Things Are Lively In Paisleyland!

Pups had a busy day. When I got home at noon, we took all four into the backyard for some exploring. The pups were cold at first, but soon warmed up and had a great time zipping around, playing chase games and digging in the leaves. Too bad it's really too cold this time of year for them to stay out for very long.

Yesterday evening they all came up to play in the family room with the big dogs. Watson and Argus particularly enjoy puppies, so it was great fun to watch. I crated old Sid, who would swear at any small spotted brats who sniffed his crate. Coral mostly stayed out of their way, and silly Josie tried to figure out if perhaps these were her puppies. In the end she just laid on top of all the squeaky toy babies to protect them, but when Clark sniffed around she offered to let him nurse. She's lucky he didn't try, as those teeth are mighty sharp!

I do wish that Lana did not insist on carrying her tail so high, as she's looking very nice right now. Ava is a heartbreaker, with an almost invisible (under ear) patch keeping her out of the show ring. She's so sound and beautifully spotted, with a calm sensible personality. Gracie is very slight of build, and although she has a really pretty front, nice markings and her father's personality, she really is not exactly what I wanted from this litter. I'll probably run her on for a bit, and then place her in the right situation. I only have room for one more girl, and I don't think it's probably her. Clark is lovely, although has a little more reserved personality than I am used to. Not timid, but not an in-your-face sort of guy like his dad. That may change when there are fewer pups to compete with. He's a very easy puppy, and extremely handsome. It's awfully tempting to keep him, but I really do not need an Argus son yet, as Argus just turned two.

So I'll run Gracie and Clark on for a bit before making up my mind. My friend Meg has bred her Coral daughter who I co-own, to a handsome young dog I admire, a half brother to Argus. Perhaps my puppy will be in that litter. Violet McSherry came out well on her health testing, and will probably be bred to Argus this winter, with the pups being done here, so I have that to look forward to as well.

We'll see. We go into each litter looking for the "perfect" pup, and are always pleased if we get some good ones. This litter was healthy and sound and had a number of very nice pups who should do well in the showring, plus some awesome pets, but perhaps no one that will stay here forever. There's always next time!

I'll try to get the 7 week litter pictures posted to my website this week, and add a few more cute pictures to the puppy page. Tom will keep up his blog, and can use it to post new pictures. I am signing off on mine. See you down the road! It's been fun, and thanks for reading along.

Sue

The Pups Are Here . . .

Things just got a bit busier, and I'm quite sure I won't have time to post tomorrow! I picked up Clark, Gracie, Ava and Lana tonite, and got them settled into a pen in the basement. A couple of pups were a bit drooly, but no one got carsick this time. I'll take them out for another ride tomorrow evening, just to make sure Lana will be OK for the long road trip up to her new home in Canada. Ava will be flying out on Wednesday, so she needs to spend some time in a Vari Kennel to prepare her for that. They both need to start wearing collars tomorrow too. Still have to get the health certificates picked up, and get the puppy packets finished.

They've grown since Friday, really shooting up. Clark and Gracie are still the slimmest, obviously not chowhounds like chubby Lana. They will be staying with me for awhile, so I can get to know them better. I've got Gracie figured out already - she's a BRAT - very full of herself, and determined to have her own way. She just looks you right in the eye and challenges you. I can tell she's a smart one and has her father's in-your-face sort of personality. Clark just does his own thing, not quite as clingy as some of the others. He's friendly, but not as needy. My Josie is like that. Friendly and affectionate, but does not have to be under my feet and touching me all the time like Argus and Watson do. Argus is always watching me, and whenever I look at him I find that he is looking back. I see Gracie doing exactly the same thing.

Wish it were going to be warmer this week, so the pups could spend more time outdoors. They can have such fun in the yard this time of the year when there are no flowers that need protecting.

I'm sure things are very sad at Tom & Dawn's tonite. They have put so much time, work and emotion into this project for the past four months. And now they are left with just their two puppies . . . Even though you know you can only keep one or two, there is a huge emptiness when the puppies leave. When I picked up the pups tonite, Dawn wasn't there. She couldn't watch the puppies depart. And I had expected that. Tom kept a stiff upper lip, but I know how he was feeling . . . I hope they take comfort in the fact that I have done my best to insure that the pups have the very best of homes.

If Clark and Gracie don't stay with me, they will go to equally good homes.

Time to give the pups their bedtime snack!

The Puppies Come Home

Today will be a busy one, as I finally will pick up Clark & Gracie, as well as Lana & Ava who will be going to new homes this week. I was going to get my two pups on Friday, but because Gracie is a climber I would have needed to take my big puppy pen home - and probably Lana & Ava too. So everyone stayed at Tom's for a few more days. Hope Tom & Dawn are prepared for this, although Sherman's departure was probably the toughest for Dawn.

This will give me a chance to know Clark and Gracie better, and decide whether or not either will stay with me or move on to new homes. Both are lovely pups and will go to show homes if I sell them. It will be very tempting to keep Clark, as he is particularly handsome, but I really do not need an extra nice Argus son right now - and really do not need another male anyway! I just happen to prefer male Dals. . .

Lana will be picked up on Tuesday, and Ava will fly out on Wednesday. Lana's new owner and a friend of hers will be driving down from Canada, along with their four pre-schoolers (two each)! Four little kids and a 10 week old puppy sounds like a wild trip! Ava will be flying NW VIP, which means she is last on, first off, a lot easier on pups than flying regular cargo. Actually, pups ship very well and generally just sleep the whole time. Ava is very easy going, and should handle things very well. Gotta pick up health certificates for both pups to travel with.

Hope I can bend over far enough to pick up a pup this evening! I've been taking out old carpeting, a mean dirty job. I don't think that bedroom furniture has been moved since it first arrived, and it is aaawwwfffuuullllllyyy heavy. Really sucks to get old!

Got my new red Chinese Hi Fin Swords settled in to their new tank. Such gorgeous fish! Their dorsals are like flags, and they resemble Sailfin Mollies as much as Hi Fin Swords. I've been wanting a group of them for so long, and finally found the right importer to buy from. These fish seem to be pretty fragile, but are incredibly gorgeous, and far more beautiful than any of the red Swords available in the US. Because they are not very prolific either, they are in very short supply. The most recent group offered on Aquabid (the EBAY for fish folks) sold for $175.00 for 5 fish, plus shipping. I bought privately, though have often bid on those fish on Aquabid - but my limit is $150.00. The pair I purchased for $100.00 lasted about a week. Fortunately these fish look MUCH healthier. FIngers crossed.

New Puppies!

No not here, although Josie is having a false pregnancy and thinks she has puppies. She's gathered up the squeaky toys and is carefully tending them with great concern. Her puppies consist of a purple rubber dumbbell, a green rubber frog, a brown football, an orange knobbly football, and a red ball. Certainly more colorful than your standard black and liver spotted litter! Every now and then Argus will dash in and take one of the "babies" to play with, causing poor Josie great concern. She follows him around, humming to herself until she can recover her baby. Last night she got up for a drink of water and Sid plopped himself down on the cushion "crushing" the babies. Poor Josie stood and stared at him, but because Sid is the boss she did not know what to do. When she saw me laughing, she "explained" at great length what a bad situation it was (Josie makes a variety of sounds when she is excited or under stress) and asked that I get Sid off her babies. When I bribed him with a biscuit, she gently laid back down and carefully washed her babies and gathered them up close, all the while talking to herself about what bozos the boys are!

Nope, the real babies are in Florida, Argus's first litter sired by chilled semen. Hopefully Carolyn wanted a boy, because she has a lot of them. Last I heard 6 boys and 1 girl, one patched boy, pups of both colors. We only know Reggie from pictures, as she did not have to fly to Minnesota. Instead she got a series of progesterone tests so they could predict when she would ovulate, and when she should be bred. When tests indicated that the time was right, Argus went to the reproductive specialist and they did a semen collections, mixed it with an extender of some sort, packed it in ice (dry ice I think) and sent it off by plane. Carolyn picked it up early the next morning, took it to her vet, and it was surgically implanted. Because of the surgery, only one breeding was required. If artificial insemination is used, then we might have done two seperate breedings. Obviously the timing was just right, as the litter arrived on schedule, with a normal number of pups - too bad there were not a few more girls though!

A Worthwhile Pastime?

A friend of ours decided to get out of dogs because she wanted to do something more useful than "just being a dog breeder". She was at the time a wife & mother to two teenagers, worked a part time job and was a Dalmatian hobbyist who bred very good dogs and was an excellent handler, active in a Dal club and an all breed club. Because that was not enough for her, she got out of dogs and went back to school, and is now working in a career that I hope she finds satisfying.

Breeding & showing quality dogs is not a career, but rather a very satisfying hobby, something most of us do in addition to our "real" lives. It certainly is not a money-making hobby, and if you figure in the time you spend on doing a litter of pups PROPERLY, your time could be better spent as a greeter at WalMart. It can also be an expensive and heart-breaking hobby, as breeding dogs is not without risk. Sometimes a breeding does not take, after you have spent money shipping your bitch to Mr. Superstar and paying a huge stud fee. Sometimes things do not go well at all. My first Dal died during a caesarian, as did 10 of her 13 puppies. And I still had to pay the stud fee and the vet bill. . . Sometimes you have deformed or sick puppies to deal with, and with Dals there is always the chance of having deaf puppies. We once lost a wonderful bitch several weeks after whelping and were left with 4 orphans to raise, a very time-consuming operation.

Even when things go well, and the puppies are healthy and all hear, you may not get the show potential pups you were hoping for, and the homes may not be there for the pets. After the popularity boom for Dalmatians in the early 90s, the bottom dropped out of the Dal "market" and there was NO homes for pet puppies. Many breeders kept pups until they were 6 months old or more. Those pups had to socialized, housetrained and obedience trained, so that IF the homes came along the pups were placeable. And there are the pups that come unplaced for whatever reason. The breeder is/should be responsible for those pups for their lifetimes, and if they need to be rehomed (or perhaps even euthanized) that has to be done.

