Never Enough Time

Happy three week birthday to the Paulouies!  (Shorter than the Louie/Pauli babies).  They are thriving, and developing cute little personalities now.  This morning I was greeted with wagging tails when I went down to clean up the box.  From now on I will be spending a lot of time with them in the mornings, not because I have to, but because I want to.  They are SO CUTE at this age!

Pauli went for a walk last night, her first one since the arrival of the pups.  She's been running a bit on the doggy treadmill but last night she got pushy about needing a real walk.  We went up and down a few alleys, and she did a lot of sniffing while watching for rabbits.  She really needed to get out, I think.

Argus and I did the Dog Park yesterday evening and ran into friends Colleen & Jim and their Dal Ch. "Pinkie" UD.  Argus and Pinkie are about the same age and knew each other from dog shows, so they had a good time playing white Colleen, Jim and I played catch up.

While I sit home with the pups, my daughter Jess is in Virginia where she showed "Amery" at the Greater Washington Dal Specialty.  Made her trip worthwhile, as Amery went Winners Bitch for a four point major.  Amery lives with her co-owner/co-breeder Laurie (along with her mother Penny and grandmother Nikon).  She's a sister to Jess's Dal Meribel who needs just a single point to finish and was Best Of Winners at the National this year.

Christopher is doing well, and we have someone coming over to look at him tomorrow.  He's fit in here nicely, and is very easy to deal with, but he does need a home before Pauli's pups start coming upstairs.

Spellcheck is not working on Blogspot.  Oh well, you know what I meant.

So Far, So Good

Pups are doing well!  They're starting to get cute too, and this morning when I went down to put in clean papers they had started wrestling with one another.  It's pretty slow motion at this age, but they are practicing their "moves"!  I could spend the day watching them, but fortunately they only play for a few minutes at a time before going back to sleep.

Spotting looks terrific on everyone - yes, the furry white boy has spots too, but his thick wooly coat still covers them up.  They all seem to hear, and I have not noticed any blue eyes yet, though will look more closely this weekend.  Only one nose is not completely filled, but a couple of eyerims still need more color. 

They've all had their nails cut three times and are all plump and strong - you really notice how strong they are when you try to trim their hooky little nails.  (We trim the nails so they don't scratch Pauli or one another.)

Pauli has been an excellent mother, keeps them clean, has plenty of milk, and is still quite attentive, though is happy to be upstairs with us or out in the yard some of the time too.  I'll start walking Pauli this weekend, although she has discovered the treadmill in my basement and run on that for a bit - she loves the treadmill.

If you're looking for an adult Dalmatian, there's a nice boy available.  He's randomly bred (not from a show person) but is quite handsome.  Moderate sized, good with adults, older kids, and dogs, not good with cats.  He was bred in Southern Illinois, but lives near the Twin Cities and is available to the right situation.  I will gladly put you in touch with his owner who is forced to give him up or with my daughter who is trying to help find a home for this boy.

Pick Me Please!

Christopher is looking for a home.  Sister Jordyn is back up in Canada with the Pellas, brother Magic is in the Twin Cities, and brother Rex is in Oregon.  Christopher is still here and ready for a new home.  The people from Oregon flew in to look at Chris, but Rex did the best sell job that day!  "Pick me please", he kept telling them.  I was planning to keep Rex for awhile, but it was too good a home to pass up, and Rex really sold himself.  He will eventually become a Therapy Dog, a job Christopher will be equally good at.

Unfortunately, too many people think they only want a black-spotted female puppy, and they don't take the time to discover that Dal boys make fabulous pets (better, I personally think) and that well marked liver Dals are gorgeous!  I always find it interesting that people come for an interview thinking that a black-spotted puppy is all they would consider, and end up falling in love with a liver.   Both of Chris's brothers went to home that wanted liver boys.  Now, we just need one more of those for Chris.

Well bred (champion parents with all their health testing), beautifully spotted, very handsome (could be shown but missing some nose trim, so available as a companion), well socialized with people of all ages, comfortable with dogs of all ages and breeds, crate trained, leash trained, loves to ride in the car, doing well on his housetraining.  Very outgoing, and loves to sit on laps. Vet checked, first shots, hearing tested (BAER bilateral).

Paulis pups are doing well and it appears that they all hear, but there are not enough pups to go around.  If you're ready now, you might want to consider this handsome boy.

Also, there is a black-spotted male rescue dog available in this area.   More information on him tomorrow.

Puppied To The Max

Rex, Jordyn & Chris - Magic was already in his new home.

Whew, what a weekend!  Puppied to the max!

Patti & Grace WERE able to bring the pups down from Canada. No problem at Customs, roads were adequate despite the storms, and they had a dog-friendly hotel to spend Friday night.  All were walking on leashes by then, so Patti stopped a few times along the way to exercise the pups, and everything went smoothly.  The pups were mugged each time they stopped, and many of the people asked, "Are they for sale?"  Yeah right, these carefully raised babies were going to be sold to total strangers from the back of a car in a McDonald's parking lot.

We left early the next morning for the pups BAER testing in Rochester.   Patti had suspected one of the liver boys was a uni (a dog with hearing in one ear rather than both), because one of the boys had trouble figuring out the source of a sound - he could not key into the location of the person calling him.  He could hear them perfectly well, just could not tell which person was calling him or where they were standing.  Uni pups quickly learn to pick up on visual keys, so if the person moves, leans forward or claps their hands, the pup notices that and goes to the right person.  Observant breeders can generally identify uni puppies, but we go in for BAER testing to confirm our suspicions.  Patti was correct (I knew she would be) and Captain Rex tested as a uni.  No problem.

