Day 55 - Pregnant, Playful, Birdy, & Wise !

We're at Day 55 from our first breeding of Treasure and Gibson.  She is huge and very uncomfortable but still has the enthusiasm and energy of a typical Brittany~!  The morning John and Jack brought home the two pheasants (Opening Day) Treasure thought she'd pull a fast one I think.   John tossed the two dead birds onto the lawn and Treasure quickly ran over to check them out.  Immediately she picked one of the pheasants up and I motioned to John not to say anything; had an idea what she was up to.  Feeling miffed about having to sit this hunting season out I could see her wheels of intelligence turning as she proudly paraded in a full circle and then pranced up to the front porch where I was sitting and delievered the bird right to my hand. I just reached out and she placed it into my palm.  No force retrieve training for this girl, she's a natural!

As if that wasn't enough, today I caught a glimpse out of the corner of my eye what could only be described as a group conspiracy as Pippin, Jack, and Treasure circled the pen where John had cleverly (he thought) hung what was left of the birds after he dressed them out.  I had my camera with me and snapped a few pictures and they are priceless. In the end it was clear to see that Treasure was the ring leader of attempting to poke through the wire and grab the birds.  Fortunately none of the 3 Brits were successful at all, but you gotta give them credit for trying to do it right in front of us!

A little later Treasure and I headed out to the kennel but our flock of homing pigeons had landed down back near the bird pens.  Although Treasure's scenting and pointing instincts have definitely advanced beyond sight pointing she must have still been feeling the sense that something is just missing from her fall routine.  I let her go ahead because she is steady and fairly honest with her birds.  She locked up beautifully even if it was primarily based on the sight of the pigeons 40 feet or so ahead of her.  Walked up around and to her side so she could see me and handled it like it was a bird in the bush..."easy... whoaaaaa girl.... easy..." and the only thing that moved on her were her nostrils and her eye.  We both knew this was like going back to basic yardwork but hey - with her being just about at the end of her pregnancy - we seized the moment for what it was and both enjoyed it thoroughly.  So I took some awesome pictures - because in the field, she is indeed stylish and dead serious about her birds.  She doesn't play around and she would never think of a bird as a toy or a play thing.  So I didn't make a joke out of what is probably going to be her only opportunity to 'hunt'.  I sure wish I had my blank gun with me as I would have flushed the pigeons and handled it like the real deal, knowing she would have held that beautiful point through it all. 

We came back in the house together where I warmed up and shared some venison stew with her.  Just long enough to snap a few more photos and updating the blog.   The pups are making her uncomfortable and I'm doing all I can to help her get through the coming days.  She's stretching and moaning more, has a hard time getting up.  She can't sleep with us in bed as it's not good for her to jumping on or off the furniture, couch bed or otherwise.  She'll be spending her nights in her whelping box most likely from this point on, and I'll be nearby.  God Bless you and yours from John, Ann and All things Brittany

Smells like - Cinnamon!

John just put Prairie Home Companion on the radio, is settled down to listen to the broadcast, Pippin, Treasure and Jack are nearby and our home smells delicious with the aroma of just baked cinnamon rolls and a venison stew that's been simmering all day! (What a long sentence!).  Rainy dreary drizzy day here in Maine, and the woodstove is keeping us warm - too early to turn the oil heat on.  I looked up a timeworn recipe for the yeasty cinnamon rolls and was in the mood to bake them from scratch.  The recipe calls for 50 but I cut them in half, and needless to say many will find their way to the freezer.  This is one of our daughters favorite recipes and we have enjoyed making them together in the past - and will probably do it again in the near future now that I've teased her about them.

Rosie was to spend the day and night in the house but she made the big mistake of not coming when called in favor of digging and rolling in something VERY VERY smelly out back.  I had to grab my raincoat and umbrella and persuade her to come back to the kennel - where she now is, and is highly put out to think I dared take her back there in the first place!

