Change of Plans

Sleeping arrangements here at our Ranchero are, by design, flexible. Dogs have many choices, from barn to kennel to family room to master bedroom - crates, x-pens, raised beds, and orthopaedic cushions abound. People have beds, sleeper sofas, and air mattresses to choose from.

I have extensive experience sleeping on an air mattress. One summer I spent a month (with Dot) sleeping on one in the back of my Outback, waiting for a foal to drop. It gets cool in the summer nights in the desert, a dog is just the thing to keep my feet warm. Add a pillow and a sleeping bag, and I can go without end.

I slept on the same one last year waiting for Rumor to whelp. Wake up, deflate it, roll up in a corner; at night just inflate (self unrolling), hit the sack.

Sadly, that air mattress sprung a leak, one too large to repair. So I set about buying another one that would work with the pump I have. (Great pump - AC/DC, multi attachment.)

No dice. None of the ones available at stores local to me work with the pump, not even close.

After two purchases and returns, today the guy at the store said, m'am, what are you needing this for? I told him. He said - camper cot. I said - no way, bad back. He said - trust me.

So I bought one. After all, what I was doing wasn't working... time to try something else. Man oh man, is it comfy.

And I got one in green, so my bed matches Tigress's .

Bonus shot for today! Pausing mid-walk to admire the gorgeous day.

Shopping for... well, don't know how many

Maybe it's because yesterday was Mother's Day, but I was in baby-shopping mode. No no silly, not that kind of baby shopping. Shopping for baby - for puppies, actually.

First, an update on how Tigress is looking - which is, huge:

"Oh servant, more bon-bons, if you please..."

The x-ray to count puppy fetuses isn't until next Monday, but I went ahead and shaved her belly today. The hair has been falling out in clumps (normal in preparation for nursing), but it's 71* today and Tigress sez it's hot. I figure a nude belly on our tile floors will feel really good. Plus, maybe I'll see the little "scoops" moving around (!).

She was a very good mother with her first litter; I got to see her playing with them at 8 weeks of age and she was obviously enjoying her babies. I hope this litter is as charming and rambunctious!

While waiting for my car to get its oil changed I wandered into one of the pet super-stores. It's been a long time since I did anything other than dash in and grab cat litter, so took the opportunity to peruse every aisle and see what's new in toys. I found a few items that will make fun puppy toys, and may even work their way into my Temperament Testing box of goodies. Although I don't understand why they were in the cat section??

"Tweet Thing" touch activated noise-maker with feathers. Cool!

"Play N Squeak" comes in a fox version, too! Not too sure about the catnip tho...

A couple of aisles later I found my "now I've seen everything" item:

Disposable boots for dogs... whoda thunk?

Seemed kinda silly - until I started pondering the possible uses, when I almost bought a pack just to try them out... But I restrained myself. They probably don't keep out cactus.

Back at home I finally got a chance to look at the video my son sent me (via FaceBook) for Mother's Day... raunchy humor is right up my - sorry - aisle. Great kid, I'm so incredibly fortunate. He'll be home from university for the summer next weekend, can't wait to see him. And yes, we'll be having green enchiladas when he walks in the door, made with the good stuff. 
   

"Because life and death are unfair." ~ Vampire Bill

If you don't know who Vampire Bill is, you are obviously not a big fan of porn. Well, HBO's version of porn anyway. True Blood is some of the best eye- and brain-candy available; order it on Netflix and pass the popcorn.

I've been on a True Blood marathon this week at the direction of my son, who is has been in caretaker mode most of the week. We have the first two seasons on DVD, and I have watched every one of them since Tuesday afternoon.

Because....? you are surely wondering.

Because I have a broken heart.

That's not entirely accurate. To say that my heart was ripped out of my chest would be more accurate. As if by a Maenad.

Tuesday morning, without preamble or fanfare, my sweet baby Keen died. He left this world as he entered it - in my hands. One in a moment of joy, the other in anguish.

We are still awaiting the full report from the necropsy; the preliminary exams have been unable to identify a cause of death. And while my imagination runs wild with possibilities, I will wait for the pathologist to finish his work before saying more.

