11/30/24 Thanksgiving 2024 is in the books and now IMO it's officially okay to start thinking about Christmas. Our Thanksgiving meal was the chaotic craziness it always is but everyone was here except for Allie who living in Arizona chose to make the trip to be here for Christmas. The nicest surprise was that Emily was able to make arrangements to get Matt (and herself) here for dinner!! The plan was actually just to come and see/say hello to everybody, grab a plate of food and take it back to the facility. But when they got here (via a friend/facility worker driving them here in the van), Matt was adament about getting into the house to eat dinner with us. So, with a lot of help from Emily, Maddie (the driver), and John we were able to get Matt to the kitchen table to eat and then back outside afterwards to his wheelchair safely. It was a bit scary to watch but I am so thankful we were able to get it done. Kayleigh even stopped over at the same time before going to work so she was able to see & eat with Matt as well. Kristen's girlfriend Lori came over after having dinner with her family, and Chris dropped Gage off after dinner as well. After dinner and clean up, and a bit of resting our stomachs, many of us played a few games that Jenny & Brandon brought over, with the festivities finally coming to an end around 9pm. It was a good Thanksgiving holiday
Today 11/30, our P puppies are 3 weeks old. They are getting much more mobile and we're starting to hear vocalization from them; growls and little barks. They are just starting to mouth at themselves, each other, or mom, playing for just a few minutes after meals before napping again. Another week or so and they will be moved to the bigger pen where they will spend the rest of their time as they grow. I'm still watching the girls as they grow and change hoping for a show prospect or two, or three.
11/25/24 It's Thanksgiving week and the kitchen is getting filled with dinner supplies for our feast on Thursday. All of the family regulars will be here; hoping to get to see Emily but she is working at the facility that day so we'll see. We will visit Matt either that day or the day before or after. I am finally feeling my normal self, so a little less stressed about the whole Thanksgiving meal thing.
Dolly's puppies are now 2+ weeks old and all doing good, gaining weight, eyes opening, and stating to move around a bit more. I can really see their growth when they are nursing and taking up so much more room underneath Dolly. The girls are all looking pretty good as far as markings go; though they looked to have more white than I prefer when they were born, the black spots are growing along with them and filling out more space on the body. I'm thinking the markings will be within standard. Their faces are marked very nice though I'm still watching the one girl with more white on her head, hoping more color will come in around her eyes/eyebrows. As for the male . . . . . he is reserved for a pet home already (pending receipt of deposit). A lady that sent me an application I think before the litter was born (or right after) was given the choice of Oliver or the new puppy and she chose to wait for the new puppy. Yes, I have made the decision to let Oliver go to a pet home as soon as I can find a family for him rather than waiting until the pups are ready to go. The house is/will be much to full of dogs/puppies and since Oscar has been winning over him at the shows there is just no point in holding on to him any longer especially with no shows until next year. So up on my website he is available for adoption and I'm hoping we will find his forever home before too long.
We had dinner with Emily the other night to catch up on things with her. She and Noah are "done" after he acted a bit crazy on their drive to work one morning where she said he started driving erratically as if trying to get in a crash. Thankfully he dropped her off at the 84th street exit off the interstate, and later that day she and her mom and step-dad met him at their home to collect his things. Sometime inbetween all of that mess, Noah decided to text Lamonte (the baby's daddy) and told him about Emily being pregnant, which in the end only helped Emily break the news to him. I'm told he accepted the news okay and hopefully they will be able to co-parent the baby in a friendly, civil way. I'm glad that is out in the open now and out of the way.
11/18/24 In the midst of a literally crappy week, the "P" puppies turned 1 week old. All of them are gaining and doing well. Dolly is being the good and attentive mother she has always been and is also doing good. I am anxious to get past/into the 2nd week when their eyes will open and their personalities will start to come out. Their first week was "crappy" because Oliver, Oscar, and Winston all came down with very bad diarrhea, bad enough to warrant calling the vet to get some meds to help. Thankfully the meds did wonders but not until after 2-3 awful days before calling and getting them. Then to top everything off I came down with the flu (at least that's what I am assuming it is), and that knocked me for a loop for a good 5 days to a week. Still recouping as I type . . . . . I've been thinking I really haven't even had a chance to enjoy this litter yet as I normally would be because of all the crap & flu stuff.
Thanksgiving is about 1 1/2 weeks away and I could care less right now. I'm getting to the point each year wishing the "kids" would take over at one of their places, but not yet I guess. Half my problem right now is having been feeling so crappy, but having 5 dogs in the house doesn't help. They have to be tended to and yet out of the way so as not to get in the way. At least Christmas this year will be held at John & Crisler's house; that will be new and hopefully fun for everyone. That's all I have for this post since taking care of new babies and "crap", and feeling like crap has been my whole week. Didn't even get the chance to visit with Matt; thank goodness Jim was able to.
11/9/24 Happy BIRTH-day to our "P" litter!!!! True to her whelping time with all 3 of her past litters Dolly indeed went into labor 9 weeks from day 8 of her cycle. Even though her 9 week from breeding mark wasn't until next Friday, knowing this might be the case I've been watching close for any signs of impending labor since yesterday. Today she did eat some of her breakfast and dinner, but only the good stuff and not the kibble. Otherwise she was fairly normal except for maybe seeming a bit uncomfortable/unsettled in the late afternoon & evening. Assuming we might have an unrestful nights sleep, I decided to head to bed early (9-ish), and it's as if that is what she was waiting for. As soon as we got in there and I put her up on the bed she started nesting and it was obvious things were underway. Sure enough the first puppy was born at 9:30pm, the next almost 2 hours later at about 11:15pm, the 3rd about 11:35, and the last pup just before midnight! Yay, they were all born on the same day; 3 FEMALES and 1 MALE. The male, born 2nd took a while to come down into the birth canal and was back end first. Dolly did quite a bit of on and off pushing for this one and I ended up grabbing on to him when he was far enough out so he wouldn't go back in. It took a bit of pulling along with her pushing, and when he was born I saw that he had the zonal placenta wrapped around him which kind of freaked me out a bit. It sure is a good thing that I had seen this a time or two on Facebook, otherwise I would have been even more freaked out. All of the pups came out ready to nurse and weights were much more manageable for both Dolly and me; two shy of 5 oz and two shy of 4 oz.
11/8/24 X-ray day for Dolly and clearly showing that she has 4 puppies in there!!! I was so happy to hear that, not only for the extra puppy this time, but hoping that means their birth weights won't be quite so BIG. She's whelped the 5-6+ ounce puppies okay but I personally prefer them in the 4-5 ounce range. So far this being 8 weeks since their tie, she is not showing any signs of whelping today, but past experience with her tells me it could be as soon as the next couple of days.
Visited with Matt today and saw Emily too. She said she and Noah have worked out the situation and it sounds like they will still be friends. I hope things continue to go smoothly there. Learned that Noah has a cracked rib so he will be off work until that heals. Matt was doing okay today after the start of another low yesterday. I was happy to learn that he wheeled himself to the nurses station for help as well as having them go get Emily. Also, he got his dentures and though he wasn't wearing them today because of not having any Fixodent to keep them in place, Emily assured me that they fit him well and look really nice/natural. I look forward to seeing him wearing them soon. Also talked with his therapy (prosthetic) lady and she gave him high praise for doing so well. Today they were going to practice/show his nurses station people how to help him use his leg to get out of bed and even talked about the point to come when he will be able to use the bathroom. What a huge PLUS that will be for him I'm sure!! Such good progress.
