ATB: Birth Announcement

J & A's Brittany’s

Proudly Introduces

 “The ONLY BELIEVE (all things are possible)” litter!

 

SIRE: CH J & A's High Caliber Harris Special SH, CGC, FD – BULLET

DAM: GCH CH J & A's Sisters of the Heart JH – THISTLE

Bred by John & Ann Short, Julie M. Harris

Date of Birth: March 17, 2014

11 Beautiful White & Orange Brittany Puppies

 

The greatly anticipated litter of Bullet and Thistle's puppies is here! They are beautiful and perfect in every way with clear white and orange markings with near perfect white blazes coming down evenly across their muzzles. There are quite a few 'mustaches'! Their average litter weight is 9 oz. and each one has strong suckling instincts and already demonstrating agility and strength. Of course it is still very very early and the first 72 hours are so critical to their well being.

Thistle is doing absolutely awesome, not only as a first time mom, but after following a c-section yesterday. It was not an emergency situation at all. Her temperature had remained under 100 for over 36 hours and we felt that because she was getting so tired just from the earliest of stage 1 labor we did not want to let her 'ride it out'. A radio-graph at 8 weeks had revealed 10 – 12 puppies. We made an appointment and took her to our vet and the decision was made that before she became too exhausted, pup or no pups on the ground yet, it would be best to take the pups.

After arriving at the animal hospital the heartbeats of Bullet and Thistle's pups were counted via ultrasound to be sure they were not stressed in anyway. All was good and before we knew it, John and I were joining the professionals on the puppy catching and recovery team. We had observed and helped out recently with a c-section with vet friends of ours but it is very different when it's your own girl that is for sure!

So, John and I celebrated our anniversary together in the operating room, vigorously rubbing the “Only Believe” puppies, aspirating when needing, and keeping them all warm. One by one each puppy was taken and passed into the hands of an awaiting helper under the guidance of 2 vets there. We had brought our puppy basket and heating pad lined with the puppy blankets. This gave us an opportunity to brag about how spoiled our puppies all are to have such beautiful hand crochet blankets made my Julie. And Thistle was a trooper who soon was recovering with her puppies nursing away on that all important colostrum. Talk about beautiful.

Our anniversary dinner consisted of reheated Boiled Dinner (did I eat? I don't remember) which we picked away at while maintaining constant watch on Thistle and pups. And we spent the rest of the night lying together on the floor next to the whelping box, under the romantic glow of the heat-lamp.

Early in the morning we felt bonding between Thistle and pups was complete. She was cleaning and tending to them, licking and loving, nursing well and the cutest thing of all – talking to them. She doesn't know they can't hear her yet. And I am not going to tell her!

Whenever pups are born there is always the hope the mom is going to love on her pups from the start. It's very different when it is a natural whelping because mom usually is most attentive to each pup as they arrive, and the bonding is instantaneous. With a c-section other things come into play not the least of which is anesthesia and pain meds. John and I kept vigil aware the potential was there for rejection and the result of rearing the pups by hand. For several hours we stimulated the pups to eliminate and cleaned them as Thistle drifted in and out. We also took pups and put them on Thistle's teats in hopes the shot of oxytocin as well as the natural let down of milk would produce the life sustaining colostrum.

I thought maybe we needed to mirror as much as possible the one by one approach of introducing

Thistle to her pups. As John said, she had fallen asleep only to wake up with all these crawling puppies making demands on her. So one by one we watched as the love light went on for Thistle. She very thoroughly licked and cleaned each puppy, just sitting to study them. Although groggy and so exhausted, she soon embraced her new family fully. And we breathed a deep sigh of relief as we also witnessed the private, beautiful, near miraculous scene which was both seen with the eyes and felt by the heart. Every breeder understands how fragile and how precious those teeny lives are within the first few hours and days.  ANYTHING can happen despite our very best care. Regardless of our level of experience or lack thereof, we are deeply humbled by how much more we really do not know.

All things work together for good to those who love the Lord. That's not just a token phrase or a lucky charm. That's a promise, written in the Word of God. It's something to take hold of and embrace fully. My surgery was suppose to be scheduled today. And while I'm certainly not thankful for the flu I've had, I can truly read the writing on the wall. Everything happens for a reason is what the Scripture says. It's not karma, I do not embrace the concept of karma. I do embrace the reality of a faithful and loving God. And I would dare suspect if Thistle could tell me, she would say she does too.

Thank you as always for your interest in what we do. Take care and God bless. (If this sounds a bit disjointed, resembling rambling please consider I haven't slept too much in about 72 hours, but this too shall pass.) John, Ann, and All Things Brittany

PS There are pups available from this litter.