ATB: Thistle Update

The guys have the 'man cave' and we have the 'puppy cave'.  And that is where Thistle has been spending most of her time for the past week.  I on the other hand spent most of my time the past week sick in bed with an annoying flu which showed up just in time to interfere with plans to spend time with our friends visiting from CT. Not only that, but because of this bug, my much anticipated total knee replacement surgery had to be rescheduled. However, the good news is I am beginning to feel better, gaining strength and just in time because Thistle is very, very close to having her puppies!  John has been her constant companion and now that we are certain I am not going to be in the hospital I too am enjoying these days before the arrival of her precious cargo right by her side.

Thistle went for a radio graph (x-ray) on Tuesday. While we have been private concerning the actual number of skulls and spines clearly seen, suffice to say the early ultrasound confirming 4-6 little embryos with beating hearts was a very conservative number. In fact we have started to screen once again additional serious inquiries as there will be some availability of pups.

We began to take Thistle's temperature over a week ago and it has been quite consistent at 101 with an occasional drop to 100.2.  Every fraction of a degree matters at this point in time. It is the drop below 100 that remains there which indicates the onset of Early Stage One Labor. We started with one daily reading, then every 12 hours.  This morning when John came into the house after spending the night in the puppy cave with her he announced we have our first drop in temperature.  I took it a few hours later and indeed, she is under 100 but it very easily could go up again.  Even so, this is the time of final preparation.  But above all, this is the time for Thistle to be kept calm, quiet, and afforded every opportunity to sleep without interruption. Does it have to be that way?  Absolutely not for everyone. But for me, it absolutely must be this way. 

If there is one thing we do not take casually it is the responsibility of being a breeder and being true to our purpose driven program here.  And the motivation truly is all for the love of the dog, both given and received. I am convinced the calmer and more uneventful a breeding and a pregnancy can be, the quieter the atmosphere for the dam to be, and the more private the whelping itself the better off the pups and momma will be. It's not always been this way for us, simply due to work schedules, family location and where we have lived. But now, we have the puppy cave and that is all there is to it.

There is a CD playing the most relaxing instrumental music 24/7, the curtains are drawn, the fire is kept going in the little woodstove, and all the necessary supplies one could possibly need are on hand. There is freshly laundered linen, puppy blankets, quilts and of course Thistles very own favorite crate blanket from home. And her puppy blanket Julie made while waiting for the arrival of her birth.

The whelping box, freshly disinfected with lined with a brand new carpet sits in the corner, surrounded by the x-pen if needed. There's blankets and newspaper in the box for Thistle to feel free to rip, dig, rearrange, or plop down in the middle of to her heart's content. All of the newspaper and blankets are removed slowly once pups actually arrive but for the time being it fosters the strong nesting desire she has.

There's also a crate covered with a blanket, the door is left open for her to go in and lay down at will.  We have an orthopedic dog bed in front of the whelping box with all of her favorite toys and Thistle has her best toy of all here - her Bunny Bun!!! Julie actually has bought a Bunny-Bun for Thistle to keep here, and it is part of what says to Thistle, this is HER space.  Theres a linoleum covered floor so when whelping begins we're not worried about carpet or mess or anything and she will be kept contained in the whelping area. The cot is also right next to the whelping box and we will spend the first week right here by her side.

So there's a television, plenty of books, the radio, and the computer with Netflix, Skype, etc. There is also constant live feed on our surveillance camera and a monitor so we can remain in touch with each other as need be.

TODAY IS HER FIRST DUE DATE
When Thistle went for her ultrasound our vet suggested based on the size of the embryos and the date that her progesterone level surged and the numbers involved March 16 would be a good estimate for delivery.  And also based on the day she was actually bred, March 19 was what I had written down. One thing for certain: puppies cometh!

Today Thistle has the luxury of sleeping as long and as often as she wants and wherever. No other dogs are ever allowed to come out here until pups are here and much older.  I especially don't subscribe to the aunty/gramie theory of letting other bitches in and in reality feel it's just asking for trouble on multiple levels. Plenty of breeders I know have not had issues of any kind and it is admittedly so cute when you see pictures depicting it. But I have heard of bitches coming in and killing a litter of pups without a second thought, or perhaps mom initiated a bitch fight where she got hurt and nervous drying up all her milk. My thinking is king of simple but  if you put so much into your breeding program, the well being of that girl who is having puppies for you is the most important priority you have at the time - why compromise the integrity?

I am sitting watching Thistle bask in the sunlight peeking through a closed curtain, she is stretched out on the floor. There's a normal progression of labor and we have the benefit of having been through her grandmother and her mother's pregnancies so it is not quite as challenging as it can be with the first time mother. Most likely, as time goes on Thistle will continue to be more restless, pacing, feeling like she has to go to the bathroom. I am already noticing her digging at blankets but not in the frantic manner in which she will dig when there is a puppy ready to be born.  I offer a soft 'good girl' to her each time her eyes meet mine.  What she has to say with her eyes will indicate a lot as accurately reading her body will do as well.

Watching as these early signs of approaching labor increase I am once more amazed at the beauty, grace, and dignity of this particular circle of life.  I will not coddle her as one would a human daughter for she is never going to be more animalistic than she is right now. But she will know that all we are doing, have done, and will continue to do is because of our love and yes, our respect for her. Thistle feels, Thistle trusts, Thistle communicates with her eyes and her approach towards us during this time. And our communication back is equally as important. It cannot be masked with the emotions that run high in humans, or betrayed by an unusually high tone of voice, nor of sympathy extended in what we articulate. She's smart and brilliant and intelligent.  She deserves to be treated as the incredible animal that she is, the precious one of God's lesser creatures in which we have been given dominion over.  If Thistle can look towards us, and not see anxious expressions she will not feel our anxiety.  If  Thistle can hear a tone of calm assurance in our voices, and not hear rises and falls in the inflection the pitch, she will receive the message that all is well.  This is all new to her but it is to her benefit we understand what she is going through.

Each time this vigil of watching and waiting for the arrival of a precious new litter of pups arrives is as special to me as the very first time. Despite experience, yes DESPITE experience, I am always aware of the seriousness of the moment. More important, I am always aware of the enormous responsibility that accompanies each and every decision to breed. This girl that lays in front of me IS like a daughter to her Julie, and she is named for the deep friendship that the Lord blessed us with, "Sisters of the Heart". Julie, John, and I co-own the combination of both parents of these pups (sired by Bullet).  Thistle is the one who brought smiles and laughter to my friends heart the year after Jim lost his battle with cancer. I understand the void in her home is great right now despite that she is taking care of my own new puppy Holly.   Although more than an animal in that sense, she is highly prized, loved, and extremely valuable on many, many fronts. There's a lot wrapped up in this little girl that the eyes cannot see but the heart can feel.  So this is as if it's the first time. I sit and wait, I pray, I watch I listen. We are here, tucked away in our puppy cave together. And my eyes are lifted to heaven as I each across to gently lay a hand upon her laboring abdomen, full to overflowing with new life within.  Asking God who created her, and in Jesus Name, to be merciful, kind, gentle and swift with what is to come. Give us wisdom and give Thistle favor. I pray for an uneventful, wonderful and positive whelping with healthy thriving puppies who are already loved far than they can even know. One of these pups will bring healing as well to our daughter and her family who lost their Boomer to cancer.  Several of the pups will be in families who already are part of our ATB family. There are more families yet to come.  But I know that already, God is putting everything together.

Do I get scared? You betcha.  But you'll never hear it from me.  Please keep us all covered in prayer, thank you. Take care and God bless, John, Ann and All Things Brittany