Treasure's Pregnancy: DAY 56

I was trying to decide if I wanted to write anything down tonight to share here on the blog. Just finished watching a really stupid, heavy, dumb movie which left me frustrated at myself for wasting all that time. I should have turned it off in the middle.  So now it's almost 10 pm and Day 56 is winding down.  Treasure's temperature is remaining consistent.  I will take it again before calling it a day.  Physically her body continues to undergo changes.  Looking at her sitting back end to, there is a definite cone like shape to her hips.  Her body is shifting and flexing to prepare the way for the contractions which will come eventually.  At the appointed time, Treasure herself will begin to push voluntarily.  As her actual labor advances however, it is her own body and hormones that will determine the contractions.  We have a ways to go though before we get to that point though.  I'm watching her canine vulva area - it is beginning to enlarge again slightly.  There is also a very light and clear non-descript discharge which amounts to nothing unless one is looking for it.  When petting Treasure, it is easy to 'feel' her spine and her hip because the weight of her precious load effects her entire skeletal form. She's healthy and in great shape with strong well exercised muscles. Treasure continues to grow more restless.  Hemi seems to be her constant companion, at least the one she tolerates the most but then you have no choice with Hemi - he is just a sweet and gentle loving puppy.  Pippin too wants to be near Treasure. In fact as I type Treasure and Pippin are lying down together, Pippin tucked up close to her friends.  Treasure seems to look forward to the increasingly frequent jaunts the two of us make out to the puppy room.  Today she pulled one of her typical stunts.  As you may know, she's quite adept not only at counter surfing when your back is turned, but also extending one of those beautiful long graceful arms across to drag a much desired item to her mouth! This morning I was doing some cooking for her in consideration of the next week or so.  I had boiled a 1 pound package of liver (the only way to do this for a dog without stinking the whole house up is to simply drop a sealed plastic bag of liver into boiling water).  The liver was well cooled and separated into a container ready to put in the fridge.  I no longer turned my back to reach for a pot holder and I heard the container crash to the floor. Sure enough there she was with the entire amount of liver dangling from her mouth!  I said "Treasure! Give!" and reached my hand out as is to retrieve a bird and sure enough - the rest of the liver was plopped into my hand... although she managed to gulp down about half of it first.  It was hers anyway but I hadn't planned to disperse of it so quickly and in such a large quantity. Brat. I'm not quite ready to give up the comforts of my bed over the cot yet so Treasure and I have opted to share the guest room until we move out together.  Actually, the cot is very comfortable, more so than the love seat which I use to sleep on in the dog house.  Having the puppy room to retreat to is very much when a young child has their own tree fort to escape to.  I know John feels that way too - when he's missing in action from around the house or yard, I know to look in there.  Anyway!  I did spend some time this morning updating the waiting list again and I have to say things are coming together very nicely. We're still accepting serious inquiries though! I'm calling it a day, John did that about an hour or so already!  I'm really enjoying getting to know several of our soon to be new owners.. it is so fun to wait together for Treasure and Bullet's pups.  In the meantime, sleep is a requirement so that'll be all for tonight I guess. In the meantime thanks so much for the notes of encouragement and support, all the prayers and of course for the ongoing interest you have in our canine Brittany crew.  John and I feel so blessed, we really do.  Are you reading in  your "Art of Raising A Puppy" book?  If so - you know that Treasure is just about where the story begins with Anika walking in the woods and being restless.  Hope you enjoy following along with us.  Take care and God bless - John, Ann and all of All things Brittany!

Treasures Pregnancy: DAY 55

It may not seem as though there would be a whole lot to write about from day to day as we wait for the arrival of Treasure and Bullet's beautiful litter of Brittany puppies.  Life does goes on as it should but all through the day I'm just so much more aware than usual of specific and immediate needs of Treasure. It is a very good thing that John understands and even accepts the need I have to be somewhat 'in sync' with her at this time!

To think about what being in sync means brings to mind all the technical gadgets and methods of communication which exist in our world. For instance I am currently working on synchronizing my nearly obsolete early generation iPod Shuffle with the mp3's that I have stored up in my media files.  But I'm actually doing this because it's important to me what sounds are going on in the background while Treasure approaches early labor later this week.  It also matters to me what the first sounds are that the puppies will experience when their little ears open.  Actually, the songs on this PlayList are going to be among the ones we listen to - along with however many I can get onto the iPod Shuffle. John and I have always had music playing inside the dog house. We've gone through 2 CD players as a result and now rely on the radio. In the past, we would actually make a CD of the music the pups were use to listening to so new owners could play it for them at night or when they were left alone, to help them get use to their new surroundings.  Not to mention the crochet puppy blankets.  For the last 6 years whenever a puppy has gone home with it's new owners they have taken with them a beautiful hand crochet puppy blanket made by our dear friend Julie.  We all feel so strongly that it is important for the pups to have something very personal to surround them with all the scents they are most familiar with their first 8 weeks of life.  Julie has already given us 6 beautiful new blankets for Treasure and Bullet's puppies and she is finishing up on number 8! 

There is so much to look forward to at this point in time but it's so important to simply remain in the moment, remain 'in sync' with Treasure.  Her temperature last night was the same as it was the day before.  This helps! In the last 24 hours she's been so funny about where she wants to lay down.  We have a very small white wicker table in the corner here next to my piano. Treasure thought that might be a fun little space to try to lay down in. Last night she burrowed her head down in between the couch cushions with just her fat little body sticking out. Kind of like an ostrich burying their head in the sand.  Several mornings recently she has scrambled on her belly to get way underneath our bed. Last night while out in the puppy room she enjoyed scratching and digging in the whelping box.  So the nesting instinct is much stronger this weekend.  

