Our Summer 2026 litter from
Little Brownies O’Henry MH and Little Brownies Sagebrush SH
arrived on Monday, August 17th
There are 8 puppies - 2 girls and 6 boys. Scroll down to see pictures and, eventually, video of the litter.
This x-ray was taken less than three days before birth to help us count the number of pups to expect.
For many years now we have had a naming theme for our litters. This year’s theme is “The Odyssey” taken from Homer’s poem and inspired by the movie of the same name. Below are the names we are using for each of the pups, correlated to the color of their collar. These names are not permanent and only used by us to keep accurate records and provide easy distinction.
Sage is a great mom and really loves her pups.
In the two pictures above, the pups are just five days old.
Twice daily whelping box bedding changes means we need to put the pups somewhere cozy for a little bit of time. The incubator works great but, as you can see, at 11 days of age the pups are getting a bit cramped. The time for a bigger holding area is fast approaching.
Daily checks on weight correspond to their daily ENS and ESI activities out to the age of 16 days. Here you see Mentor getting his first whiff of decaying leaves. A different scent, introduced every day, has been found to stimulate neurological development, build confidence, and improve future scent-detection capabilities. Just another way we try to give our pups a great start in life.
We tried to capture this moment in a better way but just could not get the pups to cooperate. At day 10, we saw the pups starting to pull themselves up on all fours in an attempt to walk. If you look closely at the picture on the left you can see a shadow under Zeus’ rear end formed as he pulled himself up. Also, Athena has pulled herself up and is on all fours as she moves toward mom for a little drink. In just a few days they will be moving pretty well.
After a short time the bigger pups are added and the competition begins
With mom distracted, Hermes decides to get a drink and wash down some of the new food
The pup’s first meal of puppy food. They are growing up fast.
Mentor wears the badge of honor upon his face
And that is the end of it… a cup of moistened food gone in just a couple of minutes and puppies with full bellies
In just a few short days they pups are so much better at eating regular food that they get their individual bowls.
Penelope is using the Hedgehog toy as a pillow. That is probably better than using one of her brothers.
Okay Hermes, let’s see you escape a pen. Their first pen meant not only to hold them but to teach them to use the litter pans when having to potty.
Hermes thinking about escaping the confines of the whelping box, certain that there is a bigger world to be explored.
Girls
Pink collar - Penelope
Light blue collar - Athena
Boys
Blue collar - Zeus
Green collar - Hermes
Purple collar - Poseidon
Orange - Mentor
Red - Argus
Yellow - Cyclops
To the right is Cyclops showing of his “one eye.” We thought it a bit coincidental that the puppy named Cyclops would be the first to open its eyes at 12 days of age and even more so when that left eye was fully opened before the right eye even began to show signs of opening. For a little more than an day he lived up to his given name.
Their first taste of puppy food:
The pup’s first feeding of well moistened puppy food starts with the smallest pups first
As the food supply is about devoured mom steps in to clean up the mess… sort of
What do we do after a good meal? Why, snooze of course.
Weeks 5 to 8
Nora came with her family to see the pups when they were five weeks old. Visits like this help to socialize the pups.
At five weeks of age the pups have graduated to a larger pen and the opportunity to get outdoors.
Snuggling with Lynn in the grass. Left to right are Argus, Hermes, and Penelope.
Is there such a thing as too much socialization? Maybe, as you can see, after a lot of snuggles, play time, and visits with the new humans, these pups could not take it anymore and decided that a nap was in order.
Once the cool weather passed we were able to get the pups outdoors for new adventures. Here they are eating their lunch which we used to lure them out the door and onto the patio.
Mom is telling the pups that the milkbar is closed, in a very subtle way.
Athena (top) and Penelope (bottom)
Pups out exploring the outdoors for the first time at five weeks of age.
The pups following Lynn while out on their walk-about.
The pups at six weeks of age visiting family
The pups visiting family - grandma and dad
Six weeks old
Pups can only play for so long and then they get worn out. The problem is that as they grow they can play for longer and longer times. This time it took an hour-and-a-half before they decided to take a nap. The pups on the right lasted the longest. They are Argus and Hermes. On the left you have, going clockwise starting on the left, Cyclops, Penelope, Poseidon, Mentor, Athena, and Zeus.
Sage out and about with the pups at six weeks.
Zeus was being a bit defiant in this clip. He did not want to come when called… until he realized that we were giving out treats.
This is how they come running when the know that a treat is in store! Good puppies!
The pups take a walk in the woods at seven weeks of age… and they loved it.
Above is Cooper, formerly Mentor, now living in central Michigan and getting ready to fill his grandsire’s (Stone) shoes.
Speaking of Stone (Little Brownies Ceske Kamen), here is a little homage to him and his family. On the left is Stone at about six weeks of age. The picture in the middle is of the little girl (age 6) who grew up with him until his passing at 12 years of age. Pictured with her are Stone’s littermates and their mom, Violet. On the right is that same girl as she came to pickup the family’s new puppy on October 10th. This time she was with Sage, Stone’s granddaughter and her pups, Cooper’s littermates. It warms our hearts when so many of our previous puppy owners return for another puppy. The trust they put in us means a lot and we are very thankful to all of them.
This is another puppy that headed off to live with previous puppy owners. This puppy is now called Franklin and lives in upstate New York with his sister Cholie.
Soon the pups went exploring in the grass and checking out all of the new smells and textures.
Mentor
Zeus