ATB: Sassy Flyball Title Certificate

Sire: Pride & Joy's White Smoke

Dam: KJ's Ramblin' Molly Rose

 

Because we are very proud of the beautiful, intelligent, and athletic Sassy girl I wanted to highlight one of her recognized AKC Flyball titles, "Flyball Master".  (She is actually 2 titles beyond this certificate and is a "Flyball Master Champion" for which she will also be recognized.) Sassy shares her home with our good friend Julie and her two Brittany buds Bullet and Thistle.  Congratulations Sassy!!! 

ATB: Piper At 7 Weeks

A very special happy 3rd birthday greeting to the family of

Jack and Molly born on January 26, 2010!! 

Becca, Jersey, Chase, Red, Remi, Max, Tenzing, and Annie!!

 

 

PIPER: 2 Weeks to go and Counting

Here she is, looking as pretty as ever and realizing that slowing down, even just for a few minutes does have it's benefits!  Piper is spending a lot more time just hanging out and relaxing. She's always on the go and can make an adventure out of the most mundane activity so it is just a little bit of a challenge to persuade her that at this stage of pregnancy, she really ought to begin to take things a wee bit easier. Besides, I am really in need of an excuse myself to just take things a wee bit easier too.

 

Things are coming together nicely in the whelping area.  Next on the particular agenda of setting everything up is my need to take care of my tack (grooming bags and show totes). I shall confess it's all been sitting on the grooming table since returning home from a dog show several weeks ago.  But to put them all away I needed to find some empty totes to store them in. Never mind that last summer we bought some pretty turquoise totes just for my show/grooming stuff which ended up being used to stash excess files which needed purging. So-o-o-o most every day I have spent a little time going through my gazillion files, sorting through, purging, and re-organizing just so that I could empty those totes and use them for their original purpose. The other part of this project also included putting the last of the Christmas decorations totally away until next Christmas. There was a method to my madness, with the ultimate goal being of course to land myself with all the time in the world necessary to devote to being with Piper.  Alas! This morning the remaining Christmas decorations which John thought had found a permanent home on the dining room table were carefully packed away. They were put into the totes which actually were purchased for the purpose of,  you guessed it, storing Christmas decorations! And so on and so forth. There is still a lot I want to do in the ATB office. I have asked John if he would help me rearrange the wall photos, make room to put up new ones. I volunteered the hammer and the assortment of picture hanging thingies to assist but alas - that part of the project shall be continued. So enough about that already. 

 

I am anxious and wanting to get the whelping area completely set up. John has done already and is actually spending quite a lot of time there with Piper which is really very nice.  He's just as attentive as I am when it comes to All Things Brittany. We joke about which dogs are his, and which dogs are mine. In reality "we" belong to the dogs or so it seems most of the time! But there are those certain ones which are more attached to one of us than to the other. And that's okay.  Sometimes John steals my dogs, and sometimes I steal his.  Like True. He totally took True right out from under me and turned him into one of his top bird dogs!  He was my True puppy.  But Scooby? Scooby is MY boy... he'll go with John hunting and is obedient to a fault with a nice strong retrieve to hand. But put me out in the field with Scooby and John, my Scoob comes to me every time. What I'm getting at is that Miss Piper has always been John's girl. And I'm seeing the bond between them really develop as her pregnancy progresses. John is giving her plenty of belly rubs, having her with him whatever he's doing indoor or outdoors, and then spending hours sitting with her while she gets use to resting in the actual whelping box itself.

 

In just a few more days we will begin to monitor Piper's temperature. We have a chart for this purpose and record her temperature daily at first. This way we know what is normal for her. The average canine temperature is 101.3.  Hers may fluctuate for a few days before actual labor begins. We are committed to watching her temperature closely because what we want to know is when it drops below 100 and remains there. This is the first sure sign that whelping is about to begin.  It will then drop even lower in most instances.  At this stage we will not leave her unattended for any reason whatsoever.  We will expect to see pups at least 12 - 48 hours after that temp drop, if not sooner. 

 

Our vets will be on call, and as soon as the pups are born we call them and make an appointment for dam and puppies to be seen. We do not do our own tails and dewclaws although we know how. We do assist our vet however. In our opinion it is best to have their exam and procedures done the earlier the better. Piper will be seen and we'll come away assured there is no retained placenta or other issues.

