So many of you have commented on how much you enjoy seeing blog entries about my pets. I share my Bedford, New York farm with many animals - horses, a pony, donkeys, peafowl, geese, pigeons, chickens, Guinea fowl, turkeys, canaries, parakeets, cats, and of course, my four dogs - Chow Chows, Champion Empress Qin and Emperor Han, and French Bulldogs, Creme Brûlée and Bête Noire. Many of you have also seen photos of my young friend, Ari Katz's dogs. Ari is also very serious and passionate about animals. He enjoys breeding, raising, and showing champion Labrador Retrievers. Here is an update on his beautiful dogs.
Last year, I created a kennel on my family’s farm in Maryland and have started seriously breeding Labrador Retrievers. My history with the breed dates back to the age of 10 when I showed my first Labrador, Maggie. In November of 2020, I decided to breed my female, Mehndi, a dog I co-own with my friend, Karen Helmers. Mehndi was the right age and was mature enough for her first litter.
Enjoy these photos, and to learn more about my Labradors, my kennel, and my puppies, please visit www.aklabradors.com.
This is Mehndi, CH Paradocs Mehndi. She is three years old and is halfway done with her AKC Grand Championship, meaning she has earned half the necessary conformation show points necessary to get this title. Mehndi is a beautiful example of a Labrador. She looks and moves great and has a wonderful personality – kind, outgoing, and relaxed. She is also cleared of any orthopedic abnormalities – something that is very important to check when breeding. We decided that our friend Fabian Negron’s dog, Memo, would be a good match for Mehndi and would allow us to continue the improvement of the breed of Labradors.
This is Memo, MBISS GChB Lakeside Memoir of Gallivant. Memo has won Best of Breed at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show twice as well as Best in Specialty Show at the world’s largest single-breed dog show, The Labrador Retriever Club of the Potomac, in 2019.
Contrary to popular belief, breeding dogs is far more scientific and data-based than just “breeding them.” This table shows how closely a female’s levels are monitored before breeding. Reputable breeders take this process very seriously – and only breed for the betterment of the line.
(Photo courtesy of ASHVET)
28 days post first breeding, I took Mehndi to my vet, Dr. Stephen Stang, DVM, owner of Loudoun Veterinary Service Inc., for an ultrasound to see if she was pregnant. Mehndi’s ultrasound showed at least six puppies. The gestation period normally ranges an average of 63 days. Dr. Stang has been my vet for years and I trust him immensely. He and I calculated Mehndi’s due-date for the first week of February.
On January 30th, Mehndi was brought inside my house from the kennel. I bring the expectant mother indoors a week or two before the whelp date to monitor them more closely, let them become comfortable inside my home, and to prepare for having puppies. I take their temperatures twice a day starting a week before the due date. Any significant temperature drop means that the puppies are on their way and that I need to contact Dr. Stang to arrange for a cesarian section. Here, you can see how large Mehndi became.
Here is Mehndi in my car getting driven to Dr. Stang’s office for her c-section. The laundry baskets were taken to hold the puppies on the way back home.
Here is Mehndi, her six new puppies, and Carmen later that day. Mehndi had five girls and one boy – all very healthy and strong. Carmen was thrilled to meet the new puppies and was excited to begin taking care of them. Because I am a full-time student, I need help during the first two weeks to make sure the puppies and their mother are doing well. Karen, Carmen, my parents, and I were all very impressed with how good a mother Mehndi was to her puppies. This was her first litter and she did everything perfectly.
Here is another beautiful picture of Mehndi and her puppies just hours after they were born. Because all the puppies look very similar until they open their eyes, I mark their heads with different colored nail polish to keep careful records of each puppy, their weight, and their strength. The red “glow” is from a heat lamp that hangs over the whelping box to keep the puppies warm while they sleep.
Here are the puppies and Mehndi three days post-birth. The puppies had grown significantly.
This is a very cute picture of “Pink” sleeping. Puppies do not begin to open their eyes until about 14 days of age.
Carmen and I weigh each puppy to make sure they are gaining the correct amounts of weight. After the first 48 hours, puppies should gain about 10 to 15 percent of their birth weights every day. It is very important to keep track of each puppy and their progress.
This is one of my favorite pictures from Mehndi’s litter. Each puppy is sound asleep. At about two weeks of age, I put on colored collars to quickly identify each puppy. These collars were made by my friend, Tina Jewett. She makes and sells these collars. They are light, simple, and effective.
At 12 days, the puppies had gotten much bigger and were just starting to open their eyes. Puppies love sleeping on one another. They find it comforting and enjoy the warmth from their littermates.