This afternoon while rubbing Treasures tummy I could feel the stronger movement of the puppies and actually see her belly rippling with each little motion.  She's so uncomfortable as we enter her 8th and next to the last week of pregnancy.  We're not going for the x-rays afterall - her pregnancy is definite.   Would rather not put her through any undue stress unless absolutely necessary.  Each day brings us closer to the reality of her first litter of puppies and every day I look forward to this that much more.  Her pups are pretty much all spoken for which is important to us and we have remained in touch with those who are waiting. As this is her first litter availability of pups is limited. It's possible next week at this time we'll be watching for signs of whelping!

Well, Prairie Home Companion Sounds pretty good tonight and looking forward to what Guy Noire, Private Eye as well as the cowbows, Dusty and Lefty are up to!  Take care and God Bless...Counting the Days here at ATB, John, Ann and the entire Brittany Crew!

Hurry Home NashDog son of JackDog!

Pictured above is "Nash", and Steve from a picture taken fall 2008.  Nash was about 9 months old in this picture and had spent the summer at a gun dog training camp in Rangely, Maine.  This year, Nash's "sister" 'Star" spent some time there and did exceptionally well - as evidence by her very first day of bird hunting in NH yesterday with Steve.  Stephanie is great about writing to us with updates and sending lots of great photos to enjoy.  I thought I would post this picture because the whole family is looking forward to Nash's homecoming this week; he's been away for what we all refer to as a 'tune-up'!  Nash was here for the Brittany Club's Fun Day in August and Star was away then.  Star however did enjoy her first field trial last month when Nash was back at training camp.  Soon the whole family will be reunited!  (Nash is out of Molly and Jack's January 2008 litter.)

Jack and John did go back out hunting this morning but came back early.  Poor Jack bumped into electric fencing (the kind that looks like a wide white tape).  As he'd been trained with a remote collar he thought that it was a correction so afterwards would not leave John's side. Rather than try to push Jack he decided it would be better to call it a day and let Jack shake it off - which by the way he's been running around and playing tonight, I'd say he has done already. 

I created a very nice meal if I say so myself of the two pheasants from yesterday.  (We hunt to put food on our table, not for trophy or just the sport of it.)  Stewed the pheasant in an original mixture of orange juice, bacon, onion, celery, peach preserves, herbs, and cream for several hours in the crock pot. When the pheasant was done, I drained it off and set it aside.  Then I took some of the juice it had cooked in and used it for the base of the wild brown rice.  Also used it, with a little more OJ and flour added for a lovely sauce to pour over the pheasant when served.  Last but not least I cooked carrots and served them with the peach preserves also poured over them.  Baked a loaf of oatmeal bread and a squash pie - and needless to say, John and I enjoyed our dinner together! 

Later on he headed off to the gunclub we both belong to and I headed down to the dog house to hang out with the dogs there.  Treasure is quite uncomfortable, and has started to become more restless than usual.  She follows me everywhere and sticks close.  I can feel that the movement of her pups is stronger now.  I wonder how many she will have?  God bless you and yours from John, Ann and All Things Brittany

Maine Bird Hunting Opens

While I was wondering what to 'blog' here this morning, and wrote on Facebook that 'Treasure' was keeping my feet warm, JackDog and John were having success on opening day of bird hunting!  Looks like we are going to have pheasant here for dinner!  Will write more later, but here are a few pictures.

Soon To Have Her Own

I have a photo library of many pictures and was looking through them this morning. I came across these ones from July 2008, when Treasure was playing with her 'half-siblings'. She has always been exceptionally gentle with younger dogs and John often says he knows she is going to love her puppies. Thought it may be fun to share these pictures from last year in anticipation of 'things to come'! Not that I'm excited or anything.

Actually every day my anticipation heightens.   I observe Treasure's increasing discomfort and she just lives to be close to me. I am happy to oblige her.  In a few weeks she will focus her love, time, and energy upon her very own babies. 

