Cara was bred to our handsome Jackson the beginning of September 2014. Ultrasound on Oct 3, 2014 - confirmed PUPPIES ARE COMING!!! WOO HOO!!! The "Success Litter" arrived late Sunday Nov 2, 2014 - 4 boys and 1 girl. Expecting OUTSTANDING structure and temperment from this combination. Please read below about their time with us here at Sarron and enjoy the photos!

Birth - Week 1 - Nov 9, 2014

Cara went into a pre-labor around 6:30 pm Sunday, Nov 2nd. The puppies arrived fairly soon after:

• 8:12 pm - Yellow Boy weighing 14.0 oz
• 9:30 pm - White Boy weighing 15.8 oz
• 10:53 pm - Blue Boy weighing 15.4 oz
• 12:42 am - Pink Girl weighing 13.5 oz
• 2:23 am - Orange Boy weighing 14.1 oz

• Yellow - 1# 12 oz
• White - 1# 12oz
• Blue - 1# 12oz
• Pink - 1# 10oz
• Orange - 1# 13 oz

2 Weeks - Nov 16, 2014

The babies are doing Great!!! As of today, 11/16/14 - all the babies have the inner corners of their eyes open. :) They still can't see well - but they are able to make out some shapes and they are starting to get a visual of the large human that has been in their box from the beginning. The are also starting to push themselves up on their short little legs. They rock back and forth a bit now, but they are starting to get their legs under them. Don't get me wrong - their days are mostly still spent eating and sleeping.. but they are just starting to act like dogs. Some little barks and growls are beginning to be heard from the box. Blue boy climbed out of the box this week - so I had to put up one of the partial door blockers. And, as I changed their box - they all climbed out of the baby bath that I use to corral them as I'm changing the box. Cara is still being AWESOME! She is so attentive to every need. The babies are still spotless and so is the box. The are growing like weeds too! This week, their weights are:

• Yellow - 3# 1oz
• White - 3#
• Blue - 2# 12oz
• Pink - 2# 8 oz
• Orange - 3# 4oz!!

3 Weeks - Nov 23, 2014

Hello All! What a great week the babies have had! This past week we finished up the Super Puppy program. That went from Day 3 to Day 16. The babies were not all that happy with those exercises, but we did them anyway. :) There were 5 exercises that lasted for 3-5 seconds each, per pup, daily. First was stimulating their feet, then was holding them perpendicular to the ground head up, next was holding them perpendicular to the ground head down, then holding them on their back with their face looking toward the ceiling and finally was to place them on a cold, damp washcloth, feet down. These exercises are supposed to help stimulate their neurological system during development to enable them to handle stress better as an adult. It took a day or so for the babies to enjoy me picking them up and just cuddling them after this process. But, this weekend, they have become much more cuddly as I am not "torturing" them any longer. :)

The babies all have their eyes open and are beginning to focus pretty well. Their ears are opening up as well. Daily now, I change the music station that is playing in the background for them so that they can get used to different sounds. They are all up on their feet and toddling around too. This is the start of the really cute phase. They interact with each other more, rolling and tumbling, mouthing each other. And I added toys to their pen and this weekend, attached their Puppy Porch today - which doubled their living space. When I add the porch the goal is to get them to go onto the porch to potty, and eat. And, to learn to go back to their beds to sleep. and NOT potty... that one takes a while. Cara is an AWESOME dam! She keeps the babies spotless, even when I bring down the gruel and they get messy. She is quite willing to clean them up. She is still picking up after them too. We did start weaning this weekend - I usually start supplemental feedings around 3 weeks. They have done very well. Cara is still with them 100% and she comes and goes as she pleases - I just add in some gruel at this point. This week their weights are:

• White boy - 4# 8oz
• Blue Boy - 3# 6 oz
• Orange Boy - 4# 12oz
• Yellow Boy - 4# 2 oz
• Pink Girl - 3# 12 oz

