I’ve talked about this before, but people often comment or ask about how hard puppy delivery day is. Since I’m with these adorable fluff balls from birth until they leave for their forever homes, I must get so attached and have a hard time saying good-bye.

But honestly, that is one of the most fun days for me. I know how excited their families are, how long they’ve waited and planned and how they’ve anticipated this day. I love handing over those fluff bundles to those big smily faces. Sometimes the new owners (young and old) even get a little teary-eyed when they receive their puppy into their arms. It’s just such  a special day!

So the hardest parting for me is when I send my retired dogs off to their retirement homes. I don’t like to do that. I don’t want to do that. But I choose to do it for the dog.(And if I continue to raise pups, I can only take care of a limited amount of dogs). Because I want their retirement to be happy, relaxing, and for them to be spoiled, loved and given undivided attention. They would get love and attention here but they would be the “queen” or “king” of the realm as they would be in a family setting.

So I’m happy to share some updates I have on some of our last retirees and the new chapters of their lives!

You might remember Smudgie was our last Cavalier that retired the end of last year. (She is from our “sister” litter including Mercy (also retired), Gracie, Joy, Hope and Glory.)

And several updates she sent me over the months….(after traveling home with Smudgie) “Smudge is doing fine”(A few days later…) “Smudgie is doing great. She loves playing ball. “Smudgie is doing great! (A month later…) She loves to take walks and cuddle. We love her!” (Two month update….)”Smudgie is doing great. We adore and spoil her!”

“As you can see, Smudgie has figured out where her treats are! She is doing great.”

Also you might remember me talking about Lucy our Poodle retiring last year also. Hers is quite an amazing transition. She is not only being a great companion to her mom but also a bit of a service dog (although not certified or anything).

I got this note from her mom. (Her mom has a debilitating disease).

“Lucy may become a service dog yet. 🙂 This morning I was struggling to get out of bed and I told her to go get my caregiver. She immediately ran out of my bedroom and alerted “R” who followed her back to my room and helped me. Lucy is such a good girl. <3″

She also said “She never leaves my lap or side.”

Those kind of updates just hit me in the heart and I am so grateful. Those are orchestrated by God in my opinion. He knew Lucy and her mom would be perfect for each other!

And the last dog I’d like to share about is Hazel. I feel bad because someone (and I apologize to whomever it was because I don’t remember their name!) reached out last year when they heard we had a retiring Poodle. It was before the holidays and things got busy and I never got back to them.

In the meantime, my elderly in-laws ended up having to put their beloved Poodle to sleep. My MIL loved that little thing but my FIL seemed to grieve more for her. She was the center of their world and went everywhere with them.

The subject came up a week or so after her passing about getting a puppy from me. Well, I really didn’t want to discourage them but honestly didn’t think they were at the right stage of life to deal with puppy antics and training.

So I told them about Hazel who was ready to retire and that maybe they could “try her out”. If she didn’t fit she could always come back here, but I had a feeling they would fall for her.

And they did. They love her and she has filled a whole that Annie left behind. She has particularly attached herself to my FIL (a Korean War Vet) who I think needed her the most. <3

Another divine appointment I think. Now where are my tissues?