DAY 56 / 8 Weeks

Day 56
Today it is 8 full weeks since Treasure and Gibsons 1st tie.  We use this as our initial counting timeframe although we really do not know for certain which time pups were conceived out of the several visits Treasure made to "visit" Gibson.  John has started to predict when pups will arrive though and this evening he said 'Sunday'.   Well this we do know - time will tell!

(NOTE:  All expectant new puppy owners should have in their possession The Art of Raising a Puppy by Monks of New Skete and be reading the first chapters approaching the whelping, to follow along with what's going on here with Treasure, etc. Thanks!!)

This afternoon a knock came to the door accompanied by lots of barking on our end.  I was pleasantly surprised to find "Bill" and "Rusty" standing there and invited them

in after warning that this was clearly a sick zone!  Rusty is Miss Treasures full brother and littermate.  I had not seen him in awhile.  We have a photograph of him as a puppy with a butterfly perched atop of his freckly little face on http://atb-photogallery.blogspot.com/ along with several other pictures.  He's still handsome as anything and I enjoyed catching up briefly with his owner Bill.  We talked about the day he and his wife came over to pick up Rusty in the summer of 2006 which seems like yesterday.  Treasure was understandably upset at first and gave her brother a quick snap of the jaw and warning growl, transmitting a message he respected.  It was funny because his reaction was the same as I have seen Treasure do; turn and look away, avoiding eye contact at all cost in deference to the other dog.  She did happily approach Bill and seemed to remember him.  In the past he'd always been quite fond of her especially and she reacted to that.  As I was talking about our visit with John earlier this evening I recalled that at one point they were both laying down on the floor and were quietly moaning/mumbling back and forth to each other. This is something I've rarely seen her do. Bill and I had wondered if they remembered each other in some way and I think they did.  Not only were they littermates but they also attended two levels of puppy training together as the grew up.  I took a few photos of Rusty while he was here. He's a really nice boy and Bill told me all about him.  I sure hope though that Bill was not here long enough to catch this darned thing I'm battling because today it really set me back into fever and chills.

John and I went into the puppy room and spend more time there this evening.  The actual whelping area currently has several inches of shavings in it but that will be removed tomorrow in further preparation for Treasure.  We will now vacuum it out entirely and lay several layers of unprinted newspaper in that area.  Eventually the shavings will be used again when pups are old enough to jump in and out of the whelping box but obviously that is quite a ways off!  I have been going in and sitting on the bench inside of the enclosed area so she will settle down with the door closed.  It's also an easy way to take her temperature.  Speaking of temperature, the thermostat there is comfortably set and the heat lamp is now in place to hover over her actual whelping box.  John brought two new small carpet pads today, one sits on the cabinet where we'll weigh the newborns and the other will remain in the whelping box. (He's always thinking of things while in there and also installed my force air dryer on a shelf to make it more readily available for grooming needs!)

To say I am getting excited and anxious would be an understatement.  John and I shared a huge smile together when he said he 'needed' puppies and we talked about just what that meant to us; it's not the selling of puppies, it's the knowledge and excitement that breeding two fine and valuable animals brings when their pups are born, it's being responsible for everything about them, it's the warmth and the love, it's so much more. 

Sometimes, sadly, being a breeder also brings great disappointment.  Sometimes, the heartaches that find their way into a breeders heart are devastating. None of us ever can know for certain what unforeseen genetic anomoly will surface, or what causes it to happen.  Whether in the delivery of a pup who is still born, or fails to thrive, or is identified later as having great difficulty in developing - the knowledge of the reality of these things is always in the forefront of each breeders mind.  Most breeders share their joys and their successes with each other, and there are those breeders who share their heartaches and disappointments with each other, holding one another up through difficult times.  I've been on the receiving end of both situations.  As we look towards the birth of Treasure and Gibson's second litter of healthy Brittany pups, it is mixed with excitment along with the awareness of all possibilities, good or bad.  It is something we take very seriously and as we do, we are mindful of those who we care deeply for who also understand and have experienced the integrity and value of life placed in their hands for such a time so brief as this may at times, simply be.  

Thank you for following with interest Treasure's pregnancy leading us up to this last week of gestation (average gestation is 63 days). I'll keep writing in depth daily as much as I can.  Pam and Sam will be the first ones notified when labor has begun and there may be a gap here in communication.  We ask for your patience if you're on Treasure's waiting list and don't hear anything right away.  Sometimes we'll wait 24 - 48 hours to announce pups arrival to be sure all is well, and to catch up on sleep!  Or - we may simply announce their arrival right away!  Her temperature this evening was right where it needs to be though, and there is no indication we are even close yet.   Check back for updates and thanks for all your notes, emails, and comments.  We're happy so many of you are following this exciting time at ATB.  OH!  Although I posted it on Facebook for all their owners, HAPPY 3rd Birthday to Nash, Hobie, Barley, Zeb, and Morgan - pups of Molly and Jack born 1/5/08.  Take care and God Bless, you always - John, Ann, Treasure and ATB