puppy arrived. Over the next few hours, another one joined, and then Poppy decided it was time for a nap! We left her to rest but got a bit worried, so we made a call to the vet, he reassured us that it’s normal for dogs to fall asleep during labour and advised us to keep and eye on her but not to panic unless she seemed distressed. We spent another night downstairs eventually dozing off. We woke to a soft noise and found Poppy gazing at us with another puppy in her mouth-number three! Back into her box she went, and off to sleep she drifted , only Poppy! Around 7am, another puppy arrived, followed by another 30 minutes later, making five! (The magic number)! We called the vet again and he confirmed she’d let us know if thee were anymore. He was spot on, and five indeed was the final count. We have five very cute black Labrador puppies. Well done Poppy!

Now, the big question was: which puppies were born of which days?