PUPPIES ARE AVAILABLE NOW!

After many months it’s finally time! On 28th September late at night, Bonny became a first-time mum to 7 pups! We have a litter of 4 boys and 3 girls who are available for sale now to go to their forever homes from 8 weeks of age. This means that from November 23rd you could have your own pedigree Cardigan Corgi pup!

Having just passed the 2-week mark, they are all thriving fantastically and have more than doubled in size since birth, so all are in great health! Their eyes will be opening this week and it’s just going to be milestone after milestone from there. All pups will be vaccinated and microchipped before they go to their forever homes.

The time to get in touch is NOW - it is first come, best dressed so enquire with your questions or expression of interest by either filling in our contact form or by sending an email to heckin.chonks@gmail.com

BONNY IS PREGNANT!

We are so excited that Bonny’s ultrasound 2 weeks ago confirmed that she is pregnant with at least 4 puppies. Our mentor Dee has mentioned that it’s usually wise to add on 1-2 because there’s usually about that amount hidden behind the others, so we might have a pretty solid litter coming around mid-October, so we will be able to announce total headcount then!

So far Bonny is super chipper, and CHONKY hehehe. She’s still pretty agile, able to run and jump onto the couch, although sometimes we end up with a bit of back-leg scramble to get up properly, which is extra cute. We will need to set her up with a little step soon though to prevent any stumbles.

We have already secured a whelping box for the pups in a room that will be separated from the other dogs for their peace and safety, we have shifted Bonny onto puppy food for extra nutrients on Dee’s advice, and we have progestrerone test guided C-section dates lined up. We have opted for this to maximise safety for Bonny and the pups - with a larger litter the smallest of the pack risks not making it through labour and this helps prevent this.

We are as always aiming to cross our T’s and dot our I’s for the wellbeing of our pups. If you have been umming and ahhing about a pup, the time is NOW. It will be first come best dressed for a pup and ther may well only be as few as 4 in the litter if they were all sitting at the front of Bonny’s tum for her ultrasound. Please enquire by responding to our email or by clicking on our Contact page.

Possibly Puppies!

We are just a few weeks away from the point where Bonny can go for an ultrasound! She went into season a couple of weeks ago and we pulled the trigger on AI to maximise our chances, which seems like it was a good choice because our adorable Chonks still appear to be far more adept at turning it on for the camera than for each other (I had to).

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While things like assisted mating and keeping Bonny on a lead sound a bit potentially distressing cuddles and snugs kept the Chonks pretty calm, complete with super friendly and kind vet staff. The Chonks were well looked after, and now we wait!

It’s Go Time!

This is actually a rewrite! We originally had said that it could be go time at any moment... and how right we were!😅 Bonny has just had her first day of season on the 21st (incidental birthday present for mum Susy!) so we are all aflurry at Heckin' Chonks H.Q.

Given that last time was much ado about nothing, we are bringing the local vets in to assist just in case Bonny and Drax struggle to * ahem * figure it out this time round again.

To run some approximate numbers in the meantime, all going according to plan we would be expecting the litter at the end of September, which would mean that the pups would be ready to go to their forever homes from the end of November.

Given that we are now covering all bases, we are expecting a far more eventful outcome than last season, so if your dream is to have a gorgeous little Chonkster of your own, it’s time to get in touch!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BONNY!

It’s celebration time at Heckin' Chonks HQ! Bonny turns 2 on Saturday 29th June and she is officially no longer a little puppy (although her puppy eyes would beg to differ!). It’s still all good in the hood over here, all the doggos are in excellent health and running around having fun.

It’s getting pretty chilly in the mornings around here so it’s good that they have indoor sleeping space at night, because we are starting to see sub-zero readings when we are up early! There is also a designated spot inside and close to the main heating for the home where we plan to keep the little ones if and when Bonny and Drax decide to grace us with their offspring!

For now, we are just still playing the waiting game - it looks like Bonny’s next season will likely extend to the full 6 month period, which would take it out to mid-August, but just keeping an eye out for any shifts in behaviour that may suggest it’s go-time!

For now, the birthday girl is just enjoying lots of extra celebratory snugs.

Well That Flew!