 

We have a chart for each puppy. It will have the date and time they were born, how much they weigh, their markings, and other notations. We weigh our puppies every 12 hours for the first 3 days. We want to be sure they are gaining weight. The first 72 hours are the most critical hours for a neo natal pup, as well as for a first time mother dog. We do not leave them alone. John and I will provide for Piper to do everything herself but we are at the ready, standing nearby to assist if and when needed.  We identify our puppies at birth by taking digital photos with time stamps and keeping each picture with the pup's individual chart.  The information we record on the chart helps us monitor the well being and development of each pup right up until the time they go home!

 

So all of these things are fast approaching. Two weeks and counting. It's not much longer but it sure seems like an eternity doesn't it!! The rest of the crew here always know and understand when new lives are about to come into the world. There is an unspoken communication among them which I can only say you have to experience it to understand it. They. Know. And time does stand still here during that period when the pups are on the way. Our life absolutely must go on hold.  Our family and friends understand this although the timing of pups arrival does not always compliment our own schedule. Just ask our kids about family holidays and events when mom and dad have been whelping a litter of pups!

 

As you think of us, we especially appreciate your prayers for Piper and for her puppies. We anticipate a healthy litter of beautiful Brittany puppies at the appointed time.  And we cannot wait to share the news when the day at last is here!  Thanks for your interest as always - take care and God bless!!!

John, Ann, & All Things Brittany

 

 

 

 

ATB: Piper Day 44

Transformation
The past two days John has been very busy transforming our small and cozy multipurpose grooming area into a whelping area. Carpet tiles are re-installed on the floor in the back where the well worn whelping box is nestled.  Freshly laundered bedding lines within it. The heat lamp has been brought out of storage and now hangs safely above the box, firmly secured and attached to an arm that allows us to raise and lower the lamp as needed. The wood stove is running and the whelping supply list is being checked.

Piper, John, and I have been spending a lot of time together out in the area I sometimes call the puppy cave.  We know that she is beginning to feel restless and is unsure of the changes in her body.  I often consult our well worn whelping journal for reminders of what to expect when. Blank pages are quickly being filled in as we chronicle Pipers pregnancy.

I love having a winter litter of puppies. It gives me a good reason to simply hibernate. We put a cot in where Piper will whelp and I will sleep in the room with her for several days.  We keep the lights low and play soothing music. There is a t.v. and lots of books to read as well. I do a lot of writing there.

It's important to me that Piper knows and understands she has her own place to call her own.  She's never had pups before.  I believe it's important for the mother to be to have peace, quiet, and privacy. Soon her instincts are going to tell her to seek places out that will meet those needs. In the puppy cave area she can dig papers, seek a dark corner, build a nest of blankets and do whatever she wants.

Although I have blogged about similar stories  before each one is unique. We are hobby breeders. We average 2 litters of puppies a year. We are All things Brittanys and not All Things Puppy, that is unless we are expecting.  We take our responsibility as breeders very seriously in every aspect of the word. From the time we bring two animals together for breeding until their puppies begin the first day of the rest of their life in the arms of their new owners we remain mindful of their needs. And life as we know it, goes on hold.

Piper - 44 Days Post Breeding
Piper and True were brought together the first time for breeding 44 days ago.  They were together for three successful matings which we supervised and documented. We always take a photograph of the actual tie itself for our own records and also to show that a breeding actually occurred between the intended. This is the first litter for either of these two beautiful Brittanys.  The average gestation period for dogs is 63 days.  John and I can fairly estimate pups will arrive the week of February 9th, just in time for Valentine's Day!!

We have hoped for the reality of this pairing of True and Piper since she first came to us as our pick puppy out of a lovely litter sired by Jack born in New Jersey.  Both of these Brittany dogs were born in October 2009, just a couple of weeks apart.  They have literally grown up together, and have always been very close.  For 3 years they have played together, teased each other, taken naps together, been trained together, hunted together and more. It has been very enjoyable to observe their development. They each have their own page at our own J&A's Maine Brittany website

Wish Upon A Star - Frequently!
True and Piper are full cousins, sharing the same grandmother and that is our beautiful senior liver and white girl, Wish (Birch Spring Wish Upon A Star, breeders Phillip and Sherri Thayer.) True and Piper pups will make her a great-grandmother, now for the third time. We have always said if cloning were possible that it would be Wish we'd most like to clone. Even so, Wish has been true to consistently pass on attributes which John and I highly value in our breeding program here, attributes we want to remain strong in our line.

Over time and primarily through the progeny of Wish a gene pool has developed. A lot of genetic information is readily available to us regarding sound health, temperament, natural instincts, hunting ability, structure and more. We have enough confidence in our breeding program to safely breed back into it.  The first time we did this was in 2012 when Treasure was bred to Bullet. We could not be more pleased!  And we expect no less this time breeding True to Piper.