I can't explain sufficiently the difference I am feeling 'emotionally' about this litter of puppies yet to arrive.  Jack is out of our breeding and he has sired some very nice Brittany pups who are proving themselves in both the show and the field - and especially as family hunting companions.  But experiencing the reality of Treasure's pregnancy now that her due date is quickly approaching is very different.  Of course whenever we have had pups over the years, we willingly give of ourselves for the benefit and welfare of the mother and her pups.  Each Brittany here is unique in their own wonderful way and loved for the individual they are, that's a given!   I really can't explain it very well...suffice to say, I'm really pondering and reflecting upon a deeper meaning here with Treasure. I'm thinking how I want her to be comfortable for the remainder of her pregnance, hoping the size and positioning of her pups result in an uncomplicated delivery, wanting to keep her level of stress and activity as low as possible while getting the necessary excercise, and watching the amount of food she eats, to strike the balance between what is needed and what will make her uncomfortable.  As I watch 'mother nature' bring expected change and behavior to Treasure, the miracle of life created by God's hands concerning all His creation, even the lesser ones - I'm amazed to see the "animal" instincts clearly show themselves strong in this domestic creature, this Brittany, who I love and call "Treasure." 

Treasure - 7 weeks and Counting

Treasure's pregnancy continues to advance and her body reacts to all the changes taking place.  Last week while rubbing her very big tummy I noticed that the hair around her nipples has started to shed. Her appetite continues to increase but I have divided her meal times into 4 servings so she does not overeat and get uncomfortable. 

I had been looking for Treasure's 'puppy blanket' that our friend Julie had made earlier this year.  It was actually to be for me to use at the shows inside the crates but Treasure claimed it.  It is a combination of light blue and purple, a very pretty crocheted blanket.  (In case you don't know - Julie crochets blankets for all of our pups to take home with them, a generous gift that we all appreciate.) Anyway, I couldn't find it anywhere until Saturday night, when I also couldn't find Treasure anywhere in the house.  She always comes when called so I became concerned and began looking to be sure I hadn't accidently closed her in the back room. I opened the bedroom door and heard this scratching and digging under the guest bed where some boxes are stored.  Sure enough, when I looked underneath the bed and behind the boxes, there was Miss Treasure, frantically making a nest with the missing purple and blue blanket.  "We" have now started  nesting which means keeping even a closer eye on her.  She has since decided that it is her job to rearrange any laundry that happens to be around, including what has already been folded and is waiting to be put away.

Speaking of puppy blankets, Pippin still has the one that Julie made for her last year. She sleeps with it, carries it around, transports it from the dog house to the people house, and - mauls it.  Once when Julie was here visiting she kindly did a quick repair to Pippins blanket.  I am afraid it may be time for another one soon as Pippin insists on taking it out into the run with her, tramples it several times, then lays down smugly.  I never know quite what action or behavior to expect from Pippin, she is just a sassy little riot of a Brittany!  Being a singleton has been challenging to the older girls however who fortunately for Miss Pippin, have patience with her antics.  I do think that Wish is very close to sending an unmistakable message to Pippin that enough is enough.  Have been watching Pippin push Wish to the limit lately and today the communication between them was a little tense.  It's bad enough Wish has to deal with her juvenille deliquent son Scooby when he acts crazy but then he is Pippins running buddy.  Evidently she has picked up some undesireable bratty behavior from Mr. Scooby.   Wish is sweet and understands younger dogs quite well, but I will cut her some slack and advance Pippins obedience training ;o).    Wish looks absolutely beautiful and is in wonderful shape.  There are many times I've been tempted to show her and others have suggested it as well. 

Speaking of Scooby Dooby Doo - he made me laugh this morning so hard.  I was feeding Pippin' and making of her quite a lot. Scooby sat on top of his crate and started to vocalize what sounded just like syllables of spoken words.  I talked back to him and sure enough, he was making himself known.  Probably telling me okay enough already with the Pipsqueak - it's my turn!!! 

Jack continues to enjoy his elite position as traveling everywhere and anywhere with John.  I think John's still very proud of his 1st place win in the Walking Hunting Dog stake at the field trial, a very big deal for all of us!  Bird hunting begins tomorrow and the two 'boys' have plans.  If you see the big red truck look for the big white dog sitting shotgun.