11/7/24 Well, a bit of drama with Emily and Noah's relationship. Emily had not been at work this week Mon-Wed; one text response from her just said doctor appointments. We finally saw her while visiting with Matt yesterday as she walked into a closed door meeting with the facilitys' administrator. It turns out that yes, she did go to an appointment (all is okay with Emily and baby), but it seems that Noah is very possessive and trying to be controlling in their relationship, trying to tell Emily what she should do, when, etc. This day when she woke up saying something hurt he basically told her she HAD to go to the doctor/ER and even called Montclair telling them she and himself would not be coming into work. Emily made the point to come to the facility to have the meeting with Lyndsay (the administrator to explain things and set things straight. Her job is safe for now; I would think that Noah's is on the edge. In the evening there was supposedly going to be a family meeting with Emily, Noah, Beth and her husband trying to fix any more issues on the horizon. Here I thought that Noah was such a nice guy, and maybe he is but from conversations with Emily it seems that he obviously has some issues that need worked on. It's so sad that so many from their generation have some sort of issues. Talking with Emily, she also mentioned having second thoughts (guilt) with her decision not to tell the babys' father about him, so she will likely be doing that sometime. I think she said right now she has no way to get a hold of him???? I think maybe better to wait until after the baby is born anyway to prevent anymore stress for her.
11/4/24 UGH, dog show in Springfield, MO - so irritating when a known "always seems to win" professional handler is in the ring to jinx any chance to win a BOB placement, which was the case this past weekend. I was especially irritated on Sunday when I thought Amber walked very well and could/should have had a chance IMO. And to hear the "handler" chatting with the judges while her dog is on the table, well you know your chances are doomed. So once again we come home with Select placements earning maybe 1 or 2 pts each day. No major wins, no chance to beat a champion. :( Oscar had one other dog for competition besides his brother and did get BOS on Saturday. The other dog was a dog from one of Kathy's litters (Gem/Champ-Winstons' son), and again IMO was NOT better than Oscar. He was very light gray, (even lighter than Winston I think) and the coat did not look very nice. Not sure if it was the color, but even the white looked dingy. The gold on his head was the lighter color like Winston, so maybe it was just that there was no real color pop to him. I did hear from Daryl Martin (the professional handler) on Sunday before showing that this dogs owner (Carol Huskey) had asked her opinion of her dog, and Daryl told her that she is surprised that the dog hadn't been given a DQ due to color faults, saying that he had tan markings all over where it shouldn't be. Connie, who had seen this dog before at another show confirmed what Daryl said which made me even more irritated when that dog took WD/BOS over Oscar on Sunday. I am not trying to purposely be negative towards Kathy's breeding's'/dogs, nor am I trying to think that my dogs are better than any others. It just irritates me when professional handlers get the wins because of who they are, or when lesser dogs win over others just because they are older or have more coat, or whatever the case was on Sunday with the boys. Okay, done ranting. Got home Sunday around 8:30. It seems that Dolly ballooned out in the 2 1/2 days that I was gone; her belly is much more rounded, showing a lot more on the sides than when I left. Before that she didn't seem to show much at all unless you looked at her under belly. She is 7 weeks along now (give or take) and goes for her x-ray on Friday.
10/28/24 Happy birthday to Matt & Kristen yesterday, October 27th. I was so glad that he had a nice gathering at the facility. Emily & Noah (transport driver @ Montclair & Emily's boyfriend) and me & Jim planned on meeting there around 1 pm with our gifts. I also brought in Godfathers pizza and cupcakes to share. As it turned out, Kayleigh and her brother Noah and John & DK also came. Later in the afternoon (after the Packers game) Kristen came with Gage as well. Pretty much everyone stayed til 4 or 5 and I know Matt was happy to have such a nice gathering for his birthday. After the fact I wished I would have brought it up to Jenny & Brandon, but I really didn't think so many would be there nor that everyone would have stayed that long.
In other HUGE news, last week Emily found out that she is pregnant! . . . and Matt is going to be a grandpa and me a great-grandma!!!!! OMG! And if that isn't enough of a shocker, it turns out that Emily is about 7 months along and she didn't even know she was pregnant. One day last week she had gone to the ER with stomach issues as she put it and that is when she found out she was PG. She said that she had done more than one pregnancy test and each had come back negative. Being tall and bigger boned, I guess is the reason for her not showing much, but now that we all know it is becoming more apparent. At the ER she was told that everything looks good with the baby and they set her up with follow up appointments for another ultrasound and visit with her OB/GYN. Being 7 months along, the baby is obviously NOT Noah's, but instead her ex-boyfriend. Having left that relationship due to him being "toxic" and being fearful for herself and the baby, Emily has decided she is not going to tell him about it. Being in a fairly new relationship with a girlfriend and then finding out that she is about to have a baby from a previous relationship would often turn a person away, which is understandable. Thankfully it seems that Noah & Emily have something special going on because he stayed at her side at the ER when she/they got the news and has said that he will be there for her and the baby as his father figure. I knew I liked Noah when I first met him working the transport at Montclair taking Matt to and from his appointments and I hope & pray that his and Emily's relationship is strong enough to keep them together as this new unexpected family unit.
10/22/24 The decision was made and today is the day that Skye is getting spayed. She has been living with Jenny & Brandon since her last heat in February and there was no real reason we needed to try another pregnancy with her. Jenny loves her and didn't really look forward to giving her back for 6-8 weeks for her time to whelp and raise a litter, so we decided not to wait any longer to retire her from breeding.
While at the vet's office I went ahead and made an appointment for Dolly's pregnancy x-ray for November 8th. According to her breeding date, that would put her at 8 weeks along. She is already looking pretty big and seemed needy, couldn't find a comfortable position yesterday evening. Geez, with 3+ weeks to go seems kind of early to be uncomfortable already. Maybe the pups are at a growing stage and she was just adjusting to that. However, when looking back at my records of her previous pregnancies and whelps I have noticed that she has always whelped closer to the beginning of her 9th week which puts us 9 weeks from day 8 or 9 of her cycle. I've always read dogs give birth 9 weeks from ovulation, not breeding dates . . . . so she must ovulate earlier in her cycle than I thought.
10-19/24 It never ceases to amaze me how you can wonder if a dog is pregnant one day and then a day or two later it is SO obvious that SHE IS! Just a day or two after my last blog entry it did just that, became obvious that Dolly is pregnant. She eats okay but not as she normally does but I am not going to push it to hard hoping to keep the puppies' weights at a manageable size for whelping. She's always whelped what I consider big, or very healthy pups without needing a c-section which is great, but I just feel more comfortable whelping them at just a tad smaller size. Pups are due in mid November.
10/14/24 DANG! This is the weirdest wait and see period on any pregnancy that I can remember. STILL iffy on whether Dolly is or isn't. At 4 1/2 weeks along IF she is, she sure doesn't look like she is, BUT twice now I believe I saw the clear sticky discharge that happens at about this time which normally is a sure sign of pregnancy in dogs. Her appetite is still off and on. With the discharge I am leaning towards that she IS pregnant, but I'm still waiting to SEE a belly on her before I truly believe it.
Thankfully, the diarrhea issues have subsided and appetites are coming back slow but sure. As long as everyone is eating some I'm not stressing over making sure they eat everything.
10/11/24 Well this has been a crappy week . . . literally! Oliver started things off by going off his food (for the first time ever), followed by most all of the others with very watery diarrhea, vomiting, and not eating well. I think the only one not affected by any of it was Winston except for slacking a bit on eating meals. This being the 4th day, appetites are still slow/picky but except for Oscar's, stools are pretty much back to normal. The timing of it all makes me think that the pups picked up a bug of some kind at the Lincoln show, but boy it sure went through the rest of them quickly. Dolly's issues could also stem from possibly being pregnant. Still iffy on whether she is or isn't. It is 4 weeks since breeding today.