It feels like it was only weeks ago that Bonny was in her ultrasound to see if the previous season had borne any puppers, and here we are again! The calendars pinged us late last week to start being on the lookout for signs that Bonny may be going into her fourth season.

It’s not necessarily all systems go right this minute - Bonny’s seasons have been at uneven intervals so far (two seasons were bang on 6 months apart, but another two were closer to 4 months). Because of this, we are being super cautious to ensure that we are not caught unprepared.

So realistically, Bonny could go into season as soon as in the next couple of weeks or as late as another two or so months from now, but we are watching, watching, watching hehehe. For now it’s all peaceful on the breeding front, but perhaps next time we will have more pressing news!

Settling in…

As the change in season approaches, we hope that everyone is doing well! We are not struggling here, the mornings are super misty and beautiful, and the days no longer rocket up to 40 degrees so it’s a really wonderful time to be calling Heckin' Chonks H.Q. home!

Not much is happening with the Chonks, which is a good thing. They’re in good health and even better spirits. It’s a few months away before Bonny heads towards her next season, and we will be ready with the older definition of AI (Artificial Insemination) to ensure we have pups this time round, just in case Drax is still struggling to figure out how to Stud hehehe.

Meanwhile, we are preparing the grounds for slow living - specifically the wonderful challenge of a doggo proof vegetable garden. We love our Chonks but we prefer them not digging up our efforts. Not much else to report here other than as always, please reply if you have interest in securing a pup. We shall in the meantime continue to provide shots of our super-cute lives for your entertainment.

Ultrasound Says “Nope”

We are a little bit sad today - nothing tragic! All of the Chonks and the other doggos are all happy and healthy, it just turns out that Drax was all the gear and no idea * sniggers * alas while they did give it a red hot go, the ultrasound today revealed that Bonny did not successfully fall pregnant in her season a couple of weeks ago.

This is not all bad news, just a timing setback! To ensure that next season Bonny will have some pups we are looking into thorough progesterone testing and artificial insemination to work around any further cluelessness on behalf of our Chonky boi. This is all completely safe and we are starting our due dilligence now to ensure that we find the vet with the right experience to ensure that our Chonky girl is comfortable and well looked after.

All going well, we are expecting timelines of Sept for next heat, Nov pups being born and forever home-time sitting around the start of '25.

Did They? Didn’t They? Maybe Baby!

Greetings from Heckin' Chonks HQ in the Hunter! So once we were starting to think that Bonny may have done a good ol' skiperoo on her season, it all came together. Being her third season, and her being fully grown, it was go time!

Without kissing and telling, the short version is that we are not entirely certain of the status as of yet. While some hilarious practice runs were spotted, we are unsure what the cheeky chonks got up to behind the garden shed 🤣

Bonny is booked for an ultrasound in just over 4 weeks from now where we will find out for sure whether or not she is pregnant, so either way there will be big news next time that you hear from us!

While we cannot be sure until then, she is being extra sooky and Drax is following her around everywhere (urge to mate has passed) so we suspect that it may be a positive, but we do not want to count our chonkies until we know for sure!

Cannot wait to update you soon in a couple of weeks!

AND NOW WE WAIT…

Greetings from Heckin Chonks HQ in the Hunter! We finally relocated just over a week ago and we are getting settled in but already loving it tremendously! The Chonks are super happy with heaps of playing room to do their sploots and zoomies around.

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On the breeding front we have been met with an unexpected turn of events… Bonny’s season is nowhere to be seen. Last time it actually arrived earlier than predicted at only 4 months after her first, so we were calculating off another 4 month cycle - this one could extend out to the more usual 6ish.

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There is however the possibility that she may skip one! We are hoping not but it would appear that we needed to hurry up and wait hehehe. To anybody who has expressed interest in a pup, we will be in contact this week to provide the more detailed rundown of events, but so far it’s just a matter of playing the waiting game!

BIG NEWS! IT’S RELOCATION TIME

We knew that it was coming soon, but it’s all locked in now! We are officially moving to Heckin' Chonks HQ in the Hunter Region at the end of January! We are preparing and are super excited - the Chonks have already had their first weekend in HQ and it was so much fun having over a third of an acre for them to run amock on.

Of interest also, Bonny is due to go into season any moment. This is the season that we are intending to breed - the only caveat to that would be if her peak were to coincide with moving day, so we will be keeping everyone on the alert!