Likewise, there are times we look to a complete out cross to bring in additional strengths and improve upon what we have. We have done this a few times with wonderful results and will continue to do so when needed. I do not pretend to be an expert on genetics but I enjoy every learning opportunity I am afforded. Our own canine crew has been the very best of teachers!

Now It Begins
I look forward to faithfully sharing the journey of these next few weeks of waiting for pups with you. Especially those families who will bring one of these precious pups into your homes. We know there is some uncertainty as to availability but we will work all of that out as I have already shared. By follow along in the book "Art of Raising a Puppy" by Monks of New Skete you will understand what is going on here. That book will be so helpful and enjoyable as Piper approaches her own time of laboring and as the puppies develop and grow.

As always thank you so much for your interest.  I do love writing about all of these things.  It is a blessing each time we have a litter of puppies for so many reasons. One of them is due to the very special friendships that often develop with those who are waiting with us. And so it begins... take care and God bless, John, Ann & All Things Brittany

PUPPY AVAILABILITY
It is fair to say this entire litter is spoken for. As we maintain an ongoing waiting list however we will still be happy to accept inquiries because a wait is usually involved for our Brittanys.

ATB: Puppies Cometh!

J&A's High Flyin' Girl of Acton "Piper" - Week 6

 

 

For those of you who have been actively waiting with us these past few months it's been quite a roller coaster, hasn't it.  I had so hoped to confirm Pippin's pregnancy but alas, it is not meant to be at this time.  This is one of the things that happens from time to time for all breeders and it is always a disappointment.  Even with so many methods available today to determine the best time for breeding and despite the accumulated years of experience breeders working together may have, 'missing it' is something that simply happens. Even with animals in perfect health who have already proven their ability to pass on the most exemplary genes; whether a first time breeding or a repeated breeding, it simply happens.  But this story will be continued in the future at another time.

 

For now, another story is unfolding, developing right before my eyes. Now that I have DARED to confirm it, DARED to share it in an email with those on our mailing list, I will DARE to share it publicly for the first time here in this post with our ATB blog 'family'.  Yes... Piper is pregnant with True's puppies and I could not be happier. (As for the similarity with Pippin and Piper's names, that misnomer can be attributed to the "J" of the J&A's Brittanys!) 

 

I have been watching Piper closely of course these past few weeks. The first time I suspected we had a viable pregnancy was the week she turned from Miss Chow Hound to Miss Persnickety Eater.  She is required to sit and wait while her food is put into her dish.  Then she is told it's okay to go eat it.  Usually she just about inhales her food, that is just the way she is.  A couple of weeks ago, that changed significantly. It was not that Piper completely lost her appetite, but her meals were very long and drawn out. 

 

Following a snowfall which resulted in about a foot of the white stuff I was outdoors with the crew who were all playing, running, and exercising. Piper is always listening to the beat of a different drummer when she is outside. Very in tune with all of nature and her surroundings, it is as if she tries to assimilate every single piece of 'information' of life around her as she stands poised on the brink of a brilliant discovery, known only to her!  Piper is really quite intriguing to observe. Sometimes, after standing there in her own realm of instinctive reaction she will suddenly bolt away, rapidly running off to a destination known only to her.  She runs with so much grace and power, she is absolutely beautiful to observe.  What I noticed recently though, was the manner in which Piper was literally thrusting herself through the snow.  There was a sense of imbalance and awkwardness. Although you could see she was trying to correct this, she just couldn't.  And so, as the days have passed Piper has literally resigned herself to the fact that her body is changing and that change is effecting her movement.

 

Piper and True's pups are going to be beautiful. They will be white and orange, or orange and white.  (Speaking of colors, we do have a liver and white to orange and white litter planned for later in the year, using a beautiful Brittany which we bred that is owned by another family. She will come here to have her pups and we are very excited about this venture as some of you already know.)

 

The puppies from Piper and True's upcoming litter will carry on the amazing bird hunting legacy which we have worked so very hard to establish and to prove in our  line of close working gun dogs for hunting families.  There will be competitive pups in this litter who will do well in the field and in the ring but truly, that is not our main objective anymore that it is the objective of those who are waiting for their arrival. We are happy however that at least one of these pups will be in a home where there is an interest in showing. But time will tell. Those are not expectations which we typically place on anyone unless it is something they sincerely desire to try. In the meantime, Piper becomes the number 1 'Lady in Waiting' at ATB.  And a beautiful lady she is, this sweet 3 year old girl.

