Decisions

Saturday was The Day.  Donna flew in from St. Louis and Meg drove in from Chicago on Friday, and on Saturday Jess joined us for puppy evaluations and pictures.  We find that taking "stacked" shots on the table and watching Jess stack the pups while I take pictures from all angles gives us a lot more information on each puppy.  We can see the proportions, angles and the way the puppy "fits together", and also the way each puppy handles the situation.   Puppy pictures are a LOT of work, but provide a great record of each litter, since we always take pictures between 6 & 7 weeks.  We've found that most pups eventually go back to the shape and proportions they displayed at that age - although many of them go through a lot of stages along the way!

No real surprises here, and the pups were as good overall as we had expected.  Some litters have nothing I would be interested in showing  (we call them "learning experiences") but as long as the pups are healthy and have good dispositions, that is fine.  Most of our litters have a couple of show potential pups.  We're more critical than many breeders because you can actually show any registered dog that does not have a disqualification according to the breed standard, BUT a "show potential" pup is one that is worthy of being shown and has a good chance of winning if it lives up to it's potential.  I kept waiting for something to go wrong with these pups.  It didn't. 

As of now I have nothing to place in pet homes this time around.  Sorry to all the people who have been waiting to find out if there was a puppy for them.  Fulton is actually going to a pet home, but with the provision that I can show him.  I may eventually do that with one of the girls, but there's nothing for sale outright, at this time.

That's Donna pictured above, holding the puppy Jack Pine who is now "Tango".  Tango looks and acts so much like his sire Henry who is Donna's dog. 

The pup on the right is Summit, who is absolutely spectacular in a stack.  We have to wait to be sure that her spots continue to clear (they are still rather fuzzy) but sire Henry went through that as a pup, so we assume she will be fine.

I will check with everyone on my list to find out if the have found a puppy elsewhere, need some referrals, or want to wait for our next litter(s).  Both Jess and I will probably do a litter next spring/summer, and with the way it goes in dog breeding we may end up with only companion pups next time!