Well, it’s hard to believe, but we’ve already had our beloved Raya (“Ray of Sunshine”) for nearly a year and a half! Where has the time gone? It’s certainly been way too long since I’ve had time to get a doggy blog together about her, but that’s another story!
We celebrated both of our doodles October birthdays last year (Puffles on October 10th and Raya on October 22nd) with an off-season beach trip. Yes, we go to the beach more for the dogs now than for our two teenaged children! They both love the beach so much and zooming around, especially off-season when it’s cooler and there aren’t too many people around. We also celebrated our first “gotcha day” anniversary with Raya on January 4th this year. In another blink of the eye, Raya has already had her second heat cycle, and is now expecting her first litter of puppies to arrive on June 19th! We’re so excited for her and for future owners of her puppies! (Fox Creek Farm Goldendoodles breeds their guardian program girls on their 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th heat cycles, skipping the first.)
Raya has earned a number of nicknames with us. There’s “Ray-Ray”, of course. Another is “Ray-roo” after a kangaroo, for how high she can jump when she’s really excited. I’m 6’3” tall and she can jump up to at least my chest or shoulder level, and can get face-to-face with other family members! Another is “Way-way” because of how little she is, like how a toddler might say her name. Her parents, Boodles and Jax, were 20 and 22 lbs, so we were expecting her to be a bit bigger. She’s topped out at a mere 15 pounds and is firmly in the petite range, and we love her just the way she is. She’ll forever be our little baby, even as she’s set to become a mommy for the first time. I love that I can still pick her up and hold her like she’s a puppy, even as a fully grown petite goldendoodle. :)
Raya is just beyond adorable. She’s so playful, loving, energetic, and silly. She has a great personality and is super smart, way too smart, and I’ll admit that she’s a daddy killer too. She’s cute and she knows it. Her overwhelming cuteness gets her a lot of attention which she loves, which is so tough to deny her because she’s so cute! It’s a vicious cycle that we all fall for. Not gonna lie, she owns me! She’s just so unbelievably cute and adorable in everything she does. She’s also a bit of a diva, and will let out cute little girly diva princess groans or sighs if she thinks you’re not paying enough attention to her. She was this way as soon as we got her, so don’t blame us! :) If I so much as put a hand on my wife, she’ll come over running and jump up on me while giving a little protest groan. “Hey, why you looking at her???” It’s so cute and funny, and both my wife and I laugh so hard all the time.
Raya had quite an exciting first year with us in 2023. We are big time road-trippers in case you didn’t know, so get around quite a bit. She got a first beach trip to Virginia Beach, VA in February, and then two trips to Rehoboth Beach, DE in June and October. She also got to come with us out to Ohio and Michigan, with stops at Sleeping Bear Dunes and then Mackinac Island. We ended the year with a trip to Savannah, GA and Hilton Head Island, SC, where Raya happened to run full speed into an 18-inch deep tidal pool after a seagull, in temperatures that were below 40F! She literally and figuratively froze and didn’t know what to do. Dad mode! I ran in after her in shoes and pants, promptly pulled her out within seconds, and wrapped her tightly in a towel and held her close until she dried and warmed up. She was just fine, but Raya has since been banned from being off leash at the beach! :)
If you’re considering a puppy from one of Raya’s litters, just know that you’re probably going to get some unbelievably cute, energetic, funny, loving, and silly little puppies just like Raya. They will love you so much, and provide you with endless smiles, love, laughter, and companionship that will brighten your homes in a more than manageable size. You’re also going to be exhausted! Just remember, all these little puppies know are their mommies and their litter mates for the first 8 weeks of their lives. And then they go to a new and unfamiliar home, and all they have is you. Raya is an absolute sweetie, but definitely needed a lot of time, love, attention, and engagement her first year, more so than Puffles did. She got everything she needed from us and more, which also explains doggy blogs and photo posts dropping off! We were too busy loving and playing with her, and having a blast while we were at it. Raya is a happy girl!
Raya’s first pregnancy has not yet been confirmed, but will be later in May. Based on what my wife and I have been observing so far though, there’s no way she isn’t pregnant with how she’s been eating and drinking up a storm! I’ve also been having really strange dreams a few nights in a row when I almost never have any, and my wife, Debbie, has been going on this crazy nesting instinct deep cleaning of the whole house rampage! Can doggy pregnancy hormones and pheromones affect their humans? We think so!
Fox Creek Farm Goldendoodles & Bernedoodles on Facebook
As Raya’s guardian family, we sure are going to miss her for a few weeks this summer, but couldn’t be more excited for the love, joy, and happiness that her puppies will surely bring to their new owners and homes. We cannot wait to see them in person when we pick her up 6 weeks after delivery, and to be reunited with our little princess. It’s going to be an exciting summer!
Raya’s 1st Maternity Photo Shoot
I took the outdoor photos with my Canon R6 and RF 85mm f/2 Macro lens, and then switched to the RF 50mm f/1.8 for the indoor photos. I used the articulating screen to place the camera down at ground level outside so that I could get nice angles of her without having to lay on the ground myself. I’m still using Photo Mechanic for sorting and rating, and recently have been using Radiant Photo for editing.
Normally Raya is a bit bashful after a grooming (omg I’m naked!), but she was happy to be back home from the farm and with her family after breeding, and happy to have all of her excess fur off as it was getting hot.
I hope you enjoyed this blog! Raya’s dedicated page is below, along with the main doodles page where I post photos of both her and Puffles together.
