Two Weeks To Go

No doubt about it.  With two weeks to go, Lucy is obviously pregnant.  Since pups do most of their growing the last three weeks of gestation, she'll be quite a lot MORE pregnant looking by then.  Her family is eagerly awaiting the arrival of puppies!

Lucy lives near Thunder Bay in Ontario, Canada.  She went as a companion and possible show puppy, and turned out even better than we had anticipated.  Daughter Grace finished Lucy's championship in Canada, and my daughter Jess finished Lucy's American Championship in the U.S., and they finished it with an outstanding record that included winning the Open Black Class at the National, as well as 2 - 5 point Specialty majors.

When her owners asked if Lucy could have a litter of pups so they could keep one to show, I agreed - as long as she finished her American Championship, and passed all of her health testing.  Our dogs are never bred unless they have the appropriate health clearances.  The other requirement was to wait until they moved to Thunder Bay, as they were living far from good veterinary services, and when you do a litter of pups you need the services of a good vet - just in case.  Dals are normally good whelpers, but an emergency is an emergency!

I took care of the health testing while Lucy was staying with us for dog shows.  She had her hips and elbows x-rayed and certified by OFA (Orthopedic Foundation For Animals), her eyes were tested and passed a CERF evaluation, her thyroid panel was evaluated by the lab at Michigan State, and her heart was examined by a Veterinary Cardiologist.  She passed everything with flying colors.  Lucy's hearing had been tested by BAER (Brainstem Auditory Evoked Response) when she was just a puppy, so we knew that she heard in both ears.

All this testing was quite expensive, BUT as responsible breeders we want to produce the healthiest puppies we can, and to do this we have to breed from healthy adult dogs.  We can't test for everything, but it's important that we take advantage of the available testing.  That's one of the things that separate Responsible Breeders from "Puppy Raisers", the latter being those folks who do it strictly for the money, with no regard to the (lack of) quality of the pups they produce.

Yes, Lucy's family will raise the puppies until they are old enough to wean, and we know they will be super-socialized by the kids and their friends.  They'll come down to me then, for heath check ups, BAER testing, pictures, evaluation, and eventual placement.

Interested?