Here are pictures of our breeder Nebula and her four fat puppies - all girls.
No names yet - they get assigned by Guide Dogs, but this litter will start with P. Three from her first litter two years ago are working guides.
We’ll get to play with them just after the fourth of July.
Squee!
That mommy is an awesome dog.
Awwwww, puppies!!! 
Hope this is a smart batch and they’re all put to work.
I love the pool as PuppyLand - very clever and practical. Not that I’ll ever use the idea - all of our critters are non-reproductive.
They’re fabulous! Thanks for sharing the pics.
Very cute… I want one!
Sigh. Nebula is so gorgeous. And the puppies…warm puppy tummies, sweet puppy breaf, soft paws. Nothing sweeter. And they’ll be hero dogs! Cheers to you, Nebula and the pups.
Awww…squee! What sweet puppies! What a beautiful mama dog!
Can you suggest names? With p-named girl puppies - Pandora (and hope) seems the obvious choice for one!
Awww…puppies still in the furry sausage stage. Too cute!
Gawd I love fat puppies. Squee!
PUPPIES!!! I want!
Wow. Great looking litter (and mom, too!) and good on you for putting them to use. I’d always wanted to train my little guy as a therapy dog – he is so friendly and smart – but I just don’t have the time.
Our dog is a flunkie guide dog. He’s a wonderful pet–very well-trained, never jumps on stuff, never barks…he just didn’t get the whole “stay” part of the equation down, which is why he’s not helping handicapped people cross streets right now. Our friend who works for the company we adopted him from says that only 10% of the dogs that start the program finish it and are made into guide dogs. They have a big waiting list, both for the guide dogs and for the adoptables. It’s amazing that three of her last litter made it. She must have a perfect disposition.
An acquaintance of mine fostered a leader puppy knowing that they would have to give the dog up Then came the day that the dog had to be given back and it was the hardest day of their lives. As it turned out, Jake wasn’t Leader Dog potential either and they were able to adopt him back. The people who raise Leader Dogs only to give them up are angels on earth.
Thank you. In 3rd grade in the local schools the kids read a story about guide dogs, and my wife takes Nebbie in for a visit. She can handle being loved by lots of kids, and we got a few raisers out of it also.
Actually Nebbie belongs to Guide Dogs - we just keep her until she can no longer breed, and then we get to keep her.
The way it works, if anyone is interested, is you find a local club or guide dog center. They come and inspect your house, and you puppy sit a few times. Then you get on the list for a dog, which you get 8 - 10 weeks old. You go once a week to meetings, where you learn the tricks of raising and they check up. You get a big raising manual also.
They go back in a year and a quarter. The very best get a special breeder evaluation, and if you live within 50 miles, you get to keep her as a breeder.
Nebbie’s first litter was 8. 3 guides is a bit above average, but all 8 went back for training, which is a very good percentage. They’re short on goldens, so they’re excited about what a good breeder she is. She was artificially inseminated for this batch, which usually gets fewer dogs.
Though it is sad to sent them back (Nebbie is our fourth) you get a new puppies pretty soon.
BTW, having another dog is fine, even preferred.
Voyager - You don’t get Nebbie back after she’s weaned her litter? I figured you keep her through her next litter, and her next, and so on.
StG
We get her back, after she’s recovered a bit. Guide dog puppies that are a bit older go to GDB when they go into season, before they go for training. This litter is her third. The second was a bit of a mess. We figure we have at least two more. Lots of dogs go into season every six months but she goes once a year, almost to the day.
Guide dogs is very concerned about keeping the bloodlines pure and in keeping anyone from saying they’re selling dogs with guide dog blood. All dogs except breeders get spayed before working. I’ve heard that the value of a breeder is $60K, so we take good care of her and are careful not to let her get out.