Dealing with puppy buyers can be wonderful, and many of our buyers have also become our good friends. When I go to the National each year I renew acquaintance with many people who have owned my dogs and my granddogs, or bred to my males. I love to get Christmas cards with the whole family pictured, including the beloved Dalmatian, and when the end comes I also get calls from people to tell me what an important member of their family the Dal was, or how it was the best dog or best Dal they have ever owned. I've cried over the phone with many grieving owners, and know that I'll continue to do that for years to come.

Some owners turn out to be much different than you had expected. No matter how carefully you check them out, some are not willing to honor their committment to the puppy and the breeder, some find that pups are a lot more work than they expected (even though we make that point over and over), and sometimes financial, personal or family issues become overwhelming, and the dog gets shortchanged. Sometimes you just shake your head and can not believe the stories. Years ago I got a call that someone wanted to returned a Dal - one they had had for ten years. They had made the decision to sell their house and move into a condo that did not accept dogs! They were making the decision my choice, not necessity, and their livestyle change was not including the dog that had been a member of the family for ten years! Fortunately, they did change their mind when I explained that ten year old dogs are not placeable, and that euthanasia was the most likely option in this case.

Most homes are wonderful, and the joy that the dogs bring to their families makes all the frustrating and heartbreaking parts more than worth it. Most buyers reserve pups well in advance and wait for their new family members, This is really the best, as it gives people a chance to have second thoughts before they buy a puppy. We never sell a puppy on the first visit, just for that reason.

I'm very happy with the homes we have lined up for Boji's pups, and I hope Tom & Dawn will be comfortable with my choices too. No matter how carefully homes are selected, we always worry about how well things will work out though. It's only natural. By the time you have put this much time, money, work and EMOTION into raising a litter, the pups become a huge part of your life. Their welfare is your concern, and it that concern does not end when they are carried out the door.

Which reminds me, I need to check out a couple of Josie's pups whose owners have not been in touch with me for awhile! Hopefully I will get Christmas cards with pictures from many of their owners!

Winding Down

Apologies to all for not getting the 7 week pictures up, but I've been doing catch up here and "playing with my fish". That means water changes, 30-40% on each of the 40+ fish tanks (done every 7 to 10 days). Takes me a couple of evenings every week, especially when I stop to admire my scaley beauties! Argus is my Assistant Fish Keeper and loves to "help" which means I am forever tripping over him. He pretends to bite the fish, leaving mouth marks on the glass, and his favorites are the black spotted Knight Gobies, my Dalmatian spotted fish. I'll work on pictures and a webpage update tonite!

Sherman & Spencer leave tomorrow morning - the babies birds are leaving the nest! How can that be? Seems like only yesterday we were discussing the litter, and now the pups will soon be leaving for their new (and hopefully, forever) homes. An enormous amount of money and time have been invested in this litter, and we can only hope that the new owners follow up on what we have begun.

Although I agonize over each puppy placement, we've been extremely successful with that over the years. Very few of our pups have come unplaced for any reason, and when they do it has generally been because of family issues, primarily divorces. Pups are placed with the understanding it is forever, but people's health, financial, and family situations change, and we can only hope for the best for both the pup and its owners. The most recent situation occurred when the youngsters developed serious allergies and a new home had to be found for the 6 year old Dal. Fortunately I had someone waiting who was happy to take on an adult. One of the most aggravating situation was when a buyer dumped one of my pups at the Humane Society rather than notifying me that they were having problems. Fortunately, someone who was looking for a Dalmatian adopted the handsome liver boy who came with paperwork - which contained my name and address, and he contacted me. That dog lived a long and happy life in an excellent new home.

All the homes this time are previous Dal owners. Two parties I have interviewed, and who have met the pups, another I had previously sold a puppy to some years ago, and a fourth that is a referral from Bonnie, who had previously sold them a dog. We don't anticipate that they will have any problems with new puppies, but I always tell people that my pups come with Lifetime Service Policies - if you have problems PLEASE CALL ME! It's much easier to solve small problems than large ones, and many issues do not go away on their own, but may have easy solutions.

I started an Excel spreadsheet to show the various costs of raising a litter, and sent it on to Tom so he could add his expenses. Whew! Now I know why I don't normally track those things - I might never do another litter!

But . . . We are waiting for Violet's CERF eye exam, and if her eyes check out fine (her OFA xrays looked good) she may come to spend the winter in Paisleyland. Because she is liver factored, we will see what Argus will do in brown. But that's the subject for another blog . . .

Not Enough Time In A Day!

Know I won't have time to do this tomorrow, as I will have pups to entertain before leaving for work, and before that I am driving my sister to the airport so she can visit my nephew who is in the Navy. Whew. Work will be relaxing!

Dawn met me at the Vet Clinic with three crates of puppies, but they all came home with me in one large crate. Check ups went perfectly and all 8 pups checked out well. Sherman acted just like his dad Argus, and assumed that the whole event was set up for his personal enjoyment, and although some of the pups were a bit overwhelmed, they all kissed Dr. John during their exams. Because a couple of the pups will probably have to be shipped (did you hear that David?) their information is already on file for health certificates too. When I got the pups home they all played in the yard for half an hour. They were cold at first, but once they started playing they had a great time. Time for a small meal, and then my friend Linda (Granmma O) and daughter Jess showed up for pictures. The photo session went much better this time and I was quite pleased with the results. Tom has been working with the pups on the table and it shows. Grace especially was much better, and Clark was a real trooper this time. Gotta get them cropped and put on a webpage - when I find the time.

Tom will pick the pups up after work tomorrow and take them home so he and Dawn can enjoy the whole litter together for just a few days more. The pups will be 7 weeks old tomorrow, and have had their first shots, and are thoroughly socialized. Won't be long now, before they start departing. Looks as if Rita and Sam will be staying on at Tom's although I want them to come here for some additional camping. I will probably be taking Grace and Clark, at least for awhile.

Now I have to tell David and Patti they will have puppies soon - unless they read it here first! Spencer will be going to Joe & Kay, and Sherman-the-clown will be going to Deb & her family. I think I will miss Sherman the most!

Puppy Packets & Buyer Responsibility

Holiday today, but hardly a day to relax. I could clean house, but have a million other things that need my attention too - most of them a lot more fun than cleaning house! Argus is snoozing on the sofa, obviously tired from his busy weekend. I could join him, but . . .

Gotta set up some sort of pen for the babies today, as they will be spending Tuesday night here. Have to clean up the guestroom a bit too, as my sister is also spending the night, as she will be flying out early the next morning to visit my nephew in Florida when he graduates from his naval training. Hope the pups sleep rather than yell about their strange surroundings! Perhaps I should warn Kris and advise her to bring earplugs.

Need to finish up the puppy packets too. I've done the contracts and printed all the material that goes in the folders. Still need to put everything together. Now, if I could just figure out how to insure that the buyers will read all the information I send along . . . It does annoy me a bit when I get calls asking the questions that I took the time to explain at great length in the folder. It tells me that we have a communication problem. And there is the Dal boy I sold several years ago who blocked with urate crystals when his owners fed him a canned liver-based dog food - even though my booklet emphasizes why you should not feed such things to male Dalmatians. ARGH.

The big problem with the last litter was the carelessness of the buyers in taking their pups in for their second shots. Puppies still die of Parvo and Distemper, but three of the pups did not get their second shots on schedule. This is an area where selling to previous Dal owners is a bit of a problem. First time dog owners, especially young couples, pay far more attention to what I tell them and are much more likely to read all the information. Those that have had dogs in the past are sometimes "know it alls" and some of them try my patience a bit. Some buyers also forgot what they agreed to when they signed their contract - like not tying the dog out and the requirement that ALL pups attended an obedience class - and that does not mean only a puppy kindergarden or socialization class. I'm currently tearing my hair over one of the buyers of a pup from Josie's last litter who continually argues with me about that point - even though that is one of my requirement to sell a puppy.

It's rather like being a parent! When your children leave home it does not mean you stop worrying about them. When my puppies leave here they are still my responsibility for as long as they live. Although I am always here to help and answer questions, I have to trust the good intentions of my buyers. Although I am very careful about how I place my pups, that does not mean I don't second-guess myself about some of those placements!

Great Weekend!

Finally, a moment to get caught up here. Didn't get a chance to do a blog entry before heading off to dog shows this morning.

Saturday's good news was that the pups were all BAER bialteral, as expected. I learned how to home test and recognise any unilateral puppies because I did not want any surprises when they are tested. The pups had a busy day, with additional company and a photo shoot too. Not sure how things went today, except that I know Tom and Dawn are probably missing Boji terribly. She came to stay and have her final litter of pups, and is now officially retired. Boji's breeder Ronna Hill (who has Boji's mother Morgan) has a friend who really wanted Boji, so she has her forever home now. Boji is a terrific dog and will make a wonderful companion, and we wish her and Shanna well.

On Tuesday the pups get their Vet check up and their first shot. Dawn will bring them to visit my Vet Dr. John, and I will meet her there and take the pups home with me. Another car trip, a vet check up and an overnight at my house will be perfect for the continuing socialization process. Visiting other locations with their littermates helps them to become brave and adaptable in new situations. While they are here Jess and I will take another set of pictures, and I will let the pups interact with their dad Argus, and my other male Watson who is also great with pups. Coral and Josie will probably want to say Hi too, but I can just see the look on Coral's face - OH NO, NOT MORE PUPPIES! Old Sid will probably swear under his breath, curl up in his crate and put his face to the wall. Sid has seen far too many pups in his lifetime, and finds them most annoying at this age, but he does appreciate girl pups once they are a bit older. I'll also take the pups one at a time into one of my extra bedrooms, so I can see how they respond on their own. That's one of the projects for this week, individual socialization. It seems as if they were just born, yet several of the pups may actually be leaving next week . . .

Argus had a wonderful weekend of dog shows. We entered him in four IABCA International shows, which are somewhat different than AKC shows. Jess handled him on Saturday, as I was busy with other things - like pups. She and Argus had a most successful day, winning two Groups, a Best In Show and a Reserve Best In Show (they run two shows per day, which is sort of like a 5 ring circus). Tough act to follow, but Argus and I did equally well today, finishing his Int. Championship, winning two groups and again going Best In Show and Reserve Best In Show. Very exciting, lots of fun, and the rosettes are great!