Had a quarterly care meeting at Montclair this week for questions/concerns about Matt's progress. It was a good one and nice to hear positive feedback from his therapy team and other staff. Matt is doing so well mentally, making friends, being out and social more often. His extreme low blood sugar level episodes are our biggest concern right now. But except for that good news all around.
10/7/24 Happy Fall ya'll! Starting the first weekend of the month off at the dog show in Lincoln, NE. Very pleased with Amber's progress, bringing her two BOB/BOBOH wins as well as an NOHS Group 2 placement on Saturday. Oscar won again over Oliver in the 4-6 month beginner puppy show and received a Grp 2 (out of 3 toy breeds). He is maturing nicely so far and doing well in the ring/on the table and I have a feeling he will become my first bred by owner handled AKC champion. Turning 6 months old on the 19th of this month, the next show we attend these two pups will be showing with the big kids in the regular conformation ring. The weekend was a good one; Connie was feeling pretty good and in good spirits. The only down side was that with the tension between Kathy and I, I am not comfortable going over to that area to chat with Valerie, and sadly for whatever reason this time Valerie made no attempt to visit with me. Her husband Larry came to our grooming area to say something to Connie, but didn't even say hi to me. It kind of hurts to have to lose friends this way. Tammy & Jerry were there so at least I had them to visit with.
Dolly is keeping me guessing on a pregnancy or not. Within the past week or so her eating habits have changed/slowed down a bit. She will eat some of her breakfast, but very slowly and most often does not finish it. Pretty hungry at dinnertime and that has been eaten okay. I weighed her today and she is down a few ounces from when I weighed her two weeks ago, so hmmmm. . . . . .
On a scary note, Matt had a very low low blood sugar drop last week, this one late in the evening while in bed for the night. Thankfully they were able to get it back up without having to call 911, but the fact that it was after bedtime and probably only caught thankfully due to his roommate noticing the fact that Matt was convulsing is a very scary thought, realizing that if not caught he very well could have died. Thankful that was not the case and thinking hard of a solution so it doesn't go unnoticed should it happen again. I think having the Dexcom app set up on his phone which I think should give alerts to lows might be the answer.
9/29/24 Two weeks now since the "oops" tie with Winston & Dolly and she is still acting and eating normally/well. I am a bit disappointed not to see any signs of a pregnancy and secretly hoping there is still hope/time and that she will be pregnant.
9/23/24 More AKC news to mention; Amber received not only her AKC Champion title in the mail the other day, but also her Puppy of Achievement certificate as well. Also, earlier last week I was messaging with Skye's breeder Christine and she brought up removing her name as co-owner of Skye to which I heartily agreed. Got that done online right away and Skye's new AKC registration with only me as the owner also arrived in the mail the same time as Ambers certificates. I also mentioned to Christine about the possibility of having Skye spayed and she had no objections which put me at ease since I was leaning towards having that done anyway. The spay is actually already scheduled for later this month. I figured with Skye living with Jenny and Brandon now there was really no reason to even try breeding her again. I am happy with the 5 pups she gave us almost 2 years ago.
It's been almost 2 weeks since Dolly and Winston were "together"; she is still her normal self and eating well (as are all of the dogs right now). It's still a bit early for any morning sickness to happen, so we will see. Since being in heat, along with Amber having her first cycle, Dolly has taken a dislike towards Amber to the point of separating them. Seems we are living in a gated community once again. I think having her two puppies here might at least have something to do with it and Amber's vibrant personality doesn't help matters much either. It seemed that rowdy, wild and crazy moments with the pups/Amber spark Dolly to go after Amber but since I've been keeping them separated, I haven't tested that theory lately. Better safe than sorry.
In other news; have I mentioned lately what a blessing it is having Emily working at Matt's facility?! It is truly a God-send, helping me to know that she is right there with him 5 days a week and helping me with going to his doctors' appointments when I can't. Actually she seems to prefer going with him so sometimes I plain old don't have to go. Not sure the facility will allow her to "leave her station" for every appointment, but what a big help she is. Not to mention it is totally helping Matt mentally having her there, seeing her every day. I've noticed it, Emily has noticed it, and even the staff there has mentioned how he has changed for the good since she's been there. I pray she stays with the facility for a long time.
9/14/24 Ooopsie . . . . we had an unplanned tie between Winston and Dolly today(+) so we might just be having puppies again in a couple of months after all. After doing only AI's with all 3 of Dolly's past breeding's it was a bit of a surprise to have a natural tie this time, not to mention so quickly achieved! There was only one other time that they had a natural unplanned tie in the summer of 2023 which did NOT result in a pregnancy. So we will see what happens this time. If we had not kept back Oscar and Oliver to show I probably would have bred Dolly again this time anyway, so if she does get pregnant it's not really a big deal. Who knows, maybe I will get a show quality female from her! Best news of the week . . . . . official AKC registration arrived in the mail with ONLY MY NAME as Winston's owner. Oh what a load off my mind knowing we are finally through dealing with that fiasco. So happy to have it done and over with.
9/10/24 Â Noting, shortly after Amber came into heat on 8/27 (maybe upon return from the Amana, Ia shows on 9/2) Jim mentioned that Winston was showing some slight interest in Dolly. According to her heat schedule she was not due until October, but I had wondered if Amber being in heat might bring her in early. I checked her and it did seem that she was starting to swell but I did not see any blood. In the day or two back from the Des Moines trip Winston is very noticeably interested in BOTH Dolly and Amber. Checking Dolly, she is definitely more swollen, but having not seen any blood I can only assume that I missed "day 1", possibly happening while I was away in Amana or Des Moines. This past weekend was the start of Amber's standing heat stage (from past experience with the girls), and from how Winston is acting it seems that Dolly is not far behind, but again I can only guesstimate where she is at in her cycle. With two of her pups still with us the plan is not to breed her this time.
9/8/24 Our weekend of showing in Des Moines is done & we are back home again; having a break now from showing until early October closer to home in Lincoln. Amber was moved up to the BOB class after earning her AKC Champion title in Amana, and though I feel she did much better this week with walking in the ring, Tammy Rykers' girl Cami seemed unbeatable, so no best of breed wins and unfortunately no Select placements either were given to Amber. Kind of disappointing especially with the Biewer entries so high that even a select placement would have given her 4-5 points each day. But, I was happy with her improvement and know that her time will come. It was also show #2 for Oscar and Oliver and this weekend it was Oscar's turn to beat his brother both days, also receiving a 4-6 month Toy Grp. 2 and Grp 3 placements Saturday & Sunday consecutively against a nice line up of 7-8 other toy breeds! They both walked much better this week than in Amana; possibly because they were indoors instead of outside in the grass. I was also very pleased with their improvements.
The best news (though holding my breath until I receive the official copy in the mail) is that the transfer of sole ownership of Winston to me is done as of Saturday, though not without more ridiculous drama from Kathy. Proving she is at least partially money hungry, there was no even looking at the transfer of ownership certificate until she saw and counted the money she asked for, and once that was done and paper signed instead of just walking away, she had to show her true colors by saying "I hope through all of this you learned how to be a better friend . . . .", and as I turned and walked away from that, she continued to go on with "and how to control your husband from making rude comments . . . . yada, yada, yada." Good lord, she just couldn't end it on a peaceful note and didn't even bother to stop ranting when I just walked away. SUCH A BITCH! As soon as I got home today, I went to the AKC website and submitted the transfer of ownership to my name only. Like I said, will feel 100% relieved once I receive the new certificate in the mail, but so very thankful to have that so-called partnership over with.
