how do you's lot do it? i admire you! my kasey had her first (and mine) litter nearly 5 weeks ago. i did post about her whelping but for some reason it was lost. anyway now obviously i'm getting interest in them. please dont remove this! i'm not advertising! i have enough interest! i'm just asking how people can watch these little babies walk out the door with the new family? it's a hard lesson learned for me! i'm at home all day so not only did i help with the birth, i broke the bags etc, but soon they will have to go. another problem is we want to keep one, but which one? they all keep looking at me! (they are boxers!) on one hand it's really good that maybe a family will have a new member to bring years of happiness but on the other they are my baby's babies! various people have said that i've got an exceptional litter and that i should let kasey have another, i cant go through this again. how do you let them go? obviously you can say keep in touch, letters, photos etc. but it's not the same. any advice would be very welcome! thank you rachel

Hi Rachel,

Unfortunately there is no easy way to let them go - I was heartbroken and I expect everyone who's done their best and put their heart and soul into raising their pups feels exactly the same whether it's their first or tenth litter :(

All you can do is VERY carefully screen every new owner and ensure they meet up to your own high standards and expectations - if they don't, simply don't let them have a puppy.  It's hard enough to say goodbye to them without having doubts in your gut as well ;)

The other thing is when they get to the 8 week stage they need and deserve individual attention to bring out the best in them so keeping that in mind will be a little comfort too.

As to which one to keep I must say I had no difficulty in picking my favourite but then I'm not sure if you show your dogs so perhaps your criteria will be different.  In our case it also helped a great deal that our own choice was clearly her mum's favourite too!

Perhaps some friends in your breed will be able to advise you on that if you're finding yourself too swayed emotionally :)

Good luck - I don't envy you because I know how difficult it is but stay on good terms with your new owners and encourage them to keep you posted on their progress - every little helps.

HTH best wishes, Teri :)

Hi it isnt easy letting your babies go, i shed many tears everytime one of my puppies leaves home with their new owners.As for keeping a puppy in MO i would keep what i thought was best in the litter although at five weeks its hard knowing which one unless you have a couple of flashy pups, its a hard decision as you can never tell just how their heads are going to form.
I keep in contact with all my puppy homes, i get photos and sometimes the odd visit which is always nice but most of the people who bought a puppy tended to visit everyweek to see how their little darling was doing which i like as it gives you a better chance to get to know these people.but i vet every home and make sure that their gardens are well fenced in.
regards polly_45

thank you for you're replys, i have said to the other half that when the time comes he'll have to see them out the door while i'll make the the excuse that i have to go to kasey, blokes cant cry! my house just aint big enough for 7 ******* so i know it's coming. dont worry because these people that phone me do get the third degree but if they love dogs as much as me (?) they wont mind. my kasey is my daughter, that goes for her babies, when she was pregnant we was saying we would just keep a boy. but now it's totally different. it was'nt supposed to be like this. if i dont like the people then nor will my babies! they are dear little souls. i do stress any problems in the future no matter what age for them to get in touch. my babies live in and are treated like one of the family, this is just too hard!

As TEri said the older the get the more they start to need and deserve individual attention, which with the best will in the World you can't offer when there are a whole litter of them.

I am now down to two, and trying to lead train one while the other objects to being left out soon brings that home to you.  they need one on one attention, ans only a family of their own can provide that for them.

As from tommorrow I am left with just one 9 week old who stays to the end of the month.  I will really be able to start proper training with him before he goes.

Have already had great mail from the others on their journeys home and how they are settling in.  Here is an extract:
"PD6 is now known as Jasper,  we thought it suitable to have the name of a gem albeit semi precious especially with the name Karat  and my daughter's dog is called Rubi so it all fits.  (Jasper Karat ,  is quite amusing  too) He was absolutely brilliant all the way,  I stopped after a few miles as the seatbelt was tipping the bag and I put it in the footwell,  opened the front of the bag and switched the air conditioning on,  he propped his head on the gearstick console and slept all the way to Heathrow.
He was a great hit with all the checkin staff and I got away with having 9 kilos overweight in the baggage.  The very nice man said he wouldn't charge.
On the plane he was a little hot so I opened the front again and pointed the cool air to the open end and put the bag on my knee.  I had been given a spair seat to the side and no-one bothered about him being half out of the bag.  He wimpered a little as we were coming in to land and that may have been due to the fact that he wanted to poo and wouldn't do it in the bag.
(He saved it until we got into my daughter's car and he was allowed out to stretch on a blanket in the back  but that was easily cleaned up).
When we arrived home he went outside to examine the garden,  he is really a brave little chap as it was quite dark.  He met the cats and doesn't really seem to be very interested in them but he gets on well with Rubi they play fight,  she's the same size as he is and is fully grown.
He has a  playpen for his bedroom and is quite happy in there,  He goes in for a sleep a couple of times in the day. "

I really love the internet and digital cameras, as I got some brilliant photos too, makes keeping in touch so easy!

Aw Bless Barbara,

fabulous update on the little guy :)  That's when it starts to feel less of an emotional strain - hearing how well he coped is a testament to having been superbly raised and socialised.  It's made me all weepy!  A lovely tale ;)   Teri

I got a brill one for the little girl that has gone to Holland, but am kind of dreading the girl going tommorrow in the cabin Gatwick to Atlanta (8 hour flight) and then a 7 hour Car Journey to North Carolina.

The remaining one though will ahve a long drive up to Scotland and then the Ferry to Ireland, but he will be 11 weeks by then and been out and about for a week after his final jabs.

The longer they stay though the harer itis to see them go.