The 6 week puppy pictures are posted on a webpage, with a link from the regular puppy page.

BAER Testing

This will be a big day for the puppies, as they will be BAER tested. BAER stands for Brainstem Auditory Evoked Response. I've added a link that explains it better than I can. Although it is not hard to identify deaf pups, and a breeder can learn to identify unilateral hearing pups (those that hear in only one ear) most responsible breeders have their litters BAER tested, to at least confirm their own results. Because there are a limited number of test sites, this can be an expensive and time consuming thing for breeders in some areas. There are several people in our breed who have portable BAER testing equipment which has made testing a lot easier and more accessible to many. Prices range from $25.00 to well over $100.00 per dog, so this can be an expensive thing to do.

Dalmatians are a generally healthy breed, but their basic problems are quite well known, deafness being one of them. Deafness in Dalmatians is related to their color, and the white coat with or without patches, is the culprit. Although various organizations, including the Dalmatian Club of America have spent enormous sums of money on researching deafness, it is still with us. Historically about 10% of the breed has been deaf. However deafness can be reduced by BAER testing all breeding stock, and using test results as well as a dog's hearing statistics (what he/she has previously produced) when planning a litter. Although there has always been controversy surrounding this issue, most responsible breeders choose to euthanize deaf pups. It takes a special and very committed home to raise a deaf dog, and although there are many stories of wonderful deaf dogs, there are also many more stories of deaf dogs who did not work out. It's an individual decision for a breeder, although the Dalmatian Club of America suggests that deaf puppies be euthanized rather than placed. Another 20% of the breed may have unilateral hearing, being deaf in one ear but normal in the other. Unis make perfectly good companions, have been successful in performance events and are even shown if the breeder considers them to be exceptional specimens. Although unilateral hearing dogs are more likely to produce deaf puppies, breeders sometimes make the decision to breed from a uni dog, knowing the risks involved and using exceptional care in selecting a mate.

I'm sure Tom will take some pictures of the puppies being tested, so watch his blog
for details.

Pictures - ARGH!

Well, the first batch of puppy pictures are out of the way, and the photo session was quite an ordeal! This was not the easiest litter to photograph, nor are these the best pictures we've ever gotten. We're scheduled for a second session of shots next week, when the pups have an overnight at Grandma Sue's. Argus's breeder Carrie had commented that some of Andy's pups (Andy is Argus's brother) needed an extra week or more to really look the part, and I see that on some of these pups. Although the basics are there, they do not have quite a finished looked to them - a bit "babyish" in appearance. That was true with Rob's litters too.

We learned a great deal about the pups during the 3-hour puppy visitation. Jess made observations as she stacked them, and I got to see how the pieces fit together, and how they handled being on the table, stacked by a stranger. The pups were wild when we arrived, and several of them were quite resistant to standing still. Because they had spent the day in their pen (it was not one of Dawn's days to work from home) they just wanted to run and play. Clark especially was hard to stack, and did not want to stand or sit still. He appears to be the most boisterous puppy too, and is always on the go. By contrast, Grace was the softest, and got a little shakey after a bit. She will benefit from another week. We went from too much energy, to pups who were too tired to stand. While I was kneeling at the tripod, the pups were racing through the room, peeing a pooping, slamming into the tripod with great regularity, and trying to bite through my jean's pocket (they could smell the treats in the pocket). They eventually fell asleep on my legs - I was on my knees. Tom's assignment for the week is to work the pups on the table.

So where are the pictures, you ask? Only a few on this page. I ran out of time and did not get them up on a web page yet. When I got home, I still had fish chores, Argus to walk, and email to answer. If I didn't have to sleep at night I could get a lot more done! I sent off uncropped shots to Carrie and to Bonnie Rose (the co-breeder) and hope to get the pictures finished up tonite.

Tom reports that the pups passed a lot of worms again today. I have almost no experience worming pups and have not had a litter with worms for many years. These guys are more typical, I guess. Bitches who had worms can have encapsulated worm larvae in their tissues, which are passed on to the puppies through the placenta or through the milk. Icky concept! These guys will need to be wormed every couple of weeks for a few more weeks.

BAER testing tomorrow, another experience! I'm sure Clark will not be impressed with that either! Hopefully the pups will be tired before we start. Hometesting tells me that they are all bilateral hearing. I have not been wrong on a pup for a long long time, as I prefer to KNOW my hearing stats and just let BAER testing confirm them. BUT it's always nice to get the confirmation!

Next Tuesday the pups will have their Well Puppy Check Ups at my own clinic. Dawn will bring them in, and I will take them home from the clinic for an overnight. The staff at the clinic are looking forward to seeing the new babies!

I've been going to the same Vet Clinic for FORTY years, and have seen a lot of changes in equipment and staffing. My old Vet was also a good friend of mine and shared many "life events". I'm sure that I cried on Tom's shoulder more than anyone elses, and he grieved with me over the passing of special old dogs, the loss of beautiful Isabel who died when her pups were three weeks old, and my beautiful liver puppy Simon. He shared my tears too over beloved Rob who adored visiting the clinic to see his friends. My new Vet Dr. John is younger and has a lot of newer ideas which he shares, just as Tom shared ideas and suggestions. He's interested in the breed, and wonderful with the dogs, and I trust his judgement. Wish I liked my Doctors as well as I liked my Vets!

Another Doggy Day

Whew, too much happening today. Tonite is puppy picture taking night, and I still have not found my tripod. I rarely use it, but it should make for a steadier camera when taking these pictures. And where are my extra batteries? Gotta remember to put the memory card back in too - it's currently in its computer slot, as I was downloading pictures I have not had time to put on the website yet.

Tom has the finest photography equipment, but I make do with a series of moderately priced point-and-shoot cameras for doing puppy pictures and miscellaneous dog shots. Although I once took a photography class and briefly belonged to a camera club, I was wise enough to pass on yet another expensive and time-consuming hobby! My current camera is a simple Canon PowerShot, which takes "good enough" pictures without a lot of bells and whistles.

I am heading over to Tom's after work, meeting Jess there to get the project accomplished. But before I can go over there, I have to get Joy shipped back home to Tennessee, as her flight leaves later this afternoon. She's a delightful dog with a totally charming personality, and we've enjoyed her stay. Hopefully she will have a beautiful litter, with pups as sweet as she is. Ah, another hour of vacation time lost. Hard to accumulate it when there are pups, and I'll have to take additional time if I ship one or more of the puppies later. Thank goodness I live close to the airport (and not under a flight path).

The stacked shots will consist of a sitting shot with an emphasis on head and expression, standing front and rear shots to show the width, straightless of front legs, and how they stand on their rears, plus shots of each side of the puppy. We do both sides, because Dal markings vary so much, and many of them will have better markings on one side or the other - and we always hope for the best markings on the "show side", the left side that the judge sees when the dog is stacked. Hopefully the pups don't take after dad in that respect - Argus has OK markings on his show side, and near perfect markings on his "off" side. Bad planning!

The side shots will show the puppies outline (overall shape), proportions, neck length and shape, angulation, body shape, topline and tailset, underline, whether they can correctly stand over their fronts, and give us a general idea of how the dog will look as an adult. I rely heavily on puppy pictures, and also on Jess's observations of what she is seeing as she stacks the pups. Some pups "go together" beautifully, with no work at all, while others need more work to stack. It tells us a lot about their personalities too, and how they are about handling. Because Jess is a relative stranger to them, it is also excellent socialization.

We try to just stack the pups, rather than relying on food which can distort the look. We see a lot of pictures with "peanut butter spoons" where the pups are licking/chewing on a spoonful of something tasty while the pictures are being shot. We do that as a last resort, trying to get nice natural images. Digetal cameras make this a lot easier and a whole lot cheaper, as we can afford to take lots of throwaway shots to get the right pictures.

Tom is starting to agonize over the homes and whether or not they will be "good enough" for his babies. He'll be just like the doting father who finds all his daughter's potential suitors to be lacking. :-) I've got excellent homes lined up, all previous Dal owners, plus a couple of good reserve homes too.

Things are progressing well on leasing the lovely Ch. "Violet". Her hip xrays looked good and have gone off to OFA, and her CERF (eye) exam will be coming up soon. If all goes well, she will join my dog family next month, and be bred to Argus, with spring pups on the horizon.

Dogs Are A Luxury!

I always remind potential buyers that dogs should be considered a luxury. We certainly don't need them, but they do make life much nicer and more satisfying - and potentially a lot more expensive! General maintenance is certainly affordable. Food, toys, obedience classes, shots, and perhaps a yearly vet check for healthy adults. No big deal. Then there are cleaning supplies and additional laundry, and any damage created by unsupervised pups - but that's the owner's fault - and perhaps board bills if you go on vacation (but that is part of the cost of the vacation. Still do-able and won't blow the budget, assuming the damage does not require new carpeting, re-sodding or a new sofa. But other things can happen too.

Coral has always been a healthy dog, and at 9+ she generally only visits the vet for her yearly bloodwork and a rabies shot every third year. She's a Power Chewer like her grandpa Morris was and enjoys working on those big shank bones, and at the age of two she fractured a tooth. Naturally, it was one of the carnassial teeth, a big triple-rooted tooth that is expensive to extract. Surprise!

We had been noticing a little blood on the floor for several days, but could not identify the source. I kept checking all the dogs but could not figure out where it was coming from. Pyometra? A draining tumor? What was it? Josie had just been in season, so it wasn't that. I thought it might be old Sid, but could not figure out what was causing the bloody looking fluid on the floor. Several days later I noticed that there was blood where Coral had been sleeping, and concentrated on her. Finally I saw blood on her nose. Her nose? When I checked, it was coming from inside her nose, so I googled the symptoms and found that it might be a foreign object (no foxtails in Minnesota), a tumor, etc. Omygawd, it's probably cancer.