9/3/24Â Â Â Â Â Let's start the new month on a happy note (and then get to the rest). Labor Day weekend was spent at the 4 day Amana, Iowa dog shows where Amber earned her AKC Champion title, and Oliver and Oscar took part in their first AKC dog show. Neither pup showed well (showing outside in the grass), but surprisingly Oliver did show better than Oscar and took first place over his brother both days. Oliver even won the Toy Group 1 placement on the first day and a Toy Group 3 the second day; though only 3 toy breeds competing. Finn was once again the only male showing in the regular classes, so best of opposite for him but no points to be earned. Other Biewers showing were those of Tammy & Jerry Ryker, and Val & Larry with two of Kathy's girls, and all but the first day, a handler was there with one other special, so 6 and 7 entries overall.
In other news, Amber also started her first heat cycle on August 27, 2024 at just shy of 11 months old. She swelled up fast it seems to me and showing a bitch in heat was a new experience. Traveling with Connie and her almost 10 month old boy Finn was just a bit tricky, but not too bad since it was early in her cycle. Now at home for a few days before leaving for the Des Moines show we have to keep her away from Winston and being careful that Dolly doesn't try to get dominant over her. Thankfully in Des Moines, Tammy Ryker invited Connie and I (and all of the dogs) to stay at their place where I believe we will have separate bedrooms so Finn shouldn't get to worked up and they can be separated.
Now on to the drama (to put it nicely) with Kathy. After thinking more on the stud service she wanted with the open end to what if there was no pregnancy or no live pups I decided instead to counter with at $1000 stud fee for using Marshall plus the $5000. No big surprise when she replied that she was insulted by the stud fee amount stating that Marshall is a GCH (which he was not when I used him) and her "final" offer was instead the $5000 plus a $3000 stud fee as listed on her website. UGH, and good lord, I am SO over dealing with this person!!!! In no way do I think this is a fair settlement on my end, BUT deciding that the amount is worth my peace of mind in getting her completely out of my life and Winston's. And so, I replied as such to her most recent email, waiting for her reply. She had mentioned wanting this to be done this weekend at the dog show in Des Moines, so crossing my fingers that it will soon be all over. . . . but not comfortable until it is a done deal.
8/23/24 Finally got a response from Kathy about the Winston dilemma and her counter to my offer was similar to what I was originally thinking (before my thought of her having no right to free stud service without sharing co ownership responsibilities concerning Winston for the last almost 2 years). She wants 1 stud service (with pregnancy and at least 1 live puppy after two weeks) AND the $5,000 after which she will remove her name from his registration and revoke all rights of ownership The stud service in her eyes is in return to the free stud service she gave me when I used her boy Marshall. I will cautiously agree to this agreement just to end this fiasco of what I thought was a friendship. Unfortunately, the whole thing will not be done until later this year and that's only if and when her girl gets pregnant and whelps a healthy litter. If not, we have to go through it all again another time??? UGH, let's just hope all goes well. I have not answered her email just yet, but I will. . . . . . .
Jim and I will be headed to Topeka later today. Sure would be nice to get at least one BOB win for Amber to make the trip worthwhile.
Covid has been spreading at Matt's facility the last couple of weeks and last night his nurse called to tell me that Matt tested positive yesterday. He's had what seemed like a cold the last few days which to me seems that they should have tested him when those symptoms appeared But it was only after he got sick while waiting at his eye appointment yesterday that they tested him. He is now in isolation until he tests negative; he called me last night and sounded okay (like a cold) and seemed happy to have a private room for a while. With Jim and I gone this weekend I asked Emily to be in charge should any needs arise while we're gone.
8/21/24 Â I sent a response to Kathy & Valerie (Valerie since she was on the original email) almost a week ago; still waiting for a response. I politely reminded them of the shared responsibilities in co-ownerships noting that this ended when she ended our partnership. I also explained that Winston's' stud service (as is the norm with stud services) with ANY dog would be done here at my home and pointed out the difficulties in doing so given our current relationship. Instead, I suggested that it would be in everyone's best interest to end all ties between us and offered her $5,000 in return for her removing her name from his AKC registration and all future claim to co-ownership. I've been praying for a civil and acceptive reply to my offer and though it's been almost a week I hold on to the saying (as I've always had), that "good things come to those who wait".
Jim and I will be heading to Topeka on Friday for the weekend of dog shows. It will only be Amber, Tammy's to CH girls, and one other class dog so I don't think there is a chance for points for Amber unless she happens to beat either of Tammy's girls for BOB. I decided to make the trip anyway for practice for Amber and taking the pups with us to get them aware and used to the hub bub of dog show sounds and noises in preparation for their debut the following weekend in the Amana, Iowa 4-6 month beginner puppy shows
8/16/24 Hold the phone . . . . . still have not replied to Kathy's email; needed time to think about it and compose my reply as best as I can hoping for a civilized response. As I sat stewing over the whole thing I realized, wait-just-a-minute! Co-ownership is a joint responsibility in the care of a dog, not just free stud service. It has been almost 2 years that Winston and all of his needs have been taken care of solely by Jim and I. And that is what I intend to say to Kathy. I believe I am also going to once again offer the option for her to revoke her "ownership" by removing her name from his registration in return for the possibility of one stud service and $5,000. As much as I hate to part with that amount of money, I want MORE to be permanently part ways with her. I will probably send my email to her this weekend and hope and pray she is acceptable to my offer. Ha, probably fat chance of that happening!
8/14/24Â Â Â Oh boy, I pretty much knew this day would come; the day I would hear from Kathy Totten again, this time her wanting to use Winston for stud. Got an email from her this morning simply stating that a girl she and Valerie co-own would be coming into heat in the next couple of months and would like to make arrangements to "get" Winston. So far I have not replied, but I will and don't really have problem letting her use him. But "GET" him???/ That's another story, and where it gets iffy for me as I will NOT let her to have possession of him in any way, shape, or form. My preference is to have them or the girl come here for breeding or her/them come this way and do the breeding(s) while they are here. I won't leave Winston with Kathy; don't trust her, don't want him in her barn kennel, don't want any chance of having trouble getting him back from her. Our last conversations (via email) ended our friendship by her choice, and she did not have anything nice to say. We are not currently friends or even speaking, our friendship did not end on a friendly note and was totally her choice, so why would I want Winston in her care and why would I trust her? I've got a couple of months before anything needs to be done; for now I expect to just tell her to let me know when the girl is ready and we'll see what arrangements for breeding can be made.
In other news, numbers came out for the Topeka show and they are pretty much not worth the trip. Only two of Tammy's CH girls, Amber, and one other male class dog. So unless Amber happens to take BOB over one of Tammy's girls there is no chance for any points. After talking with Tammy I guess we will still go, if for nothing else than more ring experience for Amber and, taking the pups with us to accustom them to the dog show atmosphere. But I sure wish there was better chances for points.
8/3/24Â Â Â Â Â Nothing much new to report, but wanted to make an entry starting the new month. Can't believe it's August already! There are a couple of shows available this month, Topeka and Amana Colonies in Iowa. Topeka is an iffy; Connie won't be going but if we can get someone to watch Dolly and Winston maybe Jim and I will go. Tammy Ryker has expressed interest in going so I know there will be someone there (besides Kathy I assume). Amana show will be Connie and I and it is a 4 day show at the end of the month over Labor Day weekend. I've been working a little bit with the pups putting a lead on them a few times and they seem to be doing "okay" with a strange thing around their necks, but that's here and not in a show atmosphere. We will be taking them to Topeka if we go, but I won't attempt to show them until the shows in Iowa.