Keen was - I still want to say "is", pass the kleenex - a treasure chest unopened. Biddable and cooperative, he earned his CGC at 21 weeks of age (the youngest borzoi known to ever do so), was excelling in training for Rally and Obedience, doing incredibly well with agility training (he tore through tunnels and over jumps, loved the A-Frame, was figuring out the teeter; I could do front-crosses with him already). Prey-drive personified, he would chase anything that moved; my 2011 calendar was organized for his budding career. And Keen had made a visit just before Christmas to the treatment center with his sire, taking a full flight of stairs in the dark and spending nearly 2 hours telling me he'd love to be a therapy dog when he grew up.

If I'd given Santa a fantasy wish-list for the perfect dog, I'd have found Keen in my stocking.

Instead... the things that will never be. I'd trade every potential ribbon to have him back. To have his ridiculously curly head shove under my hand, doing the happy-bounce every morning from the bedroom to the door to go outside. To see him sitting in "his spot" eagerly waiting for his breakfast, to see his black form streaking around the pasture, to yell at him just once more for pulling plastic bags out of the recycling and shredding them all over my bedroom...

It is not my nature to live a life filled with regret. But I find that I have countless regrets for Keen. I wish we'd taken more photographs. I wish I'd taken him free coursing to chase a jackrabbit. I wish I'd seen this coming, that I could have prevented it, that I could have saved him, that I was smarter or more skilled or had magical powers and could just undo this unbearable sorrow.

I wish I could stop lying in bed, night after night, reliving the last 30 seconds of his life. I wish I could stop crying. I wish I wish I wish...

Sleep softly, forever more, my little Keen-bean. I will look in the night sky see your inky black coat on moonless nights, your brindle stripes in the Milky Way's band, the twinkle of your eyes in the stars. Farewell.

Back in the Saddle

After a lovely summer spent playing with puppies, cooking with my son, celebrating a milestone wedding anniversary, and teaching (and learning from!) a lot of new clients, it's time to get back in the proverbial saddle - which in fact is a keyboard - and release a slew of posts that have accumulated in my head.

Starting Monday. Probably.

Later today I'm off to Colorado for a seminar on structure and performance given by Helen King, renowned Connemara breeder and agility competitor. Maybe I can get her to sign my Rocky statue...

Anyway, planned topic is a long-ago started draft on unforgivable faults. Hoping for lots of discussion on this one....

Puppy Update

Six weeks old? The time has FLOWN by!!

The camera is giving me fits again (guess that will go on the wish list for Christmas) which is a shame as they are wicked cute. This morning they "helped" me take the garbage out, and I do wish there's been an extra set of hands with a video camera. Imagine four puppies racing me down a 400' driveway while I drag two 80-gallon cans. The garbage cans make quite a racket and have big wheels, which is exactly what Kay Laurence says they need exposure to. (Kay has a reputation as the person on puppy learning, and is a wonderful seminarian.)

The puppies wove in and out of my legs, got in front of the moving cans, and generally made total pills of themselves then entire way to the gate - excellent reactions! Then I pulled out the BIG can we keep by the gate, a 120-gallon container that gets emptied by the collection service. I made as much noise as possible (not difficult to do, these are hard plastic jobbers), banging lids, lifting and dumping and dropping and tossing. The puppies looked at me like I was a rock star... oooooh, how cool! Do it again! Then I opened the gate, scooted out, and left the puppies behind while I positioned huge container at the property line. Cries of protest followed me - for the big container or me, I could not say.

I scooted back in the gate and locked it, picked up the recycling bins, loudly dropped one in each garbage can, and started back up the driveway. The 80-gallon cans, now considerably lighter, banged merrily along the gravel, making a terrible racket. The puppies were everywhere in the way, so I found a clear path and started jogging, hoping to stay in front of them. The cans were making a horrific noise at this point, bouncing madly along the gravel, the recycling bins clanging inside them. The puppies then raced me, trying to keep up, eyes bright and faces gleeful at this game. Interestingly, the biggest puppy was the fastest, the smallest was the slowest. Clearly, all the racket was a non-issue for them.

Later this morning they get their longest car-ride yet: to the vet's office for their first vaccinations. I hope they think that is fun, too!

From hamsters to piglets

Three weeks of age, and the milestones keep ticking by:

Eyes open - check.

Hearing - check.

Walking (er, staggering) - check.

