Blackjack Kennels

Blackjack Kennels Pheasants, ducks, geese, quail, grouse, woodcock....these versatile family dogs can do it all. Gran

Blackjack kennels is owned and operated by Jeff and Sharla Ports.

01/23/2025

The dogs love to retrieve...even Yoshi!
Penny Joy and Yoshi do this at the kennel 3 times a day...and the rest of the day at the house, until I put the toys away...🤣❤️🐾🐾

Happy 4 week Birthday to The Miracles!! We celebrated with a short outside adventure!! They did really well. Some explor...
01/23/2025

Happy 4 week Birthday to The Miracles!! We celebrated with a short outside adventure!! They did really well. Some explored, some hung out on the blanket and soaked up some sunshine...it was a good first outside adventure!! And...their journeys continue ❤️🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾

The Miracles had another inside adventure this morning.. They had puppy chow before we played so they were a little more...
01/20/2025

The Miracles had another inside adventure this morning..
They had puppy chow before we played so they were a little more low key and snuggly...which is okay...snuggles are good too!
They got to meet Penny Joy this morning. She has been looking at them through the fence, since they were born, she has been very curious...I was hesitant to have them out together. Penny can sometimes be a lot(she is 7 months old, enough said) but... she was so good. It was pretty amazing how gentle she was with the babies...❤️😊. This will give you an idea of how big the pups will be in 6 months. They grow so fast, that is why I tell everyone to ENJOY every moment, they don't stay little for long!!
And...their journeys continue!! ❤️🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾

Wow...The Miracles had a great morning. They were out of their comfort zone and they did great!! They played with toys,...
01/19/2025

Wow...The Miracles had a great morning. They were out of their comfort zone and they did great!! They played with toys, explored all over the whelping room, had puppy chow in their kennel and then Milk with Mom. They were all exhausted and fell asleep, all 11 still in the pool...
And...their journeys continue ❤️🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾.

01/18/2025

Pearl, Windy, Lacey, Gemma, Ellie...some our beautiful mommas!!

Our Miracles are growing so fast.. they are 3 1/2 weeks old.They have graduated to puppy chow 2 times a day. And...they...
01/18/2025

Our Miracles are growing so fast.. they are 3 1/2 weeks old.
They have graduated to puppy chow 2 times a day. And...they love it. Bigger litters are so much easier to transition to solid food. Since birth they have had to push and shove to get to the milk, when they start on solids they quickly figure out there is more than enough to go around.
They had their 3 week deworming and had their nails trimmed. If you are mathy...that is 176 tiny toenails.
The middle of next week our weather should be warm enough to start getting the babies outside for little adventures. We should have new toys delivered today...for our indoor playtime!!
Mommy is doing well. She enjoys her 3 meals a day and biscuits...she LOVES biscuits!! She also enjoys cuddling with her babies!!
She is eating 12 cups of food a day now. As the pups start eating more solids...we will start decreasing the amount of food momma is eating, so her milk production will slow down. It is already time to start working towards weaning the pups.
And...their journeys continue ❤️ 🐾 🐾 🐾 🐾 🐾 🐾 🐾 🐾 🐾 🐾 🐾.

The Miracles are growing up so fast.. I had been watching for the cues they give me that it is time to start solid foods...
01/16/2025

The Miracles are growing up so fast..
I had been watching for the cues they give me that it is time to start solid foods.
1st clue is that they are starting to get out of their pool, which means momma is staying out of the pool more and they are crawling out to get to her, so they can nurse.
2nd cue is that they are licking, when they start licking my hands and each other I know they are doing what they need to do to eat. Pups are born with the sucking reflex, they do not have the licking redlex at birth, which they need to eat and drink.
Last night I decided to try a bedtime snack...they really surprised me with how well they did with their gruel. I always let momma have the food that is left..she didn't get much!! The pups had as much food on themselves as they probably did in their tummies, but...all in all they had a fantastic practice session...
We will start slow, with gruel just once a day as their tummies adjust to something new. We will gradually work up to gruel, 3 times a day. And...their journeys continue! ❤️🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾

The Miracles...And...so it begins. At 3 weeks old the pups start learning to escape. Last night on the eve of their 3 ...
01/15/2025

