The four week pupdate!

Saturday marked four weeks since the "Shepherd's Star" (another term is "Even Star") litter was born.

Our litter names were chosen based on these names for the planet Venus in the sky at twilight, being a steady, constant point of navigation, over the ages. With Star as our retiring matron, and Steady as our up and coming sire, a combination of both ideas seemed appropriate. Litter names reflect the heavens (gale/galaxy, Vesper/venus, etc) as well as constant, steady type names which are tied to the heavens, stars, or navigation.

Four weeks marks the pups' first time outdoors, first time trying soaked kibble, first time in a larger overnight pen where mama is not in constant contact (she chooses to sleep by the side of our bed), first time meeting potential puppy families...

Lighting for photos was so much better than indoor pics. We'll describe what we're seeing in each pup, along with a photo.

Tara, firstborn, shaded sable female. Tara refers to earth, but farther back, we discovered, Tara also was an ancient term for "star". Very fitting, for our Star's last litter.

She is a fun pup, one of the largest of the females. Tara was quite bold for the introduction to the sunporch pen, but shy later the same day as the litter explored the crunchy straw and new surroundings of the outdoor playpen. Tara plays hard, but is not pushy with the others.

Beacon, 2nd born, black/seal male. A beacon in any time period marks the way, or offers warning of dangerous coastlines...

Beacon seems to be a sweet pup. He is not out in front in exploring, but also not timid or shy. He seems to be watchful, sitting to look up and make eye contact, and catching on that when he sits and waits expectantly, I will reach in and scratch him under the chin.

Gale, short for galaxy, with meaning "lively" as stated in one source. She is certainly lively, and a take-charge, strong personality. Gale continues to be vocal and bold. When the water bowl was introduced, the others were sipping from the edges, and Gale came over, assessed the new situation, and leaped forward to place both paws in the water (splashing her littermates). She is fun, bold, and probably needs a home with experienced ES owners and a traditional job to do.

Cole, a nice solid pup with very minimal white. He is possibly the largest male. When faced with new situations, he enters with tail wagging and explores, going up to new people with friendly demeanor and checking things out without whimpering. His head is broader than the others in the litter, and his build a bit stockier. He is bold with his litter-mates, but not picking fights. When I scoop him up if a scuffle is getting too growly, he quickly softens and relaxes on my lap.

Often I notice him playing off to the side while the others sleep, or curled up inside the box that the others ignored... or chewing mischievously on the ear of a sibling who wanted him to play and then fell asleep next to him.

Sparky (a bright spark, a light in the darkness), is very similar to Beacon. Observant, quick to sit and make eye contact, happy to be scratched under the chin. Sparky is a very nice pup and I am curious to see how he and several others react to kids visiting in the coming weeks.

Vesper (another name for Venus), 6th born, a shaded sable female. She is sweet, friendly, and not pushy. On the first adventure outside, Vesper played a bit, took stock of everything, and then fell asleep on my shoe. She seems easy going compared to some of the larger females.

Promise, named after her sire. Steady's registered name is "Covenant of Reveille", and the meaning of a "promise" is so closely related to "covenant". A promise is steadfast, constant and true.

She is a puppy who seems fairly easy going, able to warm up to new situations, and plays "nicely" with others. No excess growls, very willing to be picked up and held, and her bright eyes remind me of her mother Star.

Sable, the 8th born. I played around with a few other names for this handsome boy, but Sable stuck. When he was born, I was sure he was another seal or black puppy, but over that first day, the very dark sable showed through. Sable is a curious puppy, less bold than Cole or Gage, playful, and fun to watch.

Lyra is named after a bright constellation (or musical harp). She is the smallest in the litter, but there is confidence in this little pup. She was first to romp the entire perimeter of the new pen in the sunporch, and was not worried in the least about the crunchy straw or outdoor pen. She reminds me the most of her mama Star, out of all the females. Star won her place here as our first keeper pup, with the great eye contact and spunky fun personality.

Gage continues to be one I am watching as "pick" of the litter. If so, he will be placed in a home where future breeding may be possible. He is bold, confident, and approached the new pen in the sun porch with tail already wagging. As a surprising twist, he was one of the most hesitant in the new pen outdoors. He quickly recovered and was romping around, but not moving too far away from the others.

He is one to watch, as his personality continues to develop.

Midnight is our last pup, at the literal midnight spot. She is 11th born, seemingly playful and not boisterous, a really nice pup who I regularly mistake for Promise. Both girls are happy to be held, playful, and overall do not seek out trouble. At a glance I can spot which pup she is out of the dark ones, by the freckled gray look of her white front paws.

As interest in this litter is quite high, I feel it's good to give a reminder. I am not a breeder who places pups on color or markings. It is very important to me that each pup go to a home where he or she will thrive, based on personality and working ability which is matched to the potential placement.

English Shepherds are not a cookie-cutter breed. Within each of our litters, there will be a few who stand out as take-charge, "needs a farm" (or active dog-sport) placement. When inquiries are made about specific pups because their markings stand out, it is quite likely that others within the litter might match your application requests and could/should be considered. They might not be the color you prefer, but could be just the pup you are seeking.

New this time (for us, at least), is Volhard temperament testing on September 26. Placements will be determined after that date.

We strive to place pups in traditional farm roles whenever we can, as that is how this breed existed throughout the past few centuries.

It will be exciting in these next few weeks, to see where each up finds his or her best home.