We went to visit Dr. John yesterday, who checked her over and looked up her nose with an instrument. Ugh. Explained the possibilities and options - antibiotics, or to sedate her to check more carefully, or to do skull xrays, or a referral to the Vet school for a more serious exam with special equipment. He said that the most common cause of these symptoms was an absessed tooth. Go figure, an absessed tooth causes a dog to drip blood from its nose. And the most common tooth to cause the problem was the carnassial tooth, but Coral's carnassial on that side had been removed. He explained that because that tooth is huge and has three roots, that sometimes a bit of root remains after the extraction, especially when teeth are removed the way my old vet had done them years before. His hunch was that that was the problem. John's hunches seem to be good ones, so I opted for a sedated exam and skull xrays, and left Coral in their care.

Yep, John's hunch was correct. He dug a small piece of root out of her gum, and removed a lot of necrotic tissue. As he was doing that, the fluid was draining out of Coral's nose - the abcess had created a tract that allowed it to drain through the nose. Who would have thought it? Coral came home later that day, with her usual big grin, antibiotics, and a piece of tooth root in a pill bottle. And my checking account balance is unexpectedly lower . . .

Dogs are indeed a luxury. Too bad Health Partners doesn't cover dogs too!

Sidney's Time

This is the most peaceful time of my day. The young dogs are outside - probably annoyed, as it is COLD here today - but generally chasing each other, playing keepaway, tugging, wrestling and watching for rabbits. If I hear a blood-curdling scream, it will mean that Josie has spyed a rabbit. The scream will be Josie, not the bunny. When she's excited she lets out a shriek. In the summer, when the neighbors have windows open, I either calm her down or bring her inside. This time of the year I let it go, knowing she will only do it a couple of time. She's not a nuisance barker, and in fact is very quiet - she just screams, "I SEE ONE, I SEE ONE" for rabbits, squirrels or the neighbors' cats. Argus also has some odd vocalizations, but Watson rarely says a thing and never ever barks.

Until this past Sunday, Indy would have been a part of the group too, but she has her own cats to play with now. Poor things, they are probably thinking, "Well there goes the neighborhood".

Coral and Sid like they time of the day. They have the house to themselves and can doze wherever they wish, with no competition for the dog beds or cushions or dog hassock. Coral prefers the raised bed next to the loveseat, so she can be as close to Ron as possible, when he is sitting in his regular place. Sid likes the hassock, so he can be higher than the other dogs, or the cushion by the back door. He's the Keeper Of The Bitches, and does not allow the younger boys to sniff around the back door when there is a bitch in season in the basement. Annoys them no end, but Sid is in charge.

This is also Sid's time to play with his toys. Because the young dogs are tough on squeaky toys, especially the furry ones, Sid's toys are only taken out when the others are outside. Then he can play with them in peace, "playing" the toys to get an enormous variety of sounds from them. When he was young, he had a toy called the Fuzzy Chicken that was kept in a certain drawer and taken out only for him. That toy is long gone now, but Sid will occasionally stand by that drawer, talking to himself, wondering whatever happened to his toy. If I do an imitation of the toy and go "cockadoodle doo, wake up, wake up!" he moans in anticipation of his beloved toy. I've never been able to find another one, and although he still enjoys toys at the age of twelve, he still misses that one. Me too!

It's always been a rule here that we keep no more dogs than we can give adequate attention to. Each dog needs to have a "special time" each day, and be kept groomed and exercised. A breeder friend once joked that I was the only Dal person she knew whose dogs were always in show condition, even the oldsters. I try to keep it that way - although I see I missed doing nails again this past weekend. UGH. It's important for the dogs to have individual attention every day rather than just feeling part of a very small pack. Sid especially, needs HIS time, when he does not have to compete with the younger pushier dogs. I love old dogs, especially this old dog, and appreciate every moment we still have left. Give your old guys a hug!

Busy Weekend

Yuck, my Monday is not off to a very good start, but the weekend was terrific! This morning my Chinese-made under the cabinet Black & Decker coffee maker spewed its contents all over the counter, just as it always does if I don't stand there and tweak it every minute or two. This was my replacement for a B & D pot that worked perfectly for 22 years . . .

Indy has a new home and is fitting in perfectly. We drove her to New Ulm on Saturday, to meet her new family Jan & Del who recently lost a beloved older Dalmatian. From the looks of their scrapbook, Dal China had been an important member of the family. I'm sure Del didn't stop smiling from the minute Indy covered him with kisses. They have a wonderful house in the country, and wanted an afffectionate & loving house dog - Indy fits the bill perfectly. She greeted them with hugs and kisses and moved right in. Del reports that she is working out perfectly, although the four house cats are going to take some getting used to it. I shed a few tears, but am always so pleased to put my dogs in such terrific homes.

A brewery tour and beer tasting at the Schell's brewery made for a very fun day, and Watson got to ride along because he hasn't had a chance to do many interesting things lately.

On Sunday I went to visit the pups and stayed for the afternoon. So pretty! I went with the idea of sorting the litter a bit, perhaps designating two on the non-patched as companions. But I couldn't! I loved them all and saw tons of potential in all of them. Because I have a couple of terrific pet homes waiting, we will probably end up putting some extra nice pups in pet homes - but that's OK, as there seems to be plenty to work with. The most important thing is that they all end up as beloved pets.

My favorite was again Clark. He's just so darned pretty. His brother Sam Spade is the favorite of Tom, Dawn & Nicole, and he looks so much like Clark - but isn't quite as naughty! Remember, Tom and I both want to keep girls. It's always like this. Sherman will go as a pet because he is a patch (unfortunate, because he is so handsome) and that leaves Spencer. I was so busy concentrating on Clark and Sam I didn't pay much attention to Spencer until I took a last look - and he's gorgeous too.

Rita and Grace are my favorite bitches right now, very different in type, but both sound and well spotted. Lana is also beautiful, nicely marked and very feminine, but carries her tail higher than the rest - but they could all be carrying their tails like that at six weeks! Ava the underear patch is the most perfectly marked of the girls, and is slated to either become a performance dog or a gorgeous pet - we'll have to make that decision in the next week or so.

Can't wait to do stacked pictures on Thursday - actually seeing them in profile, and listening to Jess's observations on "how they go together" will help me make some decisions, but I think it's still going to be tough. I keep saying to myself, "I don't need another boy, I don't need another boy" and then I start thinking of registered names that would fit Clark . . .

A Busy Weekend

Sounds as if the pups will be busy this weekend. Visitors will include me, of course! I'll be meeting up with a family who may be getting a pup from the litter, plus I need to spend some time just watching them trot around and interact, and I will start stacking (standing) them on a grooming table. This is the week when we start seriously considering who will stay and who will be leaving. Because my friend Libby is looking for a performance puppy, I want to concentrate on Ava this weekend, to see if she has the right kind of personality for competition. Libby will wait for just the right black-spotted girl, to join her multi-titled and multi-talented Pierce who we sent to her some years ago.

This is also an important week for puppy socialization. Because they will be leaving soon, the pups still need to be exposed to many additional things. More kids, more places, more noises, smells and surfaces. Now that the pups are eating well, it's time to start making a lot of racket while they eat - by associating loud noises with a pleasurable activity like eating, it insures that the pups will not have problems with dog show noises, thunderstorms and the 4th of July. Pups who are "protected" from such things as babies, have trouble adapting to them later. When the pups are at my house, I kick coffee cans, roll food pans down the stairs, and drop pots on the floor. It's a great way to vent a little frustration too! (And no wonder my neighbors shake their heads.)

We're hoping to do stacked pictures later this week, pictures of all the pups from all angles. I have 40+ years worth of litter pictures, and Tom will want to start his collection too. Jess and I have been taking puppy pictures since she was about 8 years old, so she's had LOTS of experience stacking puppies, and ignoring my endless observations and suggestions. (Marriages have probably ended over puppy pictures - maybe that's why David and I split up years ago!) I will be stacking them too, although not for pictures. You can tell a lot about a puppy when stacking them, and can see and feel how they fit together. The stacked shots, continual observation of their personalities, and watching how they move at a trot, will tell us a lot over the next week or two. We know the cosmetics (spotting, trim, faces) are good, now we need to concentrate on structure and personality. Then we also need to be sure the bites are correct (they must be scissors) and the little boys are "complete".

Several of the things we can only guesstimate are eventual size, and tail carriage, and unfortunately bites sometimes change when the second teeth come in. Some pups will have their adult size by 7 or 8 months and some will grow until they are well over a year old. Because the breed standard has a height disqualification for dogs over 24 inches, we sometimes sweat that one on boys. Most of the pups will have their tails up at 6 weeks - and there is no surefire way to know which tails will come down to correct carriage - a slight curve upward off the level - and which will look like flagpoles or cuphooks. HOPEFULLY no flagpoles and hooks, but those are rather common faults in this breed. The hardest thing is when an otherwise outstanding puppy goes undershot at 4 months. That's a tough one!

We use the goal of all puppies meeting and interacting with 100 friendly strangers by the time they are 12 weeks old. Gotta keep the visitors coming!

BAER testing is scheduled for next Saturday. We know all the pups hear, but we don't yet know if they all hear in both ears. About 20% of the breed is unilateral (one-eared) hearing. It makes no difference in companion pups, but it is something to take into consideration on show dogs and breeding stock, as uni Dals are more likely to produce deaf puppies. Unis can be shown, but just have to be bred more carefully. Most people prefer bilateral hearing pups for performance, but one of the breed's most titled Agility dogs is a uni, so we know that they can excell in performance as well. BAER testing is done by attaching tiny wires to the puppy's skull, and monitoring the brain waves - sounds worse than it is, as the tiny wires have thin needles that are slipped under the skin. The pups don't mind the needles, but do hate having to sit absolutely still for a few minutes!

Time to feed dogs. Watson and Indy are wresting on the rug, but Argus is staring at me, trying to send me thought waves. Not sure if he wants to eat, or visit Joy in the honeymoon suite. We'll get to that later today. Gotta get Indy ready to meet her new family.

Paring Down The List . .

