NEWS - MATOBO HILLS Rhodesian Ridgeback Kennel

You can now see the latest pictures of the little ones. You can find them on Facebook or Instagram. New picture in the story every day ♥

This game also had an update yesterday.

They are 2 weeks and 5 days old, and their development is amazing. When their blind eye is gone, you should be aware of the slightest warning, but this isn't the case. And it has to be handled with fun. They rumble, grunt, dream, and communicate. When they hear my voice, all their heads go up, and they look towards me to see exactly who it belongs to. One or two are even starting to bark, sort of. Simply magical.

But even if it looks so rosy on the outside, there's a lot of work behind it.

Especially when you don't have staff to take over shifts ;-). Please note that we have already listed the puppies' daily routine in the online shop of the Boutique and the Lakmil. Then there are three new items to be fried in the stars. We also have a handle where the volume of the full moon time is impossible to behave. :-) One could write a book about it.

However, there are some other washer parts that are damaged. Already on the 3rd day after birth for the first time, then every 2-4 days. If this is the case and one of the parts of Mama's clothes and puppies to prevent them from getting their little nails caught on textiles, they are regularly trimmed. This is followed by cleaning the whelping box every day, Mama has also been allowed to have two baths to rinse off the birth marks and all the sticky milk from her teats, the first deworming treatment for the little ones and also Payton last Wednesday, training to pee on a special pad (practice makes perfect), cuddling with the little ones in the whelping box and attention for the big ones (Jurell, Mac Bess and Coeur), who must not be forgotten. When you find the weather, you'll find it reflected in your garden's status. Sometimes even Payton wants to sunbathe, so we take turns to keep things from getting too hectic in the house.

...] Lower the temperature in the whelping box from 28°C to 26°C; they can tolerate it quite well. The heater is happy, and so am I, since I sleep 2 meters away from the heater and the whelping box. In between, visits are scheduled, Hati's arrival for Mac Bess is coordinated and arranged, vet appointments are planned and recorded, contracts are prepared, the puppies' first health insurance is applied for, the puppy parents are provided with further information, and many questions are answered. This continues until nightfall, when the puppies are asleep. The new Collection of DOG WEAR in the Matobo Hills Boutique is open and ready to be worn. Payton says it's time for a warm day, and it's optimal for all occasions, even if it's mild. So, it's night again at midnight. Packages for shipping are packed and handed over to the shipping company. New food deliveries are received and put away, cleans are put away the washed laundry, or handles are immediately put back into use, and all accessories no longer needed at the whelping box are cleaned and packed away. And tidying up in the basement, washing the dog beds and changing the covers in between, vacuuming and mopping—just what you get with girls in heat... Oh, and when the raspberry shoots start popping up in the garden, you have to quickly find the time to prune the old canes so you can harvest fresh raspberry leaves for Lakmil. :-P Did I mention that we also got a new fence at the back of the property to protect us from the neighbor's black German Shepherd? Yesterday, nine rows of privacy screens had to be woven into the 50-meter fence.

24/7 - Day after day ♥ THIS is puppy time ♥ Add to that a sleep rhythm of 2.5 hours (from about 0:30 to 5:15 am). HAHAHA, anyone want to trade places? And then, you know, the last moment the phone is back on the other side, or there's another time. If you do it, you don't have to wait until now. But don't worry, we're all doing well, and I find happiness in the sight of them in the whelping box ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Payton is a queen when it comes to caring for her babies. Day and night, she lies in there tirelessly, nursing them.

She's so attentive. As long as the little ones don't have teeth yet, it's still manageable. But that will change. By the beginning of next week at the latest, they'll be supplemented with Lakmil Phase 1. Then Mama Payton will interrupt the little pups' feedings, meaning more mess and multiple cleanings a day. From the 4th week onward, they can and will be allowed to leave the whelping box and explore more space, play together, and then the real work begins. Everything before was still manageable... and now...

It seems Mac Bess is deliberately waiting a bit so we can catch our breath after Payton's litter. :-) That's very kind of her, of course, but our future puppy parents are also waiting for their wedding – so: MAC BESS, you're welcome to come into heat now. ♥

Coeur is following in her mother's footsteps and waiting too. Well, this could get interesting.

The time had come. Payton's progesterone levels were so high that we quickly set off to see her admirer, Dante. Since we also had plans to pay someone a surprise visit, we headed south. Everyone was on board. It was a joy. Jurell only heard "Vacation!" and immediately sat back in the car, unaccompanied.

Payton and Dante met on the weekend of December 20th, and there were two successful dates! ♥ Thank you so much, dear Sylvia and Bruno, for your hospitality. It was truly a fun and wonderful get-together.

Now it's time to keep our fingers crossed, and we've already booked the ultrasound appointment for January 19, 2026, so we can hopefully hold the desired little picture in our hands. Until then: "Fingers crossed!"

For questions about the upcoming litter, please use the contact form in the upper right corner.

Mac Bess isn't in heat yet, which is just as well, as it gives us some time in between.

Here are a few impressions from our week-long trip to Montbéliard and Locarno on Lake Maggiore.

Payton injured her toe in France; I have no idea how, but it's very swollen. She's currently on the mend :-)♥

Due to Mac Bess and Payton's wedding location, we are tied to our home in France and have invited the prospective sires to come to us.

Mac Bess's chosen mate from Riga will be coming to us, and we are very grateful for that. ♥

Unfortunately, it's not possible for Munay to come and stay for a sufficient amount of time at the appropriate date, so I have decided on a male dog that I've had my eye on for four years, who can give us the security we need for this litter. Dante ♥

All information can be found in the litter planning section.

For questions or if you are interested in one of these wonderful litters, please feel free to contact me by email.