I will be making sure that Blue gets a focus this week to catch up with his brothers. They are all doing VERY WELL!!! Enjoy the photos here and on the website. If you are not on FACEBOOK - I would encourage you to join and follow the litter on the Sarron Belgian Sheepdog page - I post a TON of photos and videos there. :) Take care

4 Weeks - Nov 30,2014

Hello All! What a great week it has been with the babies!! This week I started supplementing their meals and they have all responded very well. The gruel that I make is 1/3 replacement milk, 1/2 Gerber baby rice cereal and 1/3 pulverized puppy kibble. this is mixed together with warm water and I add some plain Greek yogurt to it as well. The puppies started by lapping it at the beginning of the week, but by weeks end, I was making it thicker and they are starting to chew.

Their teeth are coming in QUITE well! It's amazing how much difference a week makes when it comes to physical attributes. By next week, they will be ready for moistened kibble and I will start weaning off the gruel as much. I am separating them from Cara more so that they begin to rely more on me for food. She is still with them quite a bit, but since the litter is going over to some friends Dec 8 -17th when we go to Eukanuba, I need to get the babies used to eating from bowls.

Additionally this week, I started letting them explore the finished basement and be out of their box. They were upset at first, but within a few exits from the box, they were quite happy to run from one side of the base to the other... They are coming together quite well in coordination - although still quite a long way to go. They do still run into furniture, fall over as they run into each other and generally stagger around, they are doing better with moving in straight lines too. :) They all are very people oriented and will come over to Mike and I when we sit downstairs with them and want to chew on us, our pant legs, fingers and just be held and cuddled. They are really fun right now. This week, their weights were:

• White boy - 6# 7oz
• Blue Boy - 5# 1 oz
• Orange Boy - 6# 9oz
• Yellow Boy - 6# 1 oz
• Pink Girl - 5# 2 oz

These babies are VERY good size for their age. I looked back on Caras' litter from last year at this age, the biggest boy weighed 4 lb 1 oz and the biggest girl was 3 lb 10oz. That boy has grown into a 65 lb male and that girl is 63 lb at almost a year and half... so, none of those puppies will be small. All the puppies have very good substance. All the puppies except Orange have long, ample coat. Oranges' coat is more short, straight and dense. All the puppies are using their rears well for their age and temprements are very social and sweet. I am very pleased with the litter and look forward to watching all of them mature. Enjoy the photos and if you are on Facebook- please do "Like" Sarron Belgian Sheepdog page - as I post TONS of photos and videos during the week that do not make this update. Thanks!

7 Weeks - Dec 21, 2014

The babies have had a fun two weeks since you last heard from us! They went and spent the week with some good friends while I was away at Eukanuba and they met all kinds of new friends. They learned about Wheaten Terriers and Bearded Collies and had lots of fun!!! They seemed so big when I returned! and had FULLL sets of teeth!!! They are avid chewers! Since I've been home, they have continued on their weaning activities and are now eating just moistened puppy food with some greek yogurt on it 3 times a day. Right now they are at about 1/2 cup per puppy per feeding and doing well. Cara still loves being with them and she goes down and sits on the couch and plays with them every day. She isn't in their pen with them anymore.. but she does love her babies. Pink had her by the tail the other day trying to pull her to a stop...didn't work well for Pink. She lays on the floor and babies lay all over her and she is great with them. They still will try to nurse, but Cara is all dried up... but she still stands and will let them try. :) She is a great Mom dog!

The babies had their first bath today as we had friends over for a puppy party. We had it upstairs in the living room as the back yard was way too muddy. The babies all made it through their baths, did well and just LOVED everyone. The puppies had not been in the upstairs living room nor had they met these 5 people who came to see them and you would have thought these folks had seen the babies every day of their lives... Their temperments are SO SOLID! They are all very confident and love to interact with people... not a shy puppy in the bunch. The babies had a great time socializing and then took a big nap. I woke them up after everyone left to try and get stacking photos... that didn't turn out too well for me :( these babies do not want to stand still!!! This week, their weights are:

