J&A's Brittanys "Autumn's Treasures" - 2 Weeks Old

Each day brings something new to discover about the pups, even at 2 weeks old!  Several puppies of Autumn's Treasure's have started to open their eyes and I suspect by mid-week they will all be open. They always remind me of little panda bears at this stage. It won't be long before their vision becomes clearer and they will start to be aware of their surroundings for the very first time. Their reactions are so funny as they look around. Sometimes they are quite baffled at what they see. 

As the first two weeks of the puppy's life concludes, so will the neonatal stage. They entered the world blind, deaf, and neurologically undeveloped. There is very little difference between their brain activity from the time they sleep or when awake. I have followed the early development exercises which actually help their nervous system mature quicker and also to enhance certain learning skills. 

With eyes opening the Transitional Period begins. This is from 14 - 21 days of age and these pups are on schedule! Right now, coordination is NOT their strong point but that will come with time. That's fine with me though, they are comic relief in a time when it is needed most. All of the puppies are up on all four of their wobbly legs and trying to figure out how to make it all work together. They bump into each other, roll up and over their littermates bodies, and when their energy runs out, they collapse wherever they happen to be. There is increased brain activity right now in contrast to the quiet near reverent first weeks of life in neonatal puppies and their bodies are responding!

Of course one of the best things about having puppies is when you can sit on the floor with them and be in the middle of a puppy pile! They are very close to climbing up and over and I expect at anytime to see a puppy out on the floor. When that happens it's our cue to extend the height of the sides to contain them just a wee bit longer. As the puppies have started to move about more in the whelping box they also are beginning to eliminate on their own. I put a puppy pee pad down today just for curiosity sake in the box. I was pleased to see evidence of a few puppies peeing on it already. 

In about 5 days or so their ears will begin to open. As we approach this period we are mindful of loud noises around the puppies. The first time that I notice their reaction to sound is an exciting one for me! I begin to gently clap my hands to see if they will turn their heads in the direction the sound is coming from.

I have loved the neonatal stage. Spending hours observing the puppy's every move with just the glow of the overhead heat lamp is one of my favorite things to do. Listening to their breathing, weighing them, making sure Holly is settled in her duties. Our care for them will continue increase and Holly will eventually 'hand off' her duties and the real work begins. Even so, it's a labor of love and I knew what I was getting into. I am hopelessly devoted and look forward to each and every stage of the next 6 weeks.

As always thank you for your interest! Take care and God bless you and yours. John, Ann, Holly and pups, and the entire ATB crew. 

J&A's Britanys: Patriot Photos & Names

Toph's family wanted to give her puppies patriotic names in honor of the 4th of July.  They came up with  a list of about 18 names all related in some way to patriotism because we knew the puppies were due around Independence Day. Last night our daughter, son in law, and three children all had a chance to finally visit Toph and her new family.  And I had a chance to finally get 10 individual pictures of them with their new names.  It is going to be fun to follow Toph and True's Puppy Patriots Journey as well as that of Miss Holly Beth and Bullet's Timeless Treasures. Patriots will be 1 week old tomorrow and Timeless Treasures 3 weeks!  As always, thanks for your interest in our Brittanys. Hope you enjoy these photos.  Take care and God bless from John, Ann, and ATB.

J&A's Reckless Love

All Things Toph

The Patriotic litter has gotten off to a great start. I think we've finally caught up on the sleep we missed those days up to and immediately following their arrival. Oh what a night! Now, in just a few days John and I have been able to help Toph adapt to her new role and at 5 days old she's doing a great job.  Pups and momma have been seen by our vets and are doing well.

They are gaining nicely and are very beautiful and sweet babies. Toph has a great appetite and is totally focused on the pups. In the beginning as is often the case she would not leave the whelping box even to eat though so we would sit on the floor and bring her food dish and then her water.  It was hard to even get her to get up and leave to go outside to relieve herself.  I bought her a small dog bed and she has figured out it's okay to sit down on this just outside the box.  It gets her out from under the heat lamp thus becoming much more comfortable. We've been giving regular updates to Maryann about how pups and Tophs are doing and they hope to be able to spend some time with them soon.  Our girls are so spoiled when they have pups when it comes to special food. So far their favorite has been pure natural vanilla whole fat ice cream!  They've also enjoyed cottage cheese, yogurt, steak, chicken, liver and of course nursing mother's pudding.  I plan to make my 3rd batch of that today.  Right now the puppies are demanding the most out of their dams so it's so very important to feed them as much high calorie, rich in calcium foods.  The third week is when the demands are the greatest which is just about the time we begin to introduce pups to solid food and the weaning process will begin.  Toph and Trues pups are just beautiful, smart, agile and active.  By the third day a couple of them had figured out how to maneuver themselves up onto her back.  I love to watch as Toph falls asleep with one of her babies curled up close. Shades of her grandmother Pippin (who becomes a great-grandmother with these puppies!)


All Things Holly
The Timeless Treasure pups are 19 days old.  And just like that their eyes are open, their weight has more than doubled, they can hear, and they are up on all fours. Two days ago I started to softly say 'puppy, puppy, puppy', make a little smoochie sound, and gently clap my hands as I approached the whelping box.  I didn't get much of a reaction the first time. That changed today as I walked in singing to them the chorus to a song I absolutely love called 'Reckless Love' .

"Oh the overwhelming, never ending, reckless love of God.

How it chases me down, fights 'til I'm found, leave the 99."

Suddenly several little heads bopped up and looked curiously around and I continued to sing this to them. They are truly awake!