 

All pups from Piper and True's litter are spoken for.  We have started to accept serious inquires for the above mentioned breeding though.  As always we are very humbled at the level of interest in our Brittanys.  I enjoy responding to those who contact us, reading through each questionnaire, and getting to know people who love the breed as we do. For those who have been waiting with us for this particular journey, just let me say I've appreciated your patience and your commitment.  John and I can tell you with complete assurance, it will be worth it! 

 

As for the beautiful Miss Pippin, she's so happy to be home and glad that her showing is for the time being a thing of the past.  She was away from us for several months with our handler, who finished her AKC bench championship.  Then she was away for several weeks being 'courted.'  It's possible I'll play in the ring with her a little bit this year. But for right now, I am in a puppy state of mind which is a very nice place to be especially in the middle of the winter.  I am so happy to finally FINALLY say to you once again: "PUPPIES COMETH!"  Take care and God bless you always, John, Ann, and All Things Brittany



ATB: Thistles GCH Major Win Photo

Merrimack Valley Kennel Club Dog Show - January 5, 2013

3 Point Grand Champion Major Win for Thistle

 

CH J & A's Sisters of the Heart - "THISTLE"

Sire: GCH Tonan-Hopes RU Kiddin Me - "CHEVY"

Dam: CH J & A's Heartfelt Legend of Acton - "PIPPIN"

DOB: 5/10/11

Breeders: John A. & Ann H. Short Owners: Julie M. Harris & Ann H. Short

Handler: Julie M. Harris

 

The very first time out as a special in the breed ring, Thistle once again exceeded our greatest expectations by going Best Opposite Sex and winning a 3 Point Grand Champion Major!  With Thistle you never know if she's going to revert to her infamous kangaroo hop or take on the ring like she knows she owns it but she kept this judge's attention the whole time for her debut as an AKC show champion. The following day Thistle once again went BOS for two more points towards her grand champion title. That's the day brother and litter mate Hemi won, not only his first major but the first one I'd ever handled a dog too.  What a weekend it was. This brother and sister team continually amaze us all as we continue to have the time of our life with them!  I am proud of and pleased with all of our crew, they never disappoint me and always bring so much joy and happiness and these two especially so. Julie says that Thistle is going to be the first grand champion for J&A's Brittanys.  Considering that she and Jim said Bullet was going to be the first J&A's Brittanys show champion and the fact that he was - I'm looking forward to the rest of the journey wherever God leads us.  Bullet started this run on finishing in the ring, and within a very short amount of time we had 3 finished champions, with several others knocking on that door.  And the next generations are following close behind.  I am beginning to like this and am very grateful and appreciative for those with our dogs who give them opportunities to shine in various venues!  Lest certain promoters of our program fear, let me say that I wouldn't be persuing any of this though unless each and every one of them proved to me that they are first and foremost a bird dog. We would not even considering breeding any dog that had not proven to us that it could hunt first. I hope that puts a smile on a lot of faces out there reading this because afterall, here at ATB it is always all for the love of the dog, both given and received. But you knew that I'm sure!

Take care and God bless you always - John and Ann, and All Things Brittany

J&A's Brittanys PSA: Technical Problem Solved!

With no claim to fame regarding my web editing skills (or lack thereof) I am happy to say that the little glitch on J&A's Brittanys Maine Website has been resolved.  I have minimal expertise regarding code of any kind but fortunately enough knowledge to figure out what the error message was.  There's been some positive upgrades with the very user friendly website software I use which is basically a 'what you see is what you get' WYSWYG'. The little glitch yesterday was simply a result of a minor change in the direction of a particular path. Thanks to the good folks at our host services (JustHost) we are up and running again. I love the ease of cut and paste web design although I have a lot of flexibility regarding images, design, and custom template. I created my first website back in 1996 using a very basic program "AOLPress". From that point on I made several others for friends and organizations I was involved with.  Around 2005 I began to experiment with the online presence of J&A's Brittanys beginning first with free websites through yahoo.  (At that point I also began to put together a website for the Central Maine Brittany Club.) The amateur nature of our online websites does shine through though and I do seek to continually enhance and improve on that as time permits. Having said that - there are two updates to our website (which is how I noticed the glitch in the first place!)  HEMI's page and THISTLE's page have been updated to reflect their recent accomplishments in the ring (Hemi's major win and Thistle as new AKC Champion).  This concludes your ATB public service announcement!!!