 I've spent time reviewing the whelping journals to compare other journeys.  Each one is different and unique.  I enjoy documenting as much as I can. Whether updating or sharing photos, it truly is all about the love of the dog both given and received.   There is always something to look forward to, something to plan for, something to be excited about.  (There's times too where things are not always so positive but we face them with an extra measure of Gods love, grace, and mercy.)

As this week begins there is a lot to do in preparation of the pups arrivals. The puppy basket has a place of prominence.  Treasure is enjoying her walks with me, daily exercise so very important. Soon, we will be experiencing the hurry up and wait syndrome.  The first puppy always takes so long to arrive because we wait for what seems like forever from the temperature drop, to the initial physical signs of labor and watch as it progresses.  John and I will be right there for Treasure and ready to step in if need be.  The rest of All things Brittany most often quiets down as if they understand what is going on elsewhere.  It's amazing.  We'll have the lights low with soft music playing, a warm comfortable place for Treasure to bring Bullet's puppies into the world.  Truthfully, I can't wait. I'm sure she can't either as her pups continue to grow to the end of gestation, increasing her discomfort.  I love to feel their movement.  As they grown, sometimes it is as if they actually respond to my touch. Reassurance is given to Treasure by providing whatever comfort we can. And in this situation, by remaining 'in sync'.  Take care and God bless you and yours - John, Ann & ATB

Treasure's Pregnancy: DAY 54

Gosh I cannot express how my heart aches for the discomfort that Treasure is obviously in. Herein lies the most solemn sentiment of responsibility as a breeder, knowing full well the puppies are well planned for and very much anticipated by our own design for all the right reasons.  Reasons....  hmmm.  This is where opinions waffle and fade, especially in regards to purpose driving breeding programs. Honestly, I truly do get that. You see, I have little tolerance for those who want to breed so that little Sally or Joey gets to experience seeing their pet dog Sandy have pups.  I feel the same way about those who really don't care about becoming a breeder but do want to see Bingo reproduced in a litter of his own.  But it's not about getting on my soapbox at the moment. (I do that in several other places including as a representative for municipal kennel owners on the Governors Animal Welfare Advisory Council (AWAC), and then also on the Maine Hunting & Sporting Dog Owners Blog over at the Bangor Daily News, a Facebook page of the same name, and as owner/moderator of the Maine Legislative Canine Yahoo! Discussion group!)
No, today is about observing Miss Treasure, dedicating the time to her and making her as comfortable as possible.  Her appetite is ferocious although she just cannot handle eating a lot at once.  We're indulging her by offering her lighter meals with foods she doesn't usually get on a regular basis. She is not sleeping through the night at all which is so unusual. I'm taking her outdoors a few times between bedtime and sunrise. I've restricted her from running with the big dogs. She has such a competitive nature when it comes to their free runs and has to be the lead dog when they are all out together.  Physically, she just can't do that and I don't want to risk her getting bumped.  Treasure also enjoys armchair bird hunting while in the house. She can get so excited and demand to go outdoors. Again, not a problem any other time but I really don't think she needs to leap out over the entire front porch at this point.

Mostly she's sleeping. And that's a good thing because labor will take a toll on her energy reserves and strength.  Having the luxury myself to devote this time to Treasure also affords me wonderful excuses to indulge in naps lying by her side, rubbing her belly.  This momma to be is being spoiled and rightfully so.  Full body massages are part of the deal here for her! Treasure will offer her exposed belly up when casually petted. It's an undeniably clear message and a welcome invitation that she would love to be on the receiving end of much attention!  Not a problem.

Day 54 and her temperature throws me a curve.  By this I mean I was expecting her normal average dog body temperature to be at 101.  Nope. Instead we are starting off at 100.1 .  It may not seem like much of a difference but each and every little degree mark matters when monitoring a girl about to whelp a litter of pups in a week. I talked a little bit about the whole temperature taking process this over on the ATB Breeder Page called Nursing Mother's Pudding Recipe.
The shedding of hair around Treasure's nipples continues to intensify. Maybe this afternoon I'll do a little trimming in that area for her, and also take off some of her beautiful furnishings around her back legs for her own well being. She is fastidious about keeping herself clean but I just think it's more hygienic and also easier for the neonatals as they are born and quickly find their way to their mothers teat to nurse.  That amazes me by the way.  Sometimes, even before the umbilical cord has been severed by momma dog (or us if need be) you will see a feisty neonatal puppy find it's way to nurse within seconds of being born.  The beauty of those moments are undeniably breath taking.
Well, she's now come over next to where I sit at my desk. She has preferred lying down by my feet to lying down on the comforter next to the wood stove.  This means it is time for me to drop everything and to give Miss Treasure the undivided attention she is so deserving of.  Pups movement is certain. Her mother Wish in the past has entered Stage One of labor as early as Day 59 before, with pups on Day 60.  I've not seen pups born earlier than that and the longer they 'cook' the better at this stage of course.  Yet with large litters of pups,  you can expect anything.  Thanks for your interest and check back, I'll be sharing this journey as time permits. Take care and God bless, John, Ann, Treasure and our beautiful canine crew of Brittanys.

Treasure's Pregnancy: DAY 51

DAY 53, Friday March 30th Update: I have felt the puppies move!!!!