Off show/dog topic, we had a nasty storm come through this past week with 70 - 100 mph winds, rain, and lightening. We had a couple of branches from ours and the neighbors trees that fell in our yard; the one from the neighbor next door that fell did some damage to our privacy fence. Power was lost all over the city, the largest number of outages in OPPD's history. Our power was out for 2 days; luckily Jenny & Brandon did not lose power and loaned us their generator. Made the two days much more bearable and kept the fridge going which saved us from losing lots of food.
7/22/24 Another weekend of showing is in the books for Amber adding a total of 7 more points to her earnings along with two more MAJOR wins. She did not get BOB either day (Tammy Ryker's CH girl Cami won that), but did win Winners Bitch and Best of Winners both days over a line up of 4 girls on Saturday and 6 girls on Sunday. If my points calculations are correct, Amber only needs 3 more points to get her Champion title! And with 3 major wins under her belt I believe she's got the number of majors needed for her GCH title, but will still need to beat a Champion along with 10 more points for a total of 25. She is definitely a beauty but still has some maturing to do and experience/training with walking nicely in the ring, still wanting to walk/run to fast which causes her tail to extend out rather than curled up over her back as it is supposed to be. With practice and maturity I'm certain she will get more relaxed, improve, and continue to do well. It's looking like our next show won't be until the end of August so we have lots of practice time . . . . not only with Amber, but also Dolly's two boys Oscar and Oliver who will be able to show in the 4-6 month beginner puppy shows by then.
7/10/24    And a Happy 4th Birthday to Dolly on July 8th.  Celebrating doggie birthdays isn't what it used to be around here. All I really try to do these days is get a birthday picture, but otherwise unless we happen to think about it beforehand if we're out and about they might get a new toy. They are spoiled happy pups all the time, so it's like every day is their birthday.
Big news this past week or so is that Emily let us know that she got a job at Montclair working at the reception desk MON - FRI and starts today. This will be great having her able to see/check in on Matt any day during the week and one of the main people I check in with on appointment schedules. I really hope it works out for her and that she stays at the job, but we will see as I've heard plenty of negatives about working there and have seen enough people come and go. I also hear that the reception desk is . . . . A LOT! Wishing her the best!
Connie and Finn came back from the show in Ottumwa, IA with two BOS wins as was assumed being the only male showing there. One of the bitches that was entered did not show up so I think maybe that jinxed his chance for the 3 point major wins I was hoping for her (FINN), but still he will have 4 points to his credit. The show in St Joe is coming up quick and I noticed the other day that a total of 7 Biewers are entered; Finn, Amber, Tammy Rykers' 2 girls, and I (again) assume the other 3 are Kathy's. However, she did not had a male entered in Lincoln, and one of the 3 others is a male so maybe someone else is entered??? That is unfortunate for Finn since he has yet to win over any other Biewers, male or female. He's a nice looking Biewer, just BIG. I also noticed that there are two Biewer puppies showing in the 4-6 month beginner puppy show on Saturday but not on Sunday, however there are 9 Biewers entered in the regular show on Sunday so I'm wondering if the two puppies turn 7 months that day and are moving up?? We will see. . . . With 4 other bitches to compete against, I am curious to see how Amber does against them, especially Tammy's girls. I did take Amber to PetSmart last week to get in some practice walking on the lead and surprisingly she did much better, not pulling or "running" ahead as much as she did in Lincoln. I was impressed and hope she will do the same in the show ring atmosphere. I will likely practice with her again a time or two before going to St Joe.
The "O" pups will be 12 weeks old in two days and Otie will be leaving with his forever family then as well. They had their 2nd set of puppy vaccines and check up last week; all of them were given a clean bill of health. Oliver and Oscar are still looking to be decent show prospects and will be old enough to show in the 4-6 month beginner puppy shows in another month.
7/1/24 Hello July and Happy 5th Birthday to Winston! With the membership to Oak Hill pool and my sister swim days at Mark & Karen's pool, I've been swimming as often we possibly can, weather permitting. There has been lots of rain and/or cooler than I like weather so far this summer, but plenty of good swim days too. Our family picnic at Beaver Lake is scheduled later than it normally is, August 10th this year, which works out well for me as the originally scheduled date coincided with a dog show weekend that I am going to.
Speaking of dog shows, the one in July (20-21) will be the first for Amber and I since Lincoln. Connie is taking Finn to Ottumwa, IA the first weekend this month; I opted not to go assuming there would be no competition because Kathy T had told her she would not be going. However, when the judging program came out we see that Finn will be showing with 3 other female Biewers . . . . . Kathy's dogs I automatically assume, thinking that she told Connie she wasn't going because she did not want me there with Amber for competition against her dogs. I don't know that for a fact (yet), but it wouldn't surprise me in the least that she would do that. Anyway, come July 20-21 we will be going to St Joe, MO, and looking ahead there seem to be plenty of other shows as options as well. Starting mid August (19th) Dolly's boys will be old enough to start showing in the 4-6 month beginner puppy shows as well.OTIE has a forever home waiting for him and will be leaving on July 12th. He is going to a repeat customer/family that has a puppy from my "F" litter 9 years ago. Otie will actually be living with the daughter of this family but will have plenty of opportunities to visit with 9 year old Gizmo (Frisco as he was known here). With Otie going to Debbie's daughter, Debbie also mentioned still wanting to add a female to her family and expressed interest in adopting Dolly when she is retired from breeding. That put my mind at ease knowing I may have a place for Dolly lined up, but that is a ways away, so we'll see. I think one more litter for her.
6/14/24 Summer fun is getting into full swing. Our sister swim days at Mark & Karen's pool have started and are just as wonderful as always! Jim and I also decided to go ahead and join the Oak Hills pool in Ralston, so with Jenny & Brandon frequenting it as often as they can, and with Kristen also getting a membership, it might be a fun summer meeting up there. With guest passes available, I am hoping to get John and family to join us sometimes as well.
Dolly's pups are 8 week old today; still doing great. They went in for their first check up and puppy vaccines and got rave reviews from Dr. Grant. She seemed impressed with my breeding which made me feel good. Coming up on 8 weeks, I decided I'd better start looking for a pet home for Otie and was excited after sending an email to Debbie Frye, (a Heartland family member from my "F" litter 9 years ago), who had expressed interest late last year in adding another Biewer to their family replied that she was still interested and after seeing the photo of Otie that I sent in the email, actually set up a day to come see him. She and her adult daughter Averie visited this past week, fell in love with him, and decided to adopt him. He will actually be Averie's dog who will be moving into a house of her own in a month or so, right about when Otie is ready to leave here. Debbie also mentioned "still wanting another one" (a female), and said that she was in no hurry and that she would even consider Dolly when she was retired from breeding. This also made me very happy knowing that I may already have a place for her when the time comes. I told her I would probably be breeding her one more time on her next cycle. So we'll see . . . . .
Matt is doing okay, had a really bad low blood sugar reading a week ago while I was visiting where they even called 9-1-1. The paramedics got his blood sugar back up to normal range at the facility, so thankfully he did not end up in the hospital. We think an issue with his Dexcom monitor and/or his insulin pump was the cause, but not sure. Otherwise, he is doing okay, had his sutures removed from his oral surgery removing all of his teeth and is now waiting for the next step in getting dentures made.
Looking forward to more dog shows, but probably none to go to until July sometime. Amber, 8 months old now, is maturing nicely and I'm anxious to get her back in the ring. She is a nice solid 6 3/4 lbs. I ordered her some beautiful new bows for when we start showing again. When AKC website finally got the points up from the Lincoln, NE show I was excited to see that she received 2 points for her BOB win(s) against Kathy's 2 girls, AND even more excited when I noticed that they gave her a 3 point MAJOR win for Saturday's show when somehow one of Christine's girls that were NOT there got marked as being there, which with the one additional dog "there" gave Amber the additional point for the "major". YaY!! Connie is still up in the air about showing Finn, putting him on a diet of sorts hoping to control his weight.
