Too Cute

The pups are amazingly cute now and are acting like little dogs, play fighting, wagging their tails, and trying to keep their bed clean.  They are also trying to climb out of the whelping box, so it's time to keep the pen gate closed.  It won't be long now.  They get to come out of the box for a few minutes in the evening, to explore their pen and Holly's nearby crate, but they don't travel very far yet and still fall asleep quickly.

Next week I will take the front panel off their box and give them unlimited access to the pen.  I'll also put a low panel on the front of the pen so Holly can escape if she feels the need.  She will.  Motherhood is starting to have less appeal now, and Holly is quite happy to spend time upstairs and away from her puppies.  She got her first walk on Sunday night and loved the snow.  Holly is from Texas, so this was her first experience with snow, and she was not ready to come home when I decided she'd had enough, but I was afraid she'd get frostbitten breasts!

Because of the weather, it's risky and time consuming to try and get home at noon.  A real disappointment to me because this is my favorite age, and I hate to miss the chance to sit in the box with the babies, if only for a few minute.

Holly is in the dog house, so to speak.  She's absolutely ravenous right now and every calorie she takes in goes into making milk for her brood.  While typing away here I heard an odd noise, but did not bother to check it out.  Fernly has been so good lately, I didn't think about the fact that Holly has not!  A few minutes later I discovered that she had removed my dog walking jacket from the back of a chair, and was busily eating through the pocket for the treats inside.  Bad Dog!  Hungry dog.   My favorite dog walking jacket will never be the same. . .

SNOW

Yesterday was spent trying to stay ahead of the snow that was falling at the rate of an inch an hour.  We ended up with about a foot of the stuff.  It's beautiful outside, but the drive to work is likely to be time-consuming and to consist of numerous white-knuckle moments.  After several weeks of above normal temperatures the current temp is 11 degrees and the wind chill is below zero.  It's gonna be a long day as I won't try to get home at noon to visit the pups.

Pups are doing well and are incredibly cute - but more on that tomorrow.  Day 21, my favorite day with pups, when they seem to turn into little dogs.
That Maxwell and Britt. CUTE!

Pictures

Today's project is to come up with a suitable picture for Christmas cards.  I should have added some Christmas balls to this one!

Too Cute For Words!

And no pictures to prove it. . .   The last few evenings have been filled with a retirement dinner for a friend and a fish club meeting, so I have not been able to just sit in the box with the pups and admire them.  That comes tonight, along with a few new pictures.  I stop each time I go by to speak with and cuddle each puppy, but it's not the same as being able to climb in the box with them.  Oh my gosh these are cute puppies!

On Monday the pups will be 21 days old, my very favorite day.  That's when they will start greeting me with wagging tails and will also start trying to keep their bed clean.  This weekend I'll change their box from a carpet with two throw rugs, to newspapers and just one throw rug for sleeping.  The pups will quickly catch on to crawling off the rug to pee on the papers.  It always amazes me how strong that instinct is, and how certainly behaviors occur on very specific days.  In another week I will take the panel out of the front of their box to allow the pups access to the entire puppy pen, and they will begin exiting the box to pee.  It will take them awhile to all catch on to that and do it consistently, but it will happen right on schedule.

Amazing!

This Too Shall Pass

As I took the "Whole Dog Journal" magazine from Fern, I said, "Fernly, WHY are you such a bad dog?  Why must you get into mischief all the time?"  She looked at me inquiringly and said very distinctly, "How was I to know that I should not take that magazine off the bar stool?  You never told me I couldn't do that!"  Yes, I heard her say that, or maybe I just read it in her expression. . .

Fern is not what I would call an "easy" puppy.  She's very active, always busy, way too smart, incredibly curious, and already seems to have a wicked sense of humor.  She misses absolutely nothing, and MUST check out all new objects and anything else of interest.  It must be studied, smelled, and often tasted as well.  I've raised a lot of puppies over the years and some were easy, while others were more of a challenge.  We often joke that the dumb ones are the easiest to raise and the best for pet homes, yet the smart ones are incredibly entertaining and often amazingly funny, and they do grow up to be wonderful companions.  BUT they take a lot more time and patience!

This is not an easy time for Fern.  Because it gets dark so early there is no time to take her running after work, on-leash walks just don't do it for her.  Weekend runs just aren't enough for her.  The puppies will take an increasing amount of my time too.  Fern will enjoy all the visitors, but because she'll get so excited I may have to keep her on leash, at least at first.  She's very easily stimulated and will definitely jump up on and climb all over visitors.  It will provide lots of training moments, but if she's like her Grandpa Argus it will be a long time before she actually has Company Manners.  It's much easier to manage and control a single dog - an enthusiastic puppy with all the competition for attention is much more of a challenge.

