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> Puppies > "F" Litter!
"F" Litter! |  | | | Happy mom Donzela on Day One, April 14, 2008, with baby girl Frankie 4 Stars, whose 'real" name is Porto Novo's Francesca. |
On April 14, 2008 our "F" litter arrived, the first three-generation Podengo litter (of any variety) born in America! As is the custom in Portugal, we name our litters in alphabetical sequence with Portuguese names. This is our sixth, or "F" litter.
This litter of one gives us the opportunity to focus on the development of that single lovely female Podengo, Porto Novo's Francesca, affectionately known as Frankie 4 Stars. We will post photos at regular intervals showing the development of little Frankie, who loves milk -- her mom Donzela do Porto Novo is a bountiful provider.
Porto Novo's Francesca is just so adorable, and for Podengo history in the making, and she is the first third generation Podengo born in the United States. It is true that our American breeding produces the best, most sociable pups possible!
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Francesca's Pedigree
Porto Novo's Francesca has a wonderful pedigree -- here it is! |
Close-ups at 18 Days!Frankie now is 18 days old and weighs in at 2 LB. She is calm, mews when she hears my voice, and loves to snuggle. The following photos show different aspects of a wire coat Podengo Pequeno at this early stage.
BTW, her given name is Francisca do Porto Novo. But we call her Frankie Four Stars. |
"A" LitterOur litters begin with the "A" litter and follow the alphabet. All puppy names begin with the first letter of their litter. So, our "A" litter had the wonderful girl who we named Amor. |
Color & Markings
The darker the Podengo is at birth usually indicate that they will have a vibrant fawn coat (reddish yellow) by around six months. You can see it under the dark hair. Most Podengos are fawn (fulvo in Portuguese), the traditional color, and fawn comes in many shades.
Her markings are white and she has the prized white tip at the end of her tail as well as a necklace and white booties. |
Coat
Usually, small wire Podengos are born with very little coat and it takes some time to ascertain if they will be smooth or wire. Most small wire Podengos have some smooth coat in their backgrounds as breeders in Portugal have introduced the smooth into the bloodlines to strengthen the hair, and smooths out of wires are not desirable -- if bred, they sometimes produce half-hairs, a coat that is not to Standard and not show quality.
So, at about 3-4 weeks you can divine the coat type by seeing a bit of wispyness on the edge of the upper lip. That is always a happy day! But with Frankie, we had no problem. Like her dad, Bucky, she has lots of hair. We call Bucky our little Chia pet as we MUST comb him every week. Like Bucky, our other Podengos also have good hard wire hair, just less of it and monthly combing is sufficient. |
Head
While it is too early to assess the head, it appears that Frankie 4 Stars has a mix of a Donzela-Bucky head. Her ears are not the high power ears of Donzela, but they may be at some point. They appear a bit more wider set like her father's.
The stop, when fully developed, should be barely perceptible and Frankie seems on the right track with hers. |
Nose & EyesFrankie's nose seems to be filling in faster than other puppies I have had. The process begins with freckling and gradually becomes one color. Frankie's freckles are black so she should end up with a black nose. While Pequenos can have brown noses, the black is preferred by judges in Portugal. It looks better too!
Frankie's eyes opened yesterday and have the dark blue glaze that all puppies are born with. In a week or so we will see how the color has developed. |
"H" Baby!
Here is Hestia de Vedras, who came from Torres Vedras Portugal to live with us on March 1, 2010. She is a wonderful smooth coat, beautifully balanced, wonderful head, vibrant color, and a great temperament! |
Temperament |  | |
Frankie was an only puppy, delivered by a planned C-Section, scheduled after a digital x-ray showed one HUGE puppy inside. The problem with singleton litters is that the one puppy absorbs all the nutrients in the womb, does not have to share with other hungry littermates, and, in small breeds, may require a C-section if the positioning in the horns of the uterus is off. So while the average size of the small wires at birth has been about 5-6 ounces, Frankie weighed in more than 7. She was robust and calm and healthy, perhaps not having birthing stress accounts for some of this.
The delivery was done by a vet expert in maternity and was quick -- Donzela went in at 8:45AM, the healthy puppy was presented to us (yes, in swaddling cloths) at 9:15AM and Donzela walked out of the surgery at 9:55AM tail high and wagging and a smile on her face. She started nursing the baby on arrival back home and has been a terrific mom.
Both Donzela and Bucky are personable, charismatic dogs who love to meet people, are friendly with children and other dogs, and are all around good temperaments. Little Frankie is calm, has "mewed" on hearing my voice or sensing my presence since she was a week old, and seems to like being picked up and cuddled. She just snuggles right next to me and is very very sweet.
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Four Weeks |  | | | Frankie is now four weeks old, weighs 2.8 lb and is very outgoing, loves to be picked up and hang out with people. |
Stacking a four week old Podengo is kind of like stacking a squishy marshmellow. But here she is, quite a mover, this girl.
Note how her black pigmentation is filled on on the nose and mouth, her head has taken its shape, and the ears are nicely rimed inside with black. Her coat is coming up gold and the white markings seem to have widened. |
Frankie at Six Weeks |  | | | Frankie and Schwartz are best friends |
This is one amazing girl! Not only has she been developing at an unusual pace (ears up, all black pigment in, teeth, hair, etc.), but now, at 6 weeks old and 3 lb. she is out playing with the pack in the yard. She is fearless and has that great sense of fun and cleverness that characterizes the Podengo.
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Frankie the Hunter |  | | | Picking up the scent |
Here is Frankie, six weeks old, outdoors playing with the other Podengos and learning how to hunt moles. She is one fast learner! |
Joining mom Donzela digging for Moles |  | | | Learning the digging thing |
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On her Own! |  | | | A young hunter persists |
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Big Trench! |  | | | You go girl! |
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Frankie at 7 Weeks
At just 7 weeks, Frankie is fearless and joins in the games of the big guys! |
8 Weeks |  | | | Frankie is expressive and funny and all things Podengo! |
What a girl! Inquisitive, intelligent, interested in everything, loves people, playful, big eater, big siles, big ears, big personality. |
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