Clara is pregnant!

Over two months ago, I wrote about trying a breeding of Clara to Barrett. I didn't think that it would take as neither was very interested in the other. Well, much to my surprise, Clara is looking pregnant. She is a thick bodied girl but lately I've noticed that she appeared quite a bit thicker than usual. After giving her an exam, I have determined that either she is in a raging false pregnancy or this is the real thing. I believe that it is the latter. What this means is that Christmas week may herald another whelping! Things work in mysterious ways.

I heard from Anthony in New York that Surry's Division Bell had her puppies yesterday. Unfortunately, she had to have a C-section but Belle and the puppies are doing well. Anthony is pleased that all turned out okay. He had been up for 2 days watching her as she dug and panted. This was her first litter which is always nerve wracking.

Christmas parade

I was out shopping this afternoon and got caught in the Mt. Pleasant Christmas parade. So, I parked the car and walked to see the fireworks and watch a few floats go by. The fireworks were great and actually quite spectacular. Near the front of the procession were the Budweiser Clydesdales in full hitch. They were just spectacular! The floats were fun and there were so many happy children watching the parade. I'm sure that most won't be able to sleep for thinking about Christmas. I'm actually starting to get excited as well.

Being contacted about breeding

Occasionally, I'll get an email or phone call from an individual wishing to breed their bitch. The calls that I'm speaking of are from an individual who owns a pet girl and wants her to have a litter. There is never any mention of clearances for hips, elbows, and eyes. Of course, my first thoughts are that the girl shouldn't be bred and should be spayed. I write back though and explain with as much kindness as I can that before any breeding can even be considered the bitch will have to have OFA clearances for hips and elbows as well as an ACVO clearance for eyes. I also explain as tactfully as possible about the expenses that go into just doing a breeding, notwithstanding having to whelp and care for a litter of puppies. Most of the time, I never hear back from the people and assume that they have found someone who will do the breeding without clearances. I would like to think that they have gotten the message and will decide NOT to breed their bitch. Only once or twice have I gotten the opposite request: to breed one of my girls to their wonderful male. Everyone loves their dogs and thinks that they are the best looking and smartest in the world. Most people who aren't breeders don't realize that there are many other criteria that need to be fulfilled before any breeding takes place.

This is also the time of year when requests come in for Christmas puppies. We never sell a puppy at Christmas, simply because there is too much activity and the concept of having a puppy as a "gift" isn't a good one. Puppies become dogs and are a lifetime committment, not a throwaway windup toy. There are many articles about why getting a puppy at Christmas is a bad idea. Here is a link to one: http://www.petrescue.com/library/no-pups.htm
The best thing to do is to give books about Labradors and puppy raising, study them and get the puppy after the holidays are over!

Seeing the Clydesdales

We rowed last night with all the Christmas lights on the pilot gig. The oars were wrapped in red and green lights and we towed a dinghy with a Christmas tree in it. Lots of people along the Charleston Battery were yelling out that it was a beautiful sight to see. We all yelled back "Merry Christmas".

After rowing, I went to Marion Square to see lights there and the Clydesdales. The lit trees and other beautiful things at Marion Square were wonderful to see. The Clydesdales were in their stalls munching on hay. They will be in the Mt. Pleasant Christmas parade which should be fun to watch, even though the weather is supposed to be cold.

The puppies are warm and snug in their whelping box. I keep the temperature about 72 degrees in there. They are toddling about now and able to crawl around the box. Soon their eyes and ears will open up.

Puppies are 2 weeks old

Here are the pictures of two of the babies taken yesterday. They are two weeks old today. They are fat and have great pigment. They scoot around the box and are chowing down like crazy. I enjoy watching them as they sleep. They are adorable and Gabby really dotes on them. She continues to keep everything spotless. I enjoy this phase when they are healthy and big enough to move about, yet still being taken care of by the mother. It is a pleasure to experience that.

Heading back to Charleston

After walking the dogs, having breakfast, and driving in pouring rain, I got back home safely. It was a very messy morning with a lot of fog and traffic. I did get the dogs to the Tybee dog park, when the rain was a bit less, and they ran around to play for a while. It wasn't a really good morning for kayaking but humans have to suffer through as well, although we tend to whine more than the dogs when it comes to rain and brisk temperatures! I had wanted to go to the famous Breakfast Club at Tybee but there was a long line and I didn't want to stand outside in the rain to wait on a table. Maybe that will have to wait until next trip. It was a fun time and the dogs seemed to really enjoy the exercise that they got.

I enjoyed a Christmas party last evening hosted by a group of friends. The candlelight tributes that were made were very touching. I'm beginning to feel a bit in the Christmas spirit, even though I haven't taken down my Thanksgiving decorations yet!

A full day

Today was really full. First, there was the dog show. Amelia and Izzy showed well, both getting around the ring without tripping me! They were happy in the ring and Amelia didn't even want to leave the ring. We won our classes which was nice.