• Blue: 10# 8 oz
• Yellow: 11#
• Orange: 11# 5 oz
• White: 12#
• Pink: 8# 8 oz

They are doing great! Eating well and getting plenty of exercise. I wish we could take them outside - but it's either too cold or too muddy... All the puppies LOVE the tippy board and the tunnels. They all will tug with you too on toys. These babies have a great foundation to go forward to do great things!!! Looking forward to the next few weeks. We've set arrangements for picks ups already. If there any issues - please let me know. Also, I need to know your registered name choices. I will send in all the registration paper work so please reply back to me and let me know the registered name you've chosen. Remember - it should be no more than 29 letters/spaced long, must start with SARRON and have the word SUCCESS in it. Looking forward to hearing them! Take care and enjoy the photos!

8 Weeks - Dec 28, 2014

The babies have had another busy week. They have had visitors about every day this weekend and greeted each visitor as if they were a long lost friend. They do not know a stranger. They run and jump and lick and bite at your face. Be prepared with LOTS of puppy toys as all of these babies are chewers!!!! You will need to have puppy toys out around the house every place in order to divert them from chewing on your hands and arms...They started eating dry kibble today and that is going well. They are eating Blue Buffalo Wilderness - Chicken Puppy Formula - so please swing by your local retailer and pick up a bag of that to have when you bring them home.

They are going to the vet tomorrow for their first vaccinations and microchipping. You will receive their microchip form to send in for registration when you pick them up. They have been wormed with Pyramith a few times over their 8 weeks and their fecal check this weekend was Negative. You will need to take another fecal sample in with the babies when you take them to your vet for an exam - just to make sure that the vaccinations don't stress them. Speaking of vet... there is ALWAYS one puppy in each litter that ends up at the Emergency vet... that was Yellow boy today. He was running through the dining room with his sister at his side and all of a sudden screamed in pain and couldn't bare weight on his Right Front leg. We gave him a couple minutes to get himself together and he still seemed painful.. off to the emergency clinic for xrays!!! It turned out for the best - just some swelling around his elbow - a strain - no fractures or dislocations.. and by the time we returned home, he was putting weight on it again. We will keep him separated for a day or so and give his injury a chance to heal - but he is doing great! The babies are growing and I had to move to a larger, less precise scale..so these weights are not as precise as they were before.. But - here goes:

• Pink: 10#
• Blue: 11 1/2 #
• Orange: 12 1/2 #
• Yellow: 12 #
• White: 13 #

They are VERY difficult to photo these days... they do not slow down. The grooming table shots are hard enough, sorry that I'm not providing a ton of cute shots... but they are a handful! Can't wait to meet everyone. We are coming up quickly on Puppy Pick up days! Enjoy your New Year in peace - as the babies will be "singing" you into 2015 as you work on crate training with them... :) Take care

9-10 Weeks - Jan 3 - 9, 2015

The Sarron Success Litter went off to their new homes beginning January 3, 2015. Pink girl now lives in Elyria, Ohio with the Dillon family and is co-owned with me. She is more formally known as Sarron Dressed for Success - call name "Macy". Yellow boy now lives in Lancaster, Ohio and is more formally known as Sarron Serendipitous Success - call name "Vox". Orange boy went off to Erie, Colorado on January 9, 2015 to live with the Nowak family and is more formally known as Sarron Thunderous Success - call name "Thor" and white boy is staying with us here at Sarron. His registered name is Sarron International Success - and we call him "Thunder"! Watch for Macy and Thunder in the show rings around Ohio - and we will maybe even see Thor and Vox out doing some dog activities as well!