It's nice to have the pups reserved in advance, but it's not easy to make the decisions on who goes where. Although I like to have enough reservations to be sure all the pups will go to homes in a reasonable amount of time, I also hate to keep people hanging on, wondering whether or not there will be a puppy for them. And if I promise too many pets and realize I had more show potential pups than anticipated, I either put show pups in pet homes where they will drop out of sight, or change my mind and disappoint someone who thought they were getting a pet.

The person who had not been in touch for awhile did contact me, and has dropped off this list - for a good reason. When they came to be interviewed, they apparently decided they really preferred liver, and have decided to wait until a liver pup is available! Many people come here saying that they would only consider a black spotted pup, but once they meet the livers, Coral and Argus especially, they become Liver Lovers (like me!). This is one of the very few litters I have ever had that did not have pups of both colors, but we had suspected Boji was not liver-factored and would only produce black spotted pups. As was the case.

Another of the potential buyers is making too many demands and only wants a pup if the spotting is "just right". Because her reservation is for a pet, and because all of these pups are actually very well marked, I am not willing to wait for her to decide if any of the pet pups have just the kind of spotting she envisions. I suggested she would be better off buying locally in her own area. It's important to me to feel comfortable with my buyers, and for my buyers to trust me to place the right puppy with them, and if friction develops it will only create problems in the future.

So two other people have moved up the list, and I'll add a couple more people to the reserve list.

Joy arrived yesterday to honeymoon with Argus. Dogs normally ship very well, as long as they are well socialized and accustomed to crating. Joy came out wagging her tail and settled in immediately. Her owner Donna does a lot of performance work, and trains and socializes her dogs well, so Joy settled in happily and enjoyed her walks. Joy is a very cute Dal with a puppyish face and pretty markings. Her mama Sassafrass is a fine Agility dog, and a grand daughter of my late Morris. Because Joy has a liver parent, she is automatically liver factored. Can't wait to see if Argus can produce liver pups as beautifully spotted as his black puppies!

ARGH. Dogs are barking. Time to bring them in and give them breakfast. The young dogs spend about an hour in the yard before I go to work. They play hard, and have a great time. Sid & Coral just prefer to do an in-and-out in the morning, and go back to bed for awhile. Gotta walk Joy too, before heading to work. Fish club meeting last night, so I got to bed late, yet again. . .

Working On My Puppy List . . .

We're fast approaching the time when I need to get my puppy list in order, and decide which puppy will go where. The pups are changing rapidly now, so we'll start deciding who should be considered show potential, and who will be OK to go as a pet. Show breeders hate to screw up and have the best pup in the litter end up as a spayed pet, but with excellent homes waiting (more or less patiently) I hate to keep the buyers waiting too long. If I can get my busy daughter to meet me at Tom's for pictures when the pups are about six weeks old, it will make things easier. I have 6 week pictures of 40 years worth of Dalmatians - although the photo quality leaves a bit to be desired on some of the earlier colored shots! Pups at 6 weeks have proportions and outlines very similar to what they will have as adults, they are starting to trot when they move so their gaits are becoming evident, their spotting is pretty much complete (anything added from now on will be a small "tick" mark) and their personalities are starting to develop. The pups are5 weeks old now, so the next week will be incredibly busy.

Tom will be keeping the pick puppy, but the overall quality of this litter appears to be very high, so there may be several "picks". Unless he has made up his mind early on, we'll probably let some of the pups go to pet homes, and keep the others for a bit longer. Some puppies benefit from an extra week or two of development.

One of the people on my puppy list has "disappeared". She has not responded to my emails or been over to visit the pups, so she'll probably be replaced on the list. Because I still have a few more people waiting than I am likely to have puppies for, I've got some flexibility.

I know Ron will be very sorry to see Indy go this weekend, as she has been lots of fun. Because I only keep a limited number of dogs, I needed to keep space open for just the right puppy. Hopefully one of Boji's babies will be that puppy!

Happy Halloween

At last, a chance to sit at the computer while Ron answers the door. I told Coral that she would be wearing a bark collar if she announced all the ghosts and goblins, and she must have believed me as the dogs have been great. Being a city person, I discourage all unnecessary barking, especially when the dogs are outside. Nothing annoys me more than dog owners who let their pets annoy the neighbors.

It's been busy here, but I'm catching my breath today. I took off after work yesterday to meet up with Lily's co-owner in the wilds of Wisconsin and return her. Tomorrow Joy flies in from Tennessee to honeymoon with Argus, so I will be back to my four EXTRA daily walks.

On Saturday we are delivering Indy to her new home in New Ulm. Her new family prefers not to drive into the city, and who can blame them! Because we have not met them yet, this will give us a chance to get to know them. They've owned a number of Dals in the past, but because we've grown fond of Indy, we want to be sure this is the right situation for her. And Ron wants to tour the Schell Brewery! When I asked if he wanted to ride along, he already knew what hours they had tours of the brewery.

The registration applications are back from AKC - amazing how much faster they are nowadays. I used to keep the registrations on the pets until after they were spayed and neutered. Because there is a free insurance policy with the registrations now, I sell the pets on limited registration, have the owners sign the spay/neuter agreement, and sign over the registration, urging the new owner to send it in promptly.

I'm working on the puppy packet too, printing off the informational articles, my own puppy booklet, and revising the contract slightly. The puppy collars are already here, as are the Pro Plan Puppy Packs. Still need to order the copies of "How To Raise a Puppy You Can Live With".

Pups that are raised at my house are raw fed, and I give each new owner a copy of a book on raw feeding. Because Tom and Dawn are new to raw feeding, I suggested they wean this litter on Pro Plan Select Turkey & Barley Puppy Food. If I were going to feed kibble to my dogs, that's what I would feed. However, my dogs have not eaten kibble for 6 1/2 years, and most of my puppy buyers have also continued feeding a diet far more appropriate for a canine than processed grain. If I keep a pup from Boji's litter, it will also eat a raw diet.

I really miss having puppies here, but with as busy as it's been I'm really glad that Tom & Dawn are doing the litter. They're done a great job with the pups, who will be healthy, well socialized and ready to face the world. SOON! How can that be?

A Puppy Party!

I went to visit the pups, and to interview Joe who is on my list for a puppy. The pups were very playful and put on quite a show for us today. With Tom & Dawn & JOe's family too, they had quite an audience. The pups continue to look really nice, and Tom is finding many photo ops! Several of the girls are looking especially nice now, although I keep coming back to Sam Spade. What I SHOULD keep would be a female, but because I actually prefer males it's always hard to resist the temptation to find space for yet another boy!

Argus went along with me, so Joe could see the puppies' father. He always enjoys being admired, and was delighted to see his good friend Tom again. We stopped on the way home for an off leash run in a county park. Argus decided to test the water in one of the ponds, and found it to his liking, but required a bath when he got home to remove the aroma. What could be better than a lovely empty park, a bright fall day with lots of sunshine, and a good dog buddy for companionship.

This is such a terrific breed - I can't even imagine not having Dals to share my life.

Things Never Go Quite As They Should

Such a week . . .

Puppy Indy went in for a health check up prior to going to a new home, and everything looked great. Until the next morning when she came out of her crate looking like a porcupine. ARGH! Vaccine reaction, the first I have seen. A posting to ShowDals and a quick response from list members who had experienced the same thing. A chat with the Vet to tell me that the two Benedryl capsules I gave her was correct - Benedryl is such handy stuff - and to bring her in if she showed any signs of respiratory distress so she could have a shot of steroids. Also the advice that before subsequent rabies vaccinations she should get a dose of injectible Benedryl, just in case it might happen again. I do not use a combination vaccine that includes Lepto, because the Lepto component is the most common cause of vaccine reactions. BUT as we have just seen, a rabies vaccination can do the same thing. However, a rabies vaccination is absolutely essential for all companion dogs. In my state we give one vaccination to a puppy (I normally wait until 6 months), another a year later, and then every three years for the rest of the dog's life.

And Lily who should have been ready to breed to Argus last Wednesday, is totally unreceptive. Both Argus and Watson are paying no attention to the fact that there is a lady in the "honeymoon suite". So, a trip to the OTHER Vet (reproductive specialist) for a progesterone test - to find out that she is either having an abnormal heat with no ovulation, OR a split heat and is cycling back in again and MIGHT be ready to breed late next week. Oh wonderful. Just what I needed was another week of 4 extra walks a day, and serenading (Lily, not the boys) at night. Actually the latter problem has been resolved, thank goodness.

Breeding dogs is a lot more than shutting two dogs of the opposite sex in a fenced yard, and because I really want a puppy from Argus & Lily (who is an excellent daughter of my Watson), we will bite the bullet and wait this out!

Off to see the pups this afternoon, and meet up with Joe who is on the list for a puppy. Joe lost his first Dal to old age, and has been patiently waiting for a long time. This will be his first visit with the pups. It will take Argus along with me so he can see both parents.

When visiting a litter of well-bred puppies, it often is not possible to see the sire, as he may live hundreds or even thousands of miles away. Serious hobby breeders try to use the most appropriate males when they decide to breed their bitches. We try to capitalize on the good qualities of each dog, and offset the faults. No dog is perfect, so we try to put the puzzle pieces together to create the best possible puppies. My Coral was a seasoned traveler and her first litter was sired by a dog in Southern California, which resulted in my Watson, and Josie's sire Peter. Her second litter was sired by a dog in Washington State, which resulted in my friend Cheryl's handsome little Simon who recently sired two nice litters.

Dal bitches have traditionally been driven or shipped by air to to their intended mates, or very occasionally the males have been shipped - we once sent our Torch off to New Mexico to sire a litter out of a very special bitch. Now that chilled and frozen semen breeding has been improved/perfected, the dogs sometimes get to stay home. Argus's next litter will be in Florida, out of Reggie who he has never met. Seems a little impersonal, like an "arranged marriage", but as the cost and difficulty of shipping dogs increases, it will become more common.

Can't wait to see the babies! Watch for pictures tomorrow on the litter page!

Good Fences Make Good Neighbors . . .