After the show, I headed to downtown Savannah, got some lunch and then walked around to look at all the street vendors who were out on River Street. This was the big Savannah Christmas Parade day so there was a lot going on. I got some Christmas presents and had fun seeing the street mimes and musicians. After all of that, I headed back to Tybee to the kayak place and visit the lighthouse. I found out that there would be an open house put on by the Tybee Historical Society starting at 6 PM.

So in the meantime, I took the dogs to the Tybee dog park and played with them. They had a blast playing with a boxer and a Labradoodle. It was havoc!

Then, I went back to the light house, listened to Christmas carols, had some hot chocolate, went up all the 178 steps, took a lot of photos of the beautiful first order Fresnel lens, and then went back down to visit with Santa. I also toured the beautiful lighthouse keeper's quarters that was made great by a member of the historical society who explained a lot about what life was like and how the renovation of the quarters was done. I also went on the horse drawn carriage ride which was really fun and gave gorgeous views of the lighthouse and the quaint homes in the area. It was well worth the trip just to have this tour!

After a full day, it was nice to relax and read some before getting some much needed rest.

At Tybee

I arrived at Tybee and got my room at the Outdoor Inn. It is a neat place located right next to Sea Kayak Georgia. The Inn is basically a big house with lots of individual rooms and a common eating area where there are many charts displayed on the walls. The dogs seem to be enjoying the walk around the property. There is a huge porch off the back of the house that overlooks the marsh and a small creek.
I'm going to eat at a local seafood place tonight. Then, maybe check the Weather Channel to see what the AM brings in terms of the dog show. Hopefully, no rain!

Dog show weekend

I am heading to Savannah tomorrow to show Izzy and Amelia. I'm hoping that the weather will be decent on Saturday. Right now, it isn't looking too good for tomorrow but luckily, I'll just be traveling. At least the weather appears to be cooler. I'm tired of having summer temperatures now that December is here.

The puppies are doing great. I plan to get more photos up soon. Thankfully, Gabby is a great mother and takes good care of them.

Our row last evening was perfect! There were 8 people as crew and we were power rowing up the Ashley River and back. It was a beautiful night and the water was calm. I just sent out a notice for a New Year's Eve row to Shem Creek that should be fun.

Sleeping in regular bed

Last night, I was able to move back to a regular bed, sleeping in the new wing for the first time. It felt strange, like sleeping in a hotel. Although the new wing isn't totally completed (minor stuff on punch list), the bed is wonderful and the new mattress felt so good after sleeping on the platform bed in the puppy room.

The babies are doing well and are scooting around the box. Gabby is a very careful mother and takes excellent care of the babies. I am glad that the whelping is over and that the babies are doing so well. I like for them to be around a week old and from that age until 3 weeks all is so easy because the mother takes care of everything!
Life is good....

In the puppy room

The puppies are doing great, growing and eating like little pigs. I am sleeping out in the puppy room on the platform bed. It will be nice to be able to spend a night on the new mattress and bed that is now installed in the new wing of the house. I'll go back to work tomorrow, and Charlie will be home to watch over the little ones. The good thing about sitting puppies is getting a lot of reading done! I think that he has already gone through a couple of books.

A friend stopped by today to visit and it was a nice diversion from reading and sleeping. I look forward to getting back to work!

A milestone

Today Charlie and I have been married for 30 years. We didn't have much time to celebrate but some dear sweet friends, Eugene and Yaenette, came over to baby sit the puppies and Gabby while we went to dinner. Yaenette asked what was our secret to such a long marriage.

I really don't know as there have been times that have been enormously happy, times of enornmous sadness, times of frustration, times of peacefulness, but through it all there has been the idea that we have been friends and that we have respect for each other. I also think that because we have worked together (our offices are on the same hall) ever since we were married, it has been important to have activities that we appreciated but didn't necessarily share. I enjoy excercising of all kinds and, of course, showing the dogs and now judging. Charlie enjoys woodworking, fishing (which I also enjoy) and gardening (which I like too). So there are things that we share together and things that we do separately.

Charlie has always been very supportive of the dogs but doesn't like dog shows and would rather be at home than in a social situation. I enjoy meeting people and feel happy being in crowds or alone in the woods. He is quiet and I'm more outgoing. It's yin and yang for the most part.

I'll share with you the prayer that was written on a plain sheet of paper in the anniversary greeting that Charlie gave to me. It is the prayer of St. Francis:

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy;

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

All is well now

After a much needed cat nap, I've settled into the whelping room which is where I'll sleep for a week. The babies are doing well and Gabby loves being a mother. I doze off to the buzzing sound of the babies as they nurse. I've had a couple of hours worth of breaks to get some shopping done during the "tax free" day today. The puppies aren't left alone which is good.

I'm sorry about the ones that didn't make it but there isn't a thing that can be done to bring them back. Sometimes things just don't go as one would like. It's a humbling experience and I'm not sure how many more times I want to go through the stress of having babies.