Fern was a Puppy Kindergarten drop out because of my broken hand, so it's time to get back to class with her.  We work for awhile every evening, doing Sit, Down, Stand, Stay, Watch, and Walk (not formal heeling), and she's very good - when there are no distractions.  Home training does NOT take the place of a good obedience class!

Beginners Obedience starts a week from Saturday, Hooray!  Although I ask my puppy buyers to attend training school or obedience club classes, Fern & I will be going to PetCo to train with Carol.  Many of the pet shop trainers have gone through their company's classes to train "trainers", but are not actually very qualified.  Carol is a trainer at my local PetCo and I have gotten to know her over the years and respect her knowledge of dogs and training methods.  Her sister also breeds and shows dogs, AND Carol feeds her dogs a raw diet, just as we do.  The store is only a mile away, which will be nice when the weather is bad, and classes are Saturday afternoon.  My only conflict will be the weekend of the local dog shows.  Hopefully we get through the entire class before Fern comes in season!

This too shall pass - but not without a fair amount of work on my part.  Good dogs don't "just happen".  They are raised to be that way.   I know Fern will grow up to be a Good Dog - it will just take time!

Someone Will Be Disappointed

Although it's nice to have a great many reservations for pups, it will be difficult when the time comes to place them because there won't be a puppy for everyone.  Because there is no way of knowing how many (if any) show potential pups we have here, I have enough reservations to place them all (except the patch) in show homes, as well as enough to place them all in pet homes . .   Probably MORE of each than there are puppies, but as I have learned over time, not everyone who expresses interest will actually be ready for a puppy when the pups are ready to go.  Sometimes life gets in the way and adding a puppy has to be delayed or even cancelled.

And sometime the available puppies aren't right for the individual situations.  Several of the people with reservations for pets will only consider a black spotted female, so a male pup or the liver spotted girl won't work for them.  One or more of the pups may have unilateral hearing which is relatively common in Dalmatians, and although hearing in only one ear does NOT affect a Dal's ability to be a wonderful companion (or even a show dog, for that matter), not everyone will want a uni puppy.
Patches are normally popular, but not everyone will want a patched puppy either.

NO show puppies are flawless - they all come with a few holes, however minor, or a few things we are not quite sure about.  For instance, a tiny bit of nose trim will most likely fill in - but it might not!  A high tail will probably come down (at least from this litter), but there is no way I can guarantee that.   Some people have spotting preferences, and a pup might be too lightly or heavily spotted for them, and although we can show blue eyed dogs in the U.S., not everyone finds them acceptable, and blues are faulted in Canada.  Several people on my list would prefer a liver girl, while others only want a black one.  First pick belongs to me, should I decide to keep a puppy, but after that we'll see how it all plays out.

I received the good news that Argus's liver daughter GCh. Cassie is pregnant by a top quality black-spotted boy (A GCh., Top Ten, National Specialty BoB winner).  Both Cassie and Gabe are wonderful dogs with lovely temperaments and all their health testing, and I know Cassie's family will do a good job with the puppies. Star Chart Dalmatians  or contact John directly at  Dalkeeper@mindspring.com

The pups have names now - Maxwell, Folgers, Britt, Melitta, Vittoria, Gevalia, and Sanka!

Pretty Spots - Just The Beginning

My daughter Jess came over to admire the babies yesterday and they did their best to be cute, staying awake for about 10 minutes each time we went down to visit them.  They've started swaggering around the box and are doing some slow motion wrestling, so are already very entertaining.  From now on it will be hard to get anything else done as visits with the babies will be longer and longer.  I'll stop in to check on them and end up staying for a couple of hours. They are even cute when they're sleeping!

Jess agreed that the faces and markings are particularly nice on these babies, one of the "prettiest" litters we've had here.  So we're past the first hurdles - everyone hears, the trim will be good on all, and everyone has a pleasing spotting pattern.  Now we will cross fingers for dark eyes, good structural conformation, correct bites, proper tail carriage, good legs and feet, and most particularly good dispositions.  They'll be BAER tested to confirm hearing and identify any that might have unilateral hearing, get thorough health checkups at about 6 weeks, be intensely socialized with people of all ages, and I'll spend many many hours just watching them stand, interact and move around.  And we'll have LOTS of puppy visitors.

As a responsible hobby breeder who breeds for the show ring, I hope that some of the pups will be show potential.  That's why I am putting all this time, money, and work into a litter of pups.   If I'm fortunate and this breeding turns out as well as I thought it might, some of the pups will look like potential show prospects, while others will be pet quality for minor reasons that do not detract from their good looks or personalities. All puppies will receive the maximum amount of attention, whether they go to show or companion homes, will be carefully evaluated, and appropriately placed.   Fingers crossed . . . 

