ATB: Only Time

Enya's beautiful song "Only Time" could easily be the theme playing in the background of my life this summer evening.  The lyrics speak of who knows where the road goes, who knows if love will grow, who knows where the roads meet... only time.  Of course being the literal realist that I feel I am most of the time my response would not be to answer only 'time', but instead to say only 'God'.  But lets not get caught up in legality of things at the moment. Let's simply... let's simply 'be'.

I have a new laptop with Windows 8 that I'm trying to decide if I love it or hate it. The convenience is notable and the mobility could come in handy but for now I am enjoying the chance to sit on the couch with Treasure lying next to me, all the windows are open, ceiling fans turning, and the nighttime sounds of a mid-July late evening can be heard.  I'm not sure if it's frogs or crickets I hear at the moment.  Just a few seconds ago something must have disturbed the dogs that are sleeping in the kennel this night for they briefly sounded a mini version of the "Twilight Bark" (101 Dalmatians).

Tonight there is no monitor running, no live stream broadcast, and no need to make sure 6 beautiful Brittany puppies are all settled in for the evening. No need for one last check on the pups to be sure they have food and water, are clean, safe and sound until morning.  The "Superior Litter" turned 2 months old today and all of them went to their new homes this past week.  For Thunder, Drizzle, Cloudy, Raindrop, Rainy, and Puddles experienced the first day of the rest of their lives as they turned 8 weeks old.

We're frequently asked how hard is it to let a puppy go with their new owner, to say goodbye to them.  The truth is I deeply love and care for each and every puppy that we are responsible to breed for and bring into this world. That most certainly includes the sire and the dam when we are also their breeders such as was the case here.  If it were not for taking however much time is necessary to be certain that each new home is well prepared, and if we did not already have a confidence about the family where the pup will live it would not only be difficult to say goodbye - but the goodbye simply would not happen.  We are never in a hurry to have a puppy leave just because it may be the last one here. We do believe however it is to the pups best advantage to be with it's 'new people' as soon as possible.

In this litter 3 of the pups are going to people who already have at least 1 of our Brittanys.  This meant several very happy reunions took place.  Nova and her owners of course were reunited this past week when she went back home. Prior to that they had visited us, met the pups, and decided which puppy they would select for themselves.  That ended up being Thunder!  Then we had Deb and John from Ohio who already have 2 year old Maggie Rose who is a sweet and beautiful puppy out of our Scooby and Molly. They blessed us with gifts from the Amish country which they live near, and also a wonderful visit together. Drizzle went back home with them.  Our other reunion was very special too as it brought Mark and Lisa here along with Max who is out of our JackDog and Molly.  The three dogs actually posed for an informal family portrait.  Once again we also enjoyed thoughtful gifts from the Sunshine Farm in NH of fresh homemade honey and also freshly laid eggs!  Our sweet Cloudy left with Ethan for the Moosehead Lake region of Maine where she will live in the great outdoors.  Ethan had been working with us for well over a year, had visited us several times here and also headed to the field with John in the past. He almost went home with the daughter of our first champion Bullet (see sidebar) and Treasure's "Patience" last year but he did not feel the timing was right at that time. (Patience is loving her life as Pearl with Deb and her family in Rhode Island.)  Rainy ended up being the apple in the eye of Maureen and Roger in N.H. who also have always had Brittanys and she'll be hunted as well as loved as a family pet. Last but not least there is Puddles.  We knew that there was a possibility there would be a girl available depending upon what the owners did as well as another family waiting for a male since late last summer. We contacted those who have been our list for a long time to see who may be interested and the response was very positive should she become available. In the meantime Paul and Laurie's senior Brittany had just passed away and they found the loss unbearable. Contacting us to see if we had a puppy (we'd been in touch for awhile) I said maybe but not sure, did they want to wait? As it was, Puddles was available and they were so pleased with her. She's in Maine!

Once again I am confident that everything worked out in the best possible way for those who have been waiting and for the pups themselves.  And beyond a shadow of a doubt I know that God is in control of it all.  Which for me, is as it should be.  Speaking of waiting lists and looking for a Brittany puppy... We ask everyone to contact us directly via the Maine Brittany Site where we have shared a lot of information and photos.  It saves time to be familiar with what we are about and what we look for in people who are looking for a puppy.  A wait is usually involved.

We do have some very nice plans for the end of this year and well into 2014 regarding our breeding program.  We are developing our waiting list at this time for the future, including some who are already on it. Personally, I have a keen interest in having a few pups from these planned pairings be shown but prefer they will above all be hunted. Primarily, we will continue to communicate these specifics on our mailing list to keep everyone updated.

This weekend was the first time since February that we have had entirely to ourselves. I found that we were both extremely tired despite our best attempts to catch up on some projects. I think we have one full week before life gets busy again.  We have family visiting from Kentucky, friends visiting from Connecticut, parties and weddings, plans for another dog show, club events and life!  As I say this is our lifestyle choice in regards to All Things Brittany.  I am looking forward to playing my keyboard for next weeks worship service at church though. I don't always have a chance to do that. I also hope that as my birthday approaches, I can gather both of our children and their families together for a small celebration. Getting us all together in one place at the same time is a miracle.

Well there you have it. Nothing earth shattering or clever to write about tonight. Just checking in. I'm sure if I were not so exhausted I could take some time for a little bit more creativity. But I do think the archives may help in that regard.  No bonking my head on the keyboard tonight, or should I say this morning for now it is 12:10 a.m.  Johns been fast asleep snoring for hours.

As always, thank you for your interest in All Things Brittany. I do appreciate it! Take care and God bless you.  John, Ann, and our awesome canine crew