Oh sweet and precious little "Treasure."  You lie on the floor, just a few feet away from where I sit writing, so obviously unable to find a position that is comfortable for more than just a little while.  Your meals are much smaller now and frequent throughout the day because the puppies you carry are crowding your abdomen.  Liver, yogurt, cottage cheese, salmon oil mixed in with your food and lots of water to quench your thirst.  Soon I'll make you a large batch of  "Nursing Mother's Pudding".  You are beginning to show signs of being restless in several ways.  When you sit perched upon the arm of the couch looking out the window the robins on the ground catch your attention and suddenly your entire body springs into a state of alertness! Your most primal and natural instincts surface within seconds while paying no attention to your obvious physical condition. I do try to discourage you from getting up on the couch or the bed only because I am concerned with the discomfort of jumping off from them.  I'm not very successful in these attempts.  I know the pressure on your bladder must be great because you ask to go outside more often than ever. And you come right back in. I know I can expect to see you begin to wander more when you are outside though in the coming days, so I'll look forward to being with you outdoors with a nice long loose lead.  The other day I lowered the adjustable grooming table to make it easier for you to simply step up onto the chair and then onto the table.  I saw that look of appreciation.  You were so good about just lying there while I gently brushed you. Those fuzzy wingus thingies of wisps of hair that grow on your abdomen during heat cycles and pregnancy cause you to look a little disheveled.  I was glad to spend the time with you removing them.  Once they were gone, your coat looked as beautiful as it always does. Then it was easier to see how very much you have 'popped'!  Your ears look very pretty too now that I have trimmed the hair on them even with the ear 'leather'. Treasure, I know you didn't really like all that plucking hair out of your ears stuff when I was doing it but you seemed happy afterwards!  Your nails don't grow like crazy and they are just right.  The hair around your nipples on your lower abdomen is now shedding and pretty soon you will be hairless in that area.  Next week I'll trim the longer hair from all your nipples to make it easier for your puppies to nurse.  I will enjoy giving you a sponge bath of your belly and your private little parts in a few days. No getting in or out of the bathtub at this point in time.  You were pretty relaxed while I reached around and gently trimmed down and around your tail. I realize in a couple of weeks I will be in the immediate background but for the time being, you are stuck to me like glue and I don't mind a bit.  It's been very nice to spend time with you in the puppy room but you are a bit  of a bed hog when it comes to the cot which is out there.  I will confess, I pretended to be asleep yesterday when you went in and rooted around in the whelping box.  It was neat to see you rearrange your bedspread to get it tucked up under you in just the way you want it.  Eventually the bedspread will be replaced with layers and layers of unprinted newspaper (ends) so you'll be able to go in and have a real free for all shredding and ripping paper to your hearts content.  I understand that this is necessary and actually a part of the early labor process.  We've been through this together before Treasure, and I've been through it with your mother.  I've felt especially blessed to be part of something so amazing and beautiful - especially when it comes to the maternal instinct which you both possess.  I've been the attending 'midwife' at many whelpings over the years.  I learned about 'the birds and the bees' at a young age, courtesy of my parents who bred Boston Terriers.  But each time is different, and not all girls are the same.  Yet you and your mother Wish - have always had very strong and raw natural instincts in many areas especially in regards to whelping and raising a litter of pups.  Even so my lovely Treasure, I'll not be lulled into a false sense of security and everything will be in place. I think there's only a couple of things to replenish including a bottle of Pedialyte and cotton balls.  We will be ready for you when your time to bring forth new little lives into the world draws near.  John and I will have your care and comfort during the process as our priority, separate and away from the daily life of a multiple dog family.  Music and soft lights (really) will surround us all - soon and very soon.  I'm counting since the date of your first get together with the ever handsome Bullet man - and based on that - we are at Day 51. And we'll take your first temperature reading tomorrow.  I know you hate that - but I need to know what your daily base temperature is.  So much of this is quite invasive for you but I know you trust me Treasure. I did try the digital approach but there is a lot to be said about using an actual animal thermometer, which takes a lot of the guess work away. I'm certain that the circumstances and environment that surrounds the next week matters immensely not only to your actual whelping, but also to the well being of your pups as they arrive. Ideally, we will keep things as calm as we can for you.  I am reflecting tonight, looking ahead, and imagining how beautiful the puppies that you and Bullet have will be.  I'm very pleased with those families so far who have expressed their desire to bring one of your pups into their life, families who respect and support our program here that we look forward to getting to know more and more. Having said all of this - I am above all else hoping and praying for a very uneventful delivery which leaves you and your beautiful puppies to in absolutely perfect health. One day at a time from this point on.  And I just can't wait to welcome your sweet little puppies into the world!

As always thank you for your interest in ATB, take care and God bless you and yours!  John and Ann, Treasure and the rest of our beautiful Brittany family! (We are still accepting serious inquiries regarding availability of pups from Treasure and Bullet giving preference to hunting families with prior Brittany experience.)

ATB Video: A Beautiful Morning / Treasure 7 week Update

(Pause Play List in right column before viewing music video below!)

March 23, 2012 - During a spring heat wave with record breaking temps reaching into the 80's !

