Birth - 6/1 to 6/2/2016

Starting on June 1st and going into the morning of June 2nd, 10 little Chicken Nuggets were born! Kyra started giving birth a bit earlier than usual (which is usually after midnight) so five of the puppies were born on June 1st and the other five on June 2nd (our first litter with a split birthday). It all happened in just 8 hours, and we can blame a good chunk of that time on the 2.5 hour wait for little Ketsy ("annnnnnnnd... Ketchup!"). Girls dominated this batch of nuggets coming in at seven, with three handsome little boys. We were happy that we got two black and tan Chinooks in the mix as well. This is our biggest litter yet (thanks Kyra and Oscar, this was supposed to be an easy last litter…) so follow our journey as we try to wrangle 10 puppies in 115 degree weather while keeping our sanity!

Why Chicken Nuggets? Well there’s a cute story behind that. Jon, Kristy, and Kyra went to a local hot dog stand that is nearby our house for lunch one day. Kristy went to sit at one of the tables outside with Kyra while Jon waited in line to order. A mom with her two kids, ages 4 and 6ish, were waiting in line behind Jon when the kids asked if they could go pet the dog. The kids came over to Kristy and Kyra. They asked to pet her (Kyra) and asked what her name and type of dog she was. Kristy told them about Kyra and how she was a Chinook. The kids thought she looked like their Golden Retriever as they petted her. After they joined their mom in line again she asked if they enjoyed their visit with the dog. They were telling her all about Kyra and when the mom asked what type of dog she was the four year old girl shouted to her, “Mom it’s a Chicken Nugget!” Jon couldn’t help but chuckle as her six year old brother corrected her, but alas the “nickname” stuck for us. Time to time we call Kyra our little Chicken Nugget.

Photos

Videos

So that’s where the theme came from and what better way to name the puppies is after different kinds of chicken nugget dipping sauces! Upon Googling what other kinds of sauces were out there, we stumbled upon this hilarious and short music video by Parry Grip called “20 Kinds of Dipping Sauce” which not only made us laugh but helped us find out all the different types of sauces there are from all over the world. So pick out your favorite dipping sauce and check out these adorable puppies below.

Shout out to Wikipedia for all the sauce origins/descriptions below.

So now, the moment you've all been waiting for, we would like to introduce the puppies of the Chicken Nugget litter, in order of appearance:

Desert Sol Vinnie

---

Dipping Sauce:

Hot Vindaloo

Sex:

Male

Weight:

1lb 1.2oz

Sauce Origin:

India. Vindaloo is an Indian curry dish popular in the region of Goa, the surrounding Konkan, and many other parts of India. A vindaloo is a standard element of Indian cuisine, derived from the Portuguese carne de vinha d'alhos (Literally: Meat, wine and garlic), a dish of meat (usually pork) marinated in wine and garlic. Nowadays, the Anglo-Indian version of a vindaloo is marinated in vinegar, sugar, fresh ginger, and spices overnight, then cooked with the addition of further spices.

Desert Sol Sweetie

---

Dipping Sauce:

Sweet N Sour

Sex:

Female

Weight:

15.8oz

Sauce Origin:

China. Sweet and sour is a generic term that encompasses many styles of sauce, cuisine and cooking methods. It is commonly used in China, but has been used in England since the Middle Ages and remains popular in Europe and America. In China traditionally the sauces are made from mixing sugar or honey with a sour liquid such as rice vinegar, soy sauce, and spices such as ginger and cloves. Cantonese sweet and sour sauce is the direct ancestor of sauce of the same name in the West, and originally developed for sweet and sour chicken.

Desert Sol Honey

---

Dipping Sauce:

Honey Mustard

Sex:

Female

Weight:

15.4oz

Sauce Origin:

Rome. The Romans were probably the first to experiment with the preparation of mustard as a condiment. They mixed unfermented grape juice, known as "must", with ground mustard seeds (called sinapis) to make "burning must", mustum ardens — hence "must ard". Mustard is a condiment made from the seeds of a mustard plant. Honey mustard, as its name suggests, is a blend of mustard and honey, typically mixed in a 1:1 ratio. It is commonly used both on sandwiches, and as a dip for finger foods such as chicken strips. It can also be combined with vinegar or olive oil to make a salad dressing. Combinations of English mustard with honey or Demerara sugar are used in British cuisine to coat grilled lamb cutlets or pork chops.

Desert Sol Buffy

---

Dipping Sauce:

Buffalo Sauce

Sex:

Female

Weight:

14.6oz

Sauce Origin:

Buffalo, NY. A Buffalo wing or Buffalo chicken wing in the cuisine of the United States is a chicken wing (or “boneless” wing) that is generally deep-fried, unbreaded, and coated in vinegar-based cayenne pepper hot sauce and melted butter or margarine are the basis of the sauce, which may be mild, medium, or hot. There are several different claims about how Buffalo wings were invented. One of the more prevalent claims is that Buffalo wings were first prepared at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York, by Teressa Bellissimo, who owned the bar with husband Frank. Several versions of the story have been circulated by the Bellissimo family and others.