And Now For The Naming

A short post today as I spent too much time admiring the pups.  I did one last hearing test (what we refer to as "home testing"), and got this picture of all the pups listening to me.  I had previously tested them (multiple times) while they were laying more spread out, since a deaf pup will respond when a hearing littermate moves in response to sound.  I was about 95% sure on Saturday evening that everyone heard, got positive responses from everyone when I tested them yesterday, and much stronger responses today when I just spoke to them in a normal voice (I start off with soft whistles and hand claps).  Hooray!

Now it's time to assign their names, something I will probably do this evening.  They all get coffee names and I have narrowed the list down to eight, so will discard one.  Britt, Gevalia, Mill Stream (Millie), Tully, Sanka, Vittoria, Maxwell & Folgers.  I'll probably discard Mill Stream, and name the liver girl Sanka.

Pups will be BAER tested to confirm their hearing status, and by then I will have figured out if any of the pups are unilateral hearing - pups who just hear in one ear, rather common in Dals.

The Best Medicine

With so many pleasurable things off limits because they are too expensive, bad for your health, or illegal, it's nice that we still have coffee!  I've followed all the possible health concerns about coffee for years, and am always relieved when further information negates the original warning.  Coffee in moderation will apparently do me no harm, and may even hold  Alzheimer's and a variety of other unpleasant diseases at bay.  Hooray for coffee!

My coffee is currently brewed in a Keurig.  It bothers me that there is so much waste with the little K-cups, and it IS a relatively expensive way to purchase coffee, but convenience wins out, and we never have a partially filled pot of coffee sitting around going to waste.  The variety is nice but we pretty much use one specific brand that we both like, plus an occasion cup of tea or dark hot chocolate.  That little machine brings me great pleasure, and gets my mornings off to a good start.

My coffee is generally drunk black, and I don't care for flavored coffee.  I prefer the taste of the coffee itself, though on occasion I may add a bit of milk or real cream and/or some sugar just to splurge a bit.  Wasted calories, but only an occasional treat.  If I stop for coffee at one of the coffee shops that dot every corner, I stick to regular black coffee, whatever the special of the day may be.  It might get doctored up, but is normally enjoyed black, just as it comes from the brewer, and as hot as possible.  Good coffee is always a treat.

Always a treat to be enjoyed by noon, that is.  I don't care for decaf, and only drink afternoon or evening coffee if I'm driving somewhere and need to stay awake and alert.  Otherwise coffee is a morning treat, something to look forward to as I start another work day.  The smell and the taste are so amazing, and I can not understand people who start their days off with a cola drink or hot tea.  Doesn't do it for me!

Yes, I know coffee is addictive, and after all these years my body is quite dependent on it, BUT I deserve to have at least one vice!  Yesterday morning I was in a rush at home and incredibly busy at work.  By late afternoon I had a headache that lasted all evening and was still there when I woke up, but this morning the cause was obvious.  I had had only had two cups of coffee before work, had left the second unfinished in the car, and had not had time for a cup of coffee from the cafeteria.   Caffeine withdrawal, of course.  After the first cup this morning my headache was gone, just like magic.  The magic of coffee.  The best medicine. 

Sibling Rivalry

We had a case of sibling rivalry last night.

Holly has a crate next to the puppy pen where she can go while I am cleaning the puppy box.  She had already taken her rubber chicken into the crate, to "mother" while away from her pups.  Holly had also taken the rubber chicken into the whelping box while she was in labor waiting for the real thing.

Yesterday Holly took the squeaky fish downstairs and carefully added it to the whelping box.  Ron figured that would be OK as he knew I would start adding toys to the box soon.  While fixing dinner we heard barking and growling from the basement and I dashed down to see what was going on - I assumed that Fernly or Josie and sneaked downstairs to see the pups and Holly was warning them off.

Nope.  Holly was "washing" the squeaky fish, while the other pups were crawling around the box and getting in her way.  She kept moving the toy, perhaps trying to get a response from it, and the pups kept following.  Every time they got too close to the rubber "puppy", she would bark and warn them away.  Of course they don't hear yet, and wouldn't understand the warning anyway. Wonder what was going through her spotted brain?   I removed the toy to return to the family room, and Holly settled down to clean and feed her furry pups.  Guess we'll hide the fish until the pups are older.

Puppy Names

Off to training today at the MNDOT Training Center.  Hope it's a worthwhile workshop, as my desk is covered with "must dos".  It's Audit Time, which makes things so much more hectic!  That means no coming home this noon to feel Holly and check the pups.  Ron can fill in for today.  I hate to miss that right now though, as the spots are coming through and the pups are changing so quickly!