At day 15, I moved the puppies into this EZwhelp Box in my living room. This box is very stable, easy to put together, easy to clean and wash, and the mothers can get in and out easily. Additionally, the puppies can see through the vinyl lining. I am sure Martha would say, “it’s a good thing.”
This is the puppies’ first real meal. American Natural Premium makes a “Breeder and Puppy Starter” that I begin offering at about two-and-a-half weeks.
Until they no longer fit, we put the puppies in laundry baskets when it’s time to clean their bedding. Puppies are incredibly labor intensive. Aside from requiring 24/7 attention for their first two weeks, puppies also need to be cleaned at least three times a day. My puppies’ bedding is changed whenever it begins to smell or get soiled. I take great pride in keeping my animals healthy and robust – as do Carmen and Lorenzo, who help me greatly in the care of my dogs and other animals.
This adorable girl is “Yellow.” In this picture she is 28 days old.
This photo shows the first time my puppies went outside. The weather was nice and by this stage, they were ready to explore. Each puppy had a different reaction that aligns with their personality. “Yellow,” who is very brave and outgoing, was thrilled whereas “Red” was shy and cautious.
This is “Pink,” a girl, making an adorable face. Seeing my puppies grow brings me so much joy. I can’t wait to see who I wind up keeping.
At five weeks, the puppies outgrew their whelping box and were moved into this X-Pen. Because the puppies still need to be heavily monitored, they remain in my living room where they can be heard and watched throughout the day and night.
On this day, after breakfast, the puppies took a long nap. As it turns out, being a puppy is a lot of work!
This is the one boy of the litter. He wears a white collar. Here he is lying down outside on a warm afternoon.
It is very fun getting to know each puppy’s personality. “Yellow” is very brave and outgoing. She loves exploring outdoors and running underneath things to hide and playfully attack her siblings.
Here I am with my two “keepers” from the litter, “Blue” and “Purple” – both girls. I have decided to name one Fara and the other India.
Aside from Mehndi and her litter, my other dogs have been doing quite well. My girl Kima finished her championship with the help of my friend, handler Julie Romeo. Now, Kima is officially an AKC Champion. Thank you Julie for working so hard with Kima and turning her into a champion!
Julie also finished one of Karen’s dogs, Millie, CH Paradocs Vermillion. Not only did Millie finish her championship, but she also won a Sporting Group 4 placement, which is great. Congratulations to Karen, Julie, and Millie.
This is Jacqueline. A few weeks after Mehndi was bred, I bred Jacquie to a very special dog bred and owned by Karen. I was thrilled and am hoping for a litter as successful as Mehndi’s – one with healthy, strong puppies and good mothering.
This is a new, smaller kennel I installed in my barn, across the aisle from the already existing kennel. This kennel offers two 10 by 12 foot and two 5 by 6 foot pens. In this photo, the cement is still drying.
This picture was taken of me and Truman a few weeks ago. During the time of COVID, I have thoroughly enjoyed being able to work with and breed my dogs and create such a beautiful kennel. I am looking forward to improving the breed even more in years to come. Please visit my web site www.aklabradors.com for more information.
Here in the Northeast, we're expecting a mix of sun and clouds today with temperatures in the 50s. This week brought rain and even a bit of snow in some areas, but the gardens continue to transform.
It always amazes me how quickly plants and trees grow from day to day. I am constantly noticing something new blooming at my farm. And, while many of the flowers are erupting with vibrant color, we've also been taking photos of the various trees and all the precious buds just beginning to open on their branches.
Enjoy these images.
Here on my 153 acre farm, I’ve planted thousands and thousands of trees – at least 15-thousand over the years. I love how they look in the landscape and how they change through the seasons. Most importantly, we need trees for the environment – they help combat climate change, provide habitat and food for birds and other animals, and release oxygen for us to live.
Just outside my kitchen on the terrace parterre is this weeping katsura, one of my favorite trees. Cercidiphyllum japonicum f. pendulum has pendulous branches that fan out from the crown and sweep the ground. Caramel-scented foliage emerges bronze or purple-red, turns blue-green, then fades to gold or apricot in autumn.
Tiny red flowers emerge in late March or early April before the leaves. Here is a closer look at the fresh foliage with the pretty heart-shaped leaves.
Looking up, one can see the long, pendulous, and graceful branches that appear to “weep.”
Just outside the kitchen to my Winter House, I have two of these Camperdown Elms. Camperdown Elms slowly develop broad, flat heads and wide crowns with weeping branch habits.
Its leaves are broad oblong-obovate to elliptic, rough-textured and serrated.
Just across the footpath is my dwarf apple orchard. Look closely, and these trees are also showing some colorful buds.
Here are some buds. The majority of apple tree blossoms begin as pink buds and bloom as white flowers.