Later on in the day I took them all out of their whelping box and set them out onto their mother's dog bed. This is a continuation of their early learning experiences as they are placed upon a variety of surfaces and touches in the coming weeks. Their little noses were buried in the fake fur covering as they detected their mother's scent.  A couple of them moved off the bed and onto the linoleum covered floor, the first slippery surface they have encountered so far. Their individual reactions were priceless.  Some wanted to turn around and get back on Holly's dog bed.  A couple others buried their head in the corner as if to say "make the world go away!". And there were a couple who just climbed off and walked unsteadily in the direction of the open door.  That is until they ran out of gas.  Pups of this age have brief, short energy spurts and when the energy runs out they just plop wherever they happen to be.

We've been blessed to have a "puppy
nanny" this week.  One of our granddaughters has been here to sit with the pups while we catch up on sleep or errands. Ivy's help is two-fold.  It helps the puppies get use to a different voice and being handled by other people while being part of our own going socialization. Late this afternoon Holly's puppies were introduced to fresh air as we continue to prepare each one for the first day of the rest of their lives.

Later on the pups were also visited by two more grandchildren and I look forward to more of these visits on a regular basis to see both litters of pups in the coming weeks.  I just can't believe how quickly time is going by.  The near reverent atmosphere of awaiting the birth has turned into a little more activity as the pups go from neo-natal to toddler stage.

ALL THINGS PUPPIES
This has turned out to be such a wonderful time of year for puppies.  I was very pleased to receive a compliment from one of our vets who makes house calls about the set up that we have and the health and well being of the pups. I hate poopy puppies and I hate having odor surrounding them.  This means it is a full time job to sanitize, disinfect, deodorize etc.  It is nice when our efforts are recognized!  I always say we are 'nothin' fancy here'.  But we do our best especially when it comes to the pups we're responsible to bring into the world.  In a week or so we're going to use roomy outside pens in the grass for the pups to enjoy on summer days.  I was looking for Lil Tykes outdoor toys and someone gave us for free one of their little forts with stairs and a slide. Can you imagine all these puppies scrambling and playing with that?  I also really hope to make one of those PVC activity centers. The thing is, the clock is ticking and the pups are developing.  I probably can never do all the things I hope to do but I will do as much as I can.  Already Hollys pup show the benefits of following the S.M.A.R.T. puppy program and I am doing the same with Toph's pups. I'm spending this summer exactly the way I want to spend it despite how very much work it involves!

The rest of the crew are doing very well.  John brings several to the field throughout the week and runs dogs with our friends.  They all enjoy a quick trip down to the farm pond for a quick dip and laps around the edges.  It's very low right now but it's just right for them.  The pups will get to check this out when they are older.

Something cute... our oldest grandson was asking if I was going to keep a puppy. I told him I wasn't sure and my main reason is because of Treasure having canine cognitive dysfunction. I don't want to take time away from her.  My grandson told me that I really should because most of our dogs are now in double digits. And he said when he gets his driver license he can come up and help out.  I'll think about this logic, Callum, I will think about it.

Thanks for your interest as always!  Take care and God bless, John, Ann, and ATB

J&A's "The Patriotic Litter" Is Here!

12 Hours

24 hours

We are pleased to announce the arrival of Toph and True's10 beautiful new puppies born in the wee hours of July 8.  "The Patriotic Litter" and their mother "Toph" are doing well.  Maryann and our granddaughter were here for the long haul after I sent a text saying Toph's temperature had officially dropped.  All the puppies were born from midnight to 6 a.m., very similar to Holly's time table!  Speaking of Holly, she and her pups are quite amazing and I'll share a better update soon; John and I are still trying to catch up on sleep. Right now it is all about Miss Toph and her puppies. I do want to give a shout out to our granddaughter Ivy who came to puppy-sit Holly's pups so John and I could bring Toph and pups to the vets for neo-natal exam and procedures. I hope you enjoy these photos from the first 72 hours and when I get a chance I'll share more because afterall I only have about a gazillion photos of puppy photos which I have taken recently! I'd like to thank those of you in our puppy prayer watch group for your faithfulness in praying us through.  It means a lot.  

72 Hours.

There are 10 puppies: 1 liver and 

white girl 1 orange and white girl, 4 liver and white boys,

and 4 orange and white boys 

It's nice to know there are those who enjoy following our blog. It's been awhile since we've had pups to write about! Whenever I get a chance I'll share more and pick up my "From the Whelping Box"theme again. (We are playing Pandora, Kevin Kearn Radio and Relaxation Radio when I'm not listening to K-Love!) As always take care and God bless. John, Ann & ATB

J&A's Full Speed Ahead

Just a brief update as many of you have privately messaged us to ask if all is well.  Indeed it is VERY well, thank you!

Toph's due date, according to our vet's prediction based on size of pup from ultrasound, was July 4th.  However, I have a tried but true method of determining due dates and my estimate was July 6 - 9.  Suffice to happily say pups of True and Toph are, as they say, "on the ground"!   John and I are basically working split shifts, we are like two ships that pass in the night with each one of us taking turns as needed to observe pups and their momma. I'd asked the owners and breeders of both Toph's mother and grandmother if Toph had "easy whelpers" behind her.  I was very happy to learn that they are and were. Toph's Stage 1 labor was so long after her temperature dropped.  We walked the emotional balancing board for many hours.  We are firm believers that you give the momma every possible chance for a natural delivery and understand that a lot of time and patience is involved. I didn't think Stage One Labor was ever going to end.  I watched the clock as I was aware of when our vets office closed. The very LAST thing I wanted to do was have to make a trip to an E-clinic. My experiences with middle of the night emergencies at an E-clinic are less than desirable as we've been met with a clear bias against breeders. Just sayin'.