Patterns are looking great on the pups and they have such beautiful faces.  Liver girl now has visible skin spotting too and it appears that she has big spots and an all over pattern too.  She looks to be the most open marked, but that may change a bit as the spotting is so much more obvious on the black puppies.  Several of the pups have exceptionally nice markings, none have messy marked faces, and none will be too dark, although one is a bit more colorful than the others.

This weekend I should start getting hearing responses.  Once I know the hearing status the pups will get their names - I've decided to use "coffee names".  Folgers, Sanka, Maxwell (house), etc.  This was my mother's suggestion.  I think we may have used coffee names once before, but that would have been many years ago. I like using a theme, and have gone through many many themes over the years!

Another Morning For Coral

Each morning when I go downstairs, I wonder if Coral will be having Another Morning . . .  Although I am not wishing her away, it would be my preference that she die peacefully in her sleep, either snug in her crate or laying on the sofa beside her beloved Ron.  Poor Coral is increasingly frail, and the combination of mammary tumors, chronic kidney failure, arthritis, and just plain old age are taking their toll, but with the help of pain killers she seems to be relatively comfortable.  At least I hope she is comfortable, but Coral is not a complainer, so I don't know really know that for sure.  Her large expressive eyes look sad, and I wish I knew what she was thinking and feeling . . .

Coral sleeps hard, but can still see and hear, and when I call her name she looks up and with a bit of effort struggles to her feet.  Another Morning.  She comes out of her crate walking stiffly, with her head down and her back arched, but when I talk to her she wags her tail, although her wag is very low now.  She waits for me to take her collar and I help her out the door and down the 2 porch steps, and walk her out to the dog yard, my hand still under her collar.  She appreciates the support, especially on the steps, and stumbles a few times as we walk.  I'll leave her outside for 10 minutes, although she wouldn't mind being out there longer.  The outdoor smells are one of the things she still relishes and she comes back to the house slowly, sniffing as we go.

Fortunately the other dogs are kind to her.  The boys sniff her a little, but stop when I ask them to, and surprisingly Fernly shows respect and gives Coral plenty of space.  Josie and Holly pretty much ignore her other than a simple greeting of nose touches.

Coral rests on the dog bed while I write this as the sofa is increasingly hard for her to conquer.  When Ron comes down he'll invite her up to sit with him on the sofa, and help her if necessary.  Later he'll walk her around the block if she still wants to go.  It takes them awhile, but Coral still looks forward to her walks, so she can sniff as she goes, and think about squirrels and rabbits and all the other interesting things she is still aware of.  She'll spend much of the day on the sofa, with frequent trips outdoors.

It's time to feed dogs, and so far Coral's appetite is fine and she still enjoys her meals.  Her weight is good and her coat is still nice.  When Coral stops eating we will re-evaluate the situation yet again, but for now it seems Coral is ready for Another Day, and will face it calmly and with grace.

Back To Work

Back to work.  Another four-day weekend is history, and unlike past years it didn't include any dog shows.  Didn't accomplish as much as I'd hoped, but did do the things that needed to be done, and actually relaxed a bit.  Relaxed!  Slept until 7:00 AM, didn't wash up or get dressed until after 10:00, listened to a couple of Linda Fairstein mysteries on the iPod while cleaning house and walking dogs, played on my computer, and had a lovely Thanksgiving dinner with mom & Ron (eating out this year).  Took Argus and Fernly running several times, something that Fern especially appreciates, and admired the babies a lot!  Because I did a turkey yesterday we'll be doing leftovers all week.  Time to try out some of the recipes that I've been saving.

Holly now has a bed outside the whelping box, a big quilt that she can nest in.  She keeps the pups clean and fed, but decided that she'd had enough "togetherness" and needed to be able to get away.  She did take the rubber chicken to bed with her though!  If she was one of those bitches that carried her pups around she'd have a few pups with her, but thankfully she does not.  The whelping box under the heat lamp is a bit warm for Holly, and not "cozy" enough, so this works fine for all of us.

Fernly visited a couple of pet stores on Saturday and was so funny.  Because she's such a bugger about jumping up (just as Argus was as a pup), when people ask to pet her I request that they tell her to Sit and give her a cookie.  She added a hand shake to her routine, all on her own, and when they tell her to sit she does, and offers a paw.  Always gets her a laugh.

Back to work.  Gotta start budgeting my time again now.

Six Days Old

Six days old, and all is well.  Holly is a terrific mom and the pups are always immaculately clean and well fed.  She's eating three meals a day now, and thinks more often would be even better.  She's also starting to linger for awhile when she goes through the family room on her way outdoors, even took the time to jump on the sofa with Ron for just a second yesterday.  Boredom will be setting in soon.