As I recall, Robert Frost made that observation in "The Mending Wall", and it certainly applies to dog owners as well. Good Fences (help to) Make Good Neighbors, and responsible dog owners. Although a fenced yard is not always a requirement, it certainly makes dog ownership easier! It's no longer safe ANYWHERE for dogs to run free, no dog can be 100% "yard trained" and in most areas it's illegal for dogs to run free. I lived in a carriage house for a year, with my second and third Dals (and my ex-husband too) and it worked fine for us because I took the time to walk Gremlin and Pooka. I have sold dogs to both single folks and couples that lived in apartments, and they have done a great job. BUT, the average dog owning home needs a fenced yard, and if there are children in the family, a fenced yard is a must. (For the safety of both dogs and kids . . .)

Invisible Fencing works "OK" up to a point, but a highly motivated Dalmatian can break through - usually when in hot pursuit of a rabbit, squirrel or free-roaming cat. And of course it does not keep other animals - or children - out of your yard. Dogs should never ever be left unsupervised inside an invisible fence. Because many dogs feel it is their job to "guard" the yard, such a fence leaves the owner open to biting incidents - and law suits. A delivery person can see a standard fence and take precautions, but is not aware that a dog may be loose inside an invisible fence. A dog in that situation can also be easily stolen.

The worse type of confinement however is tieing or chaining a dog. My contract states that the buyer agrees that the dog they are purchasing WILL NOT BE CHAINED. If you pay attention to the biting incidents in the news, the culprit is often a dog who is chained out - to be teased and tormented and totally unsupervised. Chaining a dog often encourages aggressive behavior even in the mildest mannered dogs, and a wandering child can easily be bitten my a seemingly friendly dog. Children are not likely to pick up on aggressive body language from the dog, and a chained, excited and frustrated dog can do great harm. Just not a good or safe idea.

I recently decided not to place a puppy in an otherwise suitable home with kids, just because there was no fence. Kids are not strong enough to restaint an enthusiastic young dog who sees a squirrel, and too many dogs are killed or injured by cars - and sometimes an innocent motorist is injured trying to avoid a free roaming dog - again, resulting in a possible lawsuit.

Owning a dog is a big responsibility that requires careful thought, a lot of planning and much work on the part of the owners.

Yep, I know Tom's Blog is missing. Hope he did not inadvertently kill it off. I miss it too.

Busy Week

I went over to see the pups last night and drop off some worm medicine for them. Also took some quick snaps of each cute little face, so I can learn to match their new names with the right puppy. It's hard when they don't live here!

Oh, so cute! They were up and playing when I arrived, although that doesn't last long at this age. Tom put down a heavy tarp in the family room (to protect the carpet) and it was covered with a comforter - and puppies and lots of toys. They are in the pen when no one is with them, but they have a wonderful place to play and be socialized. They are amazingly beautiful! Am I prejudiced? Their spotting is so crisp and sharp already that it looks like shiny black holes in their silvery coats. They look amazingly similar, except for Sherman who looks like himself. The puppy boy who was originally the smallest, the one that Tom worried about, really caught my eye last night - I think his name is Sam Spade. What a handsome puppy!

It's going to be a busy couple of weeks, as in addition to commuting to see the pups, we have a honeymooner here who is visiting Argus. "Lily" arrived from Indiana and is a lovely daughter of my Watson, bred by my friends Meg & Ginger, and owned by them and JodyLynn. When I purchased Argus, I hoped that he would be suitable for a Watson daughter to be bred to, so now we will see how that works. Lily is in the honeymoon suite in the basement - and is none too happy about it. She expresses her distaste for her accomodations by howling - at night. Not good. Four long walks a day should be enough for any Dal, but of course she is lonely. Hopefully she will adjust quickly, as I could use a full night's sleep!

"Joy" will arrive from Tennessee next week, flying in - hopefully AFTER Lily has left. I can't see myself squeezing in 8 bitch walks a day! There are times when it would be a lot easier if I had a kennel! Things always happen in bunches though, and these breedings have been planned for quite awhile - but you have to wait until the girls cooperate and come in season. Argus's second wife "Reggie" is pregnant in Florida and I've even seen an ultra sound of her babies-to-be! Joy is a daughter of a wonderful liver agility dog named Sassafrass, who is a grand daughter of my old Morris who died last January. We are hoping that Argus will produce good performance dogs, and that they inherit his terrific attitude (in addition to his good looks).

Like Boji, Reggie, Lily and Joy are champions, are owned by responsible hobbyists and have have their BAER (hearing), CERF (eye) and OFA (hip joint) testing. I know the owners will raise their puppies with care, see that they are properly socialized, and carefully placed, will sell the pets on spay/neuter contracts, and will be there for the pet owners. I've done appropriate health testing and placed pets on spay/neuter contracts for many years, and only accept bitches for breeding from people who share my philosphy on these important issues.

I've sold my puppy Indy, who will be going to a family that recently lost their older Dalmatian. I've talked to several families about Indy, but this one seemed just right. I love placing puppies in homes that have had a Dal in the past, and lost it to old age. Ron is quite attached to Indy, and after they've lived with you for a couple of months it's even more important that they get matched to just the right home. Gotta squeeze in a vet visit for Indy, before she goes off to make her way in the world. She's a terrific dog, and we'll miss her.

Time to walk Lily . . .

Puppy Reservations

This is a difficult time, as everyone is wondering if they will get a puppy, and which one it might be . . . I keep explaining to them that I don't KNOW yet. Over the next month we will be deciding which pups might go to show or performance homes, and which ones will go as companions.

Evaluating puppies is not an exact science, and is based on observation, personal opinion, and experience. There is a standard for each dog breed of course, describing the ideals for the breed, but evaluating dogs is very subjective and all standards are open to personal interpretation. Evaluating puppies is even trickier, as there is really no way to know things like adult size, tail carriage and bite (tooth alignment). However spotting, proportions, temperament and soundness will be used to make the evaluations and are there to be observed in 6-8 week old pups. We just make intelligent guesses, based on what we see, what we have observed in the past, and what we anticipate the pedigree lines and individual dogs will produce.

Responsible hobby breeders do not do a litter just for kicks, because they need a down payment on a car, or to send the kids to college, and in fact doing a litter the right way is often a money-losing experience. There is also the potential heartbreak of losing the mother (my first Dalmatian died during a botched caesarian), having dead pups or losing them later (10 of her 13 puppies died), and the possibilty of having deaf pups (which most responsible breeders have euthanized). Not a decision to be made on a whim.

We generally do a litter because we are looking for a special puppy to keep for showing, and hopefully as a useful addition to our bloodline (if we are longterm breeders). Tom and I are both hoping for a show puppy from this litter, and it would be great if there was a puppy for each of us, and maybe even a few others that deserved to be shown. Only time will tell on that.

The puppies that go as companions will have similar good looks, the same good dispositions and health potential, and will have been raised with the same care and attention as their show potential littermates. Which brings to mind another topic to be addressed later - Show QUALITY as opposed to "showable", as the latter only means the dog is registered, resembles its breed and has no disqualifying faults. It could be shown, but is not really a show quality animal. It might also be absolutely gorgeous - that's what we hope our companion pups will look like - but it is most important that pets be healthy and have excellent dispositions.

So be patient with breeders, please. They have a lot of time, money and emotion invested in a litter, and are hoping that it pays off in a fabulous pup who will be a superstar in the showring. But it takes time to make those decisions, and puppy evaluation is an ongoing process.

Wow!

Both Jess and I got a chance to see the pups yesterday, and we were absolutely delighted with them! The litter looks very promising. They all have Argus's velvety coat, and jet black markings. Very nice spotting patterns and absolutely gorgeous faces on most of them. Eye and nose trim looks really good, and all eyes are dark.

Both Boji and babies are in very good condition, and she obviously has plenty of milk, but it was time to get a start on weaning. I picked up goats milk, and goats milk yogurt for their first meals. I do not wean pups on kibble, but rather on milk and meat and eggs and yogurt, at least to start. My pups have all been raw fed for the past 7 years, but this litter will be raised on kibble. However, we will start them on a more natural diet (for a canine) than processed grain.

I'm absolutely delighted with the litter so far. With any luck we should have a couple of stunners for showing. Fingers still tightly crossed!

The best news though is that they all hear . . .

Gone To The Fishes

There was no time to visit the puppies on Saturday, as it was our local aquarium society auction - I guess "aquarium society" sounds better than "fish club" (which makes me think of someone hitting someone else over the head with a frozen carp!). Fish are my other expensive and time-consuming hobby. No, obsession is probably a better word! And like showing & breeding dogs, fish sales help keep my hobby afloat. And again like dogs, there is no way you ever even begin to break even, but it is part of the fun. My fancy hi fin swords and platies are bred to a standard, just as we breed dogs. It's not just a case of putting two fish together - just as we do not let our dogs pick their own mates! Most of the other fish get to pick and choose, although we only breed from healthy, well-formed fish.

Most aquarium societies have regular auctions, where the general public and fellow fishkeepers can add to their collections by purchasing locally raised healthy young fish. Unlike with dogs, fish auctions are socially acceptable. There are puppy auctions in other parts of the country, but those are an abomination, with commercial breeders buying and selling substandard, unsocialized, poorly cared for "breeding stock". UGH! Dogs are NOT livestock!

So I set off to the auction with a variety of young fish to sell. Peacock Gudgeons, Desert Gobies, Koi Swordtails, Sawfin Goodeids, Sailfin Mollies, Crescent Goodeids, Paradise fish. Nope, not your average petshop fish. We don't actually call them by their common names, but more often by their scientific names. I've learned a lot of latin since I got seriously involved in fish! I also had two large tanks to sell off, as I was not using them.

Auctions are social events, with friends from all over the area showing up to buy and sell. Some of the sellers have fabulous fish rooms with automatic water changing systems - a big timesaver. Others of us just have a lot of tanks! I've long since outgrown my fishroom - it wasn't large enough for 46 tanks! The fish sold well, especially the first bag of Peacock Gudgeons, beautiful peaceful small pink & blue striped fish with gold edged fins. I've been very successful with them, and they have helped financially quite a lot. They sell for $19.95 apiece around here, if you can find them, so people were pleased to bid on a bag of 5 young fish.

