Miami Mini Doodles

Six days of Lucy’s Hollywood Legends. ✨💛 Right now, their world is still wonderfully small: Mom, milk, warmth, their siblings, and lots and lots of sleep. I love this stage because there’s something new to notice every day—the way they find the coziest spot in the puppy pile, the little noises they make, and how completely content they look tucked against one another. 💚 Bogie 💙 Desi 🩷 Ava 💜 Judy Six days down, and somehow I already wish I could slow it all down. 💛

Sleepy puppy update. 💤💛 If you’ve noticed those tiny twitches, wiggles, and little jerky movements while the puppies sleep, they’re completely normal! At just 4 days old, puppies spend most of their time sleeping and nursing, and much of that sleep is active sleep. Those little twitches are part of their immature nervous systems at work and help stimulate their growing muscles while they’re not yet up and walking around. You may see tiny paws move, faces twitch, or their whole little bodies wiggle in their sleep. This is all an expected and normal part of their development! So while it may look like they’re dreaming about chasing squirrels already 👀 🐿️, those sleepy little movements are actually an important part of these early days of growth. 💛

Today was my first day of ENS + ESI with Lucy & Rocky’s Mini Aussiedoodle puppies! 🐾💛 ENS (Early Neurological Stimulation) is a series of very short, gentle handling exercises designed specifically for this early stage of life. I briefly hold the puppies in different positions, touch between their tiny toes, and introduce a slightly cool surface. The idea is to give their growing nervous systems small, appropriate experiences without overwhelming them. I also started ESI (Early Scent Introduction) today. Since their eyes and ears are still closed, smell is already one of the main ways these little puppies experience their world. Each day, I’ll introduce them to a different safe scent and simply observe their response. Today’s scent was thyme, and this part is so interesting to me! 🌿 Some of the puppies leaned toward it and sniffed more, while others were completely neutral. There’s no right or wrong reaction—I’m simply giving them the experience and paying attention to what they tell me. And because I love plants and gardening, I may have taken their future scent introductions a little personally. ☺️💐 I actually started a few gardenia bushes months ago hoping I’d be able to have a fresh gardenia flower for the puppies to smell during ESI! Sometimes puppy curriculum and gardening hobbies overlap in the sweetest ways.👩‍🌾 I’ll be keeping records of each puppy’s ENS and ESI sessions, including their reactions to the different scents and handling exercises, and those records will go home with their families! These sessions only take a few moments each day, but I love getting to observe each puppy so closely. At just three days old, they may look like they’re simply eating and sleeping, but there is already so much happening as their bodies, senses, and nervous systems begin to grow. 💛

💚 Bogie is just one day old, and already putting those tiny muscles to work! Watching him turn himself around and make his way back to Mom to nurse felt a little like watching a tiny circus performer—twisting, stretching, pushing, and somehow figuring out exactly where he needed to go. 😂 It would have been very easy for me to simply pick him up and place him where he wanted to be. But part of what we’re doing, even at this incredibly early stage, is giving the puppies safe opportunities to figure things out for themselves. I was right beside him watching, but Bogie didn’t need rescuing—he needed a few seconds to use his body and his senses. And sure enough, he figured it out! At only a day old, puppies are born neurologically immature. Their eyes and ears are still closed, so they rely heavily on touch, warmth, and smell while their little bodies work surprisingly hard to crawl, reposition themselves, and find Mom. Every one of those tiny movements is part of building strength and coordination. And 💚 Bogie is definitely a little roly-poly and a strong nurser. We’re so proud of him and his siblings. Everyone is thriving, and it’s hard to believe this is only Day 1. There are so many important—and incredibly precious—milestones ahead over the next eight weeks. 💛

Lucy and Rocky’s puppies have arrived! We welcomed four beautiful miniature Aussiedoodles—two girls and two boys—on September 4, 2026. Lucy and all four puppies are doing wonderfully! ✨🐶 ✨ Because Lucy was named after the legendary Lucille Ball, we chose 💫 Lucy’s Hollywood Legends 💫 as the theme for this special litter. ⭐️ Each puppy is named after an unforgettable star from Hollywood’s golden age: 🩷 Ava Gardner, 💜 Judy Garland, 💙 Desi Arnaz and 💚 Humphrey “Bogie” Bogart. Meet our newest little stars: 🩷 Ava — Our striking black-and-white girl, named after glamorous Hollywood legend Ava Gardner. Her beautiful dark coloring and white chest make the name especially fitting. 💜 Judy — Named after Judy Garland, the beloved star of The Wizard of Oz, remembered for her warmth, expressive spirit and timeless charm. 💙 Desi — Named after Desi Arnaz, the charismatic actor, musician and real-life husband of Lucille Ball. A fitting tribute for one of Lucy’s little boys. 💚 Bogie — Named after Humphrey “Bogie” Bogart, one of Old Hollywood’s most recognizable leading men, known for his cool confidence and unmistakable presence. Welcome to the world, little stars! ⭐️

A little ❣️ Lucy update as we get closer and closer to meeting these babies! 💛🐾 Yesterday, Lucy’s temperature dropped, which can be one of the signs that labor is getting closer. Her milk also appears to be starting to come in but she is still eating well (sometimes mom’s will not want much food as they get closer to labor) and acting very much like her happy go lucky self! Sometimes that initial temperature drop means puppies are coming soon, and other times it can fluctuate back up to normal and drop again more significantly before labor begins — so for now, she’s officially on around-the-clock puppy watch! The whelping area is ready, complete with a baby monitor so I can keep an eye on her at all times throughout the night. The only problem? Lucy seems considerably less interested in the accommodations I’ve prepared for her than the California king-size bed she has somehow claimed as her own over the past few weeks!😆 My husband has always had a firm “no animals in the bedroom” rule. Apparently, Lucy did not receive that memo. She has slowly worked her way into the bed and ends up sleeping on HIS side of the bed almost every night. My, how the tables have turned! I think her sweet demeanor and nervous system regulating energy has officially brought him over to the other side! I tried encouraging her to spend some time in her whelping area yesterday for a mid-day nap. She laid down for a few minutes, decided she had seen enough, and back to the couch we went! She’s extra cozy, happy, and getting plenty of rest while those little puppies finish growing - and very much loved!! Now we watch, wait, and let Lucy tell us when she’s ready. We can’t wait to share the news when puppy day finally arrives! 💛🐶

Nutrition is something we take seriously every day, but especially during these final weeks of pregnancy when Lucy’s nutritional needs are increasing as those babies grow! 🐶❤️ Breakfast today: puppy kibble—which is more calorie- and nutrient-dense than her regular adult food—topped with a little organic chicken bone broth and a homegrown banana straight from our backyard! 🍌 At this stage, she needs those extra calories and nutrients to help support both her body and her rapidly growing puppies. And judging by how quickly breakfast disappeared, Lucy fully supports the plan! 😂 Growing puppies is hard work… good thing eating is one of her specialties! ❤️