Maryann was really hoping that the pups would be born on Hunter's birthday.  He was from our very first litter born in 1990. That would have had great significance especially to her as a first time dog breeder.  Toph's first puppy arrived just minutes after midnight and her last one as dawn was breaking. Oh what a beautiful morning!

Specifics and photos will be forthcoming once we have passed the 72 hour mark.  At this point all pups have gained weight and Toph is a wonderful mom.

Holly also is doing great.  Her pups are 2 weeks old already! Their eyes have just opened and they're up on all fours, walking around like drunken little sailors (no offense to sailors).  I like to see weight doubled by 10 days and from that point I want to see an average weight gain of 1 pound per week. I weighed the pups yesterday and was happy to see the weight average for the "Timeless Treasures" litter is 2 lbs. These puppies are absolutely delightful!

I have so many pictures it's not funny.   But I have very little time to edit and share at the moment.  I've been sitting here writing and dozed off several times. John and I are exhausted but you won't find us complaining. This is a lifestyle choice for us and while yes indeed, it's going to continue to get crazy busy over the next 8 weeks we also know how briefly the time flies.

The season of sadness has now turned into a jubilant season of "full speed ahead"!  For 8 brief weeks John and I will pour out our love, our time, resources and energy into the lives of these Brittany puppies. It has already meant several sleepless nights (said she who just fell asleep at the keyboard). John and I are well aware of how fleeting these moments in time are and before we know it these pups will know the first day of the rest of their life with their new families.  Speaking of these wonderful people who will soon open their hearts and homes to a new puppy, I have already shared the news with all of them and I know they are very very happy!

Stay tuned for some spectacular photos soon.  There simply is not enough hours in this day to share any of them at this time!

I am so thankful tonight that we have a God who cares about 'all things' that matter to us.  The slogan of "All Things Brittany" comes from the words found in the hymn of All Things Bright and Beautiful:

All things bright and beautiful,

All creatures great and small,

All things wise and wonderful:

The Lord God made them all.

To that my dear ones I would add "AMEN" when I consider "ALL THINGS BRITTANY."

Take care and God bless.  J&A

J&A's Brittanys All Eyes on Toph

In the quietness of these early moments we watch, we wait and above all we pray with peaceful and joyous expectations. Father God please keep your hand of comfort upon your beautiful, lesser creature that we love and care about as the hour draws near we ask in Jesus Name.

J&A's Fourth of July!

Happy birthday America / Puppies early scent introduction (wing)
Charting Toph's temp / Better than fireworks / Holly's break

In the past we often celebrated America's birthday on July 4th by hosting huge cookouts at our home inviting family, friends, and neighbors.  Often there would be well over 50 gathered together to enjoy all things barbecued. Some years were better than others and we would have Maine lobsters and steamers obtained right off the local, nearby docks of the Piscataqua River. We did the turkey in a garbage can thing, bean hole beans you name it we did it!  Our pool was opened up and supervised kids would have a blast!  Then, in the evening we'd either travel over to Portsmouth, NH to catch the fireworks over North Pond or stay put and enjoy gathering around our own firepit into the wee hours of the morning under a beautiful starlit sky.  We had a small, built-in screen house underneath our balcony offering a necessary reprieve from the inevitable onslaught of mosquitoes. Other ways we have celebrated the 4th include sitting on the beach in York, Maine watching fireworks, a trip around Lake Winnepesaukee in New Hampshire on the Mount Washington boat, or cruising on a friends party boat with a group of John's co-workers while the fireworks exploded from lakefront homes. This year however was different.

This evening (or should I say this early morning) is spent in quietness and intimacy far removed from the explosions or partying that this day brings. The night is beautiful and God is an awesome creator.  The stars glisten and shine as a slight breeze blows. The rising moon is an indescribable color as it makes it way above the tree line. And it is good. Everything that God does indeed is good and we know that "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." James 1:17 

There are other sights and sounds here and now that I wouldn't miss for the world. The miracle of life right in front of my eyes as demonstrated by Holly and her family.  The grace and beauty of nature as Toph instinctively prepares for the arrival of her own. All wrapped in the gift of love, respect, and admiration I feel for them.  They are special to God too! Take time to seek what is written about animals. We are to highly regard and revere their very lives, caring well for them. 

The pups are 10 days old, content, and fairly quiet. There are occasional mews, squeals of delight or agitation, and once in awhile an actual pint sized neo-natal 'woof' sound. Eyes are closed but they will open soon. Holly keeps them so impeccably clean at this point you'd hardly think they even ever pooped. This job of keeping them clean will be handed off to John and I in a couple of weeks and then some. I have been faithful to perform the early stimulation exercises with them daily and even added early scent introduction today using an actual frozen grouse wing saved after last fall's bird hunting!

.

I am monitoring Toph's temperature looking for that all important drop that stays below 100 degrees. I'm beginning to see a bit of a trend develop which sometimes happens.  Things are right on time.  She enjoys the slow, long walks I have been taking her own. Toph's usually full speed ahead but certainly that's not the case currently.  Regular updates are given to my daughter who owns her.  Toph is accustomed to frequent visits here so being with us is no unusual thing. 

And with that it's time to try to get back to sleep!  Thanks for your interest in ATB and as always take care and God bless.  John and Ann 

PS I have to thank our puppy watch prayer group for carrying us through in Jesus Name. So blessed. Please continue to pray also for Peggy and Billy.

