ArborGate Labradoodles' Journal

I'd like to use this space as a journal of events that are going on here at ArborGate Labradoodles. There is so much puppy news to report that I hope to be able to journal it here for you to see. Please read and enjoy the happenings in our little corner of the world.

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I know this is off topic, it has nothing to do with puppies but I know many of my puppy families have asked for details about my recent trip to South Africa.

A group of us spent two weeks volunteering at an orphanage for AIDS affected orphans.

It just so happened that the World Cup Soccer Tournament was on while we were there.

Here's our group at the front of the orphanage. If you'd like more information about Bethesda, you can visit their website: www.bethesdaoutreach.org

They make it easy to donate online so if you feel like supporting an amazing organization that is making a huge difference in the lives of orphaned children.... you can visit: http://www.bethesdaoutreach.org/getinvolved_needs.htm

The children at Bethesda live in family units with a "mom", "dad" and "siblings". We enjoyed meeting each of the 5 families and of course we had a great time playing with the kids.

We did a number of work projects around Bethesda's property. We painted one of the families homes, scrubbed the floors at their school on the property, installed a sprinkler system and installed a basket ball hoop (see below).

The kids loved playing hide and seek in the holes before the baketball posts were put in. We painted the backboard to be the South African flag. It turned out real nice if I do say so myself! :)

The kids loved playing on the playground and could not get enough soccer. They would play morning, noon and night if they could.

We had a "taste" of the local culture. These are mpone worms....yum!

A trip to South Africa wouldn't be complete without a safari!

We also spent some time helping orphaned children in Stinkwater. We prepared 72 lunch kits for the kids there. Many of the children didn't want to eat all their lunch so they could save some for tomorrow. These kids are hungry and mostly living in child headed homes.

We spent the day playing games with them, singing, reading and just having a good time. These kids loved the attention and you could see the joy in their eyes.

Overall, it was a wonderful trip and I plan on going back. Next time I'll bring my husband and kids along. It was such a lifechanging experience for me and I'm so thankful to have had the opportunity to go.

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In other big news, I am heading to South Africa on Tuesday! I'll be spending 2 weeks volunteering at an orphanage. While I'm away, our puppies will be in the capable hand of my husband, David. Good Luck Honey!

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First off, let me thank all the people who sent in such fabulous suggestions for litter names. I've stored all those great ideas away for later use. Lacey's litter has been named after chocolate bars. This was Michelle's suggestion and it just seemed to fit the litter....so we have:

Twix, Aero, Rolo, Hershey, Godiva, Oh Henry! and KitKat.

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A Tardy Guest...

We had a late addition to the party!
At 3:30am a chocolate fleece girl made her enterance.

That's more than
6 hours after the previous pup.  I think that's a record around here!

So, all tallied, we have 11 beauties.

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Here are Ms. Maggie's 10 beauties!

We have:

5 GIRLS (3 chocolate and 2 chalk)

5 BOYS (3 chocolate, 1 cream and 1 caramel-cream)

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It's time....Maggie's first pup arrived at 11:47am. I'll post a picture once everyone is here!

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We're ready and waiting for the big event. Maggie is officially due tomorrow....and the waiting has begun. Our sweet girl is BIG and moving slow. She's sleeping in our room so I can keep an eye on her through the night. So far....nothing. But it can't be long now! I'll post again once these little bundles make their appearance.

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We need your help.....

Lacey's and Willow's litters are here and are growing up so quickly. The time has come to register all the pups with the International Labradoodle Association. But before I can register them..... they need their official pedigree names. Now, these aren't the names that the families have to call them but these are the names that will appear on their pedigree, registration, etc. Our breeder's prefix: ArborGate's" goes in front of each of the names. So for instance....we've retained ArborGate's Willow and ArborGate's Hickory for our breeding program. We've also had ArborGate Aurora Borealis and ArborGate's Arctic Star go on to join other breeder's programs.

