The Jelly Belly Litter: Six Week Evaluations: Kiwi

Kiwi at Six Weeks

Abigail (Abba) Zabba and Rocketdog Rockford (Rocky) Rhoades got together for the very first time and gave us nine wonderful Basset Hound Puppies. As we have done in all previous litters we evaluate the puppies at six weeks. There are a few good reasons for this, the first being that the pups develop some personality traits by six weeks of age, the second being that the pups display some key physical characteristics which they are likely to carry through life. Each puppy in this litter will be evaluated as an individual using a quasi-objective standard. It is a good idea to read about it by clicking here. It's a good idea to understand how we look the pups over as individuals. There are some things worthy of stating about this litter in a more general sense.

The Jelly Belly litter has been an easy one for us. All of the puppies came into the world in an effortless fashion. We had no still-born pups and none needed any sort of help at birth. Each and every puppy was naturally inclined towards feeding and none needed to be shown the way. They all were healthy at birth and only one had anything at all to report in their veterinarian checkup last week. All of the Jellies were up and walking with their eyes open and ears attentive -right on schedule. And since we have been able to take them outside, once the weather turned nice, we now know something about their outdoor personalities. The whole group are winners.

At the time of this article we still have two male puppies available for new families. Just send us a note using the Email widget to the left of this and we'll get you all the information you need.

Kiwi is now, and has always been, a beautiful little Basset.  His new family has a large property near Gaston, Oregon where he will likely find enough running room and trouble to get into. He will be called "Mater" by his new family and we think this is a appropriate name for such a clownish puppy as Kiwi (Mater) will be. Kiwi came to us by far the largest of puppies at fourteen ounces, and he has continued to be be large. He now weighs eight pounds, still number one. 

Structurally Mater is quite good, with a slight provision for jaw set. His jaw set contains a flaw known as Malocclusion, or Parrot Jaw. This is a condition where there is a light underbite and misalignment in how the upper and lower mouth parts mesh together. His Dame's sister, another of our females (no out of breeding) threw a few pups with the same condition, so we are not offering breeding rights for this puppy. In our previous experience the condition cleared itself when adult teeth emerged and there is little to worry about with Mater growing out of this condition.  Otherwise Mater is a great example of the Basset puppy at six weeks. A strong foreleg set with heavy bones and big feet. His head is nicely domed and his ears hang just as they should, toward the back of the skull. He will carry her father's excellent facial fews over a boxy lower jaw.  Mater will be everything his Sire is now, a very good male Basset. Mater's stance is very strong and we believe this will leading into his having few bone health issues later in life. His new home will allow him the sort of space needed to keep him in shape too.

Kiwi on Day One

Aesthetically, Mater is a beautiful little boy. He is covered almost entirely with black fur when viewed form above. He has red-brown markings which are very symmetrical, matching eyebrows which add focus to how good his face looks. The only flaw in his symmetrical coloring is found just over his nose, but I defy anyone calling him less than lovely in appearance. I suspect that his ear coloring, and perhaps a bit more, will turn red over time. He's a pretty little boy Basset.

Mater's personality is brave and his disposition is toward restlessness. He is an explorer and a scrapper. He is often good naturedly growly at play and dominant with his littermates. He truly enjoys his food and is quite vocal about scheduled mealtimes and hints about treats. His personality is strong, as strong as his appearance hints at. 

Of the six point available Mater receives four points of the five AKC derived points and one point for beauty. If it were not for the jaw Malocclusion Mater would be the first six point puppy in this litter.  He is a lovely little boy Basset and just the right stuff for his new family. We offer one piece of advice: get an electronic range limiting collar, or at least a large fenced yard, so that he doesn't stray too far from home. He will likely become a roamer.