This is the second time around for the EZWhelp whelping box and it's doing the job again.   The rails keep Holly from accidentally leaning against or laying on a puppy.  The liners that came with the box were useless and kept coming loose and getting bunched up, but the new Dry Mate liners are great.  The backing works well to keep the liner flat and discourages Holly from trying to dig it up, plus it's large enough to fit under the corner legs of the rails which also helps to hold it in place.  The additional bath rug is for Holly and pups to lay on, but Holly prefers to lay in the opposite corner which is not under the heat lamp and is a bit cooler.    When the pups aren't nursing, they move over to the area under the light for some extra warmth.

Spots are starting to show faintly on the black spotted pups, and their face spots are already quite visible.  Most of the pups will be marked like Holly with big bold markings and attractively spotted faces. It's hard to see anything yet on the liver girl, as the skin spotting on livers is not as distinct and it takes longer for the spots to come through.  She appears to be more open marked (rather than colorful), and has a cleanly marked face.  Every time I stop to visit the pups I roll through their coats, looking at their markings!

Pups got their nails trimmed yesterday, or at least most nails got trimmed.  It takes good light and lots of patience to trim 112 nails on squirmy pups!  I use a human nail trimmer on babies since the nails are so small and thin.  BUT they are sharp and pointed, and very hard on mom's undersides when the pups knead her breasts to get the milk flow going.  Wish it was as easy to do Holly's nails.  She's been difficult about her nails, and of course I did not want to wrestle with her while she was pregnant (and my broken hand made it even more difficult).  Jess trimmed her nails twice, but they look pretty crummy now, definitely too long.  It embarrasses me, but so be it.

I'm surprised to still be getting puppy inquiries this time of the year, but thankfully not for Christmas pups (with one exception).  Most are from people who recently lost an older Dal and are looking for a new puppy.  One inquiry is from a couple who lost an elderly liver boy they purchased from us as a puppy, and are looking to adopt a sweet tempered adult liver male.  Hope I can find them one!

Let's Not Forget About Fern

Fern playing The Foot Game

The "big puppy" continues to make my life interesting.

I can visit the "little pups" every few hours, pick them up to admire their beautiful faces and how quickly the nose trim is moving, and am constantly amazed at how fast they are growing.  Holly appears to have plenty of milk and is a very attentive mother, so the babies are all clean and plump.  I check them out whenever I feel like doing so.

The big puppy however DEMANDS my time.  Fernly is quite the character and has turned everything into a game.  If I sweep she plays with the broom, if I try to read she drops toys on my lap, when I tell her to sit she offers to shake hands too, and when I am working in the kitchen she taps my foot so that we can play The Foot Game.  I pretend to step on her foot, and she taps my foot with her paw, leaps away or mouths my slipper.  Hopefully I don't regret this game, but so far she has only carried, never chewed, my slippers.

With my hand finally healed we are back to training, doing lots of show stacking in a variety of places.  Because she was a foot mover, it took some patience, but things are going well.  She's very sound and well put together, especially for such a baby, so it's fun to stack and admire her in shop windows when we are out walking.  (So what if the people inside think I'm crazy!)  Fern needs to get back to class too, as she sometimes still startles and barks at new or unusual things - and at odd things she does not understand, like boots and high heels.  She's incredibly visual, so she notices absolutely everything.  It was tough to take her places when I was one-handled, as she gets so excited, but she did get out, just not as much as I would have liked.  We'll be making up for that.

As a companion Fern is doing great.  Excellent in the house, plays with her toys, good in a crate, perfectly house trained.  She's pretty good on leash too, although last night when walking in her first snow I thought I would lose my arm.  She LOVED it.  Because she's not bothered by the cold, I'll find a place today where she can run off leash in the snow.  I particularly appreciate the fact that she comes really well off leash, something I still reinforce by always having a pocket full of extra tasty treats.

When we start having puppy visitors, all the extra socialization will be good for Fern, but she'll probably be too rough to interact with the pups, especially since she's inclined to clobber the other dogs with her foot!

Am I happy with Fern?  Yes indeed.   She pleases my eye and makes me laugh - that's what I love about good Dals.

So Much To Be Thankful For

It's amazingly easy to feel sorry for ones self and to dwell on all the things we don't have.  A better job, a nicer house, a bigger income, more education, better health for ourselves and our families, more savings or a bigger pension, better looks, more smarts, a newer car, more disposable income, a wealthy family, and so it goes.  So many things it would be nice to have, but things that are not essential, and probably wouldn't make us happier anyway.  There will always be things that we wish were ours, but never will be.