All of our litters are named after a common theme. This is mostly for fun but it also helps us remember which puppies came from which litters. Willow and Hickory came from Sadie's first litter, the entire litter was named after trees. Aurora and Arctic Star were named after things that remind us of our hometown of Whitehorse Yukon in northern Canada. We've had litters named after:

Famous Gates: Brandengurg, Zion, Kashmiri, Cairo, Khyber, Jaffa, Torii

Christmas: Blitzen, Prancer, Comet, Dasher, Belle, Glory, Noelle, Joy, Mr.Kringle, Mr.Jingles, Holly, Miracle

Trees: Asher, Truffles, Camelia, Magnolia, Hercules, Olive, Willow, Chester, Hickory

Weather: Hail, Frost, Thunder, Storm, Blizzard, Haze, Typhoon, Lightning, Rain

Stones/Minerals: Ruby, Clay, Coal, Lava, Flint, Onyx, Pebbles

Flowers: Poppy, Sunflower, Caspia, Aster, Clover, Cosmos, Daisy, Violet, Lily, Buttercup, Azalea

Planets: Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn

Our Home: Dawson, Logan, Elias, Chilkoot, Yukon, Atlin, Klondike Kate, Aurora Borealis, Arctic Star

We need your suggestions for themes and names for our current litters. I was thinking of using the theme of "nursery rhymes" for Willow's litter but I have no fun ideas for Lacey's litter. Lacey has 4 girls and 3 boys.

Feel free to email me any ideas! contactus@arborgatelabradoodles.com

I'll announce the winning theme and names here in the next weeks. Thanks in advance for your help!

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They're here! Willow kept us waiting but her pups have finally arrived. It was worth the wait! We have 8 stunning chocolate standard fleece Australian Labradoodle puppies to spoil. We are hoping to hold onto something from this litter to add to our program. I can hardly wait to watch them grow.

We are currently taking Guardian Family applications for a standard chocolate fleece australian labradoodle male from Willow and Marley's litter. Please Click Here for more information.

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Lacey's puppies arrive on Saturday. She is such a good momma! Very attentive and caring. He pups have gorgeous coats and I love watching the one cream girl amongst a sea of chocolates. Tomorrow we'll begin our Early Neurological Stimulation Exercises.

We have a few chocolate drops available from this litter. Please fill in our Online Puppy Application if you're interested in adopting one of these sweet little bundles.

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Waiting for puppies to arrive....our momma is in stage 1 labor but she typically can stay in this stage of panting, nesting, shivering, etc. for quite some time. Knowing my girl, she'll probably wait until bedtime before deciding to push. Maybe I should go have a nap!

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Here's a great picture from O'Malley's family:

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Gina,

I just wanted to send you an updated picture of Bentlee.  He is our pride and joy beyond anything we ever expected.  If there was ever a perfect dog it is him.  Bentlee is soooooo gentle and sweet natured.  and.....I have only heard him bark maybe 3 times.  He is very quiet. What a guy! We just adore him. I am sending you a 5 month picture of him. Thank you also for your professionalism with your business.  If ever you need a reference please let me know. I have told at least 10 people your website address.  Everywhere we go people want to know what kind of dog Bentlee is and how do they get one. We sing your praises.  Oh and by the way...I love this dog so much I don't care how big or small he is.  He is the perfect fit for us!


Thank you again

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I've been away from my Journal for sometime. I used our "non puppy time" to head up to Canada for a visit with family. I'm back home now and getting ready for Lacey's litter to arrive this week. It's been a while since we've had newborn pups around here and I can hardly wait. Summer litters are so much fun. The kids love to play with them in the yard, the pool and the sprinkler.

This is also an exciting litter since Lacey was mated with both Ritz and RUE. I wonder what color of pups we will have.... Ritz's pups would be black or red while RUE's babies would be chocolate and cream. It'll be a surprise! There's a chance there will be pups from both dad's in the litter or it could happen that all the pups are from only 1 of the boys. My husband and I have bets down. Only time will tell......

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Here are some pictures of Willow and Marley during their honeymoon week....

Believe me when I tell you that Marley really is that dark chocolate! There are very few Australian Labadoodles that hold their true dark chocolate color. Most chocolate pups lighten to cafe, parchment or even lavender. But not Marley and he's almost 6 years old! We are expecting some gorgeous standard chocolate fleece australian labradoodles from these two in May. Can't wait to meet them! Willow is such a lover and Marley is a certified therapy dog so these pups are going be stunning and have phenemonal temperaments! The pics are coutesy of Shauna.

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Raising Australian Labradoodle Puppies for Your Family
contactus@arborgatelabradoodles.com