J&A's Timeless Treasures - 1 Week Old

All Things Holly
Our first week with Holly and her beautiful 9 puppies has gone very well.  Their weight gain has been so good.  Average weight for the litter is 1 lb 2 oz.  The smaller pups balance out the larger pups.  They are moving around the whelping box like curious little hunting puppy dogs should. I have been loosely following the 5 S.M.A.R.T. puppy early neo-natal exercises and it's a lot of fun. At first Holly really was nervous whenever I reached for and removed a puppy. I sat down on the floor next to her and let her nudge, lick, poke at her pup while I was holding it.  After a few days she just looks at me with trusting eyes. Now I can go to the box, pick up a pup to weigh, exam and play with a little bit and Holly doesn't mind at all. But if they let out a squeal it's all over and she comes to let me know puppy needs to come back NOW!  Our vet friend stopped by again the other day, he's always full of great tips and advice. John and I are developing a schedule that works.

Puppy eyes should open in a few more days or so.  I can already see the teeny little line of demarcation, the slit where they will open. We have a few woofing puppies too!

All Things Toph
Yesterday was a fun day for Toph as some of her family came for a brief visit.  She loved seeing two of 'her kids' who sat with her and gave her hugs and belly rubs. Toph is doing her very best to stay comfortable.  It's cool and comfortable where her whelping box is set up. It won't be long sweet Toph.  I am looking forward to being on the other side of this where she is resting and nursing her puppies.  And not to rush time but also can't wait for the summer days of playing outside with puppies!

Hope everyone is managing to stay cool.  Remind me not to complain in the middle of the winter when it's below freezing!!

Take care and God bless... continued prayers please for Billy, for my friend Peggy, and for the puppies yet to be born, already born, and their dams.
John, Ann and All things Brittany.

J&A's Brittanys Just Born Puppy Photos

The 'TIMELESS TREASURES" Litter

72 hours have now passed since Holly gave birth to her beautiful babies.  She is doing so well for a first time momma. Over the past 5 days I have only spent one of them sleeping in my own bed.  The rest of the time has been spent close enough to intervene with Holly if necessary yet at a far enough distance so that she has the privacy to develop an intimate bond with her puppies. 

Public Service Announcement:  Okay.  So it's 5:30 pm on Wednesday afternoon.  I just fell asleep at this keyboard and when I opened my eyes I saw about a dozen lines of dddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd's.  Not tired, no, not at all!  We'll return to our regularly scheduled blog. 

I don't like to use collars, rick rack, markers, nail polish or most any other method to identify pups when they are born. What has always worked for John and I at least since the inception of digital photography is time stamped images. As John helped Holly with each puppy, making sure things were going well with placentas, cords, breathing etc. I was busy weighing, disinfecting what's left of the umbilical cord, aspirating raspy sounding pups, and trying my best to get a just born photo in the scale while at the same time recording the weight.  Not to mention gender.  Believe it or not, in the hustle and bustle of delivering puppies and doing all that I just mentioned it is possible to get the gender wrong! 

I make simple ID cards ahead of time so that all I have to do is circle boy or girl, note time of birth and weight. I keep them in a pile next to the scale where just born information is noted.  When everything is said and done, like about 72 hours later, I can go back and put it all together. So that's what I have been doing this afternoon but that's enough of about my OCD.  You want to know how the puppies are!

John came up with most of the following litter nicknames

Legend (Heartfelt Legend, Pips name)

Mo (Mopar equals Hemi engine or something like that)

Star (Treasure & Wish when you WISH UPON A STAR your DREAMS COME TRUE)

LJ (for Jack dog = Little Jack)

Dude (Bullet nickname)

GIRL NICKNAMES

Dudette (Julie and a friend use this)

Polly (rhymes with Holly)

Dolly (rhymes with Holly)

Beth (Holly Beth) 

(These are all temporary although sometimes people will keep them.)

It's been challenging to feed Holly.  One minute she's loving nursing mother's pudding and the next she hates it.  This is true for whole fat cottage cheese and whole fat yogurt.  All three of these are high in calcium and that is the goal right now.  We give her calcium tablets with every meal (1 Tums). The other day John roasted a turkey just for Holly!  I've been boiling liver and keeping the liver water from it just in case one of the pups needed a little extra nourishment.  Pups on the other hand are all little piggy puppies.  The average litter weight at 72 hours is 13 oz.  The pup who's just born weight was 6 oz now weighs 11.  They are gaining more weight every day.  Personally speaking, I like to see a pups weight closely coincide with how many weeks old they are. I'm already comparing these pups weight with that of Holly's litter and all of Treasure's litters, and of Wish's average litter weight at this stage.

Puppies are agile, strong, active and very content.  They move around the whelping box from one end to the other. Like little wind up clocks though they do run out of steam.  I love to watch Holly watch her puppies. It's funny, she sits up in the whelping box sometimes to nurse.  It's like she has a better vantage point to keep an eye on them.

The room is kept warm and under the heat lamp it is much warmer.  Think of a brooder light for chickens. The warmth is not too hot for pups but a little rough on mom. High temperatures are desired for puppies the first week or so. Lots of reasons including preventing a few diseases. Holly has yet to leave the box very often even if she's panting.  Eventually though, once pups have been fed and are fast asleep Holly will begin to step out and rest in a cooler area. Holly has enjoyed running and jumping.