We also do a lot of bartering, so I swapped a breeding group of Sawfin Goodeids (they spent the summer in my pond and produced MANY offspring) for a group of gorgeous Characodon lateralis "Los Berros" - one of the many fish with no common name, and the location where they are found is an important part of their identity. And I purchased 4 bags of fish and 2 of plants - gotta keep those tanks filled up. Part of the fun is in breeding new and usual kinds of fish. Because many fish are extinct (like the tequilas) or endangered in the wild, it's hobbyists who must maintain the populations. Also purchased two small tanks and picked up a large one I had previously purchased. I'll need them someday!

Got home late and spent the evening acclimating fish, with time out to go to dinner with Ron and go for a walk with Argus - they were both feeling neglected.

Today I get to see the puppies, and take some new pictures. See you tomorrow!

Time For Interviews

Now things get busy. It's time to meet the people who have been patiently waiting. Because most are previous Dal owners, we really just need to be sure their expectations are reasonable, and that they have the time and patience to take on a new puppy. When people lose a beloved older dog, they tend to remember only the good times and how "easy" the dog was to own. They forget how much work that dog was as an untrained puppy and a silly boisterous adolescent. I need to be sure they will not be disappointed when they realize that this dog will have its own distinct personality, and will be much different (at least at first) than the dog they are grieving for.

Two new groups to interview too. One that is not actually on the list yet, but just considering a Dalmatian. They need to meet my silly dogs, see the noseprints on the patio door, and the hair on the sofa, be mugged by Argus, leaned on by Watson, have Josie drop a toy in their laps, be smiled at by Coral (who shows all her teeth when she smiles!), and probably be mumbled at by old Sid who would rather not have any disruptions to his life. Because Indy-The-Puppy is still here and is jet-propelled, they will also see how lively these silly beasties can be at 4 months.

The other couple knows they want a Dal and have been waiting patiently to add a puppy to their new household. I've placed many puppies with young couples, and most have worked out exceptionally well. What we need to concentrate on is whether or not they have the time for a puppy. The first 18 months will determine whether or not their pup will grow into a wonderful companion or a problem child. Puppies are a lot of work, and like children, they need to be molded into responsible adults.

I try to impress on all my buyers that THEIR dogs are the ones the public sees, family pets who walk in the parks, wait in the car at the supermarket, share a cone at the Dairy Queen, and attend obedience classes with people who own other breeds of dogs. Dals got a bad rap during the 90s, following the popularity crash, and are just rebounding from that. It is important that all Dal owners consider how their dogs are viewed by the public. It's important that dogs who go out in public have appropriate leash manners, are well socialized with other dogs, and are friendly to both adults and children. Displays of aggression, even if only for show, are absolutely not acceptable, and mean that the owners have not done their job.

By the same token, we are all at risk of anti-dog legislation. There are a lot of people out there who resent the time and money we spend on our pets. Well behaved dogs with responsible owners are our best weapon to fight restrictions on our rights to own dogs and have them in public places.

Now The Real Fun Begins

Dogs were sure glad to see me when I got home last night, as I am rarely gone for three or four days at a time, and if I am at least one of the dogs has gone with me. Argus especially is not used to being left behind. I missed them too, as I always have a dog in the car, and like so many other dog owners I talk to my canine companions. Many times I spoke to my non-existant companion while driving!

What a great weekend! The Pet Expo was astonishing! Thousand of pet supply vendors from around the world, with supplies for all kinds of pets. These were the manufacturers reps who market the products to pet supply dealers. Lots of neat new things, soooo many kinds of dog food, a huge number of aquarium suppliers and even the fish farms that supply the fish to pet shops. It is hard to believe though, that dog buyers will purchase ballerina dresses and wigs for their dogs! UGH!

I had a great time at the show, and some very nice dogs to judge. I shed a few tears while judging the Veterans, as I always do. The old guys do love to go to the shows, but it's hard not to think about the late Rob and Morris when I see the other old guys . . .

Two nice meals with groups of friends were the best though. One thing about dog shows - when the judging is done, we are (generally) all back to being friends, rather than judges and competitors. Argus's breeder Carrie Jordan from California was the Sweeps Judge, so it was great fun to swap stories about Argus, and his brother Andy who stayed with Carrie.

I came home by way of Milwaukee, stopping at my two favorite aquarium stores, but did NOT buy any fish. I did pick up a few supplies, but 40+ tanks of fish is more than enough work! Fortunately, our fish club auction is next Saturday, so I'll have a chance to move on some of the extra youngsters.

My van was loaded down with 300 pounds of ground frozen veggies, courtesy of Ginger who does this on a big scale. Some for me, and some for Vonda, Jess & Dawn. Because we feed a raw diet to our dogs (more on that later) we use veggies too, and it's so nice to be able to purchase Ginger's great mixes. A real timesaver.

And NOW I get to think about the puppies again. They need to be (home) hearing tested, be checked for eye color, and are at a wonderful age. They will become Little Dogs this week, and are such fun to watch. When I have a litter at my house, I go down to check on them for a few minutes, and spend a couple of hours. Am sure Tom and Dawn are finding that out! The pups had three groups of visitors yesterday, which is perfect. The more people they meet as babies, the better.

Puppy update tomorrow!

Trip Preparations

It seems odd to be packing for a trip in my mini-van without getting things ready to take a dog along. For 40+ years, dog show trips have been a part of my schedule, though far fewer now than in the past. Because I haven't had a class dog to show this year, I've only shown Argus as a special very occasionally. Hopefully next year I'll be showing one or more of the Josie kids, plus a puppy from Boji's litter.

And then there is Indy, my stud fee puppy from Watson and Janet. I keep thinking I should sell her, or at least find a good local co-owner for her, as she really needs more time and attention than she is getting right now. But she's got such a great personality, and there are so many things I like about her. Oddly, even grumpy old Sid likes her, although he has warned her that she may NOT swing from his ears and throat skin the way she does with Argus & Watson and Josie. Indy is super smart and very busy, although she has great crate manners and was amazingly easy to housetrain. Raising a puppy take a big time commitment, and my days all seem too short! Hopefully Ron will take her to PetCo this weekend, or for a few small walks in the neighborhood so she can greet friends - everyone is her friend, and she especially likes small children, having been raised with a toddler for the first 10 weeks of her life.

Argus will not be please about being left behind, and will miss our evening walks for the next few nights. He's such a hoot, my little Trash Collector. As we walk along he keeps a lookout for plastic bottles, soft drink cups, small carbboard boxes and empty fast food bags. He carries them along until he finds an appropriate spot to bury them! His favorite spot is in the gutter under fallen leaves, so fall is a great season for pursuing his hobby. Argus buried lots of trash in the snow last winter too. Wonder what the neighbors thought when the snow melted? I wonder if this is also an inherited trait? I've never had a dog quite so determined to bury things as Argus.

It will be interesting to watch personalities develope on the the Boji babies and see which traits they inherit from each parent. Boji has super high prey drive, and like my Josie, she lives to chase squirrels and rabbits. One thing the pups should inherit from both parents is extremely outgoing personalities.

Can't wait to get over to see them again next week. Glad I won't be missing my favorite puppy time - 3 weeks. That's when the little spotted blobs suddenly start to act like little dogs. They walk quite well, notice their littermates, start to play and to recognise the existance of people, wag their tails, and try to get away from their beds to pee. It's just a wonderful week of puppy watching. Wonder if Dawn & Tom have an extra bedroom for me? When Josie had her pups last spring, I thought I was going to have to set up a guest room for my friend Vonda. Pups are SUCH fun to watch. (And Tom gets to change the papers this time!)

Puppy Reservations

Taking puppy reservations is a lot more work than just "keeping a list". There are show potential puppies, performance puppies and companion puppies, experienced owners who can manage a livelier or more headstrong puppy, and less experienced owners who would be better off with a mild mannered puppy. Everyone wants to "pick their puppy", but in general I match up the pups to the homes. If we have any show potential pups, they will go to show homes - it's way too hard to produce top quality (according to the breed standard) pups with the right kind of personality, to put them in homes where they will never be seen again. Performance pups must have "drive" and be particularly sound and confident. They are often the pups that would be more challenging in permissive pet homes, because they need a job to do.

My reservation list has homes looking for all of the above, and over the next 5-6 weeks it is my job to assess and evaluate each puppy, and to get to know the people who are looking for companion pups so that I can do the best possible job of placing the right pup with them. Once I have decided which pups will go as companions, those at the top of the list may have some options, but even then I try to influence them to pick the pup that I think will fit their situation and meet their expectations. It's harder when the pups don't live with me this time, but Dawn and Tom will get real tired of me camping out in their basement! I will also depend on Tom & Dawn, and my daughter Jess for their observations.

Adding a puppy to the family is a serious consideration. Dals generally live 12 or more years, and I want the puppies I place to go to forever homes. The wrong dog or an unprepared home can be a disaster, and I would much prefer not to have to rescue a screwed up dog from a bad home. I've had very VERY good luck in my puppy placements over the years, due to a number of reasons. We try to breed the healthiest, best tempered pups we possibly can, we provide maximum socialization, all potential homes are carefully evaluated, and we are always here to answer questions and help with problems.

Time For Company

The pups had company this weekend. Their first visitors other than Tom, Dawn & Nicole. I went over on Saturday and my daughter Jess visited on Sunday. We carefully checked each pup over, holding it in a variety of positions and watching it's responses. Jess has been helping me with pups since she was a small child, and has helped with dozens of litters over the years. We both agreed that the pups looked terrific, even though Tom can always find something to worry about! Boji is an excellent mama, and her pups are plump and immaculate.