Jess came over later for a photo session and we got great pictures of all four pups.  We all agreed that Jordyn was the star of the litter, and Captain Rex was the best of the liver boys.  Jordyn was going home with Patti & Grace, Magic was spoken for and his new mom picked him up that afternoon, and people were flying in from Oregon to look at Christopher.  I was quite taken with Rex and planned to keep him until the right local home came along for him.

The pups were perfect on Saturday night.  Because they were exhausted from all their adventures and were already accustomed to sleeping in a crate at night, they didn't make a peep.  I set up a crate in the family room so we could get them out the door quickly, and we had no accidents either.

The folks from Oregon had lost their beloved Dal boy about six months before, and were finally ready for a new pup.  They wanted a liver boy, one who had been heavily socialized, from a line with exceptional temperaments, because they planned to do Therapy Dog work with the puppy.  Although they had come to see Christopher who is as sweet and cuddley as can be, it was Rex to sold himself.  I had not planned to let Rex go so soon, but I feel very strongly that we owe our dogs the very best homes we can find for them, and this was a super home.  Even though I had only known Rex for two days, I shed a few tears over the decision and let him go.  Rex's new family had flown in to see the pups, but rented a car to take him home, a 30 hour trip. What an adventure!

So Christopher stayed behind and is looking for a home.  Pictures tomorrow.  A beautifully marked liver boy with a happy friendly personality, heath checked, BAER bilateral, first shots, socialized to the max, crate trained, leash trained, great in the car, and well on his way to housetrained.  He fits in well here, plays nicely with the big dogs, and Pauli has volunteered to adopt him if he needs a "family".  Wouldn't he look funny sitting with her 2-week old pups?

Up In The Air

Plans for the weekend are still up in the air.  It all depends on whether or not Patti & Grace can navigate through the storm damaged North Shore and the city of Duluth.  Once they get through Duluth the driving should be fine as the freeway is no longer under water.  Traveling with 4 - 9 week old bored pups is not easy, and anything more than the normal 6 hours will be way too much for them.  Fortunately, they are very used to traveling.  BAER testing is scheduled for tomorrow AM in Rochester.  If we can't make the appointment, we will have to settle for "home testing".  We know the pups all hear, just have to determine if any are unis (dogs that hear in one ear).  Unis make perfectly satisfactory pets, and can be shown too, but we want to know their hearing status before they are placed.  We do BAER testing just to confirm what we already know.

Josie celebrated her 9th birthday with a walk in Hidden Falls Park, and a round of ice cream with her housemates.  Josie is a super sweet dog, still incredibly playful.  The floppy Frisbee is her favorite toy and she LOVES to catch it.  Josie does not care to ride in the car, never has, but I'm going to get her used to it again so our friend Sue can take her on hikes.  Ron walks Josie everyday, but she'd really appreciate going faster and further, and Sue misses having Letty to walk.  Not sure Josie is Dog Park material as she is not interested in other dogs, but she's not aggressive with them so might enjoy it during off hours when the park is not packed with obnoxious young dogs. 

Timing Is Everything

Timing really IS important when planning a litter of pups, and up until now everything has fallen nicely into place with Lucy's litter.  Lucy's trips back and forth from Canada to St. Paul for shows & health testing (with big show wins in St. Louis, Lawrence KS, and Fort Mitchell Ky), her family's move from a town without a Veterinarian to a Canadian city with excellent Vets, Lucy's honeymoon trip down to me, then traveling with me to Omaha to get the breeding accomplished, and the trip back up to Canada.  Everything fell into place perfectly.  She passed all the health testing (some of it done at the Health Clinic at the Dal National, and some of it done in the Twin Cities), finished her championship with a fantastic record, we got the breeding accomplished with the assistance of an AI and a Reproductive Specialist who was leaving on vacation the very next day, and the Vet in TB was available when Lucy ran into whelping difficulties.  Luck was with us, every step of the way.

Luck may be taking a break this week and the pups may not get down here for their BAER test appointment on Saturday.  The terrible weather in Duluth and along the North Shore of Lake Superior may put everything on hold for a few days or a week.  Roads are washed out and the normally 6 hour trip may be impossible on Friday.  Two of Lucy's pups were going to new homes this weekend, following their testing, but that may have to wait too.   Things WILL fall into place eventually, but Lady Luck may be taking a break.

Our hearts go out to all the people affected by this disastrous flood.  The damage is incredible, but fortunately there has (so far) been no loss of life.  Although this is an inconvenience for us, it's far more than that for thousands of others.

It's Official! Letty Has A Home.

An email from Letty's new dad to ask if we could complete the "adoption process".  Letty went to her  new home on approval, as it's very important to me that a dog should be just the right fit for its new home.  Placing pups and rescue dogs is not quite the same as placing a well-loved young adult.  Letty was already 11 months old and had a very distinct personality - and lots of it.  I needed to be sure that the home she went to could appreciate how special she was. 

Skip writes -

I think we have passed the last "cat" problem. Fritz, the Rag-Doll, has finally been comfortable enough to come out of hiding and rejoin the family. Fritz and Letty have finally had enough face to face  encounters to realize they can co-exist in the same space. They have  actually had numerous times when they have passed within a couple of  feet of each other without any "big deal." Life is good....