J&A's Brittanys PSA: Website problems

Our website at www.mainebrittanyjas.com is currently experiencing some technical issues.  I am having trouble resolving them. I sure hope I don't have to start from scratch redesigning things. Thank you for your patience.  If you need any information please just let us know via the comment form here.  Thanks - John and Ann

ATB Puppies: We're not sure - YET!

PIPPIN
We're not sure, and we were not sure when she was born either. Some days we are certain she is. Other days we are convinced she is not.  She is not very big at all. But her behavior indicates either a pregnancy with 1 or 2 pups, or a false pregnancy altogether. We've been wrong before though. At 3 weeks, there was morning sickness and again at 5 weeks. Some dogs get morning sickness and she did last time.  She's always been very wide sprung through her ribs and she's eating like a chow hound. So, is that wideness because of pregnancy or extra calories?  She runs to keep up with the other dogs but does seem to lag behind. She is active outside. Indoors, not so much.  She has been very needy and clingy. Some minimal nipple changes but, that could also be a post-heat thing. Although proven to be safe and effective, we're not ones to do ultrasounds or have x-rays taken unless in an emergency. And they are not always accurate. So we wait. Yesterday she decided to spend the afternoon in an open, large crate. She went in and turned up the blanket and crate pad, scratched around and made herself a little nest in the back. That's where she spend most of the afternoon.  We are about 2 weeks away from an anticipated due date and I really cannot confirm this one way or another.  Stay tuned.

PIPER
Always marching to a different drummer, we are not surprised to see her offer her own style of [hopefully] being pregnant.  She's not so far along as Pippin. Her small, agile body is typically quite trim and athletic. She's built much different than Pip. And she is definitely widening. Her appetite is usually that of a true chow hound.  In recent days she has begun to eat much more slowly, being quite picky.  Although always quite affectionate, loving, and appreciative of well deserved attention that includes a belly rub, her style of interaction is more 'drive-by' in nature. There are many other things in her life that draw her attention and focus. This is different though right now. She lingers longer, apparently desiring much more attention which is a good thing, and something we're very happy to oblige her in. Her coat is glowing, just beautiful. She's always happy, and lately seems even more so.  We are perhaps a bit more confident as we continue Pipers journey towards motherhood. We will share more with you as the days approach.

PREPARING THE WAY FOR YOUR PUPPY
We hope those who are waiting have the 'required' ATB reading in hand. This is the Art of Raising a Puppy by Monks of New Skete. And for the majority of soon to be puppy owners who will  hunt them, there is Tarrant Trains Gun Dogs by Bill Tarrant. I also hope you'll take a look at the resources on the pages listed on the blog here. There's very good information there. I hope you have discovered the link on our website of 11 downloadable forms several of which are specific to the Brittany. Our individual downloads include: help with basic grooming, crate training, day in the life of an 8 week old puppy, new arrival checklist, Brittany standard, puppy aptitude tests that we do, membership in the American Brittany Club, puppy biting article, socialization, and the world of a puppy. You'll be armed with many written training tools to help you through the first few weeks and months with your new puppy and you'll ALWAYS have us available as a resource. If we don't have the answer to a question you may have, we will find someone who does!

WAITING AND MORE WAITING
I always hesitate to share very much at this point in time. I don't like to get hopes up only to have them dashed. And, quite honestly that can happen sometimes. Not often. but sometimes.  We are traveling on this journey together, and that's something I do love to do when we have pups due.  Once they are here and on the ground, it's a different story but waiting is part of the journey! We wait for our girl to come into heat, we wait for the time when she should be bred, we wait to confirm the pregnancy, we wait for the pups to be born. There's at least a year of planning involved prior to each breeding.  So no one is more excited to confirm these pregnancies than we are!! While there are dreams of puppy breath, the first day afield or in the ring, or simply successfully house training a puppy - we are dreaming and praying now for the reality of beautiful, healthy, Brittany pups and the well being of their mother to be. Thanks for your interest, and all the support that comes our way for those who wait with us.

Take care and God bless, John, Ann, and All Things Brittany

Previous Puppy Update:
Things Hoped For Things Not Seen
Winter Puppies

 

ATB Video: Sometimes, In Winter

 

 

 

This afternoon John put his snowshoes on and took a brief jaunt down and back. I watched as several of our Brittanys decided to accompany him and check out what he was doing. They were so fascinated and ran alongside of him.  I picked up my camera and took a few pictures in hopes of capturing these very special moments between our canine crew with John, enjoying the essence of ATB, "sometimes in winter."

