Spaniel Puppies

The huge debates I have with myself over getting a new horse are, as it happens, restricted to getting a new horse. I decided a couple of days ago that I wanted a new dog on the farm, so I'm getting one. Not nearly as much umming and ahhing as the horse situation.

But I wanted a bit of a story behind the new dog, so you guys get some adoptables, too

The dog second in on the left (chewing the blanket) I'm keeping. The rest are all up for new homes

They are all English cocker spaniel puppies. In my head, they're all from one litter, but I freely admit my knowledge of canine genetics is dismal at best, so if all these colour combinations aren't possible in one litter, we can assume the mother fostered a couple. They all have brown eyes. They're all newly weaned and though a couple are small, underweight or even docked, they are all healthy.

If you want one, they're up for art bids only. If you want to do a literature bid, please speak to me first . I'll judge a winner if there is more than one bid on a puppy. Judging will be effort in the art/writing, your stable/kennel activity and the character you create from the design.

I don't really want these guys to disappear, so you must have an active rp environment. Please consider how likely it is they'll be drawn/written about before going to adopt.

I'll leave them open for at least two weeks and if anyone needs extra time, let me know. If there's no interest before the two weeks, they may become first come, first serve adoptions.

For doing a bid:
- choose the puppy you want
-draw it. You could draw one of your characters choosing him/her at Lakewood, or when you take the puppy home - have fun with it, put some effort in and just be sure you draw it as a puppy - not when he's grown up.
- fill in a small profile. Nothing major, but I'd love to know what you're calling him/her, what you might use the dog for (even if its just a yard dog for a HARPG stable) and the kind of personality he has.
- make sure you credit any references and link back to this deviation
- give me a link to your bid before the deadline in 2 weeks

Deadline Passed. All Puppies have found Homes

---

Details
Listed from the left

Puppy 1
Name: ?
Gender: Female
Colour: Pale Gold
Appearance: Fairly fine hair, semi-long, docked tail, low hanging ears
REHOMED to *Kumonryu3
BIDS
[link] - by *Hunko11

Puppy 2 Staying at Lakewood
Name: ?
Gender: Female
Colour: Liver/Lemon marbled [liver merle]
Appearance: Fairly fine hair, semi-long, docked tail, smaller ears, butterfly nose

Puppy 3
Name: ?
Gender: Male
Colour: Red
Appearance: Thicker hair, somewhat long and curly, docked tail, average ears
REHOMED to ~xSilver-Dawnx

Puppy 4
Name: ?
Gender: Male
Colour: Liver and white with ticking
Appearance: Thicker hair, somewhat long, long tail, smaller ears, butterfly nose
BIDS
[link] - by ~SmileyBear6 WINNER

Puppy 5
Name: ?
Gender: Female
Colour: Liver (distinctly red liver)
Appearance: Fairly fine hair, semi-long, long tail, average ears
BIDS
[link] - by ~SmileyBear6
[link] - by *Old-Bean-Tavie WINNER
[link] - by ~xSilver-Dawnx

Puppy 6
Name: ?
Gender: Male
Colour: Blue roan/Black roan with ticking
Appearance: Fairly fine hair, somewhat long, long tail, low hanging ears
BIDS
[link] - by *Kumonryu3
[link] - by *Hunko11 WINNER

(this is completely not 'official' but in my mind: the golden one on the left is nicknamed princess because she can be a little aloof and likes to be spoiled. The red in the middle is the shy one, the liver and white is the lunatic when he comes out of his shell and the blue roan on the end is the rebell who just doesn't do basic commands. But that's just me, because I felt like sharing. Come up with whatever personalities and quirks you like ^^)

Puppies are kept here for viewing:


Flatcolour line up here:

---

A bit of a story for you, for fun And to explain their arrival.

...

"Knock knock."

Becca looked up from the huge feed bin at the back of the feed room and swept her dark hair out of her face. The door stood open and Daryl the vet was leant against it, wearing a warm smile as he absently made a fuss of Ace, who had stretched up from her nap in the sun and come over to greet him.

"Daryl," Becca greeted, smiling brightly at him and dropping the feed scoop into the bin. She threw the lid back down. "This is a nice surprise."

"Well, I hope it will still be a nice surprise in ten minutes," he said with a smirk, standing off the doorframe.

Becca gave him a quick one armed hug. "How are things?"

"Good, thanks," he said, following her out of the feed room - which she shut carefully after her - and into the Den. "And you?"

"Busy," Becca nodded. "Can't complain, though. Things are going well enough; everyone's healthy and happy so we can't ask for more. Is this business or pleasure?"

Daryl dropped onto he sunken sofa with an easy smirk. "Its always a pleasure coming up here. Unless its in the snow."

Becca stuck her tongue out at him. He complained, but it was all in jest. She flicked on the kettle. "But today you have an ulterior motive," she guessed, hoisting herself up onto the table so she could sit and start pulling down clean mugs.

"I do, I'm afraid." Daryl leant up off the back of the sofa and leant his elbows across his legs. "I need your help. Maybe I should show you before we have the tea?"

Becca dropped the teaspoon back into one of the mugs with a clang. "Oooh, serious. Do we need anyone else around?"