6/3/24 Moving into summer this month; swim days will be starting soon. The kids (or grand-kids in my case) are out of school and we have Gage scheduled to spend a few weeks of the summer days with us, this first week of June being one of them. My 70th birthday on the 31st of May has come and gone without too much hurrah. Jim and I had dinner at the Cheesecake Factory and shared a piece of salted caramel cheesecake for dessert. Earlier in the day we picked up my free birthday bundtlet at NBC and ended up buying a dozen bundtinis to take home and share with anyone that stopped by, as well as taking one to Matt so that he could celebrate my birthday too. On Saturday (the day after) Kristen and Jenny picked me up in the morning and we went to the Old Market to walk around, and had brunch at a place called the Twisted Fork. John met us there and joined us afterwards for the remainder of our walk around downtown. When we got back home, Jenny had called Brandon to join us there and we all spent the rest of the day on the patio and cooked burgers and brats on the grill. A pleasant surprise when Emily texted me a belated happy birthday and when I told her what we were doing, she decided to join us! As distant as she always seems to be I still love any chance to have her included in the family. Now if she would just go visit her dad regularly. She did mention that whenever she had been there he seems to shun her, and I tried explaining to her it was because she has been so distant and that if she visited more often/regularly that would change.
Dolly's pups are going on 7 weeks old now, still nursing and eating some kibble and/or wet food, but not as regularly yet, as I would like. I still make sure Dolly eats plenty of food to keep up her milk supply but I feel like this is about the time to think about shutting down the milk bar. But I need to see the pups eating on their own more before I feel comfortable doing that.
Dog shows are slim so far; I refuse to go to any knowing that Biewer numbers are slim to none (besides us) meaning no points to earn which makes going pointless. And now earlier today, Connie brought Finn over to get a weight on him and found that he is slightly above the 8 lb top tier of the standard weight, so she is bummed and I doubt will want to continue to show him. So, maybe a good thing there are no shows to go to in the near future. Will I need to go alone? Will she travel with me, get another pup? And or there is the possibility that maybe, hopefully one or two of Dolly's boys will be show prospects. We'll have to wait and see, but I hope so.
5/26/24 The pups are 5 weeks old now, growing fast and getting very active and fun. Will be setting up the pen in the living room this coming week to give them some all day stimulation and getting them accustomed to everyday noises and the sights and smells of the other dogs in the house. They officially have names now; Oliver, Otie, and Oscar with their registered names yet to be determined. Not sure I like the "Oh, . . . . ." idea anymore, but we'll see.
Had the "sisters" birthday dinner for my & Dodie's birthday the other day w/dinner at Duffy's house. The food and little gifts were good/fun as always, but how I wish I was just a little bit more like all of them so that I could feel that I fit in. They all can sit and chit chat about so many things whereas I don't/can't causing me to feel left out and less loved, and it's not fun. Still, it's not that I don't want to be included, but even being a part of it all I still end up feeling left out. :(
Right now, I'm not sure when or where our next dog show will be. I told Connie that I really don't want to go to shows where there is no competition because there is not point then to the expense of entry and travel fees.
5/19/24 We had our first day of showing in Lincoln, NE yesterday, this time with a little competition in two of Kathy Totten's Biewers. This was the first time seeing Kathy since she ended (what I thought was) our friendship; she didn't say a word to me all weekend meaning I guess that she has not put the past behind her, and though sad, no words are better than starting an argument. At least that initial meeting is over with. Valerie and Larry Smidt were also there with her and they were friendly, but still being friends with Kathy, our friendship will not be the same. Could be that we were friends only because I had been friends with Kathy. Not meaning to be snobby but truthfully neither of them were much to contend with. One that I believe was 6 months old was VERY tiny and did not walk well in the ring, the other I think was in the 12 months class and seemed long bodied with shorter than average legs. Her coloring was okay but her coat was not very well maintained (typical for Kathy's dogs as I remember). So needless to say, Amber did win Best of Winners and BOB/BOBOH. I missed getting into the regular Toy Group ring (not paying enough attention) but that didn't bother me to much knowing that Amber likely would not get a placement, and unfortunately there was no love for her in the NOHS toy group ring. But at least Amber has her first (1) point towards her champion title. Not surprisingly, todays wins were the same as yesterday. Poor Connie is having a hard time getting any 1st place wins with Finn. I hope it's not due to his being on the bigger end of the standard and more to the fact that he AND CONNIE still need lots of practice. IMO, Connie coddles him to much, treating him more like a pet than a show dog, and she herself needs a lot more practice (and sternness) working on getting him to stand on the table. IF Finn does not work out as a show dog I'm hoping that Dolly's two boys will, and I hope to let Connie show one of them. But we'll have to see about that as it will be a while before they are even old enough to show in the 4-6 month beginner puppy ring.
5/12/24Â Â Â Â Â Yikes! Just about 2 weeks have past and here we are, well into the month of MAY. I guess tending to Dolly & her pups, mixed with getting ready for our sisters trip to Florida, visiting with Matt and just taking care of business as usual has kept me busy. Dolly's pups are just over 3 weeks old and doing well. Their eyes opened right at 2 weeks and after a 5 day trip to Florida they went from crawling around on their bellies to get around, to walking a bit on all fours, sitting up, and playing with each other, along with making cute little tiny puppy growls and barks. They are showing interest in Dolly's wet food when I've had it in the crate and I will no doubt be moving them into a bigger pen later this coming week.My sisters trip to Florida was as good of a time as last year. Michelle & Denise made such fun plans for while we were there and are such awesome hostesses. The weather was perfect each & every day. I think my favorite day was our day at Jax beach; sun, sand, and the ocean . . .my favs!
Exciting news of this post is about mine & Amber's first time in the show ring! The show was in Grand Island, NE; I hadn't really intended to go since it was immediately after returning home from Florida but Connie talked me into it. There was no competition in the breed ring, so no points to earn, but that also meant no real pressure for Amber's debut which is kind of why I decided to enter. Good chance for practice and acclimating her to the noise and commotion of a dog show. She definitely was a bit overwhelmed and we've got lots of work to do with her, but she did show a bit more at ease on the second day of the show. Of course with no competition, her wins in the breed ring were a given, BUT what a nice surprise when we earned a GROUP 3 placement in the NOHS Toy Group with compliments from the judge of how nice of a Biewer Amber is and that she felt that Amber should do well as she matures, stating that she had judged many Biewers in the past even before they became full AKC. Another show coming up next weekend in Lincoln, NE.
4/30/24 With Dolly not eating on her own and having had thrown up 2-3 of her meals in the past couple of days, I decided to err on the side of caution and take her to the vet to see if anything was wrong. I really didn't expect anything, as she has been acting perfectly normal otherwise and still taking good care of her puppies. But with me being gone for almost a week starting on Friday, I wanted to be assured that she was well so that Jim didn't run into any big issues while I'm away. As expected, Dolly checked out perfectly fine at the vet and per my request was given a few doses of Entyce, an appetite stimulant that might help getting her to eat on her own; that or as always at some point her appetite really kicks in as the puppies demand more from her body. But at least now, knowing that she is healthy I feel more comfortable leaving them in Jim's care.