ATB Friends Rescue a Brittany

 

SAVING RUDY

Our friend was visiting relatives in New Jersey during Christmas week. She and her family love Brittany dogs. She has "Wilson" (Treasure/Gibson 2011) and Brandy, who is a dog they rescued several years ago.  While in N.J. they visited a mall pet store and were surprised to find a 4 month old Brittany orange and white male puppy for sale there. Her heart told her this was wrong and she immediately began to think of how she could rescue this young puppy from one more day of life spent in a cage. She learned he'd been in that cage since he was 8 weeks old.  Although his most basic needs of food, water, shelter were met clearly he needed so much more. And those needs included saving him from one more day in a pet store cage.

Within 24 hours after reaching out to her family, friends, and the Brittany community several good and kind individuals offered to help purchase the 16 week old Brittany pup.  Due to the generous and immediate response of my friend and other 'angels' soon he was safely on his way to the first day of the rest of his life.  As a side note, I'm extremely blessed because several of those loving and caring folks are part of the ATB family, and share their life with a Brittany dog (or two) from our program here.

Because this happened so soon after Christmas, the puppy was nicknamed "Rudy". Rudy encountered so much love as he was welcomed as a foster to live with my friend and her family.  She is well experienced as a rescuer and an adopter with an official Brittany rescue group. Even so, it was not yet certain where Rudy's permanent home was to be.  But the uncertainty did not remain for long.

In the meantime another scenerio was taking place.  The parents of my friend were dog sitting the two Brittanys owned by her family while they were in New Jersey. (One of these dogs is from Treasure and Gibson's second litter, the other a dog that was also rescued.)  Her parents owned and loved a senior Old English Sheepdog whose health was failing and had been providing hospice care for her over the past 4 months. I find it ironic that Rudy was 4 months old.

So the first stop on the way back home from N.J. was to pick up their other two dogs at her parents who also were introduced to Rudy.  Rudy also met their beloved 'Samantha', he interacted with her briefly. The picture I saw of the two of them together touched my heart as Sam was kept comfortable and Rudy, being a puppy, showed his curiosity by gently leaning over her face. This is included in the collage above.

The 3 Brittanys went back to my friends home and Rudy happily began to settle in with his new 'family'. I saw picture after picture of this little guy. John and I have transported, fostered and rehabilitated a few Brittany rescues in the past. One thing I always watch for in a rescued dog is the way their eyes change. Usually I perceive a sense of loss and emptiness in the eyes of such a dog. They are unsure, fearful, and afraid.  I'd never ever seen such a young puppy before though in that situation.  It broke my heart to see that look in Rudy's eyes.  But with each photo shared with me, I could truly see the changes right before my own eyes.  The brightness was there, a spark ignited perhaps for the first time in this 16 week old puppy, a baby who had never experienced the love and wonder of life beyond a cage.

One night my friend contacted me to say that her parents had called the vet to their home, asking me to pray. They are a Christian family, and I had felt a strong connection to her mother when we first met a couple of years ago. Yes, yes of course. And so they lay there on the floor with Samantha as she passed over to that place we all know as 'The Rainbow Bridge'.  A place where we are certain that animals do have souls and spirits and that God created them for our pleasure, and we will be reunited with them again. There's a lot of Scripture to support this, but this isn't about theology at the moment.

This family had been praying, seeking God's will and direction for their life.  As they prayed, a certainty had come to them.  And the certainty was that Rudy should go to live forever with my friends parents.  They recognized the hand of God in all of this. The timing is phenomenal. Thinking about my friend just happening to go visit the mall where she had gone as a child, to stop into the pet store and then seeing Rudy. The way it all came together so quickly, with so many people with sincere and good hearts helping come up with the money to rescue Rudy. The way the official rescue organizations stood by to help out if needed.  Indeed, God has known all along about Samantha, and about her family and their needs.  Just as surely he has known all along about Rudy, and the special needs he would have. And God so perfectly intervened.

Rudy has a new home, and he has a brand new name! He's named after the very first Old English Sheepdog my friends parents had, and his name was Beckett. The entire family is still grieving and will continue to miss Samantha of course. That void can't be filled in their heart.  But I'm confident that little Beckett, saved from the pet store, is going to fill a lot of the sad and empty places in their lives and in their home.

When we have ears to hear, eyes to see, hearts to believe, faith to hold onto we also are able to look beyond our current situation and see that God indeed does care about all that concerns those who put their trust in Him.  Rudy (now Beckett) has had angels watching over him just as surely as Samantha and her family. And every good gift, does come from above.  Sometimes we need to look beyond ourselves though to even hope to understand that. As Dwight L. Moody said, Faith makes all things possible… love makes all things easy.”  Please keep this family in your prayers...

