If you've ever been around Border Collies, then you know what I mean when I say "border-less", so when asked if I wanted to photograph a litter of border collie puppies, I jumped at the chance because well, they're PUPPIES and BORDER COLLIE PUPPIES at that so I was guaranteed some action! I'd like you to meet the litter known as "Gravy's Fixins" because the mom's name is Gravy, the dad's is Spud (no, I'm not kidding, I couldn't make this up) and they were born on the day after Thanksgiving, so it's a potato-themed litter!
This litter is the 4th bred by Emily Hurt and are famous enough to have their own Facebook page and a large following. Emily travels the globe competing in agility with her own dogs and also teaches at her facility EmDogs in Plano, TX. Her puppies are widely regarded for their even temperament and drive thanks to a very selective breeding process and exhaustive early socialization. This makes them perfect candidates to go on to compete in agility, be valued farm hands and herding dogs and perform service work such as search and rescue.
So without further ado, allow me to introduce you to The Fixins Pups, pictured below L to R: Hashbrown (orange) and Poutine (green); click on any image to view it full screen.
The puppies are only 6 weeks old in these images, but are already crate trained, clicker trained, and on their way to being potty trained, all before they go to their new homes. Below are (L to R) RedEye (blue) and Roux (red/yellow).
L to R: Mash (red) and Tater Tot (pink).
And last, but not least, Banger, what she lacks in coordination, she more than makes up for with her enthusiasm. If looking for a family pet, your local shelter is often the best place to go, but if you go to a breeder, make sure to thoroughly screen them to insure your pup has been given the best chance at future success from the start!
After trying desperately to fit 7 wiggly 6-week old puppies into the basket (which looked SO BIG when I bought it!), we gave up and decided to photograph the smooth coats in one go (on the left) and the fluffies in another (on the right) which worked out much better and only took a mere 20 minutes and over 50 photos to get these two keepers!
I can report that the puppies, handlers and the photographer all slept very well that night!