How fortunate most of us are!  We have freedom, families, friends, homes, jobs, and health.  How amazingly fortunate we are and how much we have to be thankful for!  So many people have far less, and so many of them probably appreciate what they have far more than we do.  It's good to have a day to think about all that we do have!

Big Day

This is a big day for the pups as they will have their dewclaws removed this afternoon.  The entire litter will be packed in a large styrofoam box with towels and a hot water bottle and take a trip to Inver Grove Heights Animal Hospital for a visit with Dr. Annie.  Each pup will receive a checkup at the same time.  It only takes a few minutes per pup and they will sleep quietly all the way home.  Holly will stay behind to take a well deserved break, and for some reason the girls never act very stressed about the process.   If I took her along she would be much more agitated so she'll stay behind as usual.  Because the whelping went smoothly and Holly had strong contractions to expel all the placentas, it will be safer to leave her home.

All the pups appear to be doing well and are gaining weight.  Last night I sat down in the box and examined them carefully, to be sure I could tell them all apart.  They started their Neuro Stimulation exercises last night and I needed to be sure that I could identify the pups well enough to be sure that each pup got handled appropriately and did the little routine only once.  Click on the link below if you're curious about this.
Neuro Stimulation

These exercises are not the only handling the pups receive of course, but most of it is gentle handling.  They do however have additional "stress" that includes getting their blanket changed (it's great fun to watch them sniff a new surface, even at 2 - 3 days of age) and getting their nails cut - that starts tomorrow.

To the party who inquired about possibly obtaining a deaf pup - fingers tightly crossed that we have no deaf pups, BUT if we do I never place them.  Never have, never will.

All Is Well

Holly and pups are doing well!  She's settled into motherhood and is very attentive without being obsessed.  The pups are clean and well fed but we can actually get Holly to go outdoors without dragging or carrying her, as we sometimes have to do the first day or two, and she'll get out of the box to take a drink of water.  She does insist on eating in bed, so we'll humor her for a couple of days.

Pups get handled several times a day for the first week or so.  I don't actually weigh them, but I check their body tone and their skin elasticity to be sure they are not getting dehydrated.  One of the old whelping books refers to a healthy puppy feeling like a glove with a hand in it, while a pup who is not thriving feels like an empty glove.  Very good description.

I don't put colored collars or rick rack on the pups to tell them apart, as they all have distinctive eye, nose or ear markings.  In this litter where the nose trim is done on all the pups except one, it's a bit harder and I'll have to depend on ear & and eye markings a more heavily.  Nice problem to have though.   I want to be able to identify each pup by the time they go in tomorrow for Vet Checks and dew claw removal.

Puppies! Good News - Bad News

More Good News by far!  Pups arrived last night, between 3:00 AM and 7:00 AM.  Big strong active pups that were quick to catch on to nursing.   We've got 7 of them, 2 boys and 5 girls.  One of the black girls is an incredibly cute triple-patch - both ears and one eye.  All are doing well, as is Holly.

The Bad News is that there are only 2 boys, and both of them appear to be black-spotted.  I did this litter because I wanted a liver Argus son for me.  I'm a bit bummed there are no liver boys, but so be it.  Most people would be thrilled to have mostly bitches.  Maybe I'll get my boy next time, if there is a next time.

4 of the 5 girls are also black spotted, which is also a bit disappointing.  Oh well.

Holly's temperature was normal on Saturday night, but was on it's way down Sunday morning.  The temperature drop means that pups will follow - eventually.  Her "due date" was 11/20/2012 +/- 2 days.  The plan was to take turns checking on her Sunday night, but when I went down at 10:00 PM I decided to get my sleeping bag and pillow and spend the night with her.  My old bones did NOT appreciate it, and I'm stiff this morning, but it was good that I stayed close as the first pup came at 3:00 AM.  Holly was an easy whelper, with vigorous pups and strong contractions, but is still fussing over the cords a bit too much.  She cut several too close and I had to tie off most of them to prevent the pups from bleeding, not an easy thing to do by yourself (Ron was asleep).

Nose and eye trim is very good, and many of the pups were born with complete pigmentation.  One thing we will not have to worry about at least, but I can never relax and enjoy pups until I am sure they can hear.  Argus has done good hearing numbers, but this is Holly's first litter.  Fingers crossed!

Thought I would go to work this afternoon for a half day, but with Holly fussing over cords I guess I'll stay home, just to be sure.  I need to make sure she can manage the pups and keep things in order anyway.  And maybe I can take a nap too.  Hah!

Dew claw removal scheduled for Wednesday,

Done!

Oh, so glad that is out of the way!  Now I can go on with life for a while longer, leaving the Attorneys to work this out.  At least I hope they work this out.