The Miracles...
And...so it begins. At 3 weeks old the pups start learning to escape. Last night on the eve of their 3 week birthday, this little guy was out of the pool and quite proud of himself.. this morning he was out again...he was very bold and just walked right out the kennel when I called him.
At this age momma starts separating herself from the pups. They no longer rely on her for heat, they are starting to be able to maintain and regulate their own body temperature. When they are born they cannot do that and so they rely on Momma to keep them warm...the heated floors in the whelping room help too. Even though they will be nursing for 2-3 more weeks, momma also starts scheduling when they eat. Up to this point they were able to nurse 24/7. It is amazing how the moms have the instinct to know what the pups need.
After watching the moms with their pups for the last 25 years I have figured out so much. Each mom/litter follows the same schedule. In the beginning I would try to force the moms to get in with their pups, to lay down to nurse them, etc. etc.then I realized this is exactly what the mom of the last litter did and the mom before that. I decided to let Mom/nature run the show and it works...the mommas just know what to do. It is amazing on so many levels!!
And...their journeys continue ❤️ 🐾 🐾 🐾 🐾 🐾 🐾 🐾 🐾 🐾 🐾 🐾.

The Miracles enjoyed a little play time, while momma was on her morning run...when Pearl got back, she had breakfast and...
01/14/2025

The Miracles enjoyed a little play time, while momma was on her morning run...when Pearl got back, she had breakfast and a biscuit, then she was back on the job.. the milk bar was open. When the pups were full, they fairly quickly made their puppy pile and were fast asleep. Momma Pearl takes that as an opportunity to rest. Phew...
Our littlest Labradors are doing fantastic!! They are interacting with each other, responding to my voice and becoming more curious about their surroundings. Our weather is going to be really cold for the next week, so they won't be exploring outside...but we will have some indoor playtime to start building confidence!!
And...their journeys continue ❤️🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾

01/13/2025

The Miracles are quickly approaching 3 weeks old. They are just as cute as can be. They are more active every day. They are doing everything just as they should be. At the end of the week, they will get to start practicing eating gruel....
Notice in the video how tidy their nest is. I don't know how momma can keep up with 11 babies, keeping every one fed and everyone clean and their nest clean is a full time job!! This momma is absolutely amazing!!
Enjoy the video...
And...their journey continues...❤️🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾.

Thank you to Jay and Tammy Ports for being a constant with us and the kennel and for allowing Jeff and I to sneak away f...
01/10/2025

Thank you to Jay and Tammy Ports for being a constant with us and the kennel and for allowing Jeff and I to sneak away for an anniversary trip!!
Ms. Penny Joy loving the Kansas snow!!!

The Miracles turned two weeks old yesterday!! Time is already flying by...They are getting their eyes open and growing l...
01/10/2025

The Miracles turned two weeks old yesterday!! Time is already flying by...
They are getting their eyes open and growing like crazy.. their ears are starting to open but it will take a few more days for them to be completely open...
When they are born they can't see or hear. They have so much developing to do, this prevents them from becoming over stimulated while they are growing.
Over the next week...they will start interacting with each other more and more and they will spend more time practicing walking on their wobbly little legs. Before we know it, they will be running around and climbing out of their whelping pool.
Momma is staying very busy, making sure they have full tummies and that their nest stays tidy. Although they don't know any tricks yet, they are doing everything a 2 week old puppy should be doing. And...their journey continues!! ❤️🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾

The Miracles!!Today I am going to feature Ms. Pearl Ann. I share a lot about the pups, but the moms deserve to be praise...
12/31/2024

The Miracles!!
Today I am going to feature Ms. Pearl Ann. I share a lot about the pups, but the moms deserve to be praised too. This momma is nothing short of amazing.
Pearl is one of our puppies. I was with her momma the day she was born. She was from a litter of six. She has five brothers. We planned to keep a male and female from the litter, so I knew from the day they were born that she would be our Pearl!
All of our momma dogs are working dogs. We have never had a female that was with us just for breeding. All of our females train, test, and hunt! If they are pregnant, they hunt up to a week to 10 days of their due dates.
When they are in labor and whelping, I try to be with them from start to finish. They know what to do if I am not there, but they always seem to enjoy my company. Throughout the years, I have missed a few pups being born, but not many.
Pearl has started going on the morning runs again. She wanted to go the morning after her babies arrived; we made her take two mornings off. Now she is going every day. She runs and plays, but then is anxious to get back with her babies.
She gets three meals a day. Right now, she is eating around nine cups of food a day; her normal amount would be four cups a day. By the time we wean the pups, she will be eating 12 to 13 cups of food a day. My goal is to never have a skinny momma. I feed them enough that they have plenty to feed their pups and maintain their own body weight. They also consume a gallon of water a day, maybe more.( Minus what ends up on the floor...if you have a Labrador...you know!!!) 😂❤️🤣.
The moms work hard making sure their babies are fed and warm and that their nest is always tidy. It is amazing how caring for the pups is instinct; they just know what to do. I have learned from the mommas. When we started raising pups, I knew very little. By observing the moms, I have learned so much.😊
And their journey continues... ❤️🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾

The Miracles are 5 days old...today was dew claw removal day! All of the pups did really well. They are strong and heal...
12/31/2024

The Miracles are 5 days old...today was dew claw removal day! All of the pups did really well. They are strong and healthy babies. Dr. LeAnn said they were perfect. And...their journey continues...🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾

We have exciting news to Share!! Blackjack Kennels is happy to introduce our "Christmas Miracles"...born on Christmas da...
12/29/2024

We have exciting news to Share!!
Blackjack Kennels is happy to introduce our "Christmas Miracles"...born on Christmas day! That is a first for us.
This was as close to a text book delivery as you can have.. Pearl did amazing and made my job fairly easy. I was so proud of her!!
Pearl and Thunder blessed us with 11 perfect little miracles. We have 8 girls and 3 boys!! All of these pups are spoken for!! We have some very happy and excited families waiting anxiously for going home day. Enjoy the pictures!!!

Merry Christmas from Blackjack Kennels...🎄🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾
12/25/2024

Merry Christmas from Blackjack Kennels...🎄🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾

Penny went last weekend to Great Bend Kansas and had the opportunity to get into the field for a short hunt. Sadly the ...
12/20/2024

Penny went last weekend to Great Bend Kansas and had the opportunity to get into the field for a short hunt. Sadly the field didn't produce any birds, but she did have the experience and was with her Gramma Lacey...which makes it really special.
On her return home, she spent a few days at the kennel... yesterday she had a bath...the first time we had bathed her, since bringing her home...she is so shiny now...just like a new Penny...😉😁
She is finally starting to understand that she doesn't have to pester Yoshi constantly and is learning to cuddle and is more calm. I managed to get a few pictures of her just relaxing.
She is an absolute beautiful pup...people comment on how well put together she is. We agree. I feel like she is a combination of her Gramma and Grampa...I included their pictures for reference.
She is spunky and super sweet...we are proud to have this pup and look forward to watching her mature and the possibilities for her future!!

Penny Joy and 12 1/2 year old Gramma Lacey hunted together today!! This makes my heart so happy...❤️🐾🐾
12/16/2024

Penny Joy and 12 1/2 year old Gramma Lacey hunted together today!! This makes my heart so happy...❤️🐾🐾

Address

23800 Douglas Road
Chanute, KS
66720

Opening Hours

Monday 7am - 9pm
Tuesday 7am - 9pm
Wednesday 7am - 9pm
Thursday 7am - 9pm
Friday 7am - 9pm
Saturday 7am - 9pm
Sunday 7am - 9pm

Telephone

+16202123530

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Videos

Pearl, Windy, Lacey, Gemma, Ellie...some our beautiful mommas!!

Volume up...I love the sounds they make when they are nursing...❤️🍼

The Miracles are quickly approaching 3 weeks old. They are just as cute as can be. They are more active every day. They are doing everything just as they should be. At the end of the week, they will get to start practicing eating gruel.... Notice in the video how tidy their nest is. I don't know how momma can keep up with 11 babies, keeping every one fed and everyone clean and their nest clean is a full time job!! This momma is absolutely amazing!! Enjoy the video... And...their journey continues...❤️🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾.

Another big adventure with The Perfect Dozen... They decided where to go this morning....I just followed and watched the magic of puppies!! I didn't add music to the video...and it is a long one...sorry...not sorry...I wanted you to experience the adventure as close to what I see/hear. Other than an occasional whistle to call the pups back for a quick head count...it is just the sound of the leaves under 48 little paws...I love that sound!! 😊 I do talk to the pups ...just not on this video. We played in the creek bed for close to an hour... I will post pictures later today... And...their journey's continue 🩷🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾

Headed home...leading the way...The Perfect Dozen...😊❤️🐾

From yesterday afternoon...we finally had some sunshine!! The Perfect Dozen loving life!! And...their journey's continue 🩷🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾

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