There's a song from "Sound of Music" sung by Julie Andrews called "My Favorite Things".  It's a cute little diddy which focuses on the simpler things in life which give people a reason to smile and be happy.  The musical video above is relative to the concept of those simple things in life which are there for all of us to enjoy. The key is to just stop what we're doing at any given moment long enough to look around and discover that simplicity.  Dogs have the ability to do just that. Give them an opportunity to simply be dogs and they will take that opportunity and literally run with it!  On the other hand, we humans stop only long enough to go through our mental and/or tangible check lists of to do's instead, which in itself usually proves to be time consuming. While crossing things off these lists may give a temporary sense of accomplishment and appear to free up some of our precious time, what usually happens is we think we now have more time to add additional tasks, errands, and the like.  We are never 'done'. We are never 'finished.' We are never 'caught up.'  So what if we're not?  Do we need to go through each day filling up all the moments that are given to us?  Or do we give ourselves a day off, or perhaps a morning and evening off?  Not usually.  As I took this little video I was surrounded by wet, happy, and somewhat mucky dogs.  My only expectation which I decidedly placed upon them was to have fun.  Our driveway is gated and our property enclosed with fencing.  The dogs don't have any desire to fun off though because their deepest desire out side of bird hunting is to be with us. And we do try to combine those two things together as often as possible whether in the field running our dogs and working them on birds, off season at a game preserve, or of course during bird hunting season.  You know most of the time when the decision is reached to run the dogs I have not dressed for the occasion.  It is rare that I will run up into the house to put something more appropriate on because face it, I'm a t-shirt and jeans kind of person most of the time anyway.  The dogs know I'm easily accessible and they do not stop to think about whether their paws are wet and muddy or clean and dry.  But I too have to make a decision to literally 'run with the big dogs'.   They are going to enjoy themselves  whether I venture down to the pond or further outback with them or not.  If I happen to be in the house working on something (that dirty word) they will seek me out and be quite persistent that I need to come and play with them.  If I happen to be the one to let them all out at the same time I know I'm going to be consumed by their affection, love, and appreciation.  There is a different between running dogs in the field, running the dogs, training the dogs, working the dogs and letting the dogs be dogs.  I always have a slip lead and my whistle hanging from a lanyard around my neck when out with them. My pockets are always filled with treats.  Our dogs are happiest when John and I are both together with them all outside. For all of us, a morning like this captured on film is not just about letting them stretch their legs when they go outside to go to the bathroom.  A morning like this is about human and canine enjoying their blended lives here to the fullest.

As for the practical and common sense approach here, we have a  "dogs running - absolutely no admittance" sign at our driveway.  Even our dearest friends, family, and neighbors know not to enter our yard unless we personally let them in - it's just common sense. I think Caesar Milan is probably the person who originally introduced the concept of domestic dog packs or at least has brought it to the surface. Although there is a school of thought today that says we don't need to be concerned with the pack mentality.  I think we do.  I believe there are certain principles to be knowledgeable in regards to managing multiple dogs. Whether at a dog park, doggy day care, field trial, indoor training class - dogs need to be supervised just like kids do.  You should be able to read their body language, recognize when tension may be present, know which dogs are apt to diffuse it, and act quickly when a dog shows any sign of moving out of one particular drive into another. There's no excuse for any dog owner in this day and age to remain ignorant about normal dog communication because there truly is a wealth of information. There are more multiple dog owners now than ever before.  It's worth understanding the language of the dog whether physical or vocal.  They are always communicating something.  And sometimes the things they say and do are absolutely incredible.  That's another good reason for getting outside and enjoying beautiful mornings such as this video depicts. By placing no expectations on the dogs, they were free to simply be themselves and in doing so, provided a perfect opportunity for me to learn more about them.  Something I never tire of doing.

TREASURE 7 week UPDATE

We are at 7 weeks along in her pregnancy counting back to her 1st tie with Bullet.  (Speaking of the handsome dude himself, we've been a little quiet about him. Bullet is being shown and has won Winners Dog again recently, winning more AKCTreasure's abdomen is just as wide at this point in time as it was a little further along when she had 11 pups in 2009. She's quite uncomfortable and now is being fed several small meals throughout the day. Treasure has a wonderful appetite so I have to be sure she does not eat too much because pups are taking up more room. The pups continue to grow and at 7 weeks along are well developed and attaining their size in preparation of their birth.  Anytime from this point on it is possible to see and feel them move within Treasure.  Her nipples have enlarged significantly and the hair around them has started to shed rapidly. Before pups arrive there will be little if any hair on her tummy. She tires easily. At about 6 a.m. this morning she went underneath our bed and began to dig at the carpet furiously. The very beginning of that amazing natural nesting behavior.  A week from today I will begin to take a daily temperature reading to establish her true average temp. This information will prove to be invaluable as her due date approaches at which time I will take her temperature 3 times a day, 8 hours a part. Very soon, Treasure and I will be settling in together in the puppy room.  I'll bring the cot in and actually sleep with her at night. Our vets will all be on call once the temperature drops. For now, Treasure will of course continue to enjoy being a daily part of normal every day life here with a few minor changes.  She will not be sleeping on our bed - I worry too much about excessive jumping at this stage. Soon, I'm going to begin to take her outside on a 30' lead to discourage her from wandering off to make an outdoor nest in the leaves somewhere! And as playful as Treasure is with the rest of the crew, I also don't want to take a chance she gets involved with rough housing. 

Time to get on with this day which by the looks of things - appears to be starting with another beautiful morning!  Take care and God bless you always, John, Ann, and All Things Brittany

P.S.   Accepting serious puppy inquiries for hunting families with prior Brittany experience.

ATB: On Aging

I stayed home from church today due to feeling a little under the weather. This morning I realized I'm especially reflective after our oldest grandsons' 9th birthday celebration yesterday. A couple of years ago at his school concert he was speaking to his friends and said "see that lady over there with the gray hair? That's my grandmother." I have thought back on that so much. First of all it was simply cute and innocent. But I realized he has never known me with the long, dark and thick brown hair of not so long ago. The saying 'out of the mouths of babes' recognizes that children very often unexpectedly say something very intelligent and wise.  Perhaps unnoticed by others, their words can linger long after they have been uttered.  As we go mature from year to year time does seem to pass by so quickly.  A day turns into a week turns into a month turns into a year turns into MANY years!  There is a choice about the attitude we take about how we're going to react to the passing of time. For instance, I obviously made a choice to let my hair gray naturally. Am I thrilled with it? Not especially all of the time, but most of the time. There are days I want to run to the hairdresser and revert to the natural 'brownette'.   But the fact of the matter is the natural color of my hair is no longer brown.  It is a natural gray. I may give in again to coloring but that remains to be seen. It will be very obvious though if I do!  Anyway,  I do like what the Bible says in Proverbs though about gray hair being like a crown of glory though, I can live with that just fine. Actually my Bible (and yours!) has a lot of very encouraging and uplifting Words about maturing through the years.  Here are are a couple of verses: "Happy are those who finds wisdom and who acquires understanding… She is more precious than jewels; nothing you desire compares with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left, riches and honor” (Proverbs 3:13, 15-16). “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. For by Wisdom your days will be many, and years will be added to your life” (Proverbs 9:10-11).   

