ATB: ALL THINGS HOPED FOR

Yes, I know it is absolutely much too early to determine whether Treasure is pregnant or not. And I do not believe in raising hopes that could prove to be false.  But... but... but!!!!  Perhaps I should qualify what I am about to write by saying I understand that the highest highs and the lowest lows often run on a parallel plane in regards to breeding, the expectations, and the waiting. So be it.

I watch you closely Miss Treasure.  We've been through this together a time or two, there should be no surprises. You are always very affectionate and loving.  You ARE a heart dog (ssshhhhh don't tell the rest of our crew I said that because I love each of you with all my heart.) A parent, or a grandparent for that matter, is always careful not to show favoritism or preference of one over the other no matter how confident they happen to me.  Moms and grams love deeply and unconditionally, it is the Agape kind of love that comes from God.  There's a good word to look up for anyone interested by the way 'agape'.

You ARE getting wider through the rib cage. Your nipples ARE beginning to change. And... and... and.... you did throw up yesterday.  I am not really counting that as morning sickness though because shame on me but I did let you finish the rest of my breakfast cereal and there was about an 1/8th of skim milk left in the bottom. You know that I don't intentionally ever feed a dog milk. So you probably threw up your breakfast because of topping it off with the rest of mine.

You ALWAYS want to be close to me, and I think I must be the apple of your eye. Pippin and you share this. I mean I know you love "Poppa John" too of course but it's different with me, isn't it?  Oh the majority of the ATB family are clearly "HIS" dogs... sharing the obligatory interest and glance in my direction from time to time. Let him walk through the house and it's like the Pied Piper with several of the crew hot on his heels. It is even more obvious when you're all out running, training, etc. And why wouldn't it be?  Ever since retiring several years ago he's devoted the majority of his time to All Things Brittany which I think is a lovely thing. Especially since... well especially since some things became harder for me to do all by myself.

So you still want to be close to me, and I love that.  You are so expressive in your vocalizing, we talk to each other and you respond with singing and dancing. I call you "my beauty" because you have always been so absolutely stunning, so absolutely beautiful and elegant in all that you do. But lately Treas' your desire to be near me seems to be even more deliberate and intent.  You press up closer when you lay down next to me.  Your eyes seem to speak as you gently nuzzle with me with your nose and then rest your chin upon me.

I'd never seen you jump up and curl into a ball on the living room chair before.  The couches, and chairs in other rooms, yes.  But not that chair. I watched you because you really couldn't get comfortable. You stretched your neck up over the arm of the chair and looked out the window at the falling leaves. As you tried to get comfortable I thought I must be seeing things... I wondered if perhaps you were bloated after eating your dinner.  Not that you ever are.  But there had to be a reason for the apparent fullness I noticed. 

Oh and how playful you and Hemi are. Now THAT is what is really funny. In thinking back, you've never had the privilege shall we say of living with your boyfriend. Or for those with a more moral outlook even upon the breeding of dogs, of living with your husband.  Seriously, I am on the verge of totally anthropomorphizing this situation.  I don't like to do that but here it is for the world to read.  I can't help it Treas' we are talking about you and Hemi. I have observed the two of you closely today. There is something different going on here.  I think the picture above may highlight a little bit of it.

Okay so now we are entering the 3rd week after being bred to the handsome and cute freckly face we all know as "Hemi".  Not much is happening or is it?  We've been through this before a time or two haven't we sweet girl. And I think it is safe to hopefully say, we are going through it together one more time. John agrees too. And Auntie Julie has finished her first puppy blanket with a second one nearly complete.

Dear Lord, I pray for this beautiful animal which you have blessed my life with.  Her name "Treasure" signifies for me the need to remember daily that the most important thing in my own life is my relationship with you. Please keep her healthy and safe. Confirm soon for us, and let the puppies that will result from breeding her with Hemi be absolutely perfect in every way. I pray too for those very special families which You are working even now to bring into our lives. That each confirmation of a puppy will be met with the same assurance we have become accustomed to. I ask that You will give John and I wisdom and strength, resources and abilities necessary in the days and weeks ahead.  Thank you for all these things and so much more, in Jesus Name I pray, Amen.

