However, I knew the roads would be icy, and they were, and since I couldn't leave til 1 PM and wanted to get back before dark I figured I didn't need any distractions. Tess and I made it home safe and sound. The expected date for puppies is Feb. 1 to Feb 3rd, somewhere in there.
To all the people who think it's a crime to breed dogs when there are so many in the shelters who need homes- these dogs aren't the kind you can find in the shelters around here. They go to working homes first, and I do have people who are waiting for pups. It took 2 years to get this upcoming litter; I first tried when Tess was 5, and she had a phantom pregnancy, and last year it didn't work out with the farm where the sire is, so I waited for her next heat which took another 11 months. This will be her second and last litter, as she is 7 years old now. So this is well planned. I just hope that she doesn't have as many pups as she did with her first litter- there were 10 of the little hooligans!
This is a photo of her last litter:
The one on the far right is Jenn's dog Abby, the one who is acing her Rally Obedience classes and is showing in agility. The one on the far left is Janice's dog Kali, who helps Janice bring in the horses, and of the rest of them, two went as companions to single women, one is a family dog and all the rest went to ranch homes.
I can't wait! Puppies! That will definitely keep away the February Blahs.
15 comments:
OH now, they are just tooooo cute!
Glad you made it home OK. Those are cute pups - hope the new ones are as cute (but perhaps not quite as many!).
Lucky you! I can't wait to see puppy pictures! You are right, something to look forward to during the long, dark days!
Hooligans for sure! The litter that Grandpas dog had all went to working homes. Wouldn't have it any other way. Working dogs are not "city" dogs. You wont have any shoes or furniture left....Good luck Tess! 5 is a good number. :) Did she take care of all 10? Oh my!!
I do the same thing, I will not take my camera and the next thing I know, I am kicking myself or listening to the hubby telling me I should've BROUGHT the camera!
CDH, by the time the pups were 3 weeks old, she had about enough, so I supplemented them with puppy chow soaked in warm water to make a gruel. Until that time, I used to make sure that each pup had plenty of time nursing on one of the bigger nipples- dogs have 10 nipples but the ones near the elbows don't fill up as much.
Border Collie puppies melt my heart! I just learned something...had no idea about the milk supply by the elbows. (I've also never had a litter of pups. But still good to know!)
I'm a wee bit tempted to ask Pie if we could get a BC. We don't have a huge herd of cows but they could do some cow work and help bring in horses...
Ten!! Wow..I didn't realize she had that many. Yes puppies will most certainly bring some sunshine and smiles to February..and give us in blogland pleasure too! Chance was nine this year..he is the best companion ever, especially for my husband! Although he doesn't work cattle or sheep he has a good eye for his ball:)
the same as breeding well bred quality horses, in select numbers, breeding quality dogs is not wasteful or irresponsible. Cant wait to see the pups! Cute overload coming up!
Oh, they are all so ADORABLE! Can't wait to see the new ones!
Adorable, already wish I could hold the new upcoming pups!!
They are, from left to right: Kali, Kate, Peppy, Billie, Theo, Hank, Manny, Henry, Corb, and Abby.
Kali is Janice's dog, Kate lives up the Elk Valley, Peppy lives on a ranch in the Kimberley area, Billie lives locally and owns her owner, Theo and Manny live together on a local ranch, Hank lives on a local sheep/cattle ranch, Henry lives in Kimberley with an outdoor enthusiast and survived an avalanche that killed two people, Corb is a loved family dog, and Abby is the obedience/agility girl.
There is certainly a place for both rescues and well-bred dogs. I like to have a mix of rescued cats and dogs and purebreds. In the past I had two rescued dogs and a purebred cat. Now I have two pure Labs and a rescue cat. :) Purebred dogs let us choose a pup based on what we know about the body type, size and coat, and the natural genetic drives the dog will have. I would hate us to lose all the amazing breeds that were created over generations to help us in so many ways, and end up with nothing but generic dogs we can tell nothing about from looking at them, just because the only dogs being bred are randombreds, or worse, from puppy mills.
Irresponsible breeding of any animal is a bad thing, but if your dog breeding standards are anything like your horse breeding standards, then you are far from irresponsible.
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