Yesterday tails were docked and dewclaws removed.  We like to do that within the 36 hours or soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo  

Okay okay this time I left it here so you can see.  Stick a fork in me, I am done for the day!  I'll catch up again soon. And stay tuned, we're coming into the final countdown for the ever sweet Miss Toph!  zzzzzzzzzzzz 

J&A's Brittanys: Introducing Holly's "Timeless Treasures"

The "TIMELESS TREASURES"
Sire: CH J&A's High Caliber Harris Special SH "BULLET"
Dam: J&A's Carry the Dream of Acton JH, NA 110 Prize 1 "HOLLY BETH"

On June 24, 2018 at 12:30 a.m. Holly delivered the 1st of her 9 beautiful Brittany puppies.  The last one was born at 5:00 a.m. It was a joy to see that she carries the same strong maternal instincts as her own mother Treasure and her grandmother Wish. Holly is doing great and so are all 9 puppies. We're all very, very exhausted but that goes with the territory.  After not having a litter of puppies here for 4 years, it is just awesome to look at Holly and her puppies and feel such a sense of joy and happiness.  I have to thank our Puppy Prayer Watch group of Kira, Julie, Teri, Christine, Bo and others who prayed us through. Holly delivered her 1st puppy just about 12 hours from when her temperature dropped, thus the importance of charting the highs and lows. 

For several days John and I will take shifts and stay 24/7 with our pups.  One of our vets dropped in today to check in on the happy family.  He was very pleased with how Holly and the pups were doing as well as the set up we have. Tomorrow the puppies will have their dewclaws removed and their tails will be cropped per the requirements of the American Brittany Club and the American Kennel Club Breed Standard.

The first 72 hours are key.  We're watching weight gain, is momma cleaning and stimulating the pups, is every puppy getting a turn to nurse, and more.  So far they all have gained weight and the litter's overall average birth weight is 10 oz as we close in on 48 hours old.

What I can tell you tonight in all honesty is that there is a near sense of reverence to sit back and watch the bonding and the love develop between Holly and her pups. It is beautiful especially in the light of the heat lamp and the ambiance of the music playing.  I'm also using Lavender essential oil not only for aroma therapy to relax but also to keep poopy momma smells to a minimum! 

Soon I will upload photos to our Facebook page. There's a link to that in the column to the right and I don't think you have to be on FB to see them. I have a gazillion pictures! 

"Thank you Lord that we are witness to the miracle of life through these amazing, graceful animals called the Brittany. They are your 'lesser creatures' given to us to care for and also enjoy. But they give back so much to us right from the beginning, even to the end of their all too short lives. I ask that beginning now and until that day you'll keep them healthy, safe, protected, and loved. As these coming weeks go by please allow all things to work for good because we love you.  I pray now in Jesus Name for each and every person who is awaiting the first day of the rest of the life of their new puppy.  Help them as they prepare to welcome that pup into their heart and home.  Give us all wisdom when it comes to the selection as you have done in the past.  In the meantime Lord, for these brief 8 weeks that will fly by, please strengthen us and equip us to do our very best in preparing these pups for the day they will leave.  Help us as we give them the start that they deserve as we are responsible to bring them into this world.  Comfort Holly Beth as she regains her own strength. I pray also for sweet Miss Toph as her due date is quickly approaches. And especially tonight - I bring my nephew Billy to you yet again. Please intervene Lord as he fights this cancer, strengthen him in the hospital, let us see a miracle in Jesus Name.  Amen" 

I really hope you are following along in the book that is required reading for our puppy people, The Art of Raising a Puppy by Monks of New Skete.  You'll love knowing what development stage your pup is experiencing.  If I wasn't so tired I'd share more about it but yeah, I'm about ready to nod off at the keyboard and it's been awhile since I was that tired.

Take care and God bless,

John & Ann & All Things Brittany

ritory. 

J&A's Brittanys Charting Holly's Temperature

Last week....

This afternoon! (Yellow = watch range)

What an uncomfortable puppy our sweet Holly is.  We continue to spend more time in the whelping room aka puppy cave aka grooming studio.  Brittanys are versatile, so are we.

Almost a week ago I began to monitor Holly's body temperature using a chart I created for that purpose.  Today, as you can see, we've just had our first temperature drop. This initial drop indicates for me it is time to begin to monitor her temp every 12 hours instead of once a day. (I use a thermometer that is specific for veterinary use.) It's also time to watch her much more closely for those ever so subtle signs that 1st stage of labor is drawing near, a stage that lasts about 6-18 hours.

Holly's progesterone level will drop about 48 hours prior to whelping. We are not there yet though.  It most likely will go back up a little bit.  It's important to realize that the temperature drop may or may not be indicative of the actual time pups will arrive. For me though, it's always been pretty darn reliable! My rule of thumb is once her temp drops below 100 and STAYS there, and continues to drop further she will not be left alone.  Today is just the first significant drop so I had to look twice!

Holly soon will be separated completely from the other dogs, we'll do our best to eliminate unnecessary noise and  unexpected visitors (no offense intended). As it approaches and also during the 1st stage of labor it's important for the momma to be kept as calm and to avoid as much stress as possible. She'll be having mild contractions during this stage and her cervix will begin to dilate.

I have my Kindle and my Urbanista charged up so that I can have Pandora playing and my choice of relaxing, calming music is piano solos.  This time we will be using an Adaptil calming collars at the suggestion of one of our vets. I also have lavender essential oil to diffuse as needed. We have our surveillance camera/monitor set up so that we can see and communicate with each other if needed. One of us will always be with her.

