Darázs’ first litter was born on July 2nd. It is amazing to observe how quickly these little creatures weighing a few hundred grams will become skillful, strong Labradors, future guide dogs!

The mother of the M litter, Darázs, was born in our own breeding program, and the father is the French-born, black Elba, who has also been raised with us since the age of four months. We have been able to follow the development of both of them since they were very young. They are extremely people-oriented: they follow their owners’ every wish, they are active, and they love challenges. Everything is in place for their puppies to become wonderful, talented guide dogs.

“The birth was quick and peaceful. The first signs of labor began to appear late in the evening, and the little ones arrived in a row at dawn the next day. Darázs is also a natural talent in this,” said Nadinka, Darázs’s foster owner. “The presence of Piroska Komondi and Gizella Ménesi gave me great security, all the more so because they were already present at Darázs’s birth. Piros is our professional leader, and Gizi is the owner of Darázs’s mother, Zina.”

The puppies were born in a “wasp pattern”: black, yellow, black, yellow, black, and all boys. The smallest one weighed only 200 grams, less than half the size of his biggest sibling. However, this does not stop him from doing anything: he is lively, strong, and knows what he wants: to fill his belly as much as possible so that he can bring his brothers in. Today, at 6 days old, he has more than doubled his birth weight.

“It’s interesting to watch how quickly their size, body shape and colour change. When they are born, their upper bodies are still strong and they have tiny, clubbed legs. But after just a few days, their thighs and hips become noticeably stronger as they fight for the best spots on the breasts. The skin on the yellow paws gradually darkens from pink. Their growth is so spectacular that my son remarked one morning: Wow, these grew at night while I was sleeping!”

The little ones and their mother receive all the love and care from their foster family, who monitor their every move. We will report on the development of the litter several times in the coming weeks.

We wrote about Darázs and her puppies here.