Argus enjoyed riding along and staying in a motel.  I could have stayed with friends but decided a motel would be better, the same one I stayed at the weekend my car got hit by the motorcycle, what seems like so many years ago.  I needed to exorcise a few evil spirits, and drove the accident route for the first time since it happened, going through everything step by step.  I've done this route in my mind a million times before, but have not actually driven it since the accident.  Thought I might be spooked but I wasn't, actually slept well the night before, and was just eager to get it over with.

Had a very nice dinner with Meg, Mike & Laura at a genuine Chinese Restaurant, something we never do at home.  We go to Thai, or Vietnamese, or Cambodian, or Laotian Restaurants.  Am sure we HAVE Chinese Restaurants here, but I can't think of any.  I suppose it's because we have large SE Asian population and so many individual ethnic groups.  Unfortunately, I left my leftover Mongolian Beef in the refrigerator at my motel. . .  It sure was good, as was the company.

The drive was easy and I left the Interstate to drive highway 14 in southern Wisconsin and Northern Illinois, where I always feel as if I have stepped back in time.  A battered winding road that passes through very old small towns that have not yet been "improved" by urban renewal.  Delightful, and lovely weather too.

Argus was his perfect Motel-Dog self, and although I brought the soft-sider crate into the room for him while I went to dinner, he would have been OK had I left him out.  He just sleeps, never barks when left, but it's not safe to leave a dog loose in the room when you are gone, no matter how well behaved or experienced the dog may be.

The Deposition went well, and I really liked my Attorney who I met for the first time.  The suit had originally been filed in Cook County but I had requested that it be moved to the county where the accident took place, so I had spoken with an attorney from the original law firm, as well as another attorney from this firm when the case got assigned to them, but this was my first visit with my actually attorney, who was chosen by my insurance company.  I had not realized that insurance companies used private attorneys in these cases.

We discussed the accident, worked out a map of the accident site area, went over the police report (which I had never seen), and she explained to me how to handle questions.  The Deposition itself took about an hour, during which time the plaintiff's attorney asked me many many questions, but I felt comfortable throughout the whole thing. My attorney had reminded me that its much easier to do these things when you give honest answers, and she was right, of course!  It all went well until the very end when the plaintiff's attorney shook my hand, the one I had so recently broken - OUCH!  My mistake.

So now the legal process continues.  Because the other driver was "impaired", which is presumably the reason for his poor judgment, my insurance company does not want to settle for anything of course.  If they don't settle, we go to trials.   I don't even want to think about that for awhile, and knowing how slowly the legal process moves, that's a long way up the road.  At least now I am quite sure that I CAN get through that too, if I have to.   Fingers crossed very tightly that I don't have to.

Let's Just Get This Over With

Off to Illinois today.  Finally. It's Deposition Time.  Time to experience one more part of the legal process that I would really rather know nothing about.  Something I've been dreading, but also looking forward to.  I just need to have it behind me, rather than having it hanging over my head, lurking in the back of my mind just waiting to pounce.  3 1/2 years ago a drunk on a motorcycle hit the side of my car when I was making a left-hand turn.  Not a good idea to try and pass a turning car.  When asked if I was going to sue him, my thought was that he was guilty of poor judgement, had caused an accident, and had suffered enough.  No, I was not going to sue him.  I just wanted this behind me.   A year later he sued ME.

Amazing how long this whole process takes, but it's finally here.  At least the deposition time is here. I spent the first year after the accident trying to put it out of my mind, and the next 2 1/2 reliving the details, filling out reports, trying not to forget anything.  Today I will re-drive the route I took that day, refreshing my memory, perhaps (I hope) exorcising evil spirits.  Tomorrow I will meet with the attorneys for both sides, mine selected by my insurance company.  Then, what will be will be.

Argus is riding along with me as my personal Therapy Dog.  He can't hold my hand through this, but he's great company, and always knows how to make me laugh.  And dinner with Meg, Mike & Laura gives me something to look forward to.  Haven't seen nearly enough of them this year.

I will get through this.    Wish me luck, please.

The Ugliness Continues

The ugliness continues, and it's absolutely amazing. I am totally blown away by the responses of the losing side in this election, or at least some of them.  I never realized how much bigotry, racism, and hated still existed in America, and I am particularly upset that the flames are fanned by those at the top who COULD make a difference if they chose to.  What's wrong with these people?  And the party is blaming everything except their platform - they seem incapable of accepting the fact that women and minorities do not want to be second class citizens, and the middle class is tired of the income disparity and the erosion of their purchasing power.  No doubt they will continue to do all they can to block the President's efforts to get this country back on its feet, just as they did during the previous four years.  I'm so proud of my fellow Minnesotans for voting like Minnesotans again, except perhaps for the 6th District, but they may be space aliens rather than real Minnesotans.

