WE HAVE PUPPIES! Stella had 7 puppies on Saturday, July 12. The sire is a ACK Champion chocolate named “Walter.” He is Chester’s sire and we bred Stella to Chester in 2012. Go to LabPups2012 to see how those pups turned out!
Sorry we are not running a live webcam for this litter.
UPDATE: 8/8/15:  The black boy has found a great new owner. All puppies have homes!

9/1/15: The puppies had their first doctor visit with Dr. Lee Powell at the North Shore Veterinary Hospital. It was also their first real ride in a car! “Boone” (choc male) came in first in size at 7.5# with “Sydney” (black female) coming close behind at 7.1#. Little “Dash” (black, female) only weight 5.1#. They got a full check-up, first round of shots and a certificate that they are all strong and healthy.

8/26/15: We’ve been busy trying to keep up with the pups. They are getting so big and strong and are all over the place! Here they are conquering the stairs they’ve been working so hard to master. Click image for 00:25m video. 

8/18/15: Last week, we introduced the pups to food. We soak their kibble in water and serve it with ample amounts of soy-milk. It took them a while to learn how to lick, as opposed to suck, for their food. We think this video shows they have the hang of it by now. Click image to view 01:04m video.

And this is what happens after they’ve eaten and romped around outside = puppy asleep in the hosta. How cute is that!!

8/14/15: We had a family reunion this weekend and my grand-daughter was the self-proclaimed “puppy manager” and this is how it ended up.

8/9/15: And they are out of the box! We’ve been taking them outside in a pen under a canopy during the day and they are loving it! Stella is still nursing but we are introducing them to new food (almond milk, rice flakes). We are working on transitioning them from feeding on Stella to feeding on their own, but Stella still wants to take care of them. She is such a good mommy.

8/6/15:  They are so itching to get out…and get to Stella!  But Stella knows how to work it 🙂

I regularly find pups like this one: hanging on the edge, in desperation.

8/1/15: I found these pups  playing like this early this morning. HILARIOUS! They had slept and nursed all night so they were very much awake…and ready to figure out how to tackle the world and each other. It was really funny watching them attempting to tackle each other while still figuring out how to walk. Click image to watch this this 00:40 sec video. 

7/23/15: Here are two videos of what happens when Stella wakes is with these little guys!

1: Stella walks in and wakes them up. They are starting to walk and their eyes are starting to open. Click image to view 00:35sec video.

2: Here is how the pups nurse on Stella. Competition is high for the right spot and they hang on, kneading her as they suck. Small tails are wagging. Compare their size in this photo to the one when they were first born 10 days ago. Click image to view 00:43 sec video.

7/19/15: Dog Days o’ Summer. The buyer for this Black Male backed out. We know he’s going to find  a great home.

7/17/15: Click on the image for a (00:42s) video file of the puppies in a pile trying to get comfortable. They are learning how to comfort each other. They are a week old!

7/15/15: In a day they have grown even more. The only time I can really get a good photo of them all is when they are nursing. Their eyes are still closed and they don’t hear too well but they smell really well, especially the scent of Mama Stella.

7/14/15: I took the pups for their first check-up and to get their dew claws removed. I always transport my puppies in LL Bean bags and today was no exception. They slept all the way to the vet in their cozy totes. Dr. Alex Beckett confirms Stella has the most consistent healthy litters of seven Lab pups he’s even seen.  I can’t agree more.

Bad O’ Chocolates

Bag O’ Blacks:

Back from the vet and they are nursing strong. This is Stella’s third litter and she knows the routine better than us.

7/13/15: It is not unusual to lose a pup after being birthed. I was worried about her because I knew there was an extra pup in there.  Late on Sunday, Stella finally birthed her unborn pup. By Monday, she wasn’t walking, eating or drinking. So I decided to try my favorite summer comfort food fix: Ben & Jerry’s.  It worked miracles!

All pups are strong and healthy. Click image for a 00:30m video of what they look like a day old.

7/12/15: all puppies healthy and nursing strong.

• Chocolate Male
• Chocolate Male
• Black Male
• Chocolate Female
• Black Female (no markings)
• Black Female (white dash)
• Black Female (white dot)

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7/10/15 Stella was very pregnant on a hot summer night.