Take care and God bless,
John, Ann, and All Things Brittany

On another note... we have recently sent an email with an update regarding puppies to our 'serious inquiries'.  Please let me know if you have not received yours by contacting us via www.mainebrittanysitejas.com thanks!

ATB Remembers Timberdoodle

7 years ago on January 1, 2005 I was on the phone with a breeder in New Hampshire telling me that, even as we spoke, my liver and white Brittany puppy was being born.  I was so excited I could hardly contain myself! (Timber would be the first liver and white Brittany to come back into our lives since the passing of our beloved Hunter from our very first litter born in 1990.  Hunter died in 2003 at the age of 13 and the pain was so unbearable.  We couldn't decide whether the timing was right for another pup, or if we should wait.  We did know we could not bear to bring another male, liver and white pup back into hearts quite yet.  The sense of loss was great, the hole in our hearts difficult and we knew we needed to have that love of the Brittany back in our lives, the sooner the better.  Soon, bouncy, fun loving, orange and white Molly Rose, entered our life!)

Timbers breeder lived in the White Mountain region of N.H. and we made a day trip when the pups were old enough to go look at the pups.  There were two liver and white boys and the rest of the pups were all girls.  One boy had very nice markings and stood out but he was also a spazz.  The other guy was cute too, but it seemed as if his markings could have used another brush stroke of white across his muzzle! That was our first visit, and we went home certain of which pup we would bring home and we went back when the pups were 10 weeks old to bring our sweet new puppy home.

Poor Timberdoodle, he was sick to his stomach from the time we left the snow covered White Mountains to the time we arrived back home.  When we finally arrived home we placed him down on the ground of the snow covered driveway.  He was so upset and all 4 legs went out from underneath him.  I don't think he'd been away from his litter mates or his mother at all and everything was so overwhelming to him.  All I wanted to do was let him know he was 'home', and that we had been waiting for him a long long time with a lot of love to give.  One of my favorite pictures of Timber and John is in the collage above.  John got right down to Timbers level and lay on the floor, letting the pup approach on his own terms according to his comfort level.  Patiently he waited and soon, Timber came over to sniff John's face eventually showering him with puppy kisses!

Molly was almost 2 years old when Timber arrived. She was not quite sure about her new little buddy. He wanted to be friends. She wanted to be sure he knew she was the boss of him! And it worked out for both of them.

Timber taught me a lot of new things about this breed I love so much.  Although we had Hunter previously, and his parents, and eventually Molly Rose - there were so many things I had yet to discover. I suppose this is because I had spent most of those earlier years raising our two children, instead of raising Brittanys.  But at this point they were both living their own lives with families of their own.  I could spend hours with Timber in the woods and I did just that.  We had an awesome time that summer as I 'practiced' my field training skills on him. It really wasn't too difficult. He came from a long line of national field champions and also enjoyed the mentor ship of several established Brittany breeders and trainers. 

Timber was a talker. He would say "Rye Ruff Rue".   Seriously.  Just like Scooby the cartoon character.  For those of you familiar with Timber's son, that is where his name came from.

One day we had Timber on a check cord, trying to do a little whoa training.  He was not supposed to move when the bird was flushed and I was supposed to be holding onto the check cord to be sure he didn't.  Not the way it happened.  The bird flushed, John shot it and the check cord slipped out of my hand because Timber took off. John was not happy with me or with Timber.  But there was a happy ending. Timber soon returned, quite proud of himself, with the bird in his mouth.  A natural retriever with a soft mouth at the age of 8 months.   Not good for field trial dogs. Excellent for hunting dogs though!

Speaking of field trials, I wanted to give that a try so we entered one.  The first few minutes out on the course I'm wondering what was I thinking. My Timber had never seen a horse but our judge was riding one immediately in back of me. Timber was scared for me I think. He would run ahead but then stop and turn, look directly over my shoulder at the horse behind me and run back to me.  Whoever I was braced with thought it was a foot race too and it seemed like they wanted to push me off the trail. Hmph.  Then there was a whole lot of yelling, screaming, shrieking the whistle at dogs and I was fool enough to believe that what was written in the rule books is the way my first field trial would go. How this could ever improve my time bird hunting in the woods was beyond me, so I was pretty green and admittedly ignorant about all of that.  But I did have fun! And so did Timber.  We placed 4th in our first field trial, and it did feel like gold medal to me. 