And this litter shall be called "ALL THINGS HOPED FOR"

ATB: Pedigree for Hemi X Treasure Pup

Hypothetical Pedigree:  Hemi x Treasure

 

 

J&A's Brittanys Breeding Announcement

It is time to announce the exceptional pairing of Hemi and Treasure and begin the journey to hopefully confirm her pregnancy.  It is a time for patience, a time for waiting and watching, a time that we deeply desire lead to the eventual announcement which we are all waiting for - that pups are on the way.  We have walked this road together before, and it is always unpredictable. The abundant joy of experiencing the miraculous journey which has now started exceeds all disappointments.  With all faith believing however we are hopeful and do anticipate for the outcome of a healthy litter of beautiful Brittany puppies to arrive in December.  For those on our waiting list we appreciate confirmation of your level of interest in this litter at your earliest convenience because we are still accepting serious inquiries. We covet your prayers. In the meantime, here's a little bit more detailed information:

Treasure is an absolutely stunning, elegant, and beautiful liver and white Brittany. Her personality is endearing, she is a true love, funny, animated, intelligent, and a beautiful beautiful girl who is never far from Ann's side. Weighing in at 37 pounds with a height of 19 ½''. She is the daughter of our Wish (bred by Phillip and Sherri Thayer) who comes from a well proven line of beautiful grouse, woodcock, and waterfowl hunting Brittanys. Perhaps one of the most recognized Brittanys in her background is her grandmother, 8X Am Fld CH/NAFC/FC/AFC Pride & Joy's Bunch of Annie. Also in Treasure's immediate background are many NAVHDA titled Brittany dogs and AKC titled hunting dogs. Treasure successfully completed 3 sets of 4 required qualifying scores towards her own AKC Junior Hunter title in her first two weekends of testing. Shown occasionally, Treasure quickly won 11 points towards her AKC bench championship during her first year of showing in the Bred By Exhibitor class (shown by Ann). Treasure has also won the Best Bred by Exhibitor competition several times, won Best of Breed and has been shown in Group. The beautiful Treasure consistently passes on the traits of an outstanding hunting dog. Her progeny include several sons and daughters that are NAVHDA titled Brittanys and AKC Junior Hunters. One is very close to finishing his AKC Senior Hunter title and has placed in several field trials, both AKC and American Field. Treasure has clearly produced “show quality” pups but has only ever been bred to champions with a proven hunting background. Several of her get are shown. Two sons are show pointed, one with both of his major wins and close to finishing his bench championship. In her own right and like her mother “Wish”, Treasure has an extremely strong prey drive and has been retrieving to hand since a pup. Scoring high in her hunting skills and bird finding ability, she is a bird hunting machine and a lot of fun to hunt with!

Hemi is probably the cutest freckly faced Brittany on the face of the earth. His personality is extremely laid back and mellow unless he is bird hunting. Then he is all business and he turns into a flashy, high performance, no-nonsense hunting dog who is a delight to hunt with. Orange and white, Hemi's stature is solid and cobby and he weighs in at 35 lbs and stands @18 ½'' tall. Sired by “CHEVY” (Multiple BISS GCH CH Tonan-Hopes RU Kiddin Me) who in 2009 was the #1 Brittany in the country, his mother is our Pippin (CH J&A's Heartfelt Legend of Acton) who is the result of a line breeding on 3X AmFldCh Multi BISS DC AFC Masked Shoshoni War Chief JH. His grandfather is CH Hills Blazin' Jac JH. In his own right Hemi's strong natural hunting ability surfaced by the age of 5 weeks when awakened to game birds for the first time. Hemi earned his AKC Junior Hunter title in no time at all just a little over a year old. Also in 2012 Hemi was the first place dog in the Central Maine Brittany Club Open Derby at the age of 14 months, winning juvenile field champion points handled by John. Shown occasionally by Ann, he finished his AKC bench championship in June 2013. There are numerous titled hunting dogs behind Hemi and many Dual Champions as well.  This fall Hemi is actively enjoying the Maine bird hunting season!


As breeders we define this pairing specifically by identifying the hoped for pups as  the third generation of Brittanys from our second, primary line of close working gun-dogs.  It is the first time Hemi has been used in our breeding program and his attributes are well proven behind him and within him.  Likewise, Treasure's attributes are well proven behind her, within her and in front of her.  Bringing these two exceptional animals together from our program is an out-cross of hunting dogs that we have bred. We are personally familiar with many of these animals  for several generations back. We expect nothing but the best by bringing them together with endless potential. Above all, these will be beautiful pups with amazing personalities who will bring great joy into the lives of the families who will love them. As always thank you for your interest in our breeding driven breeding program of bird hunting Brittany dogs. ~ John, Ann, Hemi, Treasure, and All Things Brittany

HEMI's PEDIGREE and PROFILE
TREASURE's PEDIGREE and PROFILE

Callum's First Bird Hunt!