Well this morning I received an email message with instructions to forward to 7 people for something hilarious to happen.  Instead, as I've done in the past, I want to share this here for everyone to read.  I liked what it said and I believe there's a lot of truth here.   The expressions mirror much of my own philosophy about aging, growing older, reaching my senior years, and all that goes with it:
 

As I've aged, I've become kinder to myself,

and less critical of myself.

I've become my own friend... 

I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon;

before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging.

Whose business is it

if I choose to read or play on the computer 

until 4 AM or sleep until noon?

I will dance with myself to

 those wonderful tunes of the 60 &70's,

and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love... I will. 

I will walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched

over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose to,

despite the pitying glances from the jet set.

They, too, will get old. I know I am sometimes forgetful.  

But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten.

And I eventually remember the important things.

Sure, over the years my heart has been broken.

 How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or

when a child suffers, or even when somebody's beloved

pet gets hit by a car?

But broken hearts are what give us strength and

understanding and compassion.

A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never

 know the joy of being imperfect. 

I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turning gray,

and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face. 

So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver.  As you get older, it is easier to be positive.

You care less about what other people think.

I don't question myself anymore...

I've even earned the right to be wrong. 

So, to answer your question, I like being old.

It has set me free. I like the person I have become.

I am not going to live forever, 

But while I am still here,

I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be. And I shall eat dessert every single day (if I feel like it).  
And...I'll continue to enjoy living my life as someone who has literally - gone to the dogs!!!

MAY OUR FRIENDSHIP NEVER

COME APART

ESPECIALLY WHEN IT'S STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART!

================================================================
Take care and God bless,

thanks for your interest as always in ATB - John, Ann and our Brittany crew

ATB: Spring has Sprung!

Getting Ready !

Today is the official 1st day of Spring, 2012 however we've sure been blessed with a lot of springlike weather already.  I know that here in New England anything can happen in regards to the weather but boy oh boy - it has been a record breaking mild winter here.  It's been great in so many ways.  Easier on John as far as the ongoing snow removal here, awesome for the dogs who never really had to take a break from the field all winter, and as for me - I really think that my joints fared quite well.  Unfortunately though winter was not very kind to our friend Julie who slipped and fell on the ice over two months ago.  She is still recovering from a broken rib and a punctured lung.

Speaking of Julie, John and I enjoyed a daylong visit with her down at the New England Sporting Group Dog Show in Fitchburg on Sunday. We also had a chance to see Thistle and Sassy there too. I couldn't believe how grown up Thistle is now! She looked really pretty too as Dawn had spent some time clippering the hair on Thistles neck.  Pippin and Thistle have very similar and challenging show grooming needs to put it mildly!  It has taken me all this time to finally figure out the best way to care for Pip's coat so hopefully some of our techniques will be beneficial for Julie.  Dawn tells us that this coat comes from her Rosie so she too has a lot of experience.  Sassy looked so pretty and was happy to be there with us all.

I had the pleasure on Sunday at the show of grooming Miss Ruby Rose (Scooby's Ruby!).  Marilyn and Roger are so faithful to come to the shows and cheer us on anytime we are there in Massachusetts.  It was funny because Marilyn had emailed me to say all of a sudden Ruby's tail had changed and the way she described it I knew it was exactly like Scoobys.  If you are familiar with our crew and the many photos here there and everywhere of them - you'll notice that most of our Brittanys are groomed for the field. There is no added pressure to do show grooming on them so they always have the more casual look. The Brittany is supposed to be low maintenance after all.  Grooming of course means a whole lot more than getting a dog ready for a show. It involves frequent regular brushing, nail clipping, paying attention to skin, teeth, and toenails among other things. We are not huge advocates of frequent bathing of dogs, I think that dries their skin out and strips them of the lanolin needed in their coats.  If you're keeping a dog in show coat that's an entirely different story.  Anyway, I just wanted to elaborate a little bit on that because whenever I mention I'm going to do some grooming on the dogs John rolls his eyes and thinks I mean shaving the neck, trimming furnishings etc.  I tried to explain that grooming is NOT limited to that extent!  Anyhow.  What I'm getting at here is if you catch a glimpse of pictures of Mr. Scooby doobah it's likely you can notice the marshmallow/mushroom puff which I try very hard to keep trimmed up.  I do not like flags of hair on the end of Brittany tails though. It's just not hygienic and it makes them look silly.  So beware!  If you're around where Pam, Julie, or I may be and your Brittany has a tail flag - you may find it has disappeared when you were not looking!!!  Ruby was a very good girl and I couldn't believe how easy it was to spend some time with her on the grooming table. I saw no reason to give her a field clip but I did take off some of the fringe around her ears and neatened up her pretty little tail. I love Ruby.  It only took a few minutes to show Marilyn how to use a curved, blunt ended scissor to carefully 'clean out' the hair under Ruby's tail, then use my 46 tooth, single blade thinning shears to blend in hair on her tail itself, carefully shaping the remaining hair left there.  As is typical of Molly and many of her get, Ruby has an excessive amount of very fine hair behind her ears.  I trimmed that all out nicely, trimmed the length of hair on her ears even with the 'leather', and used my fine tooth stripping tool to take out some of the fluffy bulk.  Ruby reminds me so much of my Rosie but John said she reminds him more of Scooby. Either way, she is a beautiful Brittany girl. 