"Need, no. I can show you but I understand if you need to talk to the others before making a decision."

Becca raised an eyebrow at him. His relaxed countenance had been replaced with something a little tense and uncertain, and Becca felt her own attitude shift. They may all be bonkers, but they knew when things weren't a joke. "Lead the way."

Daryl took a deep breath and lifted off the couch. They both strode up through the quiet barn - all the horses were enjoying the early sun - and out through the Farmyard then up the path.

The vet's pick up truck was parked to the side of the Courtyard. He pulled open the side passenger door and swept a hand before him to indicate Becca should go ahead.

She shot him a puzzled look, but obediently moved to look into the cab. There was a huge cardboard box on the seat, strapped in securely and with the battered flaps pulled over. Tiny squeaking noises emanated from it, and now and then the flaps would jerk as they were pushed from underneath.

"Go ahead," Daryl said, seeing Becca's quickly changing expression.

She reached over, pulled away the seat belt and lifted the flap.

Six tiny puppies wheeled around in the burst of light into their nest, huge doe eyes blinking up at her from their fuzzy warm bodies.

Becca felt her heart melt despite herself.

"Give me a hand getting this to the barn," she said. "The others will be back from the fields soon and we can get this sorted."

...

The tea was ready when the rest of the gang traipsed into the barn via the side door in the tack room, pulling off gloves and overalls and wailing amongst themselves.

Austin threw his gloves across the den into the box they kept for the ragworting supplies - a number of lever forks and the protective gear. He dropped onto the end of the sofa with a groan and closed his eyes.

Alec and Chess were sword fighting with their ragwort forks. It was a long task and took a toll on your back so you had to make your fun however possible. Twitch came in, rubbing her neck vigorously and sat straight on the floor.

She did a double take.

Staring back at her over the edge of a ratty cardboard box was a puppy.

It was a little spaniel; its floppy ears silky soft and woven from curls. There was a distinct line down its face where its baby-soft coat changed from dark chocolate brown to a pale champagne gold.

"Ummm, Becks..." Twitch said slowly, eyes still fixed on the puppy.

Alec and Chess looked over, setting down their weapons.

Chess let out a very uncharateristic squeak and joined Twitch on the floor. She pulled back a flap of the box, and two more faces joined the first - one the burning colour of fire with an almost flaxen colour to its ears and the other black as night with a fleck like a star on its head.

"Becca why are there puppies in our Barn?"

Daryl hid a smile behind his hand. He knew this was the best place he could have brought them; even if they were buried under chores, they'd do what they could for any animal in need.

Becca handed around mugs of tea.

"Daryl brought them," she began. Everyone chorused a greeting, having just spotted him. "Their mother was found with them, abandoned by a river. She was very weak and she's currently recovering at the clinic on an IV drip. She'll be fine and then she'll be rehomed; there's a lady in Creaky Tree who wants to take her.

But the puppies have no where to go. Daryl said he'll advertise in the clinic, but they're full."

"So they're staying here, right?" Chess demanded instantly. A delicate looking puppy coloured entirely in pale gold had climbed the side of the box and Chess lifted her up. The spaniel wriggled in her grip, the tiny stub of her docked tail jutting back and forth as she flicked her tongue around, trying to lick at Chess' hands. "Beeeccccaaa."

Becca snorted. "Yes. They're staying here. Not forever. At least, that's not the plan. We'll call some stables; see if they want yard dogs. The clinic will advertise and there may be kennels that want working dogs or even show animals. Don't get too attached. We're going to keep them in a loose box; they'll be comfortable and warm and they can be kept out of trouble until they have new homes."

"Becca..."

Becca stopped. Eyes turned to Twitch, who'd spoken very quietly. She was still sat on the floor, but while Becca had been explaining the situation, the twotoned puppy had ended up in the younger girl's arms. Her head rested on her odd coloured paws over Twtich's arm, and huge eyes gazed around the room.

"Twitch?" Becca asked, fighting a smile at the picture.

"...Can you... can you hold onto this one?"

Chess gasped, her arms now full of the golden puppy and an almost burgundy one with a brilliant white arrow mark on her head. "Oh, yes! You have to get your mum to let you have her!"

Twitch smiled down at the puppy. "That's the plan. But until I can see if she'll agree..."

Becca beamed at her. "We'll keep hold of her," she agreed. "But the others...Lets get them settled, then we need to get some photos and ask around. They're going to need homes."

---

So I decided some time ago I wanted to practice drawing dogs. I'm finally working on that. I had so much fun drawing these guys, its not even funny. Shading fur is as fun as it is horrible. All the pups are greyscale, so if anyone wants more puppies, I could see about getting more out there after this lot have homes I've been doing this most of the day between other things and there are glaring errors with anatomy and the shading (don't look at the awful paws too much, okay?) but I'm actually really happy with them, since dogs aren't my thing.

If you think you can give one of these guys a home, feel free to ask questions or do an art bid ^^

Time: most of the day here and there.
All in PS.
References: [link] [link] [link] [link] [link]
The puppy I'm keeping is an unusual colour based on this: [link]
Art, story and designs copyright to *Tattered-Dreams
Do not take, copy, edit, redistribute or manipulate.