On a much more cheerful note, we're celebrating Como's TD - Tracking Dog title.  Como is from the Argus/Nikon litter that included GCh. Penny and Ch. Charlie.  She went off to Pennsylvania as a puppy to a "tracking home" with Phil.  This was the first of what we hope will be many tracking titles.

On another cheerful note, Jana received Holly's CHIC number, for the completion of all her health testing, plus her entry into the Complete Dentition database.  Holly's pups are due in a bit less than two weeks, so this weekend I get to scrub the basement and set up the puppy pen and whelping box.  Trying to decide if I want to do an x-ray so we'll know how many pups to anticipate.  I don't normally do that, but don't normally do Ultrasounds either, and I did one of those this time!  

We Did It

I don't think there is enough coffee to keep me awake all day.  Sat up way past my bedtime following election results.  Was pleased that Minnesotans voted like Minnesotans this year, and defeated the Marriage Amendment so strongly supported by the Catholic Church.  Hopefully the Tea Party mentality will slowly disappear from this state, but unfortunately MB will probably continue to fan the flames - even though her constituents finally appear to be waking up.  Just not quite enough of them yet.

The level of animosity on FB last night absolutely astonished me.  I expected some of the ugly, mean-spirited comments but a few normally mild-mannered, seemingly-civil people really surprised me.  I sincerely believe that my Democratic-voting friends would have lost far more graciously than so many of the Republican-leaning friends - some of who are probably now ex-friends, if they unfriended me last night.  So be it.

I continue to feel that the major problem with this country is the animosity and hatred.  IF we could put down our swords and work together, we could accomplish so much more . . .

Undecided? Really?

Is anyone STILL "Undecided"?  Hard to believe that anyone would not have made up his/her mind long ago on how to vote on all candidates and issues.  After months of being bombarded by ads that were entertaining, offensive, encouraging, disparaging, positive, negative, informative, factual and outright lies - how can anyone not have decided long ago?

I came down this morning and turned on the radio expecting to get news without political ads. Silly me.  Apparently if there is money to be spent for ads, the stations will be glad to accept it, and if anything there were more ads than on previous mornings, although it sounds to me as if they contain more last-minute-lies.  Then I heard that one candidate was campaigning in New Hampshire this morning, and a Facebook friend in Texas noted there were campaigners outside the polling places down there.  WHAT?

Either I've forgotten that we've always had ads and campaigning on Election Day, or things are even more screwed up than I thought.

Please remember though, that no matter who wins the races, both the local races and the national ones, we will prevail.  We'll still all be Americans, and the American Spirit will live on.

Fun With Fern

Having such a good time with my puppy!  Fernly is turning into a really cool dog, fun to take places and extremely entertaining to live with.  Far less mischievous now too, and much more trustworthy.  I no longer feel as if I have to watch her every single minute, although we are careful not to give her too much freedom. She needs to earn that and still assumes everything is a toy, something that must be carried around and played with.  Last night it was the strainer that goes over the floor drain in the basement, full of dried aquarium plants and algae (from water changes).  Found the strainer, along with dried up green stuff, on the dog bed in the family room. "Perhaps" it wasn't Fern who brought her prize upstairs, but . . .

I've been trying to take Fern running off leash as often as possible so she can burn off some energy.  A tired puppy is a good puppy.  I tried the Dog Park last week, and although she enjoyed it, I decided she was not ready yet.  Like Letty, Fern loves to be chased, but unlike Letty she can not yet turn sharply and come up running.  Fern's fast, but not very agile at this gawky, leggy age.  She would encourage dogs to chase her, try to corner too fast, do a double somersault, and end up on the bottom of a pile of dogs.  That made ME nervous, but she was determined to be chased.  Guess we'll wait until she's able to stay ahead of her pursuers, or decides on a new game.

On Saturday we went to Hidden Falls Park which is fairly empty this time of the year. I had a pocket full of high-value treats, so we worked on recalls too and she did really well. Fern had great fun chasing sticks and racing around with her squeaky hamburger.  She particularly enjoyed running through the leaves that were arranged in concentric rings.  I've heard of Crop Circles, but Leaf Circles?  We checked out the falls which I assumed would be dry, but apparently it's spring fed, and Fernly had fun racing up and dog the creek itself, splashing in the ice cold water.  We were joined by another woman and her huge Goldendoodle "Yogi".  We had a nice chat while the dogs played - but am so glad I was not the one who would have to get the mud, leaves and sticks out of the Goldendoodle's furry coat.  Love my Wash And Wear dogs.  Fernly was a bit spooked by the huge furry dog at first, but they quickly became best buddies and she burned off a lot of energy playing with him.

The weather wasn't perfect, but my dog and I had a wonderful time.