As for showing Pippin, she and I are continuing to improve our game. We are better than we once were  but have a ways to go.  Pip and I both were in need of a big boost of confidence to bring us up out of a place of discouragement about showing.  The only way I could envision this happening was to take her back into the ring myself, see what we could do together for awhile and take it from there.  I'm at a physical disadvantage but I still want to try and show Pippin to the best of my ability.  After a very dry season of no placements we were in the ribbons again in December and January. (We all need to keep our achievements in front of us and I would have been happy with the major at that time but we did take reserve to a 4 point major, also a Best Opposite Sex, and a Group 4 Bred By Exhibitor.)  Anyway, John took pictures of Pippin and I together in the ring on Sunday.  There was an entry of 41 beautiful BrittanysHemi's Uncle Alex won Best Opposite in Sweeps and also Reserve Winners Dog to a 4pt major amidst awesome competition.  And at the end of the day, I also walked away knowing Pippin was every bit as competitive as any of the others.  It was not her day, but one of these times - it will be.

Ahhhh... and then there is Treasure!  Pictured above are the initial attempts John and I have made out in the puppy room.  This room is also affectionately known as the puppy cave or in Treasure's case ' the Treasure house'.  Being multiple dog owners with a small personal kennel means creatively managing the entire crew so that no one is ever left out and all know and feel how important and special they are. This escalates to a higher level in the case of an expectant mother dog.  I feel very fortunate to have a husband who understands the importance of this.  John is always seeking ways to improve their environment and the life we share with the crew here. So now we have a puppy room, which is located right off of our garage that is perfectly equipped to meet every need in regards to breeding, whelping, and raising a litter of purebred Brittany pups. Pictured above is the way it looked as of this afternoon. Treasure was recently gifted with a very special full size bedspread from Julie to call her very own throughout the process.  This afternoon she settled down on it and lay in the warm sun.  In a day or two we'll be laying new indoor/outdoor carpet tiles in the room, and then the whelping box will be brought in.  (When there are no pups due, this room is set it exclusively as a grooming studio.) I love having a separate area dedicated to momma and pups. Everyone can come in and visit, or the pups can go outside with supervision into the yard when they are old enough. We bring in a nice big piece of culvert for them to run through.  Although we pretty much 'live' in that area for the first few weeks (setting a cot up inside) there's also an intercom from the house.  As the pups get a lot older they spend their days inside the house in an X-pen with us.  We begin crate training in the puppy room and also introduce informal clicker training.  I maintain that we are responsible for bringing pups into the world - we are accountable to them to teach them as much as possible as we can while they are here, to prepare our Brittany pups to spend the rest of their life with humans.  Perhaps out of anything that has to do with All Things Brittany - it is the 1st 8 weeks of their life which I take more seriously than anything else. Devoting an area totally to their well being and to Treasure's is just part of it.  It is a rare occurrence for me to go to any other dog event when pups are due or shortly after they are born.  We routinely set up a quarantine period here.  

Treasure is sleeping on our bed each night now.  It's comfortable for her.  If we go away she is either crated comfortably in our largest crate or settled into one of our indoor/outdoor kennel runs.  I don't believe it's a good idea to leave her loose in the house as her behavior can be unpredictable. She could decide to try to make her own nesting area somewhere unconventional, and in the process really hurt herself.  She does enjoy being with the rest of the crew although we closely supervise their interaction. Being such a playful girl as Treasure is means she loves to engage in activities with the others. But she is deserving of her own time, her own space, and her own one on one interaction with us. She gets it.  As pregnancy advances, these needs become greater. They will be respected. 

Treasure is about 6 weeks along now from her first tie with Bullet.  Her appetite has returned full force. Her abdomen has expanded to the point though where we are now feeding her smaller meals throughout the day.  Otherwise she becomes very uncomfortable after eating.  She loves to have her belly rubbed!  This is the stage where hair may begin to fall out on her tummy, around her nipples.  It is too early to detect fetal movement, that occurs in the final week to 10 days of pregnancy.  We look forward to watching and feeling the movement of puppies! 

Before I close, I have to tell you about our latest discovery as we continue to go through the boxes which we brought up from our other home.  You may remember I found all of my parents breeding records, pedigrees etc. from the 60's ?  Well, yesterday John showed me a box full of  Dog World magazines dating from that period too. All those fabulous articles about DNA, genetics, breed standards, showing, pup development and every topic imaginable!  There were also several huge thick AKC Gazettes and yearbooks.  I like it that there are notes about various topics in some of the magazines which my dad must have found especially helpful. 

There are a couple of hunt tests coming up this spring we have an interest in all levels of testing.  Also John is pursuing his desire to become an AKC Hunt Test judge and should soon be apprenticing somewhere. I'm so glad he discovered the fun of AKC Hunt Tests, *thanks to Pam and Sam. We now encourage everyone to give it a try. We'll be doing more gun dog training assistance for those who need it. This is for those who enjoy hunting with a close working dog within shotgun range. John enjoys helping others this way with all point breeds, but especially with Brittanys. Sometimes all it takes is a telephone conversation to share new ideas.  Other times a few outings together in the field. And then there are times when John enjoys working with a dog over a period of time.  Not that I'm bias or anything  - but he has a wonderful way with the dogs who readily respond to his training methods.  Our homing pigeon population suffered a devastating blow when attacked by an ermine a few weeks ago.  Our quail are all doing well and it's almost time to trek the johnny houses to the area we use for training!  There is always something new for sure.