4/27/24 Dolly's puppies are now 1 week old and all three are doing well. They all have reached or surpassed the "double your birth weight at 1 week" mark and seem healthy & content. Two of the boys are very chubby whereas the last born pup and the smallest of the three is gaining slower than his brothers, but still content. Dolly is being the attentive mother she's always been with each of her litters, and as with previous litters she is needing to be hand fed, showing no interest in eating on her own just yet. So spoon fed canned food and/or Stella & Chewys rehydrated raw mixed with kibble is her diet for now until she decides to eat on her own. Past experience is this will happen as the puppies demand more from her and her real hunger kicks in. I will be getting ready for a fun 5 day trip with the sisters to Florida this week so will have to make sure to leave detailed instructions for Jim on how to feed and care for Dolly and her puppies while I'm gone. The pups will be 2 weeks old on the day that I leave; I'm hoping that they will maybe have their eyes open before I leave for the airport.
Connie (across the street) talked me in to going to the dog show in Grand Island the weekend after I get back from Florida with her so I entered Amber. I figured there likely would not be much if any competition there, but it will give her and myself a little practice before the Lincoln show the following weekend. Connie will be showing Finn in the 4-6 month beginner puppy shows.
4/19 IT'S BIRTH-DAY for Dolly's puppies! Overnight I was awakened a couple of times hearing Dolly nesting and walking the floor a bit; nothing like she was in actual labor (no panting or shivering), so I just talked to her a little bit & let her in bed with me for just a while. At around 4 am I heard more nesting and saw that she was snuggled in a couple of folded crate pads; when I tried to get her to come to me she didn't move and seemed uncomfortable. This is when I decided she was definitely in early labor, so I got up to get myself and things ready. The first puppy was born around 7:45 am, a large 6 5/8 oz male. When the sac emerged all I could see was/were his foot/feet and when enough was showing that I could help pull I noticed that he was also facing up towards Dolly's back rather than down towards her tummy as it should be. A bit stressful, but I was able to get him turned enough while pulling and delivered him alive and wiggling. Pup #2 was born about and hour and a half later at 9:05. Again, a bit stressful when the head began to emerge along with a small fluid filled sac. Once the head was completely out I was a bit worried for the puppy being choked with Dolly's vagina around the neck, but I stepped in "hands/fingers on" and was again able to deliver him (another male) alive and well. This was another good sized puppy weighing 6 oz. Dolly settled down then being a very attentive mama (as she's always been), and the third puppy didn't arrive for another 2 hours, all the while with that small fluid filled sac hanging out. I've seen this once before with one of my other girls a long time ago but this was before any pups were born rather than in between puppies. I couldn't remember for sure what it was or what if anything I should do about it. Just as I was about to call the vet Dolly started pushing again and I noticed that the sac I'd seen was getting bigger and then realized that the small sac was just a portion of the water sac that the third puppy was in. I was so glad that I didn't decide to pop it earlier! The 3rd puppy was another male weighing a much more manageable size of 5 1/4 oz. Whether that is way it seemed he slipped out easily or because of the sac protruding I'm not sure. Now, one more puppy to go, or so I thought......... but after waiting another 2 -3 hours with no puppy and Dolly very settled I decided to call the vets office, just too verify that they too see 4 puppies on the x-ray rather than the 3 that I was originally told. As it turns out, after explaining to them that I could clearly see 4 skulls/spines on one of the photos sent to me, I was told that only one view was taken on Monday (showing 3 puppies) and the additional views I had been sent were x-rays from her previous litters; that they had no way to send just the one. Oh geez, that would have been nice to know ahead of time. But at least now I knew that Dolly's labor and delivery was done and we have 3 healthy puppies! They are all pretty nicely marked, with only one of them with a slight color fault having black on the front of his neck. The other two are very similarly marked and at this time look promising color-wise for the show ring. Fingers crossed to have my first bred-by to take into the ring in the future.
4/15 At the x-ray this morning I was told Dolly is having 3 puppies again, without being shown a picture of the x-ray as was done in the past. (a different vet that I wasn't to impressed with) HOWEVER, when the copies of the x-rays arrived via email later in the afternoon it is very clear to see 4 skulls and spines; what a great surprise!!! There was one image where only 3 could be seen; I suppose the vet only took the time to look at that one (again, not impressed with her at all). Dolly is maybe eating a little less these past couple of days, I assume due to her crowded belly, but is otherwise doing well. Now we just wait for the big day. With Charlie's visitation and funeral tonight and tomorrow morning I'm hoping she waits until Wednesday at the earliest before going into labor.
Amber's dental to have 8 puppy teeth removed went well and didn't seem to bother her much. I am so glad to have that done, and immediately it seemed her bite looked better to me. Is it possible that the two upper canines needing to be pulled could do that??? (I wouldn't think the back ones would make much difference); Maybe . . . . . Entries opened up for the show in Lincoln in mid May and I got her entered right away. Very excited to get back in the ring!
Not much else going on this past week; time to wait for puppies!
4/9 Â Â Â Wow! According to my scale and documentation from this last week to now, Dolly gained 11 ounces this past week! That seems like a lot; the largest one week gain I've ever seen is 8 ounces. I sure hope it slows down a bit with still about two weeks to go, and I'm hoping for a larger litter than her usual 3 puppies, wanting a safe and easy whelp for her (and me). Other than that, she is doing well. Her appetite has been good which might explain her big weight gain, and with her growing belly I've noticed that she is having a bit more trouble jumping onto the furniture, opting to take the doggie stairs to the couch more often than not. I've gotten the whelping supplies out and took inventory of things I need. I also set up the nursery crate that will be home for Dolly and pups for the first few weeks, getting things ready for the big day.
Amber is doing great and such a wild child! Wanting to get her puppy teeth pulled I called 24th Street Animal Clinic (where we used to go) to see if they had any sooner openings for a dental. I was glad to hear that they could get her in later this week (on the 11th) to get it done. I did have to take her in for a wellness check up for their records. The drive to the office reiterated one reason why we no longer go there (6 miles vs 2 blocks), and when I paid the bill for her "office visit" another reason was obvious with them being quite a bit more expensive, That's when I remembered that when we left them a few years ago the practice was being sold and going corporate causing the rise in prices. But, I will go with it this time in order to get Amber's puppy teeth removed sooner rather than later.
In family news, sadly Dodie's husband Charlie was taken to the hospital last week by ambulance having trouble breathing. He's been in ICU and his prognosis is grave. For now he is still with us, but all of the out of town family has been called home. The last I heard, he was in a deep sleep with shallow breathing and very low blood pressure and they were just waiting for him to pass.
4/2 Dolly is officially 6 weeks along in her pregnancy and doing good. She is eating on her own terms and as long as she is eating I've decided to let that be enough. With her past pups' birth weights being in the 5-6 oz range I am being cautious not wanting these pups to get bigger than that, actually preferring just a tiny bit smaller would be nice. . . . . .but just as long as they are healthy and born with no difficulties is what is most important. Dolly seems BIG to me for 6 weeks, but I always say that so maybe she's not. She still thinks she pretty agile and will walk the arms of the furniture to get from one place to another. Wish she wouldn't as it makes me nervous that she will lose her balance, mis-step and fall one of these times.
Coming up on one week with Amber here; she is such a PUPPY . . . . all over the place showing no fear and bounding up and down off the furniture. Very athletic; would probably make a good agility candidate if I knew anything about training her for it. I'll stick to conformation though and very anxious to get in the ring with her. She had her initial vet visit yesterday and checked out fine which I knew would be the case. I noticed she still has a few puppy canines and made an appointment to have them pulled but can't get her in until May 1st. Hoping they will come out on their own before them.
Nothing else new, Easter came and went like any other day, Matt doing okay at the skilled nursing facility.