We continue to make at least one trip a day to the Airport park to  allow for a long run Most days she also gets a long walk on leash along Lake Hiawatha or Minnehaha Creek and a second run at the dog  park. Yes, she loves to splash in water. She is one sweet dog !

With your permission , we would like to make her a permanent member of this family. We took a vote and it was unanimous, (with one "Fritz" abstention.)

I read that with a smile.  Although I have placed a lot of dogs in my 40+ years in Dalmatians.  Letty was one of my very favorites, but I am not in a position where I can keep an "extra" dog, one that I don't plan to show.  I've got the "old timers", but by the time their show and breeding careers were over they were already middle-aged and part of our family.  Although Letty was definitely a beloved member of our family, she had her whole life ahead of her, and so much to offer as a companion. I wanted her to be someone's "special dog".  There is no way I could give her all the time and attention that she will get in her new home.  A Special Dog and a Special Family!  A perfect match.

Puppies!

Puppy Plans moving forward.   Next weekend will be a crazy one, for sure!  Two litters in one house - madness!

Pauli & pups are all doing well.  The antibiotic took care of whatever was ailing her last week.  She's her lively ravenous self again, and spending more and more time upstairs in the family room with the other dogs.  She's laying on the rug in the family room right now, shoulder to shoulder with her dad Argus, waiting to eat.  I think this week I will start walking her a few blocks in the evening and eventually work up to biking her again.  She'll be going home to Wendy when the pups are weaned at about 6 weeks, and will probably resume her show career (on a more limited scale) in the fall.

Pups are growing fast, spots are coming in now, and by this weekend we will start doing some home hearing testing.  They will remain un-named until I know their hearing status.   Some litters hear as early as 12 or 13 days, but I normally keep retesting until about 18 days before I am sure.  I can tell them apart by their face spotting (and of course the patched ear on one), but once their spots come in it's a lot easier.  Marking patterns look real nice, none too dark, nice spot distribution.  Nose trim is finished on 4 and moving quickly on the other 2.  Eye rims coming in nicely as well. Not anticipating any blue eyes on this group, but like deafness blues can show up in any Dalmatian litter.  Unlike deafness, blue eyes are not a fault according to the American Dal judging standard, BUT I'd prefer all dark eyes.

Lucy and her pups will be coming down next weekend for their BAER hearing testing in Rochester.  Jordyn will go back home with Patti & Grace, and the boys will stay with me for placement in appropriate homes.  Two of them are promised, so I just have to decide if I am going to keep or sell Captain Rex.   That's Christopher pictured above, Patti's favorite puppy, who is probably going to Oregon once the logistics are figured out.  This litter has been super socialized with kids, adults, seniors, other dogs of other breeds, and car trips.  They have visited many people in many locations, and are very well adjusted and outgoing.  Their good genetic dispositions have been enhanced by extensive socialization, which will help insure that they will be wonderful companions in their new homes.  The time invested in puppies (as in children) makes an enormous difference in how they turn out.

PupDate

Yesterday's posting had a record number of views because I posted the link to Facebook.  Because of all the beautiful pictures of Letty on Facebook, many people felt as if they "knew" her, and were concerned  about how she was doing in her new home. They too were pleased that everything seems to be going well.

Pauli and pups are doing great.  After a couple of scary days earlier in the week, she's bounced back perfectly.  She'll stay on antibiotics for the full 14 days, but is doing wonderfully well now.  Presumably all the manipulating required to remove the dead, out-of-position puppy during whelping was the cause, but of course there is no way to tell, nor does it matter.  It only matters that both Pauli and the pups are thriving now. 

At one week of age the pups have doubled in size, nose trim is almost complete, rims look good, and spots are just beginning to come through.  It appears that the patched puppy will be the most colorful, but he also has a bit thinner coat than the others so it's easier to see the body spotting on him.   Most of the pups are like little woolly bears, so it will be a few days before the spotting patterns become evident. Interestingly, all of the pups have open marked faces, with just a few freckles, less face spotting than either Pauli or Louie, and more like their grandparents.

By next Friday we'll have started hearing testing.  Hopefully they all respond quickly, so I can stop worrying and just enjoy the pups.  Once I know they hear, they will get named.

Letty Update

Because everyone has been asking how Letty is doing, I thought I would share Skip's observations.  I think Letty has it made.  (I love the story about Letty & Tigger the cat.)


Letty is truly fitting in well.  She finally had a romp with Mickey,the Jack Russell late this morning, but the heat of day limited it to about ten minutes. We will try the dog park early tomorrow morning when few people will be there and try it off leash. They had a good chase for the short time.

The cat scene is definitely improving. Tigger, the very smart calico, played mind games with Kelley the last four or so years of her life.  She would lay in front of a door opening that she knew the dog wanted to use, "saying, I dare you to walk by me". Fearing she would be cat swatted, Kelley would whimper until rescued. Tigger must have been very surprised when Letty jumped about two feet over the cat's head and on her way. Tigger immediately sulked away to talk with her consultants about a new plan of action. Actually they have been sleeping next to each other this afternoon.

Letty and grand-daughter Laura also had another good exchange yesterday. Letty is boisterous in her affection toward us, but then she went up to Laura and so gently licked her nose and fingers for
about half a minute. How does she sense that such a change of affection is the needed way toward this tiny person? I thought of the last line of my all-time favorite movie, Casablanca. "this could be
the start of a beautiful friendship."

