Harley has at least 9 pups ready to come out

Terri took Harley to the vet to get an X-Ray in order to have a puppy count.  As it turns out, Harley didn’t want to sit still enough so the pictures were blurry.  The vet was able to study them and tell us there were at least 9 pups in there but it’s possible there are more!

Harley is due this Friday but the vet tells us it may be earlier.  Stay tuned!!

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Harley update 2/23/2019

Yesterday was a good day. 

We took Harley to the vet to do an ultrasound in order to confirm pregnancy and it is confirmed!  We are VERY excited.  We do not know how many puppies there are as it’s just too soon to tell. 

We counted at least 6 but there are almost certainly more.  We plan to do an X-ray to get a better count somewhere in the 3rd week of March but for now, it’s time to start getting excited!

We are fully aware that many on the list will not get puppies this time around and we are sincerely sorry for that but at least the process has begun and we will be doing this again, and again…  😉

Pure and simple math says she should deliver pups on or about Wednesday March 27th but Mother Nature can vary that by a few days.

Harley is doing fine.  She’s more clingy and loving than she’s ever been but we enjoy that.  Her appetite is definitely increased but she’s eating for many now and she’s taking prenatal vitamins twice every day.  She’s gained 3 lbs since breeding and the vet says that’s good.

Keep an eye on Facebook and your email for updates!!

If you’d like to see the video of the ultrasound, I’ve posted it on Facebook HERE.

Happy Days!!

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Harley has been bred!

Golden Retriever
Miss Harley Quinn

Today (2019/1/25) at noon, Harley and Tucker had their first tie.  This means she’s been bred!

Tucker – Creed Goldens

They will do this again two more times over the next two days to help increase the chances of good fertilization and we should have her home by Sunday afternoon.

 

We are very excited but need to caution that while this is a very positive thing and step two in the process (heat, 3 ties, gestation, delivery, keep pups healthy for 2 months), there are still things that can go wrong so until we actually have puppies to send to their forever homes so there is no guarantee; we are however very giddy and optimistic!

We will confirm pregnancy in a few weeks but cannot get a puppy count estimate until after 55 days gestation.

IF everything goes fine, we should be looking for puppies at the end of March that are ready to go to their forever homes by the end of May.  Keep your fingers crossed!!

 

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Harley is in heat 1/13/2019!

Harley went into heat yesterday 1/13/2019.  She was 7 weeks late but that is not all that uncommon, especially in winter. 

Harley 1/2019 heat with Emma photobomb

We are very excited and IF all goes well we should have puppies in the spring, ready to go to their forever homes early summer 2019.  We make no promises at this point since anything can happen between then and now but this is the first necessary step and we look forward to beautiful puppies!

If you are already on the waiting list, you can expect constant email updates as things progress.  Facebook of course will get constant updates as we go and as major things happen, this blog will be updated.  If you would like to receive notification of blog posts, be sure to subscribe at the bottom of any web age on this site but you should also be sure to watch for the confirmation email and act on it.

Sooo excited!

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Harley Update – January 2019

It appears that Harley may have skipped her latest heat or never really went far enough into heat for what was needed. While it is still possible she will go into heat in the next two weeks it is increasingly unlikely. We’ve been running tests on her saliva under the microscope every few days and we saw evidence of progesterone increasing until around a week ago when it started decreasing and today’s test was very light. The test used is referred to as a “Canine Fern” test that can be done with a dried saliva sample on a glass slide examined with a children’s microscope. This test basically gives indications of the amount of free progesterone in the dog’s system. It is not as accurate as a $200 blood test but it is free and when used over time it can clearly show trends and the current trend is saying her cycle is going away.

We know that Harley‘s family has zero history of problems with heats and she is completely healthy with a stellar diet and well cared for with tons of love and play time so we can only assume the issue is environmental. We even took Harley into our vet and they agree she’s fine. Historically her heats have been very noticeable and regular and we watched her closely starting the last week of October. We believe any combination of the following reasons are suspects:

  • We traveled with the dogs to Houston for a week in early October for Terri’s school work – the dogs love travel but the change is still stressful to them.
  • We received Emma in late October which included a drive to Houston and back to pick her up resulting in a new and excited 4 old puppy crawling all over Harley and River on the 4 hour trip home and often since. This happened a few weeks before Harley should have started her heat. Although Emma is now part of the family and they all get along really well, the new addition and the trip added stress for a while
  • We received Dexter in mid-November, just a week before Harley should have gone into heat – that added stress for a while
  • We had a ton of family over for Thanksgiving – that added stress for a day or two
  • It’s winter and the days are shorter – Heat cycles are affected by the amount of daylight
  • Mother Nature was just in a bad mood – it happens

We know this is bad news; we are unhappy about it as well. We have no reason to believe Harley will not go into proper heat in another 4 or 5 months with puppies ready to go home in late 2019 but for now, we just watch, wait, reduce stress on her and pray Mother Nature cooperates this time and hope for beautiful puppies in late 2019. We will certainly let you know if anything changes.

