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And they call it puppy love!

March 23 - 29, 2011
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Gulf Weekly And they call it puppy love!

Gulf Weekly Mai Al Khatib-Camille
By Mai Al Khatib-Camille

A litter of puppies was reunited for the first time since the animals were all found new homes ... for their 1st birthday bash.

The gorgeous golden retrievers brought their owners along too for a special celebration at the Delmon Kennels in Barbar with party hats, balloons and a delicious meaty chunk cake.

Julia and Peter Rushton, owners of the puppies' proud four-year-old pure-bred mum Sophie, wanted to keep the family of mutts and their new owners in touch with each other and thought the birthday party was an ideal opportunity.

Daddy dog, three-year-old Callum, came with his owners and fellow British expats, Grace and Stan Bontoft.

Julia, from Saar, said: "Sophie is such a fantastic dog and we thought she would make an excellent mother. There aren't many pedigree retrievers in Bahrain but we were lucky when we met Grace and Stan, owners of two pedigree retrievers.

"When Sophie met Callum last year, it was love at first sight. They really took to one another. Then in March we were all blessed with nine darling pups.

"I thought why not throw them a birthday party as a great way for them to stay in touch with each other. The pups were so happy together. We also made some wonderful new friends in the process of finding them homes too.

"I have become quite close to a few of the owners and every now and then we even take the dogs for walks together."

Six of the nine managed to make it to the party - Sunny, Tinga, Belle, Tammy, Zorro and Toby - and they were joined by other canine relatives.

They proceeded to bounce for joy on a trampoline, bath in tubs filled with water and bark to their hearts content.

Grace, from Barbar, said: "This was a fantastic idea and I can see how happy Callum is to play with his pups."

The party games went down a treat too including musical chairs. When the music stopped the 'humans' had to sit on benches and the dogs neatly on the ground. The winner received a box of doggie treats.

Then they played 'pass the parcel' and the winner took home a large bone. After some more fun, a cake full of doggy delights was presented to the pups. The owners sang 'happy birthday' and the dogs tried to howl along before tucking into more well-earned treats.







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