We are so excited for a big year and a big yard!

THE MOVE RAPIDLY APPROACHES!!!

The end of the year is breathing down our necks and so is our relocation to the Hunter Region! After a huge year of focusing on many other projects and adventures, amongst which we secured a proper country home for the Chonks, we finally have the opportunity to turn our attention towards getting out of the big city!

This is super exciting for many reasons, but it is very well timed with Bonny going into breeding age in 2024! We have not locked in the specific dates for the move but it is soon and we are equal parts excited and terrified! We will absolutely keep you guys in the loop, but if you happen to be Sydney based, and you were interested in meeting the Chonks to help decide if you would like a pup, now is the time to get in touch!

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If you know that you want a puppy in 2024 this is also very much the time to get in touch as we will be figuring out all the final specifics for the first litter as soon as we are settled in the Hunter!

From everyone at HC HQ - wishing you a wonderful Christmas and silly season!

Just chugging along…

Sometimes no news is good news, and the Chonks are doing fabulously, enjoying some time at Sydney Pet Resort (who took the adorable photo above) as we have been travelling for other business ventures. They are so well taken care of there, get many cuddles and we get to snoop on daily photos of them every day when we are unable to be there with them. A true paw-rent treat!

We are now starting to prepare for the next flurry of events! 'Tis the calm before the storm! We are soon to relocate to HC HQ in NSW Hunter Region, so we have a few renovations to see through first, and the Chonks cannot wait to have almost half an acre to play in!

Just a reminder that we are currently also taking expressions of interest in a puppy as Bonny will be having her first litter in the first half of next year, and it is first come best puppified!

ENQUIRIES OFFICIALLY BEING TAKEN

All is quiet with the Chonks and we are excitedly starting to prepare for the first litter! We are currently taking expressions of interest and are super excited to chat to anybody who is considering getting a Cardigan Corgi puppy in the first half of next year.

Because we are super interested in ensuring that the entire process is ethical end-to-end we do ask that anybody who is interested puts their name forward sooner rather than later. We want to get to know you well but also start to pass on what we know about living with corgis to ensure that all the puppies are going to be as well taken care of as we would ourselves.

Corgis are incredibly adorable but they’re also very clever, and while that does not necessarily mean super high maintenance, they do require mental stimulation. We consequently want to build relationships that will allow for ongoing support of any of Bonny and Drax’s offspring! IF you would like to get in touch, just fill in a form in the contact page!

Bonny has had her second season!

Our now no longer quite-so-little girl has gone through her second season just a couple of weeks ago. This has now given us a good idea of how frequently this happens for her, and so we have a better idea of when to expect our first litter!

A third season is the sweet spot for beginning to breed - they’re not completely fully grown earlier but she’s going to be fully mature next time round. Given timelines this could happen as early as the first half of January!

This means that we could have puppies that are ready to go to a near home as soon as end of Feb or the start of March next year. If you have been considering a pup NOW is the time to start getting in touch!

Because we are working very hard to do this ethically, this is not going to be a last minute job. We vet all our potential puppy parents very thoroughly to ensure that they will be not only going to a great home, but also that the families are prepared with all of the information needed to know what to expect about Cardigan Corgi paw-renthood, to ensure the best lives for all our pups.

Make sure to get in touch sooner rather than later to start getting the ball rolling about securing a pup from Bonny’s first litter!

H.C. HAS AN H.Q.!

We have the keys! We are about to move regional which is going to have us with some seriously happy Chonks! Getting out of the concrete jungle and into the fresh air with a huge yard for the pups to grow up happy in has been a central goal since we said yes to adopting Saber, who was the first doggo that we brought home. This is beyond exciting and has been a long time coming!

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We are moving to the Upper Hunter Region of NSW on a huge block of land that would be simply impossible to have in a big city. It’s going to be a tremendous lifestyle change and no doubt this will come with its own challenges, but it will be just so rewarding to see our Chonky friends thriving in the kind of space that we have always wanted for them.

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Bonny is fast approaching her second cycle now too, so it really is go-time as the first attempt to breed her will be in her third cycle. This is still about 6 months away, but that time is going to fly so we really do need to get our skates on. Given the timing of things, if you have been thinking about getting a pup from her first litter, it would be a good idea to start getting in touch to reserve a pup!