Rosie and Molly have throroughly enjoyed the cleared 'lot' that John created down back this past weekend.  Not to mention that on Sunday he burned the woodpile all day in the pouring rain.  This resulted in - you guessed it - sooty puddles of yuck - everywhere and translated into - Molly and Rosie once again turning into liver and white Brittanys.  (Just like 101 Dalmations, remember when the puppies were all covered deliberately with the black soot and ashes???!)  Yup... that's what we have here.

Yesterday I moved my books etc. down into the dog house, and will bring coffee maker other items etc. as well.  Loaded up with some of favorite CDs.  Satellite TV works.  Looked up the army cots, the pillows and blankets are still in the drawers down there.  I am planning to move out soon LOL!.  Surveillance cameras, monitors, walkie talkies are all in place.  Really, do I need an excuse to spend time with All Things Brittany?  Absolutely not! 

It is all about getting Treasure prepared and accepting.  So okay, yah I spoil them. And yes, there are people who say just leave a whelping mother alone, in the morning the pups will be born.  I'm sorry.  It's not my way.  We are responsible for putting two animals together for the sole purpose of bringing another litter of WANTED puppies into the world.  It's not too responsible to just let a first time mother go through this with little attention coming from me.  But there is the school of thought that says leave the animals alone.  I can't do that.  Too many things can go wrong.  Most of the time everything proceeds perfectly and there is no need for me or John to get involved. But there are times when the unexpected occurs. So we're close by and keep watch more and more as the day approaches.  It's the way my parents did things back in the '60's and its the way we did things with our first litter in the '90's.  It's why I am careful about attending dog events when one of ours is pregnant, or when we have pups. It's because it's all about the love of the dogs, both given and received!  Sorry for my little rant - they rise up every now and then (poor John!).

Well, this afternoon it is gorgeous out, and I'm going to get myself back outside and enjoy some Brittanys!  John's here and looks like we'll be enjoying them together.  Take care and God Bless you, John, Ann & ATB Oh and by the way - good luck tomorrow if you're heading out!

Burning wood and Freshly Brewed Coffee

The last weekend in September finds John and I both at home together! Every weekend for the past 2 1/2 months has been full for us. Socializing and caring for Moxie and Shiloh,  Dog shows, Fun Days, Bird Dog Grounds Work, Field Trials, Meetings, Family Celebrations, you name it!  I've been away from home, he's been away from home, or we've both been away from home with all the dogs.  Not so today though.

This morning I woke up to the smell of wood burning, coffee brewing, and breakfast cooking. Anyone who knows me knows I'm NOT a morning person so even with all these wonderful enticements, John had to persuade Treasure, Jack and I to roll out of bed and enjoy this crisp fall day.  (Before 7 AM... take note).   Oh but how nice to sit down on the couch together, feel the warmth of the wood burning and laugh and enjoy each other's company with two of our special Brittanys.  Treasure enjoyed curling up by the woodstove, and Jack? Well Jack enjoyed curling up between us hoping John might share his breakfast.  Breakfast by the way consisted of silver dollar pancakes, topped with fresh blueberry sauce and whipped cream and a fresh cup of hot coffee. 

Did I mention how much I love and appreciate my husband - who definitely IS a morning person and wasted no time heading out to open the dogs runs, get the tractor running, and head back into the woods to cut some more wood. He's spent this week cutting up wood for this winter and stacking some for next year. We already had 2 cord of dry, seasoned wood delivered this summer but John's been wanting to clear some more of our land so he's cut enough trees this past week to give us another 2 cord for this winter, and is now working on stacking wood for next year.  It looks so nice out back where he's opened it up more.  1/3 of our 5 acres here is field and that's where our house is situated.  The other 2/3 is all woodland and each year we work it a little bit more.  There is a very special tree stump out back that I claimed when we first moved here - and John has been careful to work around that - it's a place I go and sit while the dogs romp and play, at any time of the year. I love finding that spot in mid-winter, brushing it off, and sitting there in the sunshine. It's big enough to share with a couple of dogs and they do check in quite regularly. 