3/27 Amber arrived home today! She immediately fit right in showing no fear in the fact that she was in unfamiliar hands, new surroundings, and amidst other dogs she didn't know. She is a typical happy energetic puppy that loves to play with toys, she eats well, and showed us right away that she can easily jump on and off of the furniture, and . . . . that she has a voice. Her coat seems great, more silky than cottony and I love the nice gold coming through on her head. With her looks and personality I feel that she has a good chance at doing well in the show ring.
3/24 Â It's getting exciting around here. GREAT news in that as of yesterday I am 100% certain that Dolly is pregnant; puppies due around April 24th. Like magic the night before last, she decided to eat dinner all on her own and is doing okay with eating since then. With that, poof!, her belly started getting rounded. AND . . . Amber is on her way home. Tammy and Jerry left Arizona yesterday and says it will likely be Wednesday when they arrive. Finally, some good things are going on after a rough past 9 months.
3-18 It's official, Amber is coming to the Heartland! Her Wisdom results came back perfect, showing her clear of 250+ genetic tests, but most importantly clear of the CDDY/IVDD gene which her mom carried one copy of. With that it was just a matter of finishing up with contact signed and payment sent. We even have her travel arrangements made either straight home or at least brought a little closer via Tammy Ryker. Tammy and her husband have been spending the last month or so in Phoenix, AZ and will be heading home to Iowa soon. Carol Elkins asked Tammy if she would be willing to bring Amber this way. After talking with Tammy, they will be dropping her off here so it looks like she will be home as soon as next week!
3-16 I received 3 short videos of Carol's puppy walking on a lead, and she looks GOOD! Tail is held up nicely curled over her back and she is walking well; CHECK. Also, Carol said that her current weight (at 23 weeks old) is 5.5 pounds which puts her shy of 7 lbs as an adult which is perfect; CHECK. Hoping for no negatives with her Wisdom panel results; I am ready to bring this puppy home!
3-12 Today marks a full 3 weeks since breeding Dolly/Winston. With her appetite dwindling to next to nothing, having loose stools the past few days, and throwing up a time or two I think it is pretty safe to assume that she is pregnant. I've had a few inquiries/applications come through from people looking for a puppy in the past couple of weeks; I think spring, with the weather getting warmer is a popular time that people start searching for new pets. Still talking with Carol Elkins about her puppy, though no pics this past week because she was out of town. Right now more than anything we are waiting on the results from the Wisdom panel she sent in for the puppy, so it will probably be a couple of more weeks before any decision is made. It will basically come down to whether she carries the gene for IVDD, and whether or not that is or isn't a big issue. I'd really like to NOT have to have it to think about it when the time comes to breed her, so I am hoping that she will show clear. She's such a pretty pup and I like the lines the sire and dam come from so hoping it all works out.
3-5 Conversations with Carol Elkins continue about her 5 month old puppy that I am considering as my new show puppy. The sire and dam health tests are okay as a match for breeding her to Winston in the future. The mom does have one copy of a gene for IVDD and shows her "at risk" rather than "notable". Since the breeder did use her for breeding (to her male who is clear of that genetic marker", I would assume it's nothing to be to concerned about; I'm not even certain that is a breed relevant issue. Carol also did a Wisdom Panel DNA swab on the puppy a few days ago which will be nice to have already done, and should help clear up any uncertainties about whether she is a carrier or not. If there are no issues, I will likely choose to get this puppy, but waiting on additional information, pictures and/or videos before proceeding. Everything is always hurry up and wait but as I have always said, good things come to those who wait. Still, waiting is not fun . . . . The same can be said for the wait and see on whether or not Dolly is pregnant. It's only been about 2 weeks since the breeding's were finished; seems so much longer. Only thing I've noticed is that in the last day or two, though morning meals are being eaten slowly by both her and Winston, Dolly does seem to be eating less as well. Yesterday I even added a cooked egg to the kibble and she just sniffed at it and walked away. Waiting, waiting here too . . . . .
Skye is living with Jenny & Brandon, possibly permanently. They had her there all last week while she was in her standing heat stage, and brought her back on Sunday for a "visit". Even though she was very late in her cycle it seemed Winston was still eager for her, and Dolly would not leave her alone, wanting to show dominance by getting in her face constantly. When Jenny was ready to leave and asked about leaving her or taking her back home I told her it was up to her/them, and back home with Jenny & Brandon she went. I'm hoping the stay will be permanent, but if it does not work out, of course Skye can always come home.
2/29Â Yep, 2/29. . . . it's LEAP day. Didn't realize it was leap year until yesterday when I noticed that February had the extra day. Well since it's leap day, let's just leap into the decision to buy a new show puppy shall we? Yikes, I think I'm doing it!! At first, seeing two 3 1/5 month old girls posted on Facebook by a breeder I am familiar with, I messaged her inquiring about one of them. She is keeping one and will sell the other as a show prospect but has not made the decision on which she will keep yet and said she will let me know in a couple of weeks. However, after that conversation I decided to message another lady I am familiar with, Carol Elkins (she in fact now owns LILA, the pup from Dolly's first litter that Deborah Billings took as her pick of the litter). I had often thought about messaging her about Lila, and today decided to do it and why not ask about whether she had any puppies available as well! Surprisingly, I was very surprised when she said that she does have a female puppy that she says she's held back for show and is willing to sell her to me and even better that the pup is already 5 months old. She sent me a few short videos of her and tonight we talked on the phone, and it all seems promising. It certainly looks like I just may be adding a new Biewer to our family soon. Already being 5 months old, we have a better idea of her adult size and of her quality as a show dog. It's not quite a done deal or set in stone just yet, but I think by next week I should know for sure. Happening fast, but I think it will be a good thing and just what I need after all I've been through in the past year. I am so ready to get my life back.2/23Â Â Dolly/Winston breeding days are done. We did not get any natural ties in, but thankfully I was able to perform several AI's. Because both of her previous litters were born about a week early (according to breeding dates), I did start breeding her earlier this cycle assuming that she ovulates earlier in her cycle. IF we are successful puppies would be due to arrive APRIL 20-24.
2-11Â Â Albeit a bit late, it's a new year and I'm hoping to get back into my more normal life. Things seem to have settled down a bit with Matt; maybe finally into his new normal. Though
not the life he or I would wish for him, it is what it is and we're doing the best we can in getting him taken care of. Since the beginning of all of this in May of last year, he has been in and out of the hospital many times, has had his right leg amputated below the knee, multiple small strokes, and chronic diarrhea, to name just a few of his health problems. Having tried to be his care giver until October of last year, it became very clear that it was much to much for Jim and I to handle. After finally getting him set up on Medicaid he has been in a skilled nursing facility, which though not ideal, is where he needs to be, and much better than alone in his apartment.
Since the beginning of this year things seem to be settling down. It's been a bit over a month now since his last hospital stay and I'm hoping that continues. With him settled into his new normal, I am going to try getting my "normal" life back. So, when Dolly came into heat the other day I decided to breed her hoping to get a litter of puppies, and hopefully a show puppy out of her/Winston. With it having been so long since I've been in the show ring and breeding, I have had thoughts of whether or not this was all a sign that it was time to end that chapter of my life. But all along at the same time, I still found myself drawn to having more puppies and getting back into the show ring. So this litter will kind of be my trial on whether or not this is something that I still want to continue. Connie (across the street with Lexie) bought herself a little male puppy hoping to take him into the show ring, I think wanting me to be her mentor, so all of the possibilities are still around me. Plus, my hope is to breed her male to Skye when he gets old enough, since I likely cannot breed Skye to Winston again. Time will tell what this year holds. . . . .
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