ATB: Nova & Jack Puppies / Hunt Tests / Reflections

PUPPIES COMETH! The past few weeks have gone by so quickly it is hard now to say we are one week away from another beautiful healthy litter of puppies. Sweet Nova has been here a little over a week and has settled in nicely. She is not overly large but she definitely has pups on the way!   Nova have a really good appetite right now and is enjoying her puppy food with a few extra goodies mixed in like boiled liver, yogurt, and salmon oil. She is getting tired a lot and resting most of the day she sounds a lot of time stretching out fully on the floor. It is funny, her mother Treasure seems to be especially attentive to Nova. Also interesting is the way that Nova will hang out with Jack. I found them lying side by side in the shade.

I enjoy taking the time it takes to set the "puppy cave" up again.  We have found that using indoor/outdoor carpet tiles that can be taken out, power washed, dried in the sun and then replace to be invaluable in the whelping box and area. Even so, I have wanted to add another layer of flooring. So this weekend we bought some vinyl flooring which John is now installing. We will see how this works. Piper and Trues litter was so meticulous with their early house training it totally amazed me.  Sometimes they are like that, but not always. I anticipate that we'll be re-assembling the whelping box perhaps this evening. We are now working at putting the partition back up. Nova has been a part of all these activities today and she seems to enjoy this new area to explore. I've been doing puppy laundry today which I always look forward to.  Well this probably sounds funny but it reminds me of when I was pregnant because I would do a huge wash using Ivory Snow and Downy, then hang all the new baby clothes, blankets and diapers on the line to dry.  Everything smelled so fresh and clean!  A couple of weeks ago I went to my favorite thrift shop where you can fill a bag for a dollar.  There was a large collection of assorted fleece in a clear, plastic vacuum bag that I spied and inquired after.  To my delight I could have it for $2.00!  I came home and found blanket size remnants of beautiful fleece as well as smaller pieces.  I had to muffle the seamstress buried within me as she tried to tell me about all the clothing and craft projects I could make. Sorry lady - this one's for the pups!

Nova is not very big so it is likely she will not have a very large litter but I could of course be wrong.  She is a young, first time mother. Each day she seems to be popping out more and more! But we will find out soon enough. Because Nova is away from her Connecticut family we are going to set it up so that they can virtually be here when the pups arrive.  We will have a private live stream set up. I know how very much they miss her and we are very happy to have her here for this litter. To be entrusted with her brings a deep and abiding respect and understanding for the level of commitment which we feel for her, not to mention how much we love this girl!

It is time to begin taking her temperature so that we can establish what is normal for her. Probably in about a weeks time we will be watching and waiting for a temperature drop. Also within this time we'll begin to spend a lot of time with Nova in the area where her pups will be born. Time to check the whelping supply list and replenish anything which we will need. The world around us may be extremely busy during this month with field trials to prepare for and participate in as well as dog shows and more. But that is okay. Our priority above all else will be this beautiful little liver and white Brittany named after our oldest granddaughter, on whose birthday her litter was born.

CMBC HUNT TEST WEEKEND We had a busy weekend last week at the Brittany club's hunt test. The weekend went well and it's always nice to get together at these events. I enjoyed especially having a chance to visit with friends who came support the event from New York and Connecticut. There were several local members and friends too. Personally speaking it was very rewarding to watch see several J&A's Brittany's participate.  Bullet received one more set of qualifying scores towards his AKC Senior Hunter title and was handled by his owner, Julie. Bullet and Treasure's son Wilson qualified each day for scores towards his AKC Junior Hunter title. Way to go Willie!  Benny (Molly/Scooby) had a fun run and already has 1 leg towards his JH title. Jersey (Molly/Jack pup), Bella (Jack/Jasmine), and Brandi (Treasure/Gibson) each did well and received qualifying towards their Junior Hunter Advanced. Hats off especially to Julie and to Miss Thistle for finishing her Junior Hunter title in 4 out of 4 hunt tests. As we all know, that girl is really 'sumthin' special' !! A complete list of qualifiers is available at the Central Maine Brittany Club Site, a site which I also maintain for that club. Heres a slideshow I put together with a few photos from the event.


LUNA THE HORSE Also this past weekend John started something new in regards to working with the dogs. Last year our daughter bought a horse and that horse lives here.  It started out as hers but of course, it ended up as ours and that is just fine. Our other horse "Magic" was a beautiful Morgan that I really fell hard for but unfortunately he was very hateful to the dogs.  Magic is still doing well at our nieces horse farm in York, Maine where he came from. "Luna" is here to stay.  She and the dogs get along perfectly.  John has been riding her with each dog running just for all concerned to get use to the new venture.  Most of the dogs had been around horses but now all of them have. John finds it easier to use the horse for his field work, especially going back and forth to the bird house, planting birds etc. He can handle the dogs from horseback but we are not training for field trials. 

REFLECTIONS This is an interesting season of our life.  Johns now been retired for 6 years. I don't think we ever set out to intentionally find ourselves with a lifestyle choice that testifies we have literally gone to the dogs. But God has brought us on this journey, a journey full of twists and turns, ups and downs but mostly it is something we do together.  We both love our dogs so much!  John has certain areas and levels of training that he enjoys working with them and I have my own as well. We do a lot together as well as individuals.  Getting up every day has a purpose which God has given us that includes loving and caring for the beautiful animals in our life.  It's probably not a life that people would intentionally say they would pursue but it is the one which we find ourselves in.  For me there is always an awareness of how God can use people right where they are in very simple and uncomplicated ways.

TIMBERDOODLE Before I close I'd like to share that this past week was hard for me as I remembered the 7th anniversary of Timberdoodle's death.  He died as you may remember of a rare form of cancer on May 2nd 2007.  I actually wrote an in depth article for the Bangor Daily News Blog about him called "Paws for Canine Cancer." May is National Cancer Awareness Month and I hope somehow it motivates people to make a donation for cancer research.

As always thank you for your interest in All Things Brittany. Take care and God bless you!  Puppies cometh!!  John, Ann and our canine crew