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We did a super cute shoot!

We recently embarked on a day adventure equal parts adorable and organised chaos - the Chonks have done their first shoot! Now that Bonny and Drax are all grown up, we wanted to immortalise their cuteness, and we results are better than anything we could have hoped for.

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With the wonderful help of Dog Whisperer Cristal AKA Love Tails Photography in Sydney we managed to capture some insanely cute shots of all five of our pooches, but in there, we captured the above shot (navigate to the general Updates page if you cannot see it) as well as a snap for them both to feature in the Love Tails 2024 Corgi Calendar!

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We are very excited to see the end product of this, as well as all the final shots hanging up in our home soon. Hoping that you enjoy the cuteness as much as we have been!

Bonny is Turning One!

It’s our little girl’s birthday this week! She is almost fully grown and in fine health as her big grin suggests. We are all having a whale of a time - all the pups are so well accustomed to each other now. Even though we only have the two chonks, we actually have a total of FIVE dogs for newcomers, so this is an achievement!

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There is not an awful lot else to report - just keeping in the swing of things - but are also hopefully going to have exciting news for next time! We are intent on being able to move to the NSW Hunter Region by the end of the year and we are potentially going to be able to say something more definitive very soon. This is a huge goal for our pups because we want them to have a massive yard to be merry in.

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While at the moment they get taken to the park daily and they are truly happy, nothing beats just being able to run free whenever they want. particularly as both Draxy and the Bonster-Monster are pretty ball obsessed! Wish us luck and we hope to have exciting news next time!

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Bonny and Drax Are DM Free!!!

Hi everyone! We are super excited to have received our results from Orivet on Bonny and Drax’s genetic testing. The biggest snag that can occur with Cardigan Corgis is when a dog is a carrier of Degenerative Myelopathy (DM). This is a degenerative disease that affects the spinal cord and leads to gradual paralysis in the hind legs of our best fluffy friends. It is incurable and unfortunately when a pooch is diagnosed, they usually only have a life expectancy of 1-2 years from that point on. Consequently, one of the really big factors of ethical dog breeding is ensuring that we are not allowing for this to happen to any of our pups!

Because it is a recessive gene, a dog can be a carrier without them being at risk, or placing others at risk either. If a dog has TWO copies of the gene then they are considered at risk. If two dogs have one copy of the gene EACH though, they should NOT be bred together - their puppies have the chance of receiving two copies (one from mum, and one from dad) of the DM mutation and so this is deemed unethical breeding, and should not be happening, as it is cruel to place profit ahead of the possibility of sealing a pup with such an awful fate.

We are overjoyed to say that both Bonny and Drax are CLEAR! That means that neither of them have ANY copies of the DM genetic mutation, so they can safely and responsibly be bred together.

We are still about 10 months away from Bonny’s first attempt to become a mum as she’s still only little, but now we are going to start to set ourselves up formally as breeders, so you will soon be able to see us on official listings of Cardigan Corgi breeders. We are super excited that our Chonks are going to be able to make healthy as well as adorable pups.

Doing our due diligence with genetic testing…

Another month and the Chonks are doing really well. Bonny's first season is coming to an end and the clock starts to tick towards the intended first littler for 12 months from now.

We have just sent off DNA testing (just swabs, nothing too scary for them!) to check for Degenerative Myelopathy (DM) to ensure that they are a good match for each other. If not then Bonny may need to borrow boyfriends for life (scandalous)! This process ensures that we are doing our due diligence to breed only safe pups - when one parent is a DM carrier but the other is not, this makes for safe breeding as it's a recessive condition - we only run into trouble when both dogs are carriers, whereby we would not be able to breed them together. We should have results by next month.

Either way our mentor recommended that we outsource for the first litter so that we can not only obtain a second bitch from that litter, but also we are hoping for a Merle Cardigan for some more variety in the look of our pups. There is a stud she recommended who is already confirmed to not be a DM carrier so Bonny can definitely get cosy with him safely.

We are also more seriously starting to prepare to move semi-rural. This will make for an exciting change - not only will all the dogs have more room to run around in, but we will be able to set up proper dedicated areas for when the litters are born. We are very excited for what the coming year will bring!

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