Today was a pretty special day for Callum, Grampa, and Jack.  Grampa picked Cal up at school and then they all went bird hunting. This is the first time Cal has been old enough to hunt and has been waiting since spring to use his Maine Junior Hunter license we bought him for his birthday. The pheasant above was shot by Cal and pointed by Jack!  The torch is passed yet again.

Love of: G-God O-outdoors D-dogs

For the love of:

 G.O.D.

(God, Outdoors, Dogs)

To find oneself overwhelmed is not necessarily a negative thing. At least not when that which overwhelms you comes from God and the evidence of His faithfulness generation to generation. I'm just trying to find a way to describe what's in my heart this afternoon, the first Sunday of October. The fire is blazing in the fireplace, John is snoring in his favorite chair, and several Brittany dogs lay nearby. Just back from an amazing morning at church where once again, I simply stand in awe of all that God has done and continues to do in my life. There may not be any rhyme or reason to my musings or reflections here, but I will give it my best shot.

This is actually a blogpost that I was writing while very tired the other night. I fell asleep before finishing (yes a head falling on the keyboard moment!) Today I was motivated to continue writing after looking at several photographs shared by family and friends.

Earlier this year our oldest grandson (pictured here) turned 10. 'Gramie and Grampa' bought him his first Maine hunting license. At that time it simply looked like a piece of paper tucked inside of his birthday card. But that piece of paper had a deeper meaning for me as I watched a huge smile slowly develop on his face as he realized what this paper gift actually was. There was a lump in my throat as I observed a family tradition passed on to yet another child. This tradition has, at one time or another, been passed directly on to his mom and to his uncle and his family, by his grandfather and to some extent me (his grandmother), from his great grands and beyond. This family is and always has been a hunting family.

Last week marked the beginning of the Maine bird hunting, turkey, and archery hunting season. Family photographs from the past 24 hours included a photo of our son and a deer he shot with his bow. He really is an accomplished and skilled bow hunter. There is also pictured here a photo of my granddaughter Brook proudly holding the two turkeys she shot. Additionally, I've enjoyed looking at photos of John Sr., his friends, and the pheasant shot yesterday over several Brittanys (ours and theirs). Other friends of ours also shared pictures of their days afield with their dogs, each one putting a smile on my face.

But the photograph taken this afternoon of Cal  truly is the motivation behind this outpouring of words that I so hope to somehow convey what I am feeling in my heart!. The picture is blurry but that doesn't matter. Just look at those eyes! Cal is standing there with the biggest smile on his face ever, wearing his brand new hunting clothes, pictured proudly with his Brittany dog "Boomer." I see such hope, expectation, and anticipation emanating from his sparkling eyes. The picture has overwhelmingly touched the depths of my heart. The next generation, standing on the threshold of what I truly hope will be a positive, encouraging, and rewarding journey.

In addition to being a hunting family we have also been for a very long time, a family that loves Brittany dogs. (See http://www.mainebrittanysitejas.com) At some time or other all of our grandchildren have helped us out in our breeding program whether coming over to interact with young puppies, helping learn about bird planting for training purposes, participating in field trials, or any number of ways. (To be fair which is one thing a mom always tries to be in sharing about her children, our son and his family have a beautiful Great Dane named Stormy who they share their life with, a breed I'm not familiar with but she is lovely and much loved! Moms and gramies should never show favoritism and I do my best to let my children and grandchildren know just how much I love each of them for the precious jewel they are in my life.)

Last but never least, this is also a family who has experienced the reality of a loving God time and time again throughout our lives. For me personally, He's been so faithful since 1973 when I made a deliberate and conscious decision to ask Jesus Christ to come into my heart. I had an encounter with Him that changed my life from that point on. Today I saw the evidence of God's faithfulness to generation to generation yet again as I listened to our son share a life changing message for all those with ears to hear as pastor of the Maine Life Gate Church in Limerick, Maine. Ears by the way that include my own.

Ever learning, ever maturing, developing confidence and patience there is one thing that unites and binds these generations together. From the faithfulness of hunting instincts bred into several generations of Brittany dogs to the faithfulness of family passing the tradition of hunting to the next generations, one thing has remained. One thing will always remain. And that is the faithfulness of God from one generation to the next. For those who have experienced it, there is no denying it's reality in Christ Jesus. For those who have not known it, all one must do is simply Believe in Him. We are living in days of great turmoil, confusion, uncertainty and yes, evil such as your generation and mine have never known before. Yet this one thing still remains, and that is Gods love. It never fails and it never gives up on us. "For His faithfulness extends from one generation to another. Psalm 119:89-90 "Your word, O LORD, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens. Your faithfulness continues through all generations; You established the earth, and it endures."

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

PS We anticipate confirming a planned breeding soon!!!