I'm still waiting for my order of Calsorb to arrive so in the meantime I will be making a batch of Mother's Nursing Pudding.  Once labor begins and the first puppy arrives we will give Holly calcium. The Calsorb should be here by then but we'll still have the pudding.  John brought home cottage cheese and yogurt too so we'd have it handy. The importance of the calcium can't be taken for granted.  She'll also be given Pedialyte in her water bucket because they lose a lot of electrolytes during the whelping progress.

Stage 1 labor ends and Stage 2 begins when contractions begin to become more forceful and involuntary. The water sack bursts and then momma dog will begin to give birth. Holly's mother and grandmother were considered to be 'easy whelpers'. She has a half sister who followed in their paw-steps so we're hoping Holly will too!

Stage 3 comes when all pups and placentas have been delivered. momma is visibly resting, and her uterus begins to relax.

Don't be worried if there's no communication from us during this upcoming time-frame.  We won't be getting any sleep and life will literally be on hold for us with the exception of 'all things Holly'.

Speaking of which, it's time to cook some more chicken for our girl and make a batch of nursing mother's pudding to have on hand.  Stay tuned!  This is the hurry up and wait phase.

Dear Lord please be merciful as Holly approaches the birth of her first litter. We thank you for your faithfulness to watch over and protect all that concerns us in Jesus Name we pray, Amen.

As always, take care and God bless and thanks for your interest. It means a lot!  John, Ann, and All Things Brittany

PS Our waiting list is nearly full, there's still some availability though! Thank you to those who have confirmed with us this weekend and to those who have referred people to us.  But mostly I thank God for causing our paths to cross.  I am looking forward to this expansion of the ATB Family as we approach with great excitement the arrival of the 4th generation of J&A's Brittanys. Yes I am excited and proud :)

J&A's Brittanys 7 Weeks & Counting

Holly is approaching her 7th week of pregnancy.  Soon, we will begin to take her temperature daily and do that for about a week.  A dogs normal temperature typically is between 101 and 102.5 but usually it will drop below 100 as labor approaches. We'll monitor Holly's temperature more frequently as her due date gets closer and record it on a chart.  Sometimes temps will fluctuate a few times, but when it drops below 100 and stays there, and continues to drop further we know we can expect to see puppies born within a certain time frame.  There are other signs that take place of course and we will be watching for them all!

Holly has become especially fond of her belly rubs lately.  Maryann sent me a picture of Miss Toph also obviously enjoying them too.  Yesterday, as I was obliging Holly I noticed that the hair on her tummy has started to shed.  It will continue to do so, leaving a hairless belly which makes it easier for her puppies to make their way to nurse. And speaking of puppies, they are ever so subtly making their presence known under the lightest touch of my hand. 

The 'puppy cave' is almost fully prepared. Each night I spend about an hour there with Holly, her mother Treasure, and grandmother Pippin. They all lay down together on the quilts and blankets. Holly seems to look forward to this at the end of the day.  She's very big now and even has a little waddle to her walk! 

I have been enjoying the correspondence with those who will be joining our ATB family.  If the estimate given for the number of Bullet and Holly puppies is accurate, then this litter is fully reserved. We do still have puppy availability for Toph and True's litter but that window is closing too.

We will bring her back for an actual x-ray closer to her due date. This will help us to determine when she has actually finished whelping her last puppy.  When Treasure whelped the litter Holly was born into (sired by Hemi) we thought her mother was finished.  Our vet stopped by the next day and suggested we bring Treasure in for an x-ray.  We did and were shocked to learn she still was carrying one puppy. No one expected that it could still be alive but a c-section proved us all wrong and one beautiful little healthy boy puppy arrived! Thus the importance of the x-ray.

In the meantime, I learned that my sister fell and fractured a hip and underwent an emergency partial hip transplant!  She is in rehab now.  I would covet and appreciate your ongoing prayers for her, for my nephew as he fights cancer, and 

 also for our son, daughter in law, and grandson who are on a Missions Trip to Ghana, Africa. 

As my dad use to say 'today is yesterday's tomorrow' and the clock just struck midnight!  Time to wrap it up.  Take care and God bless you and yours always. Thanks for your interest.  John, Ann, and All Things Brittany

ATB Video: 3 1/2 Weeks Wilson & Pippin's Girls

Before we know it Eleta, Amie, and Kiba will be living the first day of the rest of their lives with their family and John and I will be waving goodbye as the car pulls out of the driveway!

THISTLE We received an update on Thistle today from Dr. Estel. The current plan is to stay the course. There has been a histiopathological exam involving the surgical specimen of the liver and the biopsy of the uterus and ovaries.  The thing to take away from the results is that there is no cancer.  There will be additional consultations on Monday.  From all that Julie has shared Thistle is doing great and has been more like herself. She had a day or two of increased activity which was so good to know. The prescribed medication she's been taking is having a positive effect on her body.  Praise God and also thank you to so many caring individuals who have reached out to us this past month a month where we truly have learned:

"'Cause what if your blessings come through rain drops

What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise"

CHRISSY Today when I approached the puppies in the whelping box they greeted me with little woofs!  I responded back happily by making funny noises and exaggerated motions.  Three beautiful little Brittany puppies ran to the edge of the box and each one tried to climb up onto the pig rail. As I watched them with amusement it seemed as if they have a bit of a competitive spirit within them, a realization that made me think of their beautiful grandmother Chrissy who was extremely animated and spunky.  Pippin and also Thistle the Pistol take after Chris that way.  The daughter of DC/AFC Masked Shoshoni War Chief JH Chrissy just passed on to the "Rainbow Bridge" after a brief illness.  She would have turned 13 years old in another week. Our deepest sympathies, love and prayers to the lovely couple who she shared her life with following motherhood and from teaching me how fun showing can be with a Brittany who enjoys it! 

