Puppies

Avatar (the Last Airbender) Litter: Winter 2024

Aelin

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Bailey

+ more about the parents

This litter was born January 21, 2024! This is a colorful litter with tawny, black & tan, silver tawny, and gray & tans all represented. We believe in the classic phrase of "colors don't pull sleds" as we prioritize good structure, temperament, and health over color in our lines.

Aelin and Bailey are a lovely pair both in size and temperament. Aelin is well-built with sturdy, bladed bone (heavier than most Chinook females) yet surprisingly fast. The judge at the 2023 Chinook National Specialty noted her athleticism immediately. She is extremely affectionate to her family and a bit more aloof with strangers upon first meeting, but warms quickly. Aelin was an excellent Auntie to our 2021 Kitty Litter and we expect her to be a fantastic mom. Bailey is more heavily built than many Chinook males, but is of a nice average height. He has a handsome head and we expect those good Chinook looks to be passed on to these pups. He also is a lover of people and dogs. Both dogs are up for any adventure as long as it is with their people! This is a 2nd generation Chinook Breed Conservation Program (CBCP) litter and the pups are expected to be approximately 75% Chinook and 25% Bernese Mountain Dog.

Since this is a CBCP litter, we'll be especially interested in homes willing to keep their dogs open for future breeding.

Desert Sol Vitality Aelin Fireheart (Aelin)

Birth Date: 10/25/2019

Pedigree: Click here to see Aelin's Pedigree (sire information available to puppy owners)

Hips: OFA Good

Elbows: OFA Normal

Eyes: OFA Normal 10/3/2023

Stats: 68 pounds, 24.5 inches

Registration: COA CBCP - X20-0114-50%G1

Genetic Test Results: Dwarfism: Clear, MDR1: Clear

Other: Seizure & allergy free

Aelin was named after my favorite character from my favorite books series: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas. Aelin in the book had a very sweet yet powerful nickname: Fireheart, which we also added to her registered name. Yet she has been called several other nicknames and we’ve yet to truly call her our Fireheart. Those nicknames include Mushball- she is super sweet and empathetic and loves to be cuddled up to you. She will actually melt into you by going up to your legs and lean on them, twist around and then slide down your legs to the ground while you scratch her tummy (sometimes this is hilarious as she melts before you’re ready and one of you will fall ungracefully to the ground!). Sometimes she will come over to me while I’m on the couch, put her paw on my lap to let me know she’s ready for her “melting” session which I happily get on the floor for her to melt into my lap. Another nickname is Comfy Butt- which pretty much means she wants a comfy butt every time she’s sitting down! If a dog bed, carpet, floor mat, car seat, your foot… whatever is *not* the floor is available, she must put her butt on it. What princess doesn’t want her butt to be comfy!? And lastly she’s called Tank because she is built very solid and is a strong and fast girl! She looooves when her human grandparents come over and we always need to be careful that the Mushball Tank doesn’t take someone down in her quest to love on them!

I can’t say enough great things about this dog. She is my “heart dog” for sure. We connect at such an intimate level, it sometimes makes Jon jealous (I get the special lovey eyes a lot)! She’s very confident and knows her place in our pack. She’s not pushy and also not submissive or meek. She is super smart and sometimes problem solves a little better than her momma or grandma (sorry girls!). She constantly makes me laugh, whether it's her little “chirp” noise when she’s happy, her latest comfy butt conquest, when I suddenly have this black nose between my body and elbow while I’m at my desk demanding a pet, how she grabs her favorite childhood “bunny” toy every night (wherever it is in the house) to play with Jon or I before bed, her silly “superstition” that she has to be in her kennel and wait for the perfect moment for the nightly milkbone comes, and when I’m ready to get into bed how she comes out of her kennel for a last melting session before bed.

Aelin is a 1st generation Chinook Breed Conservation Program (CBCP) dog (50% Chinook, 50% Bernese Mountain Dog) with the goal to bring increased genetic diversity and other physical qualities to the Chinook breed.

