So, updates. I forgot to post this here. From my FB:
And, poof, we magically have a 7th puppy.
In all seriousness, though, this puppy (a beautiful red male) was intended to be culled from birth due to having a kink/hook at the end of the tail, as per our policy, and so I did not announce him. We still firmly believe in culling, but after some internal discussion (read: I'm becoming soft in my old age), we've decided to dock the tail just before the defect and seek out a pet (or, more likely, working) home for him.
He'll be the red collared boy in future photos.
To answer the inevitable question, quoting my kennel partner...
Docking and putting in a pet home is the preferred option. However, with this breed it is extremely difficult to find appropriate homes willing to take perfect puppies, much less find pet homes willing to take ones with a physical defect. Add to that the drive, energy and dog aggression levels that this litter has the potential to produce and it limits that already small number of appropriate homes down even further.
To add to that, ideally, if he has his parents' drive and mind, we'll be able to find him a working home. The typical pet home simply can't handle a dog like Spike, who went through
four homes prior to us acquiring him for that reason, or Layla for that matter. I spared this pup because of his "attitude" (what little you can tell at a few days old, of course, but this pup has consistently been the first to reach every milestone, the one who bulldozes in and takes the best spot at the "milk bar" for himself, etc...and I like that) and hope to see it when they really start to develop individual personalities in several weeks.
And blue collared boy is the first to graduate to a "real" collar.