Play begins - check.

Conscious elimination begins - check.

Self awareness, climbing, & exploration all begin - check, check, check.

Weaning begins - check... and a napkin, please!!

I would love to post pictures of cute faces - the Ahdin babies are too adorable for words. Imagine, if you will, a photo of their four gorgeous heads with full pigmentation, dark eyes and haws, all in a row... But no. They are far too busy to hold still for such a photo, even if they were clean enough to attempt one.

They are having far too much fun playing in, and with, their puppy gruel to be bothered with pretty pictures. Oh yes, they are eating it, but it gets everywhere in the process.

See the website for individual photos... this is the ONLY one with no feet in the pan (quite possibly an accident).

Coming of Age

The puppies were born 18 days ago (don't worry, nobody's letting them vote), and a big part of their "puppyhood" development is over.

The Super Puppy neurological stimulation exercises were completed on Day 16, and we managed to get some pictures. These gentle stimulations have decades of science behind them, and very breeder I've spoken with that uses them swears they work. So we did them.

Before starting, I would weigh each puppy:
This week, weighing puppies has been both entertaining and challenging, as Yaso here demonstrates. Now having good control over their legs, climbing OVER has become a popular passtime - over each other, over Mama, over the edges of things. Combined with their eyes being open (though it's debatable that they see more than light, shadow, and big motion) they are avid explorers. It's both fun and a little alarming when they go OUT the holding box when I'm changing the bedding!

Once a weight for the day had been recorded, the foot stimulation was done:
Oro was pretty cooperative on Tuesday. Sometimes they protested mightily, others they squirmed, others they were nonchalant. Every day we did a different foot, so each set of toes was tickled four times.

Next each puppy is held upright:
You can see that Dos's eyes are open, her pigmentation is wonderful, her nails need trimming (done!), and the plump belly. Can you say - perfect!

Next they were held - very securely - upside down. Not very photogenic, so on to the next bit, which is cradling on back:
This usually involved some form of protest, as Yaso ably demonstrates. The first week they were easy to hold, but as they grew by leaps and bounds my small hands had a harder time supporting the entire body. Glad we're done!

Saving the worst for last, was the chilled damp rag torture:
Rojo didn't make it off the platter in four seconds, but like all his siblings - he tried!

When we finished with each puppy, we handed him or her to Rumor for a thorough cleaning (nasty people smell! must get rid of that!) and a nosh. Then they all stretched out for a nap, which I have to say sounds like a great idea:

Oro, Yaso, Dos, Rojo

And yes, that glimpse of newspaper means they are eliminating independently, though Rumor is still clean as a cat and keeps the whelping box spotless.

Our next adventure: puppy gruel. Hooo boy, that should be messy!

It Takes a Village

I may live in the boonies, but to say the Ahdin litter came about without a lot of help would be disingenuous.

Help takes many forms, and I'd like to take a post to thank some people and share a few of the resources that have been particularly useful.

THE VILLAGE (OF) PEOPLE
Thank you to: Sandra - for Py, for everything. Mary, Dora, & Chandra - for Rumor. Barb, Bobbie, Elaine, Karen, Laurel, Sherita, Susan - for support and advice. Sandra (again) and Susan for vouching for me (I know you did). Susan (and again) and Aenone for Skype-ing me when Cayenne whelped - that, I have to say, was the best "resource" ever. Mary (again) for always, always answering her phone, answering every question and providing guidance - without treating me like a dork. Most of all, Joan - for being, for... well, for everything.

And to Rumor: we both know you are doing all the hard work. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.


The following resources have, and continue to be, useful. Some were interesting, others are utterly invaluable. YMMV.

BOOKS
I love books. I love turning pages and making notes and the comfort they provide by being constantly accessible. These have kept me company these past months, and as they move from nightstand (and desk, and end table) to bookcase I will be glad to know they remain close at hand. (Images pilfed from Amazon and Dogwise; shop around for best pricing):



This is the one book everyone loved and insisted was a must-have. And I will agree, it's well organized, clear, helpful, practical, and easy to use.






These two books should come as a set, and are worth every penny. The list of supplies to have on-hand is detailed, and I watched the DVD (showing how to tube feed, among other things) over and over.