DESIRES OF THE HEART Speaking of all things repeated, I cannot tell you how many times I have sat in the darkened area just on the other side of the whelping area and watched with awe as the new family bonds with their dam.  I have witnessed sights which one could nearly refer to as reverent.  Tonight was no exception.  Pippin and I had taken a bit of a walk together out in the yard earlier. Upon returning I refreshed her pail of water and filled her food dish.  It was time to get her settled  and make sure the pups were all set.   I turned the overhead lights out and switched on the little night light leaving the soft instrumental music playing.  The light from the overhead infrared heat lamp cast a light pink glow upon the three pups while the surrounding area was in darkness.  That's where I sat, in the darkness finding myself mesmerized by that precious sight.  The pups could not see me on the other side so of course they were unaware they had a captive audience. 

Pippin jumped up into my lap and together we watched Eleta, Kiba, and Amie each approach the side of the box.  Each one simultaneously lifted one little leg onto the rail and then the other bringing their little bobble head up higher than the edge.  I wondered what it looked like to them!  It was if they were sizing the situation up before making the one brave move which would launch them up, over, and down onto the other side of the world as they know it up to now. I whispered to Pippin 'uh oh Pip! Soon they will be invading your space!'  Her response believe it of not was to jump down off my lap and move closer to where they were. Pippins appearance quickly diverted the attention of the pups from their great escape to her own powerful presence.  I thought to myself how clever she was to perceive the situation and to then intervene as she did.   After gently bopping the bobble heads down from the rail Pip nonchalantly stepped up, over and into where they were and offered them their dinner. When it is meal time they turn into little piggies slurping and suckling away at their mother. Tonight Pippin fed them their late night supper while standing, causing the pups to stand as well.  If I had not felt the teeth inside their mouths earlier I would now have understood this move on Pippin's part!

I think the greatest changes appear right now from 3 weeks to 4 weeks.  I see differences in the pups from morning to night sometimes. They look at me with intent and purpose. They respond to my voice and to my movements.  When I hold them they stretch their heads forward to kiss my nose.  And the puppy breath! The all intoxicating puppy breath!  Ahhhhhhhh......

I'm fighting the overwhelming urge to fall asleep.  A few seconds ago I drifted off briefly to awaken to several lines of m's typed across the page. Pippin and her pups can be observed throughout the night and into the next day through the live stream video.   I can roll over into the awaiting paws of Treasure and her hot shot daughter Holly Beth.  And I can lift a pray to God, thanking Him yet again for His faithfulness to watch over and protect all that concerns us.  I will write more again soon about the puppies and their development and thank you as always for your interest in ATB.  Take care and God bless you always.

BLESSINGS

We pray for blessings, we pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
And all the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

'Cause what if your blessings come through rain drops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom, Your voice to hear
We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt your goodness, we doubt your love
As if every promise from Your word is not enough
And all the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

'Cause what if your blessings come through rain drops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know that pain reminds this heart
That this is not,
This is not our home
It's not our home

'Cause what if your blessings come through rain drops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near

What if my greatest disappointments or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy
What if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are your mercies in disguise

Writer(s): Laura Mixon Story, Liz Story
Copyright: Story Duke Music, Laura Stories, New Spring Publishing Inc., Warner-tamerlane Publishing Corp.

ATB: The First Nine Days

COMMUNICATION A few times in the past few days I have tried to sit down to compose a blog post but it hasn't happened.  Instead, I have fallen asleep no matter what time of day it's been.  I've also tried to follow conversations on Facebook privately or publicly without any success. My e-mail correspondence is way behind as well. As far as the telephone, well that is a non-issue because I do not do telephone calls. That's John's department and he's getting pretty good at texting too, God love him.

I've wanted to share each and every moment of these past 9 days that have been spent with Pippin and her little family of three. I just find it hard to put it all into writing.  I have taken many photographs though and shared them with Wilson's owners and those who are waiting for their puppy. A lot of pictures are posted on Facebook and a few here on this blog. Usually I am much more adept at writing for "All Things Brittany."  I'm going to chalk it up to exhaustion which has come at me from many levels not the least of which is the ongoing recovery process from my total knee replacement surgery in the spring. Having said that, this is my sincere effort to bring you up to date.

PUPPY NAMES   Eleta, Kiba, and Amie's litter nicknames were carefully researched.  Kira (Wilson's owner) and Julie (Bullet's owner) offered suggestions.  These three precious survivors of the litter of eight ARE the "Desires of the Heart" litter and they are chosen, beloved, and protected. 

PRECIOUS & FEW  (are the moments we two can share). Either John or I slept on the cot in the 'puppy cave' every night last week. We referred to the turns we were taking as shifts.  I'd have the day shift, he'd have the night shift or vice versa.  Although October is always an extremely busy month here for all the right reasons, we are well prepared to manage a normal whelping and raising of a litter at this time.  Even so it seemed our own well laid plans would work against us this month and suddenly here it is mid-October which is our favorite month of the entire year. Time has stood still for us this month because Pippin's needs and those of her puppies have not only required, but demanded our utmost attention regardless of previous commitments to family, friends, clubs, and others.  As difficult as it is to "say no" it is equally and absolutely impossible to be spontaneous.  I am thankful for those who respect and understand how precious each moment of each day is to us right now and the depth of our dedication to Pippin and her puppies.