We did the first off- leash run at the Airport this morning and it was an unqualified success. We went at 6:30 when the population of dogs would be less of a problem. There were about ten or so dogs of
which only three were a mph challenge. Letty was able to catch them, but when they tried the chase
were no match after a time. What a blur. It was so enjoyable to see such grace -in-motion. We had treats along and called for her to come. She did so. When far enough away to not get a response, a good loud "whistle between my teeth" always brought her running back. A plastic bag of chicken pieces that she realized I had on me, was great motivation ! I so missed the speed and grace of Kelley in her prime, that seeing it again brought tears to my eyes.

We are going again tomorrow morning. ( Later, Anne, Laura, and Lucinda took her for a walk around the golf course and she was very active again.) She was "crazy" when she got home for a short time.
The eye-lids became very droopy and sleep took over for a good nap!)

Things Are Looking Up

I never got this finished and posted yesterday, just not enough time in my life right now, so this is a two-day posting.
Today is off to a good start, a MUCH better start than yesterday!  Yesterday at this time I was waiting to take Pauli in for a 9:00 AM vet appointment.  She had totally stopped eating on Sunday afternoon, and could not be bribed to try a single morsel of food.  Because she had not been eating very well since the birth of her pups, something was obviously wrong.  I called Dr. Jim on his cell phone and he told me that as long as she was still drinking and caring for her pups, and her temperature was normal, it was OK to wait until morning.

She was still not eating the following morning.  Was I scared?  You bet!  A Vet appointment resulted in lots of bloodwork and a urinalysis, with the results indicating that Pauli had some kind of infection, as well as elevated liver enzymes.  We came home with antibiotics and a bitch who would still not eat.  The antibiotic can irritate the stomach, so should be given with food, but she was not taking any food, which made it seemingly impossible to manage.  I finally made meatballs of ground turkey and force fed her, then gave the antibiotic.  She later vomited some of the turkey, but I had to hope the antibiotic was already in her system.  Things did not improve over the afternoon, so I pulled out my tube feeding apparatus and went down to pick up a can of Esbilac. Best to be prepared to handraise the puppies if Pauli did not start eating or her condition deteriorated.  I tried bribing her with everything, but of course she had an upset stomach and would take no food on her own, although she let me spoon vanilla ice cream into her mouth and swallowed some of it.

I needed to get out of the house, so we went to Bakers Square for dinner, where I had a salad with grilled chicken.  No appetite for me either., so I packed up the chicken for Pauli.  When I offered her some she was not interested, so I put a piece in her mouth and she eventually chewed it.  I gave her another one and she did not resist, then she looked expectantly at me.  She polished off the chicken, hooray!  Things were looking up a bit.  I went down to Trader Joe's and picked up some grilled chicken which she ate (eagerly) later that evening.

The previous was written on Tuesday morning.  Today is Wednesday and Pauli is eating quite well (although there are some things she will not eat yet), gaining weight and the pups are thriving.  We always say that breeding is NOT for the faint of heart, and that is oh so true!  You also need to be prepared for a variety of unexpected expenses, which is why hobby breeders are lucky if they break even on a litter.  Pauli goes in for more bloodwork this morning, just to be sure things are improving.  I'm fortunate to have a job where I can take my vacation in smaller amounts, as needed.

Pups are thriving, gaining weight, nursing vigorously, and Pauli is an excellent mother.  I still need to go over my puppy list and check back with some of you, to tell you to hang on there  or that there just won't be enough pups to go around.  I've taken names off the list of people who have not stayed in touch with me, those who have found puppies, and those who have decided to wait.  Also, one who I found too annoying to sell a pup to.

I'm still not sure if the liver Lucy son Christopher will be available, as Patti would really like to be able to place him in her area.  If you are interested in Chris, please let me know as the pups will be coming down for BAER testing in 10 days.  It will be awhile before we know which of the Pauli kids will be available to pet homes.  The patched pup for sure, but we may not know on some of the others until they are 6-7 weeks.  Thanks for your patience!

Yes, Letty is doing great in her new home.  I'll post a funny Letty story tomorrow! 

A Visit To Grandma's

A very full weekend that included a visit to my mother's after Argus & I did the Dog Park.  He loves to visit his Grandma, and is always very gentle with her. He's such a lively silly boy otherwise, but always a perfect gentleman at mom's.

My brother arrived from Costa Rica late Saturday and is staying with mom, so it was nice to have a chance to chat with him too.  Al comes once a year to visit family and friends, and shop for things he can't find at home or can buy more affordably here.  We'll be getting together to celebrate mom's 88th birthday later this week.

Jess & Meribel went off to the Chicago Specialty and had another terrific weekend.  Just went Reserve at the first show (still good, with a pup) but at the second show she went Winner's Bitch for 4 more points, and Best In Sweepstakes as well.  Meribel now has 14 of the 15 points she needs for her championship, and Jess is trying to decide where to show her next.  Because Meribel has such a super record in only 4 show weekends, Jess would like to finish her with another special win, not at some little podunk show, but the panels coming up this summer are pretty grim.  Perhaps they will have to wait until fall for another show.

Letty continues to do fine in her new home - a funny Letty story tomorrow.