We also look forward to when Emma is ready to be a momma but that’s still 18 months out at least.  For now she gets to just be a happy-go-lucky puppy.

 

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Harley Update December 2018

We know many of you are anxious to have puppies from Harley in the spring so here’s an update.

By our best guess based on her past schedule, Harley should have gone into heat 11/20/2018 but she did not.  She is showing all the signs of going into heat (clingy, moody, lots if “interest” from River and Dexter and even Emma at times) but she’s not there yet.  This is not all that uncommon for winter heats as they are often delayed due to the short days. 

We had a rather expensive progesterone blood test done on her a few weeks ago and she was at “level 1”.  This could mean many things but in the end, it does mean that heat “should” be coming.  Terri is also running “Ferning” tests from her dried saliva under a microscope a few times per week and we see continued evidence of progesterone.  As you can see from the graphic, if free progesterone is present, she’s in her cycle somewhere.

Canine heat is at best a difficult thing to forecast and they can vary.  Here are the current possibilities for Harley:

  • She had an early and silent heat and we missed it or she skipped her heat
    • Most unlikely
  • She started heat and then just stopped
    • Very unlikely
  • She started heat and stopped and will start again
    • Called a “split heat” – yes, it’s a thing
  • She is just late going into heat
    • Most likely, especially since it’s winter

Canine heat can be late by as much as 2 months so at this point we are at the mercy of Mother Nature and can only wait and watch.  We will continue to watch, love, care for, and test her.  We do our best to keep you updated with her progress.

Once she is pregnant, the pregnancy lasts roughly 63 days.  After the puppies are whelped, they need to be weaned, healthy and at least 8 weeks old before they go to to their forever homes.  For now we will let you do the math and will provide better estimates when the action actually starts.

Tucker

We are very excited to have secured Tucker as sire for the upcoming litter.  His loving owner has been kept up-to-date and is standing ready when Harley is.

 

Sincerest thanks for your patience and understanding.

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Sire Selected for Harley’s First Litter!

We at Texas TLC Goldens are very excited to announce that we’ve selected the sire for Harley‘s first litter of Golden Retriever Puppies!  Tucker from Creed Goldens in the Dallas area is an absolutely gorgeous and proven dark Golden Retriever Sire and we can hardly wait to see their pups!

Tucker is cleared for pretty much every potential DNA issue that mankind knows about for Golden Retrievers.

Tucker was tested and is OFA “Good” for hips and “Normal” for elbows.

He is a gorgeous dark Golden Retriever and is healthy, happy and owned by a sweet and responsible breeder (Creed Goldens) in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.

We are currently waiting for Harley to go into heat.  If nature cooperates we should have amazing puppies available to go to their forever homes in spring of 2019.  If you are seriously interested in purchasing gorgeous, healthy and happy Golden Retriever Puppies, please consider joining our Puppy Waiting List to assure your pick order!  It’s free to join but we (and the others on the list) appreciate notification if you plans change.

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Harley should have puppies Soon (We hope)

2018/12/14 – Pupdate:  Harley is late going into heat.  We think she is just late and will still go in before long but we are at the mercy of Mother Nature right now.  We will continue to update the Facebook page as things happen and will put announcements here as appropriate but for now….  we wait..

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Harley went into heat last time on 5/3/2018 at 21 months of age.  That puts her in a 6.5 month cycle if she remains consistent (and most Goldens do by this point).  That said she should be ready to breed in late November with puppies 63 days later which “should” be early February 2019.

Harley in her puppy panties during 5/2018 heat

The puppies should be ready to go to their forever homes in late March or early April 2019 at roughly 8 weeks of age.  We will be posting lots of pictures and videos as they grow in our care.  We are aware that’s a long time to wait (depending on when you are reading this) but it should be worth it!  We COULD breed Harley now but we feel it’s best for her health and the health of the puppies to wait until after her second birthday so that she’s a full adult before becoming a mommy.  That schedule also allows us to get her OFA clearances for hip, elbow, heart and eyes before whelping since the hip/elbow clearances can only be provided after she reaches 2 years old.

In the future we plan to accumulate up to 4 breeding females spaced roughly two years apart so in future the wait will not be so long.   Some will be Harley’s puppies but at least one will be from an outside source so that we can get a really dark golden in the mix.  We are on the hunt now for the right dam and sire and breeder to provide that puppy but we’ll be VERY selective.  We want to be able to provide the best quality, healthiest and happiest golden puppies for you to take home as pets.

Stay tuned to this website and our Facebook page for updates!

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