PUPPY CAM  The private live-stream of the puppies has been enjoyed by those who can view it. It is an intimate and beautiful glimpse into the near reverent environment where Kiba, Eleta, and Amie live in their neo-natal stage with their beautiful momma, Pippin. She had to go back to the vets one day because a stitch was coming out but it was taken care of with (of all things) superglue and laser. We have finished up with her antibiotics and pain relief medication. Her appetite has returned and she enjoys all the pampering and spoiling we are giving her.  The pups move around the whelping box effortlessly and are extremely strong and agile.  I like to see their birth weight double by 10 days of age and they have reached that goal.  I've already trimmed their toenails and this will be done every 3rd day. Doing this gets them use to it plus it also saves Pip's tummy from getting scratched up.  Her puppies little rubbery ears have now developed into hairy little flaps which soon will be capable of detecting sound.  The muzzles which were pink and fleshy now have fuzzy puppy hair on them. They look less like aliens and more like puppy dogs.

PUPPY BREATH / NEONATAL PERIOD  I love puppy breath and am always anxious for my first 'hit' of it.  It is an intoxicating and addictive scent which many, many breeders wish could be somehow preserved! The sweet breath of a little puppy defines description.  My interaction with these little puppies right now is deliberate and intentional.  When I pick a puppy up, roll her over onto her back, or gently rub her muzzle it is to observe her response. Our interaction with the pups will have a profound effect upon their development at this point in time and will increase daily. I also check under the little nubby tail to be sure Pippin is keeping her pups clean and she sure is! The first few days however before their tails were docked that was not the case and several times a day little bums were bathed in warm water.  Pippins licking serves to stimulate the pups to eliminate something they are not able to do on their own for awhile longer.

I expect that eyes will begin to open by this weekend.  That signifies the end of the neo-natal development period, lasting up to 2 weeks, and the period in which the puppy can only respond to smells, being touched, and being warm.  They cannot eliminate on their own yet nor can they control body temperature. We keep Wilson & Pippin's pups warm through the use of an overhead brooding type heat lamp, an Eden Pure infrared heater, and of course through the warmth of their beautiful momma.  At first the pups seem to be indifferent to the presence of each other other than climbing up and over or bumping into their sisters.  As this period draws to an end there will be a more deliberate seeking out of each other and greater interaction among them.  During this entire period the amazing relationship between the pups and their mother has been developing, primarily through the licking, pawing, grooming of Pippin.  She's also marking them with her scent as well as grooming/licking at herself so they are identified with her.

SWIMMING  Speaking of their beautiful momma she had a bit of a spontaneous moment of her own this morning.  The weather here in Maine has been absolutely gorgeous and today was no exception.  Daily, Pippin and I are getting out together for strolls around the yard, perhaps a game of fetch, or just sitting together watching the leaves fall.  John was pulling some logs out on the tractor and I waved to him just in time to see Pippin running down to the pond.  We looked at each other hopelessly knowing full well our efforts to dissuade her would prove to be futile as the Pippinator was definitely feeling better!!  Sure enough, she disappeared from sight down over the bank but just as quickly emerged on the other side and, never missing a beat, ran back to where we were watching her. Pippin had indeed taken a polar dive into the pond and was soaking, wringing wet.  I took her back into the puppy cave and closed off entry to her pups.  Reaching for a towel to cover the grooming table I persuaded her to climb up onto it. With one hand on Pippin and the other on the blow dryer I quickly was able to clean, dry, and brush her within a couple of minutes. Her stitches are nearly closed up now but I still wanted to be sure her underside was completely warm and dry.  Not quite a spa day but Pippin obviously was quite pleased with the whole episode.

ROSES, PUPPY BLANKETS, & NOTES  A week ago tomorrow (Thursday) two special deliveries arrived here at ATB.  "Wilson" sent Pippin and their daughters a lovely floral arrangement of a dozen long stemmed roses.  There were 8 pink roses for each of their daughters and 4 red roses for Pippin. The pink roses arrived at the florist by special order that day as they did not have any there. I think Wilson is quite a special 'guy' and his owners, Pete & Kira, are very special too.  It is a week later and the roses are all still looking as fresh as the day they were delivered. I have taken special care of them, trimming the stems, changing the water, and gently removing any petals that need it. Those petals which I've removed I am trying to dry and save. The other delivery that day was from "Aunt Julie" who mailed her beautiful crocheted puppy blankets down for the pups. Each puppy blanket is created with a whole lot of love and for several years now she has made one for every puppy to take to it's new home. The next day a lovely and meaningful letter of love and sympathy arrived in the mail from "Deb" in Rhode Island. She has three beautiful Brittanys, the youngest one is "Pearl" and she is Wilson's full sister and littermate.  My friendship with Deb began right her on this blog as a matter of fact, and it was God who connected us without a doubt.

Actually God does a very good job of connecting many of the wonderful ATB families.  It's not a requirement that we share a "like minded faith" but many times we do and I think it's quite awesome.

MARYANN & ZUKO  With all that happened last weekend a very significant announcement is missing.  It is worthy of it's own post as we announce our newest AKC Junior Hunter.  I'll take care of that soon, I promise.

Well there is a debate on television for the gubernatorial candidates for the state of Maine.  I'm going to watch it. My candidate is a lively one to say the least!  Thank you for your love, support, encouragement, and your prayers for John and me, and of course for Pippin and her 3 daughters and the rest of the our canine crew.