That's it for now. We'll continue to share more about Treasure in the days and weeks ahead. Speaking of this beautiful liver and white Brittany girl, she's standing at the open screen door just wagging her tail, looking to go outside.  What a beautiful night it is here in Southern Maine.  I may just have to outside and enjoy looking at the stars and listening to the peepers!  Take care and God bless you and  yours - John, Ann, and All Things Brittany

ATB: Journey of a Breeder

"You cannot open a book without learning something..." The pages within the hardcover lab notebook pictured above tell a story. Full of valuable information and data, the binding is cracked, there are some stains on the pages but the book itself is well used.  The first entry in this journal says:

"....We are inspired to more fully appreciate this incredible breed through the death of our beloved Hunter in 2003 and we will continue to endeavor to establish ourselves as reputable, responsible breeders. Although we are aware of mistakes made and occasional bad decisions resulting in one issue or another all in all we believe that this is a path for us to follow.  Our dedication and commitment to our Brittanys is strong... Together we have discovered this new found passion through our mutual love and enjoyment of our dogs and each other. We both know we have truly been blessed and led by God, knowing full well that the people, events, dogs, learning tools that have come into our lives could only have reached us through favor and divine intervention. This is a very hard work, extremely expensive, sometimes quite discouraging but over all worth it all. This record will be an attempt to document our experience from this point on...  We'll demonstrate the fine foundation which has been built since 1986 and bring things together..."

The  journey of a hobby breeder requires a lot of faith.  Charles Mueller says that developing a strong faith means enduring great trials where the certainty of faith is learned by standing firm amid severe testings. The Bible defines faith as when we are sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Faith is that  assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 

This is a timely reflection, a nugget of truth to hold fast to as once again, we have opened the book to share what we hope will be an uneventful and normal pregnancy, a journey that results in the birth of a healthy litter of puppies.  Anything can happen along the way and we have experienced that reality a time or two.  But here are two beautiful, outstanding Brittanys from our program that have been brought together by our own design. We have a lot to look forward to, much to hope for and reason to be very very excited !  There are those who will personally follow this journey that will eventually lead to what we call around here "the 1st day of the rest of their life."  That's the joyous day when your puppy is lovingly placed into your awaiting arms, the leash is handed to you and a new journey begins! And then again, John and I are blessed by the knowledge there's many others who are part of our ATB family that will enjoy this journey because they know us, they know Treasure and Bullet, and they know and love our Brittany dogs!

In the meantime, we appreciate your words of encouragement and especially the prayers said. We also hope that you enjoy the occasional splashes of blessing that you encounter as a result of reading our blog. Speaking of reading, this is when we remind those of you expecting a pup from this anticipated litter to be sure you have the book "Art of Raising A Puppy" by the Monks of New Skete".  Chapter One begins on Day 59 of a pregnancy and takes the readers through the approaching day of delivery, the behavior of the dog, the eventual whelping, and each stage of newborn puppy development.  (It's required reading for ATB!)  Take care and God bless you and yours,  as always John, Ann and All Things Brittany

PS Thank you to those who responded to the recent email and update. I appreciate that some of you have been waiting since spring 2011!  Things are looking good and I do believe there is still some availability. This breeding will potentially produce fun and beautiful, close working gundogs of even temperament, strong natural instincts especially in regards to retrieving and honoring, and easily trained. Preference will be given to prior Brittany owners and especially bird hunting families. We are still accepting serious inquiries into this litter due Easter 2012. If you are interested we would love to hear from you, simply CONTACT US via this highlighted link!

Treasure: Behavior & Appetite Changes

Thursday morning:  I feel guilty for being quite so joyous about Treasure throwing up this morning - but that is exactly what happened here. She does have morning sickness.  Gave her an antacid and some gingersnaps. Treasure is going to be a couch potato today despite the lovely weather. Due date is EASTER!

Wednesday: Just a quick update
Over the past 49 hours we've seen some pretty dramatic changes here in Treasure's appetite.  Two days in a row now she has left food in her feeding dish at her morning AND her evening meal.  I'm putting a dollop of all natural plain yogurt on top of her food which she'll eat. But then she just lays there and looks at what is left.  She doesn't want it but she keeps the dish in between her two front legs so no one else can have it either. Treasure is not growling but she's definitely sending signals that she's not sharing her food!  We are feeding her premium puppy food which she usually scoffs down.  Today she has been especially silly - in that every time I go into one of the other rooms she insists on checking out every single nook and cranny.  I think her hormones all mixed up! She's been mothering Hemi a lot. Treasure is also extremely playful with me.  John and I have both thought a couple of times she was getting ready to throw up due to her increased yawning (most dogs will yawn a lot just before actual tossing their cookies; anyone with a dog on their lap that gets carsick while riding in a moving vehicle knows this!).  John and I both agree that her ribcage appears wider, something that is unusual to notice so early.  We are about 3 weeks out from her 1st tie with Bullet.

Taking Care of Business: For Our Serious Inquirers!
Just a quick note to say that those of you on our waiting lists should check your incoming e-mail for "J&A's Brittanys: 3.7.12 Breeding Update".  There will be one attachment titled "3.7.12 Breeding Update Doc".  It contains current and important information for you.  I'm posting about this here because I recently edited our serious inquiry mailing list and when I did there were just a few issues with some of your addresses. Many of us have been in touch personally especially regarding Treasure and Bullet's pups but of course I do not want to overlook anyone! Although a bit unusual to share such information here it is to the benefit of our 'Serious Inquiries" to post the text of the email message:

Hi there,

We are pleased to announce our 2012 breeding program for those who have expressed an interest in our Brittany dogs or who have asked to remain on our mailing list. Attached is our first breeding program update of 2012 which includes the information about a much anticipated litter of pups with Treasure and Bullet. We are still accepting serious inquiries and working to confirm the level of interest in those who are waiting. Please accept our sincere apologies if this information is redundant or if it is of no further interest in you. Would you let us know if you would like to remain on this mailing list or be removed? We especially need to hear from everyone who has an interest in Treasure and Bullet's anticipated puppies! (Have not officially confirmed the pregnancy but we are pretty sure!)  As always thank you so much for your interest in our canine crew here. Take care and God bless you and yours always,

John & Ann Short

All Things Brittany

http://www.mainebrittanysitejas.com/

http://allthingsbrittany.blogspot.com/

KJ's Ramblin' Molly Rose Turns 9

Happy 9th Birthday Sweet Molly !!!