Lake Time Bailey

Birth Date: 2/3/2021

Pedigree: Click here to see Bailey's Pedigree

Hips: OFA Good

Eyes: OFA Normal 6/1/2023

Elbows: OFA Normal

Stats: 90 pounds, 24 inches

Registration: AKC - WS71991003

Genetic Test Results: Dwarfism: Clear, MDR1: Clear

Other: Seizure & allergy free

Bailey is a gentle, old soul in an extra large package. His calm and composed nature endears everyone who meets him. He loves his family passionately and is content travelling where ever they go. He will happily greet strangers and loves to play and run every morning with his two best friends, a pair of Husky "siblings". Bailey is a creature of comfort and although he loves adventures, he is delighted when it is time to snuggle in the bed (head on the pillow) or on the couch. Hiking, biking, roaming the beach (though not swimming), and wading in the river are Bailey's favorite activities. He is cautious in new surroundings. He loves his "work" - accompanying his Mom to her workplace at the Elementary School where he enjoys being mauled by all the children.

Bailey is very routine-oriented and will let you know when it is walk time or will question your decision-by sitting down-if you want to travel a different route. Upon his return home from a walk, he immediately seeks out the family member who stayed home to check on them and let them know how his walk went. And if they aren't adequately attentive, Bailey will paw at them to express his dissatisfaction. He is vocal when it comes to demanding treats but is otherwise a very quiet companion. He loves looking out the front window and curiously inspects the activity on our street. Although our puppy cam captures the occasional howl when he is home alone, he excitedly greets us when we return home, anxiously waiting on the couch for the pets he knows he is going to receive.

Birth

Week 1

Week 1 - 1/28/2024

Oh my how did week 1 go by already?!? It's been a busy and emotional week (see birth week for the update) so it was crazy to wake up today and realize our little benders are already one week old! Aelin has been the super mom we were hoping she'd be. We never have to "save" a puppy from being stepped or sat on, and she's feeding and cleaning them like a pro, just as her mama Zazu did. Zazu will also pop in from time to time to help clean them which is nice she's returning the favor on the help Aelin gave her with the Kitty Litter. Aelin is already taking breaks outside the whelping box and keeping a keen eye on when we pick her puppies up for a snuggle, making sure they are promptly returned to her. We did their week one evaluations today and I'm still in disbelief that they really didn't give a peep or a struggle while doing them! (Breeders will understand the shock that this task is when it goes smooth and no struggling! I'm sure it will be a different story for week 7 evaluations though... haha!) Aang did whine a bit, but to be fair, I did pull him off the milk bar when it was his turn. We were able to give 7 puppies their evaluations and take the week one photos in less than 2 hours!!! This litter all looked really good for the prelim evaluations and we'll be excited to see how they turn out.

When the pups were 4 days old we started their puppy stimulation exercises which helps the puppies become better well-adjusted dogs that may be more resistant to cancers and disease, become more stable, exploratory and learn faster. These small stressors on the pups help stimulate the electrical activity in their brains. The exercises have us hold them in different positions, like laying on their backs (which is super cute), and putting them on a cold, damp cloth and tickling their toes with a q-tip. They will go through these exercises for a week and a half and then will have different things to desensitize and socialize them as they age. I wonder how "stressed" we are making them since half the time they just sleep while you are cradling them on their backs!

Pups are all over 2 pounds at 1 week old!

Photos

Videos

My favorite thing about this age is the nightly puppy snuggling! While we watch TV in the evening, Jon and I will have a puppy to snuggle with in our arms until they get antsy, then we swap them out for another. It's a good age to have the puppy just lay there with you without the need for exploring and moving around. Some nights the pup has been so calm and relaxed, we didn't have to swap them, we just did so we can snuggle another one! I cannot believe how calm and quiet this litter seems to be, so far. Also, we want to give my mom a shout out for being a wonderful puppy helper the first week, helping taking the early morning shift so we can do our 24-hour puppy watch. Puppy snuggles are an excellent job perk! ;o)

Puppies

Avatar (the Last Airbender) Litter: Winter 2024

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Desert Sol Vitality Aelin Fireheart (Aelin)

Lake Time Bailey

Birth

Week 1

Week 1 - 1/28/2024

The Avatar litter (as always in order of appearance):

Desert Sol Katara

Desert Sol Zuko

Desert Sol Aang

Desert Sol Iroh

Desert Sol Sokka

Desert Sol Bumi

Desert Sol Momo

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Week 5

Week 6

Week 7

Week 8