Speaking of DVD's, this one is also great. Not too technical, detailed information on cesarian sections, singletons, neonate development... etc. From "the man" in canine reproduction.






A friend recommended this book and loaned it to me. Widely considered a classic, covers picking stock to whelping and beyond.








Another favorite loaned by a friend, one that I liked so much I bought. Don't be fooled by the publication date, it's terrific.






Another older book with still-relevant information (no image available).

And a few books that have general information as well as breeding/whelping details:

A UK publication:







A classic, recently updated, and an absolute must-have.








MORE PEOPLE
I would be remiss not to thank the veterinarians, many of whom I count among my friends, for help, support, and service along the way. Noah, for the pre-breeding exam of Py when the hope for "tartlettes" started a couple of years ago. Diana, who did the palpation that confirmed pregnancy and cheered us along every step. Rebecca, for checking medications and ensuring I always have a well-stocked pharmacy on hand - and her cell phone number so I can check in before dispensing. Donald, for the x-ray and good wishes. Western Trails, for being on standby during whelping (thankfully they weren't needed).

SUPPLIES
Joan loaned me a whelping box and heater, they are GREAT. Next week we move everything from the study to the family room and attach the extension. I've made endless use of dog blankets (get the ones at Costco - same thing for 1/3 the price) and piddle pads, a large quantity of both are invaluable.

WEB SITES
Too many to list, but I have made daily use of information and forms and they have saved me countless hours of headache and confusion.

The lists go on and on - by you have the general idea.

So clearly, one does not need to live in a heavily populated area to have a "virtual village" of support. I couldn't have done it - calmly ;-) - without the help of many kind friends.

Two Weeks and Growing

They were born two weeks ago today! Now flirting with three pounds each, eyes are mostly open, and legs that are mostly underneath with game attempts at actual walking, they resemble puppies more than anything else.

I will post more pictures this afternoon when my errands are done for the day. Maybe this morning's puppy-pile will keep you amused until then:

(post-breakfast nap - doesn't look comfortable to me! but what do I know.)

Little Milestones - 1 week old

The Ahdin litter is a week old today!

I will confess to having spent absurd amounts of time watching the puppies, holding and cuddling and generally acting like a smitten fool. Oh well.

Can't believe I go back to work tomorrow! I will miss them while I'm gone, even if it is only for a few hours. They grow and change by the minute, and their antics are endlessly absorbing. Such as their "eat? nap? or puppy pile? nah, let's eat" negotiations. The brute in the morning, climbing over a sibling and stealing a nipple, may well be the one on the bottom of the heap in the afternoon. No longer hamster-like, now they are fat sausages. With tails.


By this age, each should have doubled from birth weight. They have, in spades. We started the "super puppy" exercises, which I call puppy torture time. Rumor thinks I'm insane, and watches me with bewilderment from the otherside of the sliding glass door. And of course, the puppies must think I'm evil as they got their nails trimmed and that was not their idea of a good time, nosiree.

Daily exposure to a novel organic smell is underway, too. They have met two new people this week (thanks to Elaine and Miela for coming by!), were held by Anthony near his sweaty armpit after a day of snowboarding, and took turns on my chest while I ate popcorn.

Their eyes will open in the next few days, which will expand their horizons considerably. I'm looking forward to every minute!

Facing Facts

The truth is, these puppies are wicked-cute:

l => r: brindle boy, black&brindle boy, gold girl, brindle girl

They are four days old today. Life so far has consisted of Rumor's tender and careful attentions, nursing (resulting in impressive weight gains), and charming explorations. While their sleep-cycle is dominated by twitching, the movements when awake are hysterical. They look a bit like hamsters (albeit with tails), move a bit like lizards (legs out to the side, pushing along), and sound sorta like cats (the noises crack me up). Rumor's ability to ignore their "I'm lost!" protestations from under rail or when futilely seeking a nipple on her backside sets an example for me to follow. The puppies are "on their own" for getting around; finding warmth or food or a cooler spot no longer gets any assistance.

Other than increasing Ru's meals, washing bedding twice a day, and providing door-man service, she continues to need very little from me. I am taking her for a walk a couple of times a day, and while she seems happy to get out for a few minutes is ready to race back to her treasures by the end.