Pups are also thriving, but I'm a bit concerned that Pauli is not eating better.  She's not eaten well since the pups were whelped, but has eaten "enough" when bribed with things other than her regular dog food.  You can't make milk if you don't eat well though.   Pups pay a visit to the vet today to get their dewclaws removed, and Pauli may go along too, just to have things checked out.  No signs of any problem other than lack of appetite.  I always wonder if bitches get sick to their stomachs from cleaning their pups!  And she is keeping them clean.

No Changes Here

It often seems that a day or two after a new litter is announced, there is a follow up posting that says, "Oops, we were wrong."  After the excitement dies down, the whelping box is cleaned up and and the breeder starts to handle the pups, it becomes obvious that the count was off on how many pups of each sex, and whether or not those pups were black or liver.  Sometimes the assessment of color goes on for several weeks if the pups don't have enough nose trim for judging color, or if the liver noses are so dark as to appear black in low light situations.

After I bathed Pauli and changed the whelping box carpet, I took another look just to be sure I was right.  All pups STILL appear to be black (and the nose trim is filling in quickly) and there are still 3 boys and 3 girls.  Am sorry there are no liver boys, but that will keep me from being tempted, when it's really a girl pup I need to keep.

Puppies!

The PaLouies (Pauli/Louie Pups) are here. NOT an uneventful whelping as it included stillborns, cords cut too short, and a nighttime visit to see Dr. Jim who had to extract a very dead puppy lodged crosswise (actually transverse, he called it). Jim worked an hour to get that puppy out and save me a Cesarean. (Pauli was fabulous, and even gave him a few kisses during the process.) The pup trapped behind it was whelped naturally at home an hour later.
 
So we have 6 puppies, all blacks, 3 boys (1 patched) & 3 girls. Medium-sized pups born several days earlier than anticipated, all nursing strongly, with open marked bodies and ears, clean faces, and lots of trim on most.  We can see some of the body spotting when the pups are still wet, and we can tell color by the nose color (livers always have brown noses).

Although I love raising puppies, I do NOT enjoy whelpings as so much can go wrong and it can be emotionally exhausting.  Pauli is doing just fine, I am totally wiped out.  I'll take a quick shower and head into work for a few hours, then come home and collapse.  Ron is on Puppy Watch today, to be sure that everything continues to go well.

So now we have healthy pups.  Dewclaws will be removed on Monday and the pups will get their first check ups.  Then we just handle them daily, make sure everyone is gaining normally, and keep things neat and tidy.  Pauli will do most of the work at first.  Starting at 14 days I'll be home-testing for hearing, and by 21 days (often by 17-18 days) I will know if we have any deaf pups (please keep your fingers crossed that everyone hears).   Then we start watching for show potential pups.  Hopefully we'll have a few, but you never know as so many things have to be just right.  The only pup I know can be promised to a pet home is the ear patched boy - we can't show patches.  I'll be touching base with the people on my list this weekend and letting them know who might get a puppy, but it's all a waiting game now. 

Letty Settles In

Letty seems to be doing well in her new home, learning their routine and teaching them hers.  This is promising, but taking on a young dog is a serious decision, and I sent Letty "on approval" to make sure that everyone is happy.  One of the cats is obviously not, but he may never be happy about a new dog, whether it is Letty or any other dog.

Skip writes -
What a wonderful young Dal. All that energy and an incredibly active  mind and yet an underlying sweetness.

I have forgotten what it is like having a puppy around, actually not much different than a room full of seventh graders. One is always aware of energy going off in a direction you don't expect.

We have had a couple of long walks each day. We met a young couple down by Lake Hiawatha with a Corgi mixed with something exotic about  Letty's size. Both dogs wrestled while we talked and it was funny to
untangle leashes every couple of minutes.so they could continue. Both dogs were pretty tired after about twenty minutes. We never did get  to the romp with the Jack Russell, but I expect that may take place  tomorrow. Letty was pretty tired after this morning's walk and spent  this afternoon asleep on my lap as I was engrossed in a book.

You saw the pictures of her interaction with grand-daughter Laura, but you missed the sound of giggle from an infant as her nose was being licked. Letty was so gentle.

What we are working on the hardest right now is making the big rag- doll male cat, that is so frightened of everything deal with Letty. I think we will try putting Letty in the sleeping crate in the front bed room and make Fritz the cat be there for short times to start with and hopefully get slowly used to the idea of existing together. 

Letty has really started to bond with everyone that lives here or comes and goes in the house. Even our son (who has never really been close to any of our dogs) has come by bearing dog toy purchases and  has really interacted with her. The person she has really bonded to is Lucinda. Letty really doesn't like to have her out of her sight.  But it seems as though Letty has bonded mostly to females her whole life. Anne and I tease Lucinda that I am going to have to get my own Dalmatian! I am thoroughly enjoying the whole experience.
Sounds like exactly the kind of home I wanted for Letty, doesn't it?

Retirement Seminar

I'll spend the next two days at a retirement seminar for people who hope to retire within the next five years.  The word here is "hope" of course, but it makes the possibility seem more real.

Tomorrow, and update on Letty.

Musing

One of the many fun things about "being in dogs" is all the interesting people you meet, people who you would normally never meet.  Going to the National every year is rather like going to a reunion, a chance to get together with people you rarely see otherwise.  People you might email back and forth with, or who might be Facebook friends, but people you would never actually be able to get together with.  Many of my puppy buyers also stay in touch with me, and some of them have become good friends.  Unfortunately, Minnesota is not really a "destination" for most people, but some pass through on their way to other places and take the time to drop in for an hour or a day. 