These are ‘Miss Kim’ lilacs, which bloom in May. They are some of the most fragrant of all the lilac bushes. These lilacs prefer full sun, but will also live in partial shade.
Soon, these sweet ‘Miss Kim’ lilacs will be smelled all over the garden. The blooms will become bright lavender and will stand out nicely against their dark green leaves.
Across the carriage road are the beautiful Malus ‘Gravenstein’ espalier apple trees. I am hopeful we will have a very productive apple season this year.
These trees are also showing off their early springtime buds.
One of the earliest trees to flower here in spring is the magnolia. I have several white and yellow magnolias outside my Summer House. Magnolia is a large genus of about 210 flowering plant species in the subfamily Magnolioideae. It is named after French botanist Pierre Magnol.
Growing as large shrubs or trees, they produce showy, fragrant flowers that are shades of white, pink, red, purple, or yellow – here is one flower just about to open.
Rich, dark purple foliage in a cascading silhouette defines the Weeping Copper Beech when leafed out. There are no leaves just yet, but now is when one can see its very interesting shape with sweeping, pendulous branches.
Up close, it is just beginning to show its beautifully colored buds.
I love these weeping hornbeams, Carpinus betulus ‘Pendula’ – the branches of these trees gracefully weep creating an umbrella of foliage that reaches the ground.
Hornbeam is monoecious, meaning male and female catkins, which appear before the leaves, are found on the same tree.
From a distance, everyone notices the stunning golden-yellow weeping willows. Here is one grove of weeping willows at the edge of my pinetum. The golden hue looks so pretty against the early spring landscape.
When the tree blooms in late winter or spring, yellow catkins such as these appear. The catkin flowers are one to two inches long, and each blossom consists of hundreds of hairlike protrusions. The flowers mature to yellow before they are disbursed by wind or rain.
This is a weeping larch, Larix decidua ‘Pendula’. It has bright green needles in spring, which turn gold before dropping in fall. This curvaceous tree is located at “the triangle” where the carriage roads leading to the Boxwood Allee, the Pin Oak Allee and the woodland, all converge.
Looking closely, you can see all the new spring growth starting to emerge.
Aesculus hippocastanum is a large deciduous tree commonly known as the horse chestnut or conker tree. These are just two of many that I have here at the farm. These are located at one end of my stable at the foot of my long Boxwood Allee. The flowers provide a rich source of nectar and pollen to insects, particularly the bees.
Here are the leaves of the horse-chestnut. The flowers are just beginning to appear. Even at this early stage, one can clearly see leaves and developing flowers. By mid-May to early June, these trees will be in full flower.
Last year, I purchased 10 espalier Asian pear trees and planted them outside my stable to one side and my peafowl, pigeon and geese enclosures to the other. Espalier refers to an ancient technique, resulting in trees that grow flat, either against a wall, or along a wire-strung framework. Many kinds of trees respond beautifully to the espalier treatment, but fruit trees, like apple and pear, were some of the earliest examples. These trees are all doing excellently.
I have six ‘Shinseiki’ and four ‘Nijisseiki’ pear trees. These flowers will soon be open.
My orchard surrounds three sides of my pool. We planted more than 200-fruit trees here, many of which started as bare-root cuttings. These trees are all staked for added support, and they’re growing very well – in part because of the nutrient-rich soil.
Here are the flowers on one of my plum trees. Prunus americana has such beautiful white flowers. It produces very sweet, and juicy fruits. My plum varieties include ‘Green Gage’, ‘Mount Royal’, ‘NY9’, and ‘Stanley’.
And here is one of two weeping cherry trees down behind my stable. A weeping cherry tree is at its best when the pendulous branches are covered with pink or white flowers. These trees were in full bloom this week.
Look at the gorgeous blossoms. These trees are big eye-catchers when guests are lucky enough to see them in flower. Everything is just bursting with spring life. I am so pleased with the gardens this year – I am looking forward to sharing more photos as the season progresses.
Potting and planting hundreds of trees is a huge, yet exciting undertaking.
Every year, I try to plant as many trees as I can. I feel strongly about reforestation and giving back to the earth, so the more trees planted, the better. Trees provide habitat and food for birds and other animals, they absorb carbon dioxide and potentially harmful gasses, and they release oxygen. Do you know… one large tree can provide a day's supply of oxygen for four people? The earth needs many, many trees! Recently, we received a shipment of 750 bare-root cuttings from JLPN, a three-generation family-owned tree company in Salem, Oregon. Bare-root trees are so named because the plants are dug from the ground while dormant, and stored without any soil surrounding their roots. Once the young specimens arrived, my gardeners and outdoor grounds crew hurried to pot them in nutrient-filled composted soil to keep them healthy until they can be transplanted in the ground.
