Although I was very young when my parents were breeders of Boston Terriers, there are things I can still remember. I also have my dad's whelping journal. In 1990 John and I bred our first litter so one might think by now I'd be pretty adept at calling a pregnancy. Alas dear followers, that is not the case!
Holly is now 4 weeks post breeding. (Toph is 2 weeks.) Gestation takes 9 weeks so good grief and golly gee we are just about half-way! We cannot be sure of the EXACT day Holly ovulated but we do know that pups are born 63 after a dog ovulates, or drops her eggs. Bet you didn't think you'd be getting a little biology lesson here.
Because of hormones, after a heat ends a dog that has not been bred may actually demonstrate or go through some of the same things a pregnant dog will. Sometimes they will even go through a false pregnancy, their teats will fill with milk, they'll nest and seek dark spaces and sometimes they'll carry and 'mother' toys as if they were puppies. Despite knowing these things happen, I'm going to continue to remain extremely hopeful!
One of the first things to take place in a pregnant dog is a change in her nipples. They may become just a little bit more prominent and darker in color. Sometimes too, even though the heat has ended, in a pregnant dog the slightest, clear discharge may remain. Both of these things are true about Holly.
Almost from the first week Holly's behavior and demeanor has been so different. She has chosen, almost from Week 1, to retire to her crate and rest there most of the day when she's inside. With the exception of how very excited she gets about John's every move, there is less of this now. She seems to really prefer spending long periods of time sleeping in her crate, her den. Instead of being one of the first dogs to come around when it is mealtime, Holly is often no where to be seen. It's as if the smell of food is offensive to her. This past week it has been especially challenging to get Holly to eat her regular food despite putting cheese, fish oil, bits of steak etc. in it to entice her. But today when getting the dog dishes ready Holly actually tucked her tail between her legs and headed in the opposite direction, remaining once again in her crate.
Holly did this yesterday for both her breakfast and for her dinner so she absolutely needed to eat something. I cooked a boneless chicken breast in the microwave for her, mixing in some brown rice and a little chicken broth. Lo and behold Miss Holly Beth came running from the other room. Clearly she thought whatever I was cooking smelled good enough to eat. And that is what she did! Not just one serving, but two leaving me very, very happy.
As I mentioned previously, there's times I really think her rib cage has sprung. Like first thing this morning. As Holly went out the door I glanced quickly at her and noticed a slightly expanded rib cage. She hadn't had breakfast yet. Her 'tuck up' is still obvious, her waistline has not expanded. But that rib cage...
Once again this morning while setting out the dishes to feed our crew Holly was no where to be seen. I measured out each portion of dog food the sound of which caused a gathering of hungry and well behaved Brittanys. I fed them yet still no Holly. I looked in the other room and caught sight of her laying in the very back of her crate. Without any fanfare I prepared the chicken dish again and popped it in the microwave briefly. I took it out, set it on the counter to cool and walked away. Guess who came running and happily ate the meal prepared for her. Even if it meant hand feeding the last few spoonfuls.
Another interesting observation is her selective interaction with me. If I'm sitting down on the couch Holly may suddenly appear next to me and then look deeply into my eyes. She usually waits for an invitation to jump up next to me. She (and the others) know I am not a fan of uninvited jump ups and will respect that most of the time. Happily, I will signal to Holly and up she goes, leans into me (we call that hugging) and snuggles. John can ask Holly to give hugs, give kisses and she will oblige! She'll stay with me for a little while and then, interestingly enough, she will then go sprawl out and on my bed for awhile.
There's going to be an ultrasound taken. And we are going to confirm Holly's pregnancy. I will not only "keep calm and wait for results'' like the meme above declares but more importantly I will put Proverbs 3:5 into action:
Stay tuned. Thank you for following along with us. As always, take care and God bless and join us with all faith believing that we'll see the evidence of things hoped for - John, Ann, and All Things Brittany
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