2 Weeks Old!

Wow!  We can hardly believe it has already been 2 whole weeks!

It looks like Bristol is getting really close to opening her eyes.  We wouldn't be surprised if they open in the next couple of days.

If you hadn't noticed, Bristol has done a LOT of growing this past week.  She has gained 716 grams (1 lb 9 oz)!  She is up to 3 pounds 7.7 ounces!  She has outgrown the basket we were weighing her in and have upgraded to a small box.  It doesn't look like it will last for very long either!

Hope Says... "Really??"

What a CHUNK!!

It is safe to say that Bristol is still doing very well on Leerburg's Bottle Feeding Recipe!

Not only is she gaining weight, she's a surprisingly active girl.  We've noticed her already standing on all four wobbly legs.  It will be no time before she's no longer crawling her way around the whelping box!

Changing Every Day

Every day Bristol is growing and every day we see her features starting to develop.  She's got a cute little puppy button nose, you can see her eye shape starting to form and her ears are starting to open.  It is amazing to notice something new every day.

1 Week Old!

Bristol is 1 week old today!  

She's grown from 1 lb 1.6 oz to 1 lb 14.5 oz!  She's gained almost a full 13 ounces in 1 short week, despite her rocky start!  We are so proud :)

Bristol says..."No more photos, please"

The Many Sleeping Positions of Bristol

Snuggled with Mom

On top of Mom

In Margaret's Hoodie

On Mom's tail

Upside down in our arms 

Tucked in Mom's legs

In our laps - nose in the pocket

Between Mom's legs

Which place is her favourite??  

All of them!

5 Days In

Bristol is growing leaps and bounds!  She has gained 150 grams (about 5 oz) since birth.

Couldn't resist sharing the photo of David snuggled up with Hope and baby Bristol.

At least it isn't just David and I who are feeling the sleep deprivation ....  Hope fell asleep with her face in her food bowl tonight.

Bristol's Second Day

Our first 24 hours with Bristol were a real challenge.  Hope's milk has not come in and Bristol was not happy with the milk replacer formula or the bottles that were designed for puppies.  Unfortunately we learned this after stores had closed and so we had to make due until stores opened again in the morning.

The good news was Bristol was very driven to nurse from Hope, so we were able to tuck a thin, narrow nipple under her lip and dribble in some milk replacer while she was latched on Mom.  This was never enough to completely fill her, just temporarily settle her, so it was a very restless night for all of us.  She was trying to nurse about every 30 minutes...so every 30 minutes we were trying to dribble in some additional sustenance to keep her going.

The next day we rushed out and bought the ingredients to make Leerburg's Bottle Feeding Recipe along with a wide variety of human bottles to hopefully find something Bristol would approve of.  Our first try with the new formula and human bottle was a great success!  She has been eating regularly and is already gaining weight.

This little puppy has been through a lot of struggles so far and has fought through everyone of them.  She truly is our little Bristol Fighter.

Here's a short video that Google "Auto Awesome" put together from some of the video and photos we've captured today.

What's in a Name: Our "Bristol" Fighter

We struggled for awhile to pick a name that really suited this strong, spirited girl.

After a little research, we settled on Bristol - name after the British car manufacturer Bristol Cars.  (it is also the name of a racetrack - the Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol Tennessee).

The history of the Bristol cars is really quite a fascinating story of a real entrepreneurial family.  They had huge success building fighter plans for the World Wars...but once they wars were finished they needed to quickly find a new source of income to ensure their 70,000 employees stayed employed.  They started building super cars!  Their second model, the 401, manufactured in 1948 was the first 2 litre engine to make it to 100 MPH!

It wasn't until we had decided that yes, she sounded like a Bristol that we discovered that the most recent model of cars in the Bristol line up was called the "Fighter".  We could not have selected any more of an appropriate name!!

Ready or not....here comes our Bristol Fighter!

Welcome Our Miracle Puppy!

We had one, very special girl born via c-section today.  She is a real fighter!

We have yet to pick a name for her - but given she is from our second litter, her name will begin with a "B" and will stick with our theme...but still reflect her strong personality.

Here's a photo of Mom and baby - you will have to look really close to see her, she's coloured just like her mother.  It doesn't show well in the photos, but she has a beautiful auburn shade to her coat - very rich.

Hope and Kola - Love at First Sight!

It is just after Christmas and obviously love is in the air!  Hope and Kola met for a special visit today and there were sparks flying.  We anticipate welcoming some special new Shiloh puppies at the end of February!  We are all crossing our fingers and paws.

For more information on this litter, please be sure to visit our website:  Hope/Kola 2014