The puppies have started their neurological stimulation, including novel scent articles daily, but mostly they alternate between piling up for naps and wrestling matches for the best nipples. Their eyes will start to open next week, so this is the end of flash-photography for a while.

Truth be told, I'm helplessly smitten with them.

Mamma of the Year

Puppy TV

Rumor is proving an exceptional mother, once again. Calm, attentive, and at peace.

Her pre-whelp need for my constant presence evaporated like raindrops on hot pavement once the puppies arrived, and she seems now only to appreciate me for my ability to bring meals, rather than my actual attention. Which is perhaps as it should be; her babies have her full devotion.

The whelping itself seemed to last forever; Rumor dragged it out over the entire day. I'd like to thank Mary C and Sandra M for providing the calm and sense I needed to support Rumor throughout the day, and Joan G for sitting with me and pitching in during the brief periods of activity.

A little puppy video for your viewing pleasure... No remote required.


30 seconds of nursing contentment while Ru napped, perhaps dreaming of low-flying birds... The babies have all gained weight and continue to exhibit individual characteristics.

"Born to Run"

Guess what was playing on the iPod when the first one arrived? That's right, Springsteen.

A long day that required more patience than I expected... details when I've showered, eaten, and slept at length.

The racetrack litter: 2 males, 2 females.

The Big Chill

I'm guessing THIS is what we've been waiting for:
Restless overnight, didn't eat all her breakfast (first time she's not licked the shine off the bowl).

Stay tuned...

-------------------

Afternoon update:

Refused lunch (unprecedented - alert the media!). We took our afternoon walk, then Ru rushed back to the house and into her box, proceeding to re-arrange the bedding for the zillionth time. Pretty sure we're in Stage 1 Labor - panting, occasional vocalizing, incredibly clingy and restless, etc.

-------------------

Evening update:

Two bites of dinner, and the Stage 1 carry-on continues, intensified. In a curious development, she's stolen a toy and taken it into the whelping box with her. I'm expecting live replacements will be along sometime soon.

Temp graph for all of today:
Next update will be on Monday.

Patience is a Virtue...

...I could use more of.

Rumor is fine, temp is normal, appetite is great, sleeping and going for walks and looks for all the world like nothing is amiss.

So no panic is allowed. More patience is required.

To keep myself from going nuts-o I made a graph of her temperature over the last week:


The blue line is a.m., the red line is mid-afternoon, and the green line is evening. (Thanks to Elissa for helping me set this up.) As you can see, the red line shows a semi-significant drop from yesterday... which was higher than Thursday, so could easily be completely meaningless. Ru's temp is generally below 100 anyway, so IF there's going to be a big drop before labor starts, it will be in the low-to-mid 98's. Not even close to that at this time.

She does really want me to be with her, however, so I've spent today doing things on the computer (the whelping box and computer both being in the study). She carefully supervised my making changes to the club website (premiums needing posting, photos needed updating), and pretty much lost interest by the time I started ripping CD's to put on my iPod.

I went through our collection and pulled all the female soloist CDs that I didn't already have on the iPod; copied and downloaded: Patsy Cline, Ella Fitzgerald, Alanis Morissette, Jewel, Sarah McLaughlin, Tina Turner, etc.... (yes, of course the CD's are in alphabetical order. how else would one possibly arrange them??) Then I did all the soundtracks: Big Chill, Forrest Gump, Evita, Phantom, Le Miz, etc.. I already did all the Operas (Don G, Figaro, Fideleo, etc.) and most of the classical (I am a huge fan of violin concerti), so what's next will be male solo artists, followed by bands.

Then I'll have to go buy more CD's to rip, because I'll go insane if I don't have something to do and Rumor gets up to follow me every time I leave the chair. Which is very flattering but sweetie you'll just have to trust me on this, I'm not that fascinating. Really. It's a miracle I got in the shower without her going in, too.

Our daily walk/trot around the pasture was business-as-usual, too. Chase a bird here, dig a little hole there, sniff this and trot over to that... The problem of course is the mud, and Ru has quite had it with me washing the mudballs out of her feet before she's allowed back in the house. She's very happy to be a ranch dog (and see if she can snarf down horse-poop when I'm not looking) and doesn't understand my obsession with keeping cooties out the whelping box.