Last Saturday we had company on their way from NJ to California, doing a month long vacation.  (Ah, to be retired and able to do that!)  John & Loretta own a silly 6-year old Dal girl, a daughter of our silly 9-year old Josie.  We tried to take pictures of the two together, but Cheyenne was more interested in rolling on the grass than sitting nicely for a picture!  Loretta always sends Josie something at Christmas, and this time brought along a Wubba Kong which Argus and Josie are really enjoying.

This is the week to get some work done on the house, before Pauli's puppies arrive.  The ceiling fan in the family room is making ugly noises - I guess they don't last forever, and that one has been running since we added the addition about 25 years ago.  (Although we refer to that as the "new" part of the house, it's merely younger than the 100 year old part of the house!)  We found a company called "My Husband Is Amazing" and they do great work on project like this that will also include fixing the light switch.  The employees are musicians, who do handyman work on the side, and have given us excellent service. 

Our gutters also need cleaning, and because this is a TALL 2-story house, it is not a home handyman job.  We need some patching done too, although the gutters are actually in pretty good shape otherwise.  My father paid to have gutter, soffit, and fascia installed on this house the summer David & I purchased it, almost 40 years ago.  40 years in July, the month before Jess was born.  Guess the gutters have given us good service too, and we'll use the same company we've been satisfied with in the past.

Pauli has settled in well, but I don't think she will have a huge litter.  Although she's hanging very low and everyone is guessing lots of pups, she's not very wide, not a lot wider than usual.  I don't normally do it, but she'll go in for an x-ray this weekend.  Just in case she runs into difficulties, I want to be sure we can get her into that clinic, rather than having to go to an emergency clinic.  I use two different vet clinics, one for the day to day stuff, and one for reproductive work and more complex issues.  Pauli has never been to the latter clinic and I want to be sure she has a record there.  Because my first Dal died during a botched Caesarean, I always get nervy before a litter is due.  Although I love raising pups, I do not like whelping pups.

Question for the day - why do stud dogs always seem to become "better" after they are dead?  I'm always amazed how many people will use frozen semen from dogs they probably would not have bred to when they were alive, and why they never take the time to ask the right questions first.    A dog that was used at stud in the past has a "record" (of more than just his show wins) and there is information available about both the good and bad things they produced.  Oh well.   

A Rough Day In Paisleyland

Saturday was rough day in Paisleyland, as Letty interviewed for her new home.  Letty picked me as a tiny baby, and I kept her knowing that her tail might be a problem - but I HOPED it would be OK by the time she was old enough to show. Our experience has been that tails that come up as early as 4 weeks do NOT get better, while tails that come up at about 6 weeks often do. This was confirmed yet again, as Letty's ended up way too high for the show ring. That's not to say that exhibitors don't show dogs with tails like hers or get them "fixed", it's just that I don't. Otherwise she was a perfect fit for my household, smart as well as beautiful, and fun to be around. It was tempting to just keep her, but I always knew that if the PERFECT HOME came along I would let her go.  Letty deserves to be a special dog in a Special family, and I try not to keep "extra dogs" as there is a limit to how many dogs a person can truly do a good job with.  Because I have two elderly dogs who may need more care in the future, as well as puppies to deal with, this seemed the right thing to do and the right time to do it.

My Facebook friends were incredibly supportive, as most have "known" Letty through pictures and stories since she was a puppy.  My daughter's posting said it all though, "Just remember what we've always said, every dog deserves to be special and if it means going to their own home, then that's what it is. Lots of special dogs have been placed through the years - Murphy, Trivia and Marla come to mind."

That's true of course, I have placed many adult dogs and older puppies over the years.  Jocko, Toby, Carrie, Daisy, Hemery, Murphy, Bambi, Art, Trivia, Tasia, Marla, Wendal, Gemmie, and Jake, just to name a few and it hurt (in varying degrees) to see them go, and they ALL had wonderful lives in their new homes where they were cherished members of their  new families. By keeping my numbers down, and finding perfect homes for the dogs who are not part of my immediate plans/needs I have made many families happy, and my grief at their departure later turns to satisfaction that things worked out so well.

The interview went well and Letty stayed behind.  It DID seem like the perfect place for her. A loving dog-smart family with the time and determination to do a great job with Letty.  She has things to learn there of course, like living with cats and without other dogs, and being comfortable with an infant granddaughter.  I shed a lot of tears, but I know it was the right decision.  Don't blow this Letty!

Stay tuned . . .

Heartworm Vaccination - Be Informed

Before you decide to go with the "new" 6-month heartworm vaccination, please read this posting . . .

Six Month Heartworm Vaccination

Being A Responsible Breeder

No question that Lucy's pups will be ultimately socialized with kids.  What an adventure for all.  Patti has been documenting the experience with dozens of pictures, and I'm sure the kids will have such fun looking back on this experience.

This was not a case of "raising a litter for the kids".  No one should ever intentionally do that unless they are prepared to keep all the pups forever.  There is no shortage of homeless dogs, and no reason to bring another litter into the world "for the kids".   This is a great example of doing a litter for all the right reasons.