Because she is a very friendly dog, we do not anticipate that Boji will be protective of her pups, but as a precaution all nursing mothers meet visitors outside the puppy room. Its important that Boji not feel that she or her puppies are threatened. When strangers handle her puppies, Boji will be in her crate. Part of responsible dog ownership is remembering that dogs are not people, and they respond with age old canine instincts. Our Josie is like Boji, extremely friendly and not at all protective or aggressive, but when Josie has pups she meets strangers in our family room, and stays upstairs when we take them down to visit the pups.
It's time for the puppies to be handled by strangers now. Even though they do not yet hear, and are only starting to see, their little noses work very well and they can recognise the scent and feel of new people. This week they need gentle handling by a few groups of strangers.

NEXT WEEK we get busy. The pups will have gotten their hearing (we hope all of them are hearing next week!) so I will do the preliminary testing for that. Normally I would start doing that when the pups are 13-14 days old, but because I will be in Chicago this weekend, visiting the Pet Expo (a huge trade show), and later judging the Chicagoland Dal Specialty, and coming home by way of a couple of aquarium stores in Milwaukee, hearing testing will be postponed for a couple of days. Jess will visit the pups again though, so she may do it in my absence. (It's something we like to know as soon as possible.) Their eyes are already starting to open.

THEN it's time for visitors, lots of visitors. And time for interviews! I have not met several of the people on my puppy list. Most of previous Dal owners, but one young couple is considering their first Dalmatian. The previous Dal owners know what to expect, and are prepared for happy enthusiastic silly dogs that shed. We'll either do interviews at my house, where they can be mugged by all my dogs who LOVE company, or at Tom's house where they can be mugged by Boji. If we do that, I'll take Argus along so they can meet him too.
Dogs are not a disposable commodity, or at least they shouldn't be, although a visit to any Humane Society will make you wonder otherwise. Reading the reasons for surrender will reveal that the dogs "got too large", "shed too much", "pulled too hard", or that the buyer "didn't have enough time". DUH! Obviously the original purchase of a dog was not very well thought out. Dogs need grooming, training, and LOTS OF TIME.

Raising a puppy CORRECTLY is a lot of work!

The Pups Are One Week Old

Actually, the pups were a week old yesterday. Tom sent along a few new pictures where you can see that the spots are just now starting to show through. I'll be visiting Boji and babies this weekend, and it will be fun to check them over to get an idea of their eventual markings.
As all kids who watched the Disney movie know, Dals are born white - or at least their coats are white. They actually have skin spotting at birth, so the spots are visible before the puppy is dried off. Once they are dry the spots are still somewhat visible on the ears & sometimes on the muzzle and stomach where the coat is thinner.
One of the people on my puppy list asked how we know what color the pups would be when they don't have black or liver spots yet. Dals of course have "color coordinated" noses, and hopefully there is some nose color at birth or shortly thereafter. The tough ones are the pups born with pink noses! Nose trim comes in quickly, but sometimes it take a bit of educated guesswork.
Boji is a very richly colored black, and Argus is what we call "red liver". Deep black spotting comes through the earliest, red liver is the last to show up clearly (the dark chocolate shade of liver is visible sooner). The pups should be showing most of their basic spotting pattern by the end of next week. Watching the spots come in is always so interesting!

Puppy Socialization

Good dispositions are both born and made. Both Nature and Nuture are part of the equation. Although responsible breeders will only breed from dogs with appropriate dispositions, pups must also be socialized correctly! Commercial breeders as well as individuals without the time or motivation to properly socialize their pups are doing both the dogs and their eventual buyers a huge disservice. It's impossible to go back at a later date and make up for lack of appropriate socialization.
Pups should be handled everyday from the very beginning, and there is a set of exercises that are extremely helpful. Check out the link to the puppy socialization article as it explains in depth the importance of correct socialization.

Webpage For Puppies

I sat up late two nights in a row getting the puppy's webpage up and running, and playing catch up on my website. Still have a lloonngg way to go. I used to be able to work on this stuff when things were slow at the office. Now things are never slow at the office and being a state employee, NO use of computers for personal work is considered acceptable. So if I want to get my website updated, I'll be sitting up late.
We got the pictures of Boji's caesarian, and I'm going to post a few of those. We did not have a camera - we were not expecting surgery! - but Dr. Ann kindly lent me her camera so I could take a few snaps. A couple turned out real well.
Tom is back at work, but Dawn has taken this week off to be home with Boji and the pups. That insures that the smaller pups will have plenty of time to catch up a bit, with Dawn checking to be sure they don't get shoved off a nipple. Tom says the smallest boy has really picked up now.
Boji will not to happy next week, when she is left for the day. She's used to having someone around all day, and both Tom and Dawn have quite a commute to work. It's been handy for me to have only a 12 minute commute, so I can always come home at noon, and now that Ron is retired, the dogs have it way too easy!
Time to order the books - I give out "How To Raise A Puppy You Can Live With", an excellent puppy raising book that has gone through many additions. I still think it's the best of the puppy books available. Although most of our buyers have previously owned Dals, there's a lot of good information even for experienced Dal owners.

Pups All Doing Well

Tom reports that the pups are doing well now, and the smallest boy has started to gain weight and plump up like the others. Hope I can get over to see them tomorrow night! It's hard to be an "absentee parent" - not for Argus, but for me! Argus loved Josie's pups last spring though, so I'm sure he will enjoy playing with kids later on when they are old enough to visit.

Argus's OFA hip results came yesterday - OFA Excellent! Only a small percentage of dogs are scored as excellents, and I was delighted that BOTH Argus and Boji came back with that rating. Hip dysplasia is not nearly as common in Dalmatians as it is in breeds like Labradors, but it is important for breeders to stay on top of it, and have all breeding stock x-rayed. Argus's had a preliminary x-ray last summer, and his hips looked good, but the dogs have to be two years old to get the official rating. We've agonized with friends whose promising young Goldens and Labs were dysplastic. Some dogs become severely crippled, while others are only arthritic, but it can be very devastating, and is something we want to keep from becoming a big problem in this breed.

The Puppies' Big Day

On Saturday the puppies were 3 days old and had their dewclaws removed. Tom & Dawn packed them up in a cozy box and drove to the Vet Clinc, leaving Boji behind. Most bitches handle this quite well, but Boji was pretty stressed by the time they returned. Had she gone along and listened to the pups yelling, "Mother, mother, mother" (or is it "Help, help, help"?) she would probably have been even more stressed, so leaving her behind was the safest.

The minor surgery went well, and the pups will only have the tiniest of scars to show where their dewclaws had been. If dewclaws are not removed they sometimes get caught and torn on adult dogs, requiring far more extensive, and far more expensive surgery. The dewclaw removal also gives the Vet a chance to check the pups and see how they are doing. And it means each pup has two fewer nails to cut - a big consideration when you are cutting the nails on 8 puppies several times a week!

Tom says the smallest boy has gained the least amount of weigh, and the Vet agreed that he looked a bit dehydrated. Because the pup seems to be nursing strongly, Tom and Dawn will work to be sure that he gets on a good nipple and is not pushed off by his larger brothers and sisters. As expected, the ear patched boy that I revived is actually one of the biggest and strongest pups now - it never fails. The smallest girl, who was revived with acupuncture appears to be doing well!

Pups look very nice & Boji is being a good mother other than being amazingly clumsy. Hopefully she does not flop down on or step on any of the pups! I checked to be sure all the pups were black spotted, hoping that a couple of the boys were livers. No such luck, all black spotted, as with Boji's previous litters. Because liver is a simple recessive, Boji would have to carry a copy of the liver gene to produce liver pups when bred to a liver dog. She obviously is what we call "pure for black", but each of the pups is a liver-factored black. Although they have blacks spots, they can produce livers.

Before visiting Boji and Crew I drove to Rochester to take a look at the Simon/Tess kids who were up from the Cedar Rapids area for BAER testing at Rick's. Had a nice visit with the litter owner Paula, her friend Kim, and Simon's owner Cheryl and got a chance to see Rick's handsome 5-month old liver pup. The Tess kids are linebred on Coral, with Tess being a Watson daughter and Simon being a Coral son, so I wanted to take a look at them. What a pretty litter, with wonderful faces, dark eyes and some very pretty markings! I thought three of them looked extra nice - the only liver boy, one of the black boys, and one of the girls. All were very attractive. The hearing test results were good, with 5 bilateral and 1 uni (5 pups heard in both ears, 1 pup hears in only one ear - which is common in Dals and does not affect the dog's ability function well as a companion or even a show dog).

Boji's litter will be BAER tested (Brainstem Auditory Evoked Response) when they are about 6 weeks old, although I will have identified any deafs (hopefully none) or possible unis by then.

Boji now has a rug in her pen and we are keeping our fingers crossed that she does not insist on hiding the pups UNDER it like some bitches do. The pups need a good surface when they are nursing, so they can get a grip with their back feet rather than sliding on slippery papers.

Not A Textbook Whelping

The pups did not arrive on Tuesday but waited another day to enter the world. Another 3:00 AM phone call from Tom to tell me that Boji was having contractions, and the first pup arrived several hours later. Although Boji's previous litters had been whelped uneventfully, with pups every 20 minutes or so, that was not to be the case this time. Only two pups were born that night, and another finally followed several hours later. Tom and I stayed in touch by phone, and he talked to the Vet as well, but I was very concerned and after getting a few things done at the office, I drove to Tom's to lend a hand. I got there in time to save a boy puppy who was not breathing when he was born, but the next pup could not be revived, and we decided it was time for a trip to the Vet. Boji was not having good contractions, and we were at risk of losing any remaining pups. Tom stayed behind with Boji's 5 pups - all males (the dead pup was the only female so far), while Dawn and I went with Boji.

We were fortunate that the the Winsor's clinic was only 15 minutes away, and that they are actually reproductive specialists, with all the finest equipment and a well trained staff. When the ultra sound showed multiple puppies and at least two beating hearts we opted to go with a caesarian, in hopes of saving the puppies. I was quite convinced that the puppy who was trapped in the birth canal was dead, but had hopes that the other two would be OK. Dawn and I were allowed to watch through a viewing window, and to take pictures of the whole process. Dr. Jim performed the surgery, with several assistants, and Dr. Anne and her team revived the pups. It was especially interesting to watch an acupuncture needle used to simulate the limp pup to breath - and it worked. All three pups survived, and all were females.