A few posts ago I wrote about the "anniversary" of Hunter's passing in 2003.  At first John and I didn't know whether or not it would be a good idea to immediately bring another Brittany into our life and our first reaction was to wait awhile.  The pain of our recent loss was real and devastating.  We did feel that if and when we decided to get another Brittany it would have to be orange and white and a female that had lines leading back to the same breeding behind Hunter. What I didn't know was that John had been working behind the scenes to find such a dog.  What John didn't know was that I was doing the same thing!  One thing led to another and soon we were on the phone with a Maine breeder whose Brittany was due to whelp soon.  (As we have found to be the case so often concerning "All Things Brittany" the breeder, Karra Folkner, became a good friend.)  Karra stayed in touch with us as the due date of her "Sassy" drew close and notified us on the day of the long anticipated temperature drop. Soon the good news came our way that a beautiful healthy litter of pups had been born with plenty of girls to choose from!  Molly was 1 of  7 girls in a litter of 14 !!!!!  We were ecstatic and it wasn't too long before we took the 2 hour drive from our house to Karras to get an initial peek at the litter.  They were so beautiful, I'll always remember how special that visit was. Pups were not old enough for us to really interact physically with but Karra knew how much we were hurting from Hunter's death.  Even so, as I watched the puppy pile grow larger underneath the heat lamp there was one determined little girl who kept making her way to the very top. I laughed at this because that's exactly what Hunter did when he was a neo-natal pup. He had to be at the top of the pile.  So from the start Molly stood out.

Well it was at that time too that I thought I may want to try showing a dog and consequently I had the pick of the litter of girls. Even so, as John and I returned again when the pups were older that became less important with the actual interaction of all 7 girls.  Karra had separated a few for consideration that she had her eye one.  Molly was determined she wanted to make that cut though and every time I tried to visit with another pup, Molly came over and made sure I paid attention to her antics. Molly decided she'd found a permanent place - sitting on the back of my legs as I kneel on the floor. This made it very difficult to be objective in my selection.  So I said "okay you - let me see what you're all about since you insist on making yourself known." Many wiggles, wags and kisses later she fell asleep in my arms.  All the time John is saying it's up to me what pup to pick so he was no help either.  Well, we all know the rest is history.  Several weeks later Molly came to live within our hearts and our home. The first night at home we had lofty plans for crate training to begin. Only John and I had never used crates before.  We did not know what we know now so gave in rather quickly to Molly's protests.  She quickly scrambled down under the covers by John's feet. (Remember? Hunter was NEVER allowed to sleep on the bed!!) Although she certainly was crate trained eventually that remains her favorite place to sleep.  Likewise, Molly enjoyed (and still enjoys) cuddling up with one of us on the couch when she's up in the house with us.  She wasn't very old in the picture of her and John lying together.

Also born that same month in 2003 was our oldest grandson. There was never any concern about Molly's behavior around our 2  grandaughters (then 1 & 2) so we were confident Molly would be fine around a new baby. With close supervision of course, which is ALWAYS the rule for interaction with dogs and children anyway, Molly was introduced to our grandbaby.  They are pictured together in the collage above. This is how it always was with Molly and our grandchildren, but especially so with Cal. I wish the picture wasn't so scratched but I was happy to find it.  She and all of our crew have grown up around children.  There's also a picture of Molly and I taken at York Beach that summer. (I introduced her to water early on but she never was quite crazy about it although several of her pups do seem to enjoy swimming and water retrieves.)  

Tomorrow on March 6th Miss Molly will turn 9 years old.  These years have flown by and life has changed in a lot of ways since we first brought Molly home. She is still just as playful, bouncy, and fun as she ever was.  You never quite know what to expect from her!  One moment she could be curled up by the woodstove, the next minute running from one end of the house to the other trying to initiate play of some kind.  She's the one who demonstrates for the rest of the crew how fun it is to run from the couch to the chair to the kitchen then around the dining room table and back to the couch to do it all again.  Outside she loves to kick up her heels and have all the attention focused upon her. Even now!  In the woods she has proven to be a very independent hunter.  I have always said she's like a prima dona or a princess in that you know she's a very 'girlie girl' when it comes to hunting. But when she's had enough of that she's done. That's it. We have hunted her often with Jack and they have worked well together in the past. But these days, she will simply go through a few impressive motions, find the bird, and that's it.  Molly and her daughter Rosie are very connected and close, in fact they are inseperable.  And both of them have very special places in my heart.  (There is a really cute glimpse into the life of Rosie at this YouTube Link on our channel.) But then again,  you all know that I feel that way about each Brittany dog in our life. 

Although Molly had started to show some signs of premature graying around her muzzle before her emergency C-section last year (See When Things Go Wrong) the aging process for her seems to have accelerated since that time.  (I do know that this was the case for her own mother too.)  Lately John and I have noticed some changes in her which point to hearing loss and diminished eyesight.  Even so Molly remains happy and content, full of love and joy and just as energetic and playful as she ever has been.  We learn to never take one moment for granted as the years go on. That applies to family, friends, and of course dogs.  Life happens, and sometimes quite unexpectedly. I'm very thankful that we can "celebrate" Molly Rose turning 9 years old (63 in human years). Happy birthday Miss Molly with all our love, we look forward to enjoying life with you for many more years to come! You're always welcome to sleep in your most favorite place of all as far as I'm concerned.  In closeing, we once again thank you for your interest - take care and God bless you and yours always - John, Ann, Molly & ATB