I called my friend Laurel, who's been breeding greyhounds for about 45 years, and asked when I should start to panic. She said, in essence, that as long as Ru is: eating, drinking, sleeping, peeing, pooping, and playing + not running a fever + I can feel puppies moving (the little darlings are doing the Macarena today) = don't panic. Monday would be 63 days since the last breeding, so Monday would probably be the day to get concerned. Or not, if all-the-above is still normal.

So, for my birthday, I'd like an extra dose of patience. Seems like I'm going to need it.

2100 update: Hm, maybe that is a real temp drop (green line). Sweet dreams!

Camped Out

I spent last night in a sleeping bag on an air mattress, on the floor next to Rumor's whelping box. Just in case. Other than my complaining about her gassy-ness and her disdainful looks about my snoring, it was uneventful.

This morning's temp was higher than yesterday's, but still a smidge below normal. Her appetite remains hearty, she had a romp on our walk around the pasture, and looks for all the world like she'll stay pregnant for another month. Her temp at 1445 was 100.0 F, which, if Hutchison is to be believed, the temp going back up is "the sign" that labor should start in less than 24 hours.

We'll see. As my friend Sherita says, bitches don't read the books.

The last mare I bred had me waiting for an eternity. The ranch manager called to say she believed the mare would deliver early, as she was bagging up and getting muscle slack. So I drove out with Dot (gotta sleep with somebody!) and the trusty air mattress. And proceeded to sleep in my car for a month while the mare went full term. She dropped a stud colt on a moonless night, precisely 341 days after she was bred, not one minute sooner. Which I slept through, just 10 feet away. Prey animals are masters of sneaky.

I have stacks of books, CDs, and fluffy pillows in between the whelping box and the first aid supplies. Nothing to do but settle in and wait.

Marking Time

0830: Rumor's temp was a little lower than usual this morning, we'll see what the afternoon measurement shows. I notified the local emergency vet so they know her status.

0930: I re-freshed her coat trim, washed her belly, and changed out the bedding in the whelping box. You can see she's looking very pregnant at this point, and now naps stretched out rather than curled up.


She looks peaceful, doesn't she?

1200 - FINALLY I got a copy of the x-ray from Monday. If you don't want to count skeletons, don't look too closely:


1430 - Ru ate lunch as usual, and her temp check was also lower than yesterday. We'll get another data point before calling this a "trend".

2045 - Appetite normal, temp actually .2 higher than 24 hrs earlier. So, not a trend, possibly even a false alarm.

Time will tell!

Puppy Watch: Nesting

No surprise, this is going to be a puppy blog for a while ;-)

Yesterday it was a "maybe" in the afternoon, this morning there are unmistakeable signs that Rumor is nesting. The blankets in the whelping box are in a rumpled pile, sort of circular.

The tray on the left is the reflector part of the infrared heater. It was covered up, but no, Ru needed the blankets elsewhere.

The whelping box is set up in the study. Lots of privacy, good light, sliding door to the outside, and I spend a lot of time in here. And room for an air mattress for me, so I can sleep in here.

As for her due date, well, let me point out that Anthony arrives home for spring break on Saturday afternoon. So my entry to the puppy pool assumes the worst possible scheduling conflict. Oh well.

Puppy Count, Countdown, and Pool

We took Rumor to the repro vet specialist today for an x-ray to get a count of the puppies in the Ahdin Litter, due the end of this week. I am delighted (and more than a little relieved) that everything is progressing fabulously well and looks to be on track.

So we have a count of complete skeletons (the only kind visible, excellent news), and a best-guess on due date. If anybody's interested in a little just-for-fun puppy pool, post your guess in the comments: date & time of whelping, total number of puppies, number by sex, number by color / markings. Once the puppies are whelped I'll post the details and we'll see who got the closest.

For those interested in playing, here are some details on the parents:

Py is a self gold, not a black hair anywhere on him. Both his parents red brindles, sire IM, dam self. He has 2 black&brindle sisters, and two spotted sisters. Rumor is a self brindle with silver undercoat. Sire is a black-tipped self brindle, dam a self sabled-red. Rumor has produced two sables, and has a spotted littermate.

And everybody: fingers crossed for an unremarkable delivery with healthy mama and babies, whenever they come!