Okay so that's where John is now and I'm up in the house about ready to head outside for the day myself.  It's been perfect laundry drying weather these past few days and we love the smell of fresh of air dried sheets!  Also all the puppy laundry is being airdried too in anticipation of days to come.  Last night John soaked beans and this morning we parboiled them - and now I have them in the oven baking - this begins a fall / winter tradiiton in our household - homemade Baked Beans every Saturday night!  There may be a pumpkin or squash pie baked by the end of the day, we'll see.

I watched John's pigeons this morning as he walked across the back yard. A small flock of 9 swooped and dove above his head then made a few passes over the neighborhood before heading back to their coop. I swear they try to communicate with him.  He has a real nice flock of beautiful homing pigeons that he enjoys.

I hear the chain saws going; sounds like Johns and also that of our neighbor.  Jack goes back and forth between the woods and the house. Yesterday I couldn't find him but noticed the slider was slightly open. Sure enough, I came through the kitchen to find him sound asleep on the couch.  Quite an exciteable Brittany you think? 

I am thankful for this day of being home together.  There are enough chores to keep us both busy morning to night but there will be enough moments to enjoy simply 'being' especially on a day when the air is so bright and crisp, the skies are so blue, and the trees are showing some color. And especially important, is the contentment that Rosie, Wish, Scooby, Molly, Pippin, Treasure, and Jack all feel and demonstrate - just knowing we are here, together with them.  This is a Maine dog show weekend but I missed the entry deadline.  I had thought of going to Topsham to support our good friend Pam who is showing Paris but I know she understands how important it is for us to be home together.  I do wish her well and hope that Paris wins another point towards her championship.

Having said all of this, there's another load of laundry to get out on the line, and several dogs to let out of their runs to happily enjoy this day with us.  We hope you'll enjoy this day too! Take care and God Bless,

John, Ann and All Things Brittany

A Lesson in Alpha/Dominance - NOT!

Okay so we all know that humans are alpha/dominant over dogs right? Demonstrate strong leadership skills over your Brittany and they will respect you, right?  Well we have one Brittany who will prove that she has no intention of honoring that theory and I bet you all know exactly who I am talking about!  If you've ever visited our home or our kennel you have seen Rosie perched up on SOMETHING.... Yes I am a stickler for obedience (GRINNING) and I really do not like a dog to jump up on me unless I have indicated it's okay, or invited them, or literally asked for it.  If I'm settling into the recliner with a hot cup of coffee the last thing that needs to happen is for one of our Brittanys to jump up.  And if I'm all dressed up to go somewhere I don't want to have to deal with muddy paws.  So there is some manner of respect.  The word "OFF" or "NO" accompanied by a stare and my hand indicating I mean it works - most of the time.  I like to give a dog permission to enter my space, and they respect that to some extent.  And I try hard when people visit not to let them jump up but it is challenging when someone says  "oh I don't mind".   Brittanys just have this thing where they must check people out up close and personal.  I on the other hand - really don't mind at all but I do like to be the one to give a dog permission to come up.  If I don't give it, they shouldn't assume it's okay.  Ours pretty much 'get that' well, with the exception of one or two, or three or four or depending on what day of the week it is, time of day plus John and I look at this differently.

In Rosie's world - wherever the highest surface is, is where she wants to be.  This can be problematic when loading a trailer, packing for a show, snowblowing, loading a boat or a canoe, etc.  It's tricky in the kennel too when the pellet stove is running.  Although the surface does not heat up enough to cause any problem, I'm sure it must warm her butt after a few seconds of perching on it, you think????   When I see her scouting out the top of the file cabinets I know I'm in trouble.