Here are some photos.
It’s always exciting when trees arrive at the farm. Since I plant so many trees, I get most of them in the form of bare-root cuttings. Brian and Chhiring load one of two big boxes onto our trusted Polaris Ranger.
Then, Chhiring fills these large trug buckets with water in the Equipment Barn, where the bare-root cuttings will sit overnight.
Each bundle of 25 or 50 cuttings is first inspected for signs of damage, weather-induced stress, and insect or disease infestation before being placed in water.
All these bare-root cuttings from JLPN arrived in bundles of 25, 50, 75, and 100. They also range from a foot tall to about three feet tall.
JLPN’s cuttings are harvested in December, graded, and then held in cold storage until they are shipped out in spring.
The root portion of the plant is placed in the water and left to soak. This good soaking will help the plants get a better start.
Some of the trees in this shipment include Littleleaf Lindens, Parrotias, Japanese zelkovas, Katsuras, Cotinus, Ginkgo trees, and more. A large marker indicating the common name on one side and the botanical name on the other was made for each variety.
I wanted the bare-root cuttings potted-up in individual containers. The trees will only remain in these pots temporarily – eventually, they will be transplanted in various locations around the farm. We save pots whenever we can – they always come in handy for projects like these, and I always encourage the crew to reuse supplies whenever possible.
We use composted manure and top soil for potting our cuttings. Composting manure above 131-degrees Fahrenheit for at least a couple weeks will kill harmful pathogens, dilute ammonia, stabilize nitrogen, kill weed seeds and reduce any objectionable odors. I am so proud of the nutrient-rich soil we make here at the farm.
Once a good mound of compost is unloaded, Brian adds some good fertilizer and then mixes it into the compost.
In order to get all the seedlings potted as quickly as possible, it was “all hands on deck.” The crew created a very productive assembly line. Here, Chhiring prepares the appropriate pots for each variety.
Each pot is laid out with a small layer of soil ready for the tree and backfill. The crew has devised an efficient production line process for potting massive amounts of trees.
Each bare-root cutting is placed into an appropriately sized pot. The root section should fit into the pot without bing crowded at the bottom.
Here’s another bare-root cutting with a good example of a very fibrous root ball. Healthy bare-root trees get off to a more vigorous start because their abundant, roots have already had a chance to develop unrestricted.
Here, Brian shows how a tree is placed at the same level it was grown by the nursery – where the roots start and the top shoots begin.
The soil is then gently filled in around the roots, but not packed too tightly. The important thing is to keep the soil moist. Brian then pats the soil gently around the roots to ensure good contact.
As each tree is potted, it is placed in a row with all like specimens and the appropriate marker.
Some of these have leaves, but most do not. Bare-root cuttings are difficult to identify when there are no leaves, so it is important to keep them separated by cultivar and always properly marked.
These bare-root cuttings are Ginkgo biloba trees. Although ginkgos grow the world over, some of the oldest specimens are found in South Korea, Japan, and in China, where there is one that is reported to be more than three-thousand years old. Bare-root plants should not have any mold or mildew. The cuttings should also feel heavy. If they feel light and dried out then the plant probably will not grow.
These are Shumard Oak trees. The Shumard Oak, Quercus shumardii, is a stately tree with beautiful fall color. It is one of the largest of the oak species in the red oak group and can grow 50 to 90 feet tall becoming more open at maturity.
These are Cornelian Cherry Dogwood trees, or Cornus mas. Mature trees are flowering right now. I have a few on the farm. This tree is a deciduous shrub or small tree that is native to central and southern Europe into western Asia. Tight clusters of small star-shaped yellow flowers bloom in early spring, covering the tree before leaves emerge. Clean, medium-green foliage appears in summer, shortly followed by dark red fruits, ripening in July.
Chinese Dogwood is also known as Kousa Dogwood. The Kousa dogwood is a handsome, small- to medium-sized tree reaching a mature height of 30 feet.
The trees will be stored outdoors on one side of the Hay Barn. Weed cloth is placed in the area to keep everything neat and tidy.
Brian places two wide rows of weed cloth down to accommodate the many potted trees. It’s a good idea to place pots away from wooden structures, so they can be avoided when watering.
All like seedlings are kept together and loaded onto a wheelbarrow, section by section. The trees can now be moved to the designated location, where they will be maintained until they’re transplanted into the ground.
By afternoon, hundreds of bare-root cuttings are potted and carefully arranged outside. I am confident these trees will thrive in these pots and will be in excellent condition when it is time to plant them in their more permanent locations here at the farm.
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