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 Preparation Continues

Daddy's girl. Her temp is back to 100 this morning. 

Whelping Preparation
Starting with the "Whelping Supply" list, I made sure to have everything on hand a couple of weeks ago.  We keep a well stocked supply of all manner of items relative to dog care, first aid, veterinary items etc. but I pay particular attention when we have pups due.  But since it's been 4 years there was a lot that needed replenishing. I still am awaiting the order from Revival Animal Health.  All the linen involved has been laundered and disinfected.  I think we may need to replace our digital postal scale that we use to weigh puppies.

I'm sure my Calsorb will be here in time to give to Holly once labor begins but just in case it's not John brought yogurt, cottage cheese, plus the ingredients for me to make a large quantity of our "Nursing Mother's Pudding."  Basically it is a a recipe for vanilla pudding made from scratch with extra egg yolks and corn syrup added to replace the sugar. I actually use a recipe called "Old Fashioned Cream Filling" from a cookbook called Cooking Downeast by Marjorie Standish.  You can see by the picture the pages are well used. Yogurt is a staple here for all of our dogs and is often added to their diet.  Cottage cheese is sometimes added to a nursing mother's diet.  Any calcium supplementation is best done shortly before, during, and after whelping.  In the past though the advice was to give a pregnant girl 1 Tum a day.  We really never had any problem doing that but science says calcium reserves in the mother are overwhelmed and basically will shut down when they are most needed. Mom's in whelp need to be able to have forceful contractions and too much calcium in their system is conterproductive as their body is fooled into thinking there is already enough stored.

Additionally, oxytocin (a naturally produced hormone) has been known to work together with the calcium in their body towards a better delivery.  Some breeders will routinely inject their girls with oxytocin (give a pit shot) during labor to speed things along.  My experience and understanding indicate this is dangerous to do without a vet on standby.  Old school says 'give her a pit shot' and get those puppies out!  In the event of dystocia (prolonged and dangerous labor) a pups presentation could be complicating the delivery such as blocking the way for other pups yet to come down etc. In this case, to indiscriminately administer a pit shot just for the sake of speeding things up could cause the death of some pups and even mom.  Ultimately though, it is beneficial for experienced breeders to obtain a prescription for oxytocin and have on hand.  We've never used this although it's been available to us. Instead we rely on the very natural act of the just born pup nursing on it's mother which should be adequate to bring about another contraction due to the release of her own natural oxytocin.  The early nursing is so crucial to pups overall well being too for they receive the valuable colostrum in their mother's milk.

It's suppose to be in the 90's today so we're staying cool.  John met our daughter and her children over to the training field early morning. Zuko (their other Brittany) had a nice run and pointed several of his birds.  A Brittany's happiest moments are when it's with those they love and especially when they're all together in a bird field!

Stay tuned... !
Take care and God bless, John, Ann, and All Things Brittany

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 week old Brittany Puppies

The ALL THINGS Hoped For Puppies

3 weeks old January 2, 2014

Coordination is improving and they are becoming more confident and bold as personalities continue to improve.  They have been out of the box several times now to explore their immediate surroundings.  This time period from 3 weeks to 4 weeks we will see major changes on several levels.  In between 4 and 5 weeks the pups will begin to receive visits from their respective new families who are anxiously awaiting the first day of the rest of their lives.  All is well and Treasure remains a wonderful mother. Pups average weight at 3 weeks old is 3 lbs which is pleasing to us as breeders.  Hope you enjoy the video! Take care and God bless you and yours always and by the way - Happy New Year!! John, Ann, and All Things Brittany 

ATB: 2 week Old Brittany Puppies Weigh In

 

"Hard to believe Hemi and Treasure's beautiful puppies are already 2 weeks old. I think we'll see their eyes are fully open by the end of the weekend if not before as the lids have started to separate. Keeping the lighting low now intentionally. Coordination is really quite good. Their response to petting is really cute as they back into the palm of my hand as if to ask for more! Little woofs and some vocalizing becoming more frequent. Of course they sleep about 97% of the time but when Treasure steps into the box they are immediately aware momma is near. Last week they responded to the scent of John's cologne when he walked in as a couple of the pups lifted their head up high as if scenting the air. Then I received new perfume for Christmas and the same thing happened when I walked up to them wearing it for the first time. I just love seeing responses like that in such young pups! I was especially curious about their weight at 2 weeks and didn't really want to see this particular litter much over 2 lbs at this stage so I am happy about that. I think we're going to have to do our first revamp of the whelping box soon by raising up the sides a few inches before the first escape artist emerges. You know when they climb up onto the pig rail and stretch their little necks up high it's just a matter of time before they are up and over. Don't want to make it too easy for them, plenty of time for learning to climb in and out. So I really like the name BETH."

 

Hope you had a great Christmas!!! God bless you always, John and Ann and ATB