Both parents are top quality representatives of their breed, from excellent backgrounds, with good pedigrees, wonderful temperaments and all appropriate health testing.   An enormous amount of money and work have gone into this litter, to assure that the pups are healthy, well socialized and will eventually become exceptional companions.  Several may become show dogs, but that is secondary.  Each pup, whether destined for a career as a show dog or just a family companion, is receiving the maximum amount of socialization and the best of care.

One of the pups will stay with the family, and the others will be carefully placed in the appropriate homes.  Pets will go on spay/neuter contracts, any show pups will eventually get all the appropriate health testing.  All of the pups will have the very best chance of becoming beautiful, healthy, valued companions because of all the thought and work that went into this litter.

That's what being a Responsible Breeder is all about.

What Could Be Cuter?

What could be cuter than a basket of puppies?  These are the Lucy pups who will be coming down for BAER (hearing) testing in just a bit over 3 weeks.  Can't wait to see them, but I know how hard it will be for Lucy's family to see their beautiful pups go to new homes. 

When the pups are here we will also take pictures and evaluate the litter to decide which pups may have show potential.  If the lone girl pup Jordyn is as nice in person as she is in pictures, it's likely that she will go back to Thunder Bay to live with her mother and become the family's next show dog.

Magic, Captain Rex & Christopher will eventually go to selected homes.  Captain Rex appears to have some show potential, so may stay with me, but we'll see how he looks when we evaluate him.  Beautiful Magic is tentatively promised, and we want to see how Christopher's trim looks in three weeks.  He still has too much pink on his nose to be a show dog, but the color is spreading quickly, so it's a wait and see with him.

If you are looking for a very handsome pet liver male, we may have one available for you.

It's going to be a busy weekend!  Two different batches of company, Letty "interviewing" for her new home, and Pauli coming to stay in preparation for her puppies that are due in two weeks.

I'm trying to get caught up on "fish chores" as I KNOW I won't have a lot of time for my fish once the pups are here.   Cleaned out and set up a large tank so I can move two groups of aggressive cichlids out of their small tanks and into a large tank - hopefully there will be enough space so they don't kill each other off!  This tank is a "40 gallon breeder" - hope it lives up to it's name.  Fish pictures tomorrow.

Fishy Weekend

The weekend started with a sizeable To Do List and I got a lot done, but the list was still pretty long by the end of the weekend.  Obviously, we need longer weekends! 

The weekend started well with a Friday evening trip to Tavern on Grand for Walleye and Martinis.  It’s never quite as crowded now as it used to be, but it’s still my favorite place for Walleye in one form or another.  Although I’ve heard their Steaks and Burgers are just fine, if I want to eat those I’ll go to a place known for Steaks or Burgers.  Tavern on Grand is known for its Walleye, and I was not disappointed.

Saturday was house cleaning and aquarium cleaning day, and a chance to try out the new Dirt Devil hard surface vacuum.  It did a very good job, and is lightweight and easy to use, as well as easy to empty.  Good purchase!  The new dehumidifier is working well in the fish room, and I still love the recently purchased washer, so it’s good to have a successful run on appliance purchases. 

Because the newly purchased Knight Gobies needed a larger tank, I posted my breeding group of Synodontis petricola to Minnesota Fishkeepers List and had an immediate hit.  The fish were sold and picked up within an hour!  I drained the 20 gallon tank, scrubbed it out, painted the back and sides (to give the Gobies a more secure feeling), washed gravel, added the décor, and refilled the tank that evening.  Because there was a cycled filter to put back in, I was able to add the Gobies the next day, and they are doing very well.  There appears to be two pairs of these handsome fish, so I am HOPING they will breed – not something this species commonly does in captivity however.

The plan for Sunday was Mall of America and a visit to the Underwater World.  I hadn’t been there since Laurie and I had such a good time last summer during my enforced lay off from work.  We did the Urban Thing, catching the bus and connecting The Hiawatha Line (light rail).  First time we’ve done that and it worked perfectly – fast, easy and affordable.   Lesson to self, do NOT visit MOA on a Holiday Weekend!  Lines were long and it was packed with kids, but we enjoyed the aquariums (especially the sea horses), although some of the displays were looking a little shopworn.  The Jellyfish especially, did not look as healthy as they could have, and the new Amazon display was a disappointment – not much to look at there.

Lunch at The Rainforest Café was terrific.  We were seated next to a large tank full of interesting fish, the same tank that Laurie and I sat next to last summer.  The Unicorn Fish are still there, and one obliged me by changing color/pattern whenever he thought I was paying attention to him.  Food was good too, the best Fish Tacos I’ve ever eaten – nope, I did not feel guilty eating Fish Tacos in front of their cousins!

A lot of yard work got done over the weekend, but every time I thought I was finished with my planting I ended up buying another batch of plants!  Now I am down to one pot and a small 2 x 2 flower bed to fill - then I have to be finished, because there will be no more space to fill. 

A picnic with my mother, new shades for the porch, and a Dog Park visit for Argus.  Weekends are definitely too short.

Tomorrow - puppies!

Absolutely Nothing Comes To Mind

Indie/Lucy pups after a busy day.

Although I normally have an idea for a topic when I sit down to do my blog entry, absolutely nothing comes to mind this morning.  Perhaps my mind is in Vacation Mode, thinking of the 3-day weekend ahead, and wondering if I should take 4 hours of vacation today and get a head start on my weekend.

