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!