Desert Sol Rancher

Dipping Sauce:

Creamy Ranch

Sex:

Male

Weight:

15.4oz

Sauce Origin:

Santa Barbara, CA. Ranch dressing is a type of salad dressing made of some combination of buttermilk, salt, garlic, onion, herbs (commonly chives, parsley, and dill), and spices (commonly black pepper, paprika, and ground mustard seed), mixed into a sauce based on mayonnaise or another oil emulsion. Ranch dressing has been the best-selling salad dressing in the United States since 1993, when it overtook Italian dressing. It is also popular as a dip. In the early 1950s, Steve Henson developed what is now known as ranch dressing while working as a plumbing contractor for three years in the remote Alaskan bush. In 1954, he and his wife Gayle opened Hidden Valley Ranch, a dude ranch near Santa Barbara, California, where they served it to guests.

Desert Sol Mango

---

Dipping Sauce:

Mango Chutney

Sex:

Female

Weight:

14.4oz

Sauce Origin:

India. Chutney is a side dish in the cuisines of the Indian subcontinent that can vary from a tomato relish to a ground peanut garnish or a yoghurt, cucumber and mint dip. Similar in preparation and usage to a pickle, simple spiced chutneys can be dated to 500 BC. Originating in India, this method of preserving food was subsequently adopted by the Romans and later British empires, who then started exporting this to the colonies, Australia and North America. Beginning in the 17th century, fruit chutneys were shipped to European countries like England and France as luxury goods. These imitations were called "mangoed" fruits or vegetables, the word 'chutney' still being associated with the lower working classes.

Desert Sol Ziki

---

Dipping Sauce:

Yogurt Tzatziki

Sex:

Female

Weight:

14.8oz

Sauce Origin:

Greece. Tzatziki is a Greek sauce served with grilled meats or as a dip. Tzatziki is made of strained yogurt (usually from sheep or goat milk) mixed with cucumbers, garlic, salt, olive oil, red wine vinegar and sometimes dill. American versions may include lemon juice, mint or parsley.

Desert Sol BB

---

Dipping Sauce:

BBQ Sauce

Sex:

Female

Weight:

1lb 1.6oz

Sauce Origin:

United States. BBQ sauce is used as a flavoring sauce used as a marinade, basting or topping for meat cooked in the barbecue cooking style, including pork or beef ribs and chicken. It is a ubiquitous condiment and is used on many other foods as well. The ingredients vary widely even within individual countries, but most include some variation on vinegar, tomato paste, or mayonnaise (or a combination thereof) as a base, as well as liquid smoke, spices such as mustard and black pepper, and sweeteners such as sugar or molasses. Some place the origin of barbecue sauce at the formation of the first American colonies in the 17th century. References to the substance start occurring in both English and French literature over the next two hundred years. Different geographical regions have allegiances to their particular styles and variations for barbecue sauce.

Desert Sol Nacho

---

Dipping Sauce:

Nacho Cheese

Sex:

Male

Weight:

15.4oz

Sauce Origin:

Mexico. A form of processed cheese sauce mixed with peppers and other spices is often used in place of freshly shredded cheese in institutional or large-scale production settings, such as schools, movie theaters, sports venues, and convenience stores, or wherever using freshly grated cheese may be logistically prohibitive. Though originally formulated as a cheaper and more convenient source of cheese to top nachos, this dip has become popular enough in the U.S. that it is available in some Mexican-themed restaurants, and at major grocery stores, in both name-brand (Frito-Lay, Tostitos, and Taco Bell) and unbranded versions.

Desert Sol Ketsy

---

Dipping Sauce:

Ketchup

Sex:

Female

Weight:

15.0oz

Sauce Origin:

China. Ketchup, or catsup, is a table sauce. Traditionally, different recipes feature ketchup made of egg white, mushrooms, oysters, mussels, walnuts, or other foods, but in modern times the term without modification usually refers to tomato ketchup. It is a sweet and tangy sauce, typically made from tomatoes, a sweetener, vinegar, and assorted seasonings and spices. Seasonings vary by recipe, but commonly include onions, allspice, cloves, cinnamon, garlic, and sometimes celery. Tomato ketchup is often used as a condiment with various dishes that are usually served hot, including fries, hamburgers, sandwiches, hot dogs, and grilled or fried meat. In the 17th century, the Chinese mixed a concoction of pickled fish and spices and called it kôe-chiap or kê-chiap meaning the brine of pickled fish. By the early 18th century, the table sauce had made it to the Malay states (present day Malaysia and Singapore), where it was discovered by English explorers. The Indonesian-Malay word for the sauce was kecap (pronounced "kay-chap"). That word evolved into the English word "ketchup". English settlers then took ketchup with them to the American colonies.