Well with Treasure being pregnant her homones are acting up and she's not quite as friendly to Rose as usual. Understandably so.  While Rose and Treasure are usually quite compatible together in the house, that's not the case these days.  Rosie's nose gets very bent out of shape when she sees that she is literally in the 'dog house' while Treasure parades up to the 'people house.'  Today was no exception but I happened to catch  2 delightfully revealing pictures of Miss Rosie which accurately portray what I am talking about.  One was taken in the house and the other in the dog house, on top of her crate.  Talk about attitude!  And talk about how much I love her... A LOT!

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Yes, She Is

If you've followed this blog for awhile, you know that we experienced great disappointment earlier this year when we bred Treasure only to learn that no pregnancy resulted. We began documenting her anticipated pregnancy in February with the post called Puppies Cometh.  Our journey ended with the post Reflections of An Empty Whelping Box.x.  Treasure is a little over 3 years old, and a lot of thought went into making a decision to breed her.  We were happy with our choice for the sire of her first litter but it was just not meant to be.  In June, we had our first puppies born here since September 2008.  Two amazing beautiful pups from Wish (Treasure's mother) and Gibson, Moxie and Shiloh are featured throughout our summer posts. We've also talked alot about Gibby beginning with the post Welcome Wish! and went on through the summer months including highlighting the DVD 12 Dogs of Christmas in which a young Gibson has a starring role. 

The fact of the matter is  I like this dog, and I like him a lot!  Having said this, he also has similar lines to the the male we bred Treasure to earlier this year.  Gibby hunts with style, he knows his purpose in life plus he has a personality and intelligence which just makes me laugh.  Treasure is equally stylish in her hunting, a loving personality and keep perception.  That could probably be said about a lot of Brittanys! 

In August, John and I made several trips to the home of our friends, Pam and Sam Jackson who own Gibson and another beautiful Brittany "Paris".  (Pam likes to name her dogs after stars!)  And we just happened to have Treasure with us each time, as she was in full standing heat.  Gibson and Treasure were successfully bred to each other over the course of a week.

I do believe we have a very pregnant Treasure who is 4 weeks away from having her very first litter of puppies and we could not be more excited!  She has exhibited all the early signs that I watch closely for including morning sickness (yes dogs get this), a loss of appetite, changes in personality or reaction to other dogs, changes in the color of her nipples, and most noticeable - her physical body change as seen with her ever widening rib cage and fuller abdomen.  (For about a week she had no interest in eating anything but all that has changed as she now is Miss Chow Hound!)  Her diet now has been changed to reflect these changes and her specific nutritional requirements. This includes adding  yogurt, salmon oil, liver, and Tums to her daily food (Purina Puppy Chow). 

It's going to be hard for Treasure to slow down over the next few weeks but I will see to it that she does.  Her day begins, includes, and ends with several extended periods of running laps around our house.  She flies and this is her happiness trigger!  Consequently Treasure is in outstanding physical condition for the demands that whelping a litter of pups puts on a dog.  She's not going to be happy to think I'll be exercising her on a check cord though at first.  Another change for Miss Treasure is that she's not playing/exercising  with the entire ATB crew, just one or two of them at a time.  I don't want to take any chances of her getting bumped or getting involved with roughhousing. This does mean Treasure is enjoying a lot of time by my side and vice versa. 

As busy as the summer was, I drew a line and said NO MORE for awhile.  My focus is here at home and not running to and fro every weekend.  Even this weekend, with John being so involved with the Maine Bird Dog Club Championship - I did what I could do to support the effort, but I remained home.  With the exception of a lovely birthday party for our daughter, Maryann.  And home is where I'll remain.

I'm going to remain positive and confident about the next four weeks and look forward to a visit to the vets a week before pups are due, for an x-ray to determine number of pups, size, position etc. Treasure is our very first generation of 'bred by' pups - we are Treasure's proud breeders, and this is the first time we have ever bred a girl we also whelped. And we're very pleased we were able to breed her to CH Gibson JH CGC!  (Gibby dog!)

We'll keep you updated!

God Bless you and yours from John, Ann and All Things Brittany

A few Changes, maybe

I may be experimenting here a little bit;