Blue Boy - A Hydrocephalic Puppy

In regards to Blue Boy from the Cara x Jackson litter. Blue was a hydrocephalus puppy. Here's link to explain that problem: http://www.vetstreet.com/care/hydrocephalus-in-cats-and-dogs When Blue was born on Nov 2, he seemed to be a normal pup. His delivery didn't seem any more traumatic than the other naturally delivered pups and we were happy that we had 4 boys and 1 girl - all healthy, nursing well. It is not uncommon to lose a pup in the first couple weeks of any litter - and that wouldn't have surprised me - as there was one boy in Caras' first litter that she kept pushing away, wouldn't pay attention to and finally just buried him under the covers in the box and ended him. I kept close watch on this litter since we only had 5 babies - but Cara was the absolute PERFECT mother to ALL the puppies for the entire time. She doted on each puppy, cleaned them, fed them all and really was great to each pup. After the first week - I began to think that Blue boy had a more domed shaped head then the other puppies.... I also noticed that he didn't gain as much weight as the other boys so by the end of the first week - I was making sure that Blue got "more than his fair share " of milk. He did OK.

By the end of week two, as the puppies were beginning to open their eyes, Blues' skull still seemed more domed. I talked with some friends... we thought well - maybe he'll just have a different head type. But I was starting to get worried. Blue was a bit slower than the other puppies to open his eyes and to get up on his feet.... well, that's OK I thought - he'll catch up once I start to suppliment them.

At the end of week 3 - I began to suppliment the litter. They all ate well, still nursed and we made sure that Blue got more attention and more food. He was eating well, had normal stools, did interact with his siblings and his mother - Cara still doted on him... he was just behind... By the end of week 4 the babies were up on their feet more, they were stumbling around a bit, but Blue just didn't have the coordination that they other puppies did... he was eating well, interacting, playing with toys, but he was just slower than the others. Blue also, would kind of sit on his butt and turn in circles, like he was a bit lost at times. His head was more dome shaped... I chatted with my vet - a good friend - and told her about the pup. I told her I thought he was a hydrocephalic pup - and that I'd not seen that in BSDs before... I relayed what I had been observing - and she said well... Maybe...

By the end of week 5, again Blue was eating well, having good bowel movements and urinating well. He would run with his siblings and rough house, he would stand on the tippy board and bark at it... he seemed like he was just maybe a week or so behind the litter in development. I thought.. well maybe he will be OK. He still didn't seem to visually track things as well as the other puppies - he moved in circles a bit,,, but I thought... maybe he's just delayed and will be OK. The litter spent the next 10 days with some friends of mine. I relayed all the details about Blue and trusted them to keep an eye on him. By the time I picked him up and asked for their impression - they felt he was having difficulties seeing. hmmm... maybe he was blind. But, also, his head seemed much more domed.

Once the pups came back home, I spent more time with Blue. He had stopped wanting to interact with the tippy board and during his 7th week, he began to withdrawl from his siblings. Don't get me wrong, the other puppies were GREAT with him. They didn't pick on him - they knew he was different.... He began to circle to his left... he really couldn't be consoled unless you picked him up and held him - which I did a lot that 7th week. His sight had gotten worse. I think he could see before I left - but obviously he couldn't now. I would set him down at the food bowl and he would eat - but not with the robustness he had before. Cara still doted on him, licked him - let him still try to nurse. She was a great mom dog! I still knew in my heart he was a hydrocpealic pup - but thought.. maybe he'll just be blind. And,I thought, I can find a home for a blind dog! Well - we went to the vet on Dec 29th for the litters' first vaccinations... That was the first time my vet had actually seen Blue Boy. When I brought him in and sat him down, he began to go into his circles as all of the other babies bounded around the exam room...She shook her head and gave me "the look" that I knew was coming.... but didn't want to face it. She evaluated him and explained this defect to me.. that would take my puppy from me - likely shortly... he was having neurological symptoms already, was blind and she advised the last part would be that he wouldn't be able to swallow. This wasn't something that would even get better or even stay the same.. it would be MUCH worse. She vaccinated the other babies, checked everyone out and then at the end, we put Blue Boy to sleep. Even when you KNOW that there's nothing you can do for a puppy - there's hardly anything in the world worse than putting at 8 week old puppy to sleep.

I hope that no one else has to go through something like this - but it was the right thing to do for that boy. As a breeder - you get so much joy when you see your puppies go off and grow up and make differences in peoples lives... but you also have to handle the hard parts, like this, too... RIP Blue Boy!