A lot of people said Timber had great potential to be a field trial dog and that we should at least give him the opportunity. I really didn't know much about this but his father is a well known field trial champion and winner of many classics, trials, and championships throughout the country. I was persuaded to let him go south with a good friend of ours over the winter.

On Timbers 2nd birthday he was in South Carolina.  I called Bob up and asked him to please tell Timber happy birthday for me. Bob said but of course he would do that for me, why not?!!  (He probably though yeah right lady...)  I missed my pup something terrible.  There was a CD that played in the kennel all winter long by Eva Cassidy called Songbird.  One of the songs on there was Fields of Gold (by Sting). I always cried when I heard that song because there are fields here in Acton that we train our dogs in. And Timber was the first to run in them.  In the summer I would sit down and hide in the tall grass from him.  He'd always find me and come bouncing over and we'd topple over together. I would be smothered in dog kisses from my doodly boy.

I counted the days until Timber would be home again with us. I just couldn't wait to be reunited with him.  Sending a dog away for training or with a handler, no matter how near or how far away they are or how much you trust the person who is caring for them is not always easy.  At the end of March the call came that he was back in Maine and I drove over to pick him up. I brought a present with me - a jumbo size Kong chew toy stuffed with peanut butter, something he loved.  We drove home together with Timber sitting happily in the passengers side, looking out the window and then back at me.  Timber arrived safely back home just in time for a successful courtship with Wish!

A few days later I noticed Timber was extremely lethargic and called the vet for a test to see if we were dealing with Lyme disease. It was positive and he immediate went on antibiotics which typically will cause the symptoms to cease. That was not the case.  Instead Timber became progressively worse. He could not walk, he had no appetite and he appeared to be in pain. Over the course of 4 weeks Timber went from being a finely tuned, healthy athletic dog to an animal who had to be assisted to stand while eliminating. During this time we went back and forth several times to several vets and specialists, many tests were done, and various medicines and procedures attempted to no avail. Our hearts were aching and we felt hopeless and lost, bewildered and frustrated.

The final trip was made to a neurologist.  I lay on the floor in the back of our van next to Timber who was laying on a soft dog bed, covered with his blanket while John drove to Portland. I cried and I prayed, asking God to deliver this young dog from this disease and affliction which was stealing his life. We had to say our goodbyes to him at the facility in hopes of a positive outcome.

The next morning the dreaded phone call came.  A voice on the other end of the line was telling me "Mrs. Short, I am so sorry... he died of a heart attack on the operating table."  I dropped the phone to the floor and cried out into the emptiness. When the neurologist had opened Timber up to explore, he found diseased tissue surrounding his spine, and a deterioration of some of the spine itself. A necropsy was done, tissues sent away with the results being my sweet Timberdoodle died of a form of cancer which is extremely rare in our breed.  We consulted a specialist on the west coast who has done extensive cancer research on behalf of our breed at U.C. Davis. Assurances were given that this could not have been predicted.  It was a rapid growing highly invasive and debilitating form of cancer.  We also learned that fortunately, it was not genetic in nature, but instead was a true anomaly and we should not be fearful in consideration of the anticipated arrival of a litter of pups sired by Timber.

On the afternoon of Timbers death I was sitting out on the back lawn with our daughter who had driven up to comfort me.  We were hugging Wish closely. We watched with amazement as first one eagle, and then another gently yet powerfully flew overhead. They looped around, circling overhead where we were.  It seemed as if they hovered briefly, and then suddenly flew upwards towards the heavens, soaring for the clouds where they disappeared from sight.  I whispered goodbye to Timber in that moment.

A few weeks later Wish delivered a healthy litter of puppies under a photo of Timberdoodle that I had taped to the wall.  Later that morning while walking across the yard I lifted my eyes to the heaven, praising God.  As I paused to do this I was suddently overtaken with a deep knowing as I realized the number of puppies just born, were the same number of eagles gracefully soaring high above.

I knew there would be a boy from that litter intended for me, I just didn't know which one.  It did not take long though because within the first few days some very remarkable and amazing things took place, tucked away privately in this breeder's heart. And he was named: J&A's Soaring White Sequoia with a call name of Scooby.  His name says it all.  And Scooby is another story!

January 1st marks the beginning of a New Year for all of us and families and friends celebrate and enjoy the holiday together.  For me, it also brings forth so many memories of a very special Brittany pup, born on this day. A Brittany whose memory is forever before me, a dog often thought about with a smile, and a heart dog never ever to be forgotten.  Happy birthday Timberdoodle!