Decided yesterday that I needed to free up tank space for the new Knight Gobies.  They arrived a few days ago and were not the young fish I was expecting, but magnificent mature adults.  Their quarantine tank was only 5 gallons, not nearly large enough for four 3-inch fish.  They required a lot more room and were not happy in the small tank with few hiding places.

So where to put them?  I had an empty 40-gallon tank that I need to clean up for some cichlids who are outgrowing their smaller tanks, but that's the only uninhabited large tank.  Ah, move out the S. petricola.  Four 4-year old fish I had already spawned and raised youngsters from, sitting in a 20 gallon tank in the front side of the basement.  I set a price and posted them to Minnesota Fishkeeper List.  Within 5 minutes I had an inquiry from Milwaukee - "would I ship?".  Not for that price.  Way too much hassle to ship fish I was selling so affordably.  10 minutes later I had a local inquiry, called him back, and he promised to pick them up in half an hour.  Perfect!  I packed them up, he picked them up, paid what I was asking, and I had an empty tank.  In less than an hour!

I drained the tank, put the filter in a bucket of water so the "good bacteria" would not die off, scrubbed the tank, painted the back & sides so the new fish would feel more secure, washed and added gravel and some caves, scrubbed the top & light fixture, and filled the tank from one of my aged water barrels.  The water I used contains tap water, Epsom salt, marine salt mix, and baking soda, a mixture I use for many of my cichlids and livebearers (my tap water is soft).  Then I added additional marine salt mix since these fish are brackish water fishes.  I left it to run for the night, and today I will acclimate the fish, and add them to their new tank.  Because the sponge filter came from an established tank, this new tank should not suffer from "new tank syndrome".  Good job, Sue.

Mission Accomplished

At last, I finally put together a puppy brochure to send out with responses to puppy inquiries, AND I contacted all the people on my puppy list and sent them a copy.  Amazing how many inquiries I had in that folder, and most responded quickly when I inquired as to whether they were still interested in a puppy.   Some of the people already had pups, several had changed their minds, a few decided to wait, one was having second thoughts as a new baby was on the way.  Just need to line up a definite home for one more Lucy puppy, then wait to see what Pauli produces.  Lots of show inquiries, but there will probably not be enough available girls for the available show homes.

Why do so many people think they only want a female pup?  That's understandable if you are a show person looking for a foundation for a breeding program, but if you just want a dog to show, or a companion or performance dog, why limit your options?  Males are generally much showier, enjoy working, are great fun to own, often stay puppyish forever, and are wonderful companions.  Given my druthers, I'd take a boy any day, preferably a Brownie Boy.

Have a good inquiry for Letty, and I need to act on it, but keep putting that off . . .   I really don't want to place her of course, but it's the sensible alternative.  I don't plan to show or breed her, and she's a wonderful dog who deserves a special home.  My friend Sue will miss her terribly, as Sue and Letty have had a lot of fun together, going places and doing things, but she can't keep a dog in her apartment, and I can't keep an extra dog.   That is a problem living in the city, it limits my options - but it does keep me from "collecting" dogs. 

I don't believe a person should keep more dogs than they can give individual attention to.  (Oops, bad sentence structure, but it's MY blog!)  It's more than just feeding, bathing and exercising a dog.  Dogs need individual companionship and attention too, the proverbial "quality time".  They thrive on that.  Too many show people keep too many dogs.  If a dog is not being kept to show or breed, it probably needs a home of it's own, where it can be a special dog, not just one of the dogs.  BUT if I were not a city person, I'd probably keep Letty anyway, just because she's such a cool dog!

Blog Maintenance

As you've probably noticed, my blog loads very slowly.  I presume that's because of all the pictures it contains.  Although only a fraction of the posts load at one time, it seems as if all the pictures along the left side of the blog load when the blog comes up.  Can't think of anything else that would bog it down so much.  Blogspot keeps changing, and I have not kept up with it, so everything takes a long time to figure out or accomplish.  Time, that's always the issue.  Taking the time to sit down and work through something.

Last night I was supposed to finish a puppy flyer, but instead I spent an hour taking pictures off this blog.  Amazing how many pictures I've loaded over the years.  I kept stopping to look at pictures and think about the dogs, fish, and events they portrayed.  Memories! 

Remember when we used our Instamatics and little Brownie Hawkeyes and all the little point-and-shoots that came out over the years?  And how expensive it was to take pictures, to buy the film and have the roll developed?  And how often the roll of 24 might contain only 3 or 4 good shots - if we were lucky.  Pictures were fun, but we took them sparingly, and when we came back from vacation, it cost us a ton to get the pictures developed so we could see what we had.

And now we know immediately what we have.  Everyone has a digital camera or two, and probably a cell phone camera too.  My current digital camera is my 5th, yet I still remember finding a digital camera years ago and being so disappointed when the owner showed up to claim it.  They were expensive back then.  Now you can take digital pictures for a few dollars. 

My current camera is the best one I've had, and even came with a wonderful zoom, something I always wanted on a digital camera.  And what do I do?  I take the vast majority of my pictures with my cell phone.  It's always with me, and takes great pictures.  I never print the pictures, although I do add a few to Facebook or my blog, but my pictures are always with me, rather than in an album, or a box or in my computer, and I like that.

About 100 pictures got deleted off the blog last night, and I'll remove a few more tonight.  Hopefully it loads faster now, and hopefully I get my puppy flyer finished tonight too!