I'm getting a lot of reading done while I watch the babies. The room is warm and comfortable, as much as one can expect. After a few days though, I'm ready to sleep in a normal bed and have a bigger space to be in.

A long night

Gabby's delivery of puppies turned into a marathon. We thought that things were going well with the first puppy coming at 4 PM on Thanksgiving. We stayed up all night delivering puppies with the final count being 6 living babies: 2 yellow girls, a yellow boy, a black girl and 2 black boys. Unfortunately, we lost several puppies that were DOA. No amount of resusitation that we did could revive them. It appears that Gabby's uterus wasn't contracting as it should which meant that some of the puppies likely drowned in amniotic fluid after the placenta had detached. It is sad but one of the things that can happen during whelping. We are grateful to have the six babies that are here. I should have some photos up soon here and on our web site. Now, I need some much needed rest.

Puppies are arriving

We had an eventful Thanksgiving with Gabby starting delivery of her puppies at 4 PM this afternoon. So far, we have a black girl, a yellow girl and a yellow boy. All are doing well. She is a wonderful whelper, never straining and just pushing out the babies with ease. I'm hoping that all will be done by later this evening so that this isn't an all nighter.

I'll put up photos as soon as things have calmed down. We had a nice Thanksgiving even though we had no idea that the babies would be arriving today. I know that there are many things to be thankful for. Here's hoping that all the babies and Gabby do well.

Snow in Charleston!

It was a rare sight this morning to see snow coming down on Wadmalaw. There were big fluffy flakes. The dogs were loving the whole cold, snowy scene. They have houses filled with straw and came rushing out to greet me. They bounced around for a while until I got their breakfast ready. Then after wolfing that down, they went into their houses with only their noses exposed!

The photo shown here is the view from my office out to Charleston Harbor. There was sea smoke, lots of white caps, and the wonderful snow. Now, that has changed to a pounding rain. Unfortunately, there will be lots of beach erosion. How would you like to be at a mooring in a nice sailboat, with a warm heater going, riding out the storm?

Last night, we had the first fire of the season. Sitting by a fire, reading the paper, and enjoying a relaxing evening is a rarity anymore. I'm grateful for those small things and the quiet times.

Gabby is huge but still eating. Her temperature is still normal and hasn't begun to drop or fluctuate. Hopefully, she will wait until AFTER Thanksgiving but who knows???

Stay warm and hug your dogs.

Simon finishes!

Yesterday, I received news that Simon, from the Angus x Stella litter, finished his Ch. with his third major win. Simon is one of three boys who finished from the litter. His brothers Gilmour and Barrett finished earlier this year. Because it's so hard to get a Champion title on Labradors due to the sheer number that it takes to get a major, it is thrilling to have 3 from one litter finish. Stella was from a litter in which four finished. Simon's owners, Steve and Geri Lubinski, are thrilled about the completion of his championship. They plan to have him out at selected shows as a special, competing in Best of Breed.

I hope that everyone will be safe with the approaching coastal storm. It is supposed to be a rough few days with high winds and major surf advisories. Safe travels to everyone this Thanksgiving!

A busy weekend

It seems that finally with Thanksgiving coming, I'll be able to be at home and not out of town. This past weekend was one in which I traveled again with the dogs. Meddle and Pink seemed to enjoy themselves though and were full of themselves in the crisp mornings. The weather was clear thankfully and eventually warmed up during the day.

I've decided that I need to get my puppies out more and get them accustomed to the noises and other dogs that they will encounter at dog shows. It's hard when the only things that they encounter are a bunch of squirrels! Perhaps on the home weekends, I'll take them to the dog park at the Isle of Palms where it is enclosed and they can run and play. The James Island Park is nicer and beautiful but it isn't fenced. Also there are more dogs there and they really need to not feel overwhelmed.

A nice dinner

I was invited to dinner at a friend's house this evening. She used to own a couple of restaurants locally, and I would regularly go to her restaurant to have dinner. She rows with me in the pilot gig on Wednesday's and has a lovely home on James Island. She had her friend Linda Annas Ferguson over for the dinner. Linda is a published poet and will have her most recent book out soon. You can read about her poetry and talents at www. LindaAnnasFerguson.com. The dinner was wonderful and Linda's reading of some poetry was moving. It nice to have made new friends and hear their viewpoints on life. They were interested in the dogs and what goes into being a breeder. A lot of sweat and hard work and tears would be a good summation. Perhaps there's a poem in there somewhere.

Gabby is getting bigger

When I got back from Boston, I saw Gabby and it appeared that she had enlarged greatly just in 2.5 days. She is happy as a clam, eating like a pig and generally looking beautiful. Her due date is Nov. 23 so I am already getting anxious. She is enjoying all the attention and getting extra cookies. She has never had a problem with whelping before so I'm hoping all will go okay. One never knows so it is best to be prepared. Hopefully, all will go well. Whelpings can be a marathon and sleep deprivation seems to be the norm. I'll have information about Gabby and updates on the whelping as soon as I have recovered.