GETTING THINGS DONE

 It has been awhile since I have written. Took time to get all the puppies settled in their new homes. Wonderful families and all my pups are happy and doing well. It took a long time for the DNA on the last litter to come back but finally we know the litter was sired by Keeper. CH Weststars Finders Keepers. Keeper passed in March from a dental, he did not come out of the anesthesia. Fortunately we had bred him to Topaz, and we had also bred Sammy, Illusions Living the Dream to Topaz. She had a funny split heat and when the pups were born I had the feeling that they were Keepers, just from the look of them but we still had to do the DNA testing to be sure. All the pups came back as Keeper kids. I was so happy to hear this as I decided to keep a daughter of his. Keeper was the sweetest, most calm, loving Sheltie ever. I still miss having him lie under the desk with his head on my foot. 

His daughter Maggie, is a sweet, loving girl also and she is very smart. I am having fun with her training. She is learning the agility obstacles and doing well and she has fun. She and Skye get along so well and play all the time. Skye is already 10 months, don't know where the time has gone. My baby is all grown up. 

I have now had the time to put all the puppy equipment away and clean the house. It is so nice to have everything back in order and dusted. The puppies took so much time that I did not do much housework. All caught up now and I can spend time with the dogs. Hopefully to train Maggie and Skye in basic obedience. They both have a good start but need to be more reliable. I probably have two months where I can still work out in the agility area with them. By the end of October it will most likely be getting too cold. I will continue as long as possible. Skye is doing great with her house training and Maggie is coming along pretty well. The 6 months between them makes a huge difference. 

I place Maggies mother Topaz into a wonderful home with Glory. Glory has developed kidney disease which is being treated but she needed a companion and Topaz was perfect for her. Also the people that Glory and Topaz are with are wonderful and if something happens to Glory they will still have a Sheltie to love and be their companion. I love Topaz and I miss her but what she is doing for Glory and the family is so special.

Topaz has had three litters and was a pretty good mother but not overjoyed with babies. She will be happy that she is finished with having pups.

So I am taking a break and will probably breed Quinn in Feb/March time frame, pups would be due April/ May time frame. Pups available in June. A nice time to house train pups.This will be a nice break for me and Quinn. I have been sleeping through the night, no pups crying or Topaz barking to go out.It feels good to be rested. This morning Skye started barking at 4:45 which is very unusual for her, so she really had to go out. This does not happen often and I would rather get up than have to clean a dirty crate. Of course when one starts barking they all decide that it is time to go out. So we had an early start to the day. 

I lost my beautiful Brooke on August 4th. She had liver issues and was on medication but it did not help much. She was loosing movement in her rear also. I hoped that we could keep her going for awhile. But she started bleeding from the nose and it did not clear up. It would come and go each day and I knew more was wrong. It was time to let her go. So many losses in such a short time. 

I am going to take advantage of the sunshine and warm temperature today and get the dogs out to play. Hope you all have an enjoyable and safe holiday!

Brooke at 1 year!

TIME TO LET GO

 My last post was about letting go when your dog is sick and nothing more can be done for them. The time came for Brooke on August 4th, the medication was not helping and she was developing other symptoms, she was having nose bleeds and we did not know the reason for those. She was having trouble getting up and lying down. It was a such a struggle for her. The only thing that did not change was her appetite. She was always hungry. The vet said that her metabolism was off, she would eat but would not feel like she had eaten and wanted to eat more. So the decision was made that the time had come to let her go. I took her in and went in with her. We put some spray cheese on a tongue depressor and she licked that until she fell asleep from  the first shot that was to relax her. She enjoyed that cheese so much, that is all she was concentrating on and then when it was almost gone she fell asleep.  Then the other injection was given to end her life. She was asleep and had no idea what was happening, I hope that she sensed that I was with her. I think she did.

She has been gone over a week now and life is so different with her missing.  I can load the dishwasher now with out her help. I can run the can opener with out her barking like crazy, all the little things she did I now miss so much.

I don't know if the other dogs miss her or not but maybe in their own way they do. This is all a part of having dogs and giving them a peaceful an end as possible.

She will be remembered forever, now when the puppy licks the dishwasher to help me load it I am sure that Brooke is there telling her what to do. 

She will always be in my heart!

 

                                               BROOKE

END OF LIFE STAGE

 An important part of having a dog is helping them when they come to the end of life stage. You can see that they don't feel well, have difficulty getting up and down. Drinking lots of water and urinating just as much. You look into their eyes and you can see how they feel. But you post pone what you know should be done. Maybe another day or two and they will feel better. You don't want to let go. Maybe another medication will help and it does for a short time. But no matter what we try the symptoms do not go away. We don't want to think about what we know we should do. It is time to let go and we don't want to face that. But your friend has been there for you for all their lives. When you didn't feel good they would comfort you, when you were sad they would make you laugh. Seems like they always knew what to do to make you feel better. Shelties are very stoic, they don't let you see their pain, although it is hard for them to hide it in their eyes. They want to go on taking care of you but you know it is now time for you to take care of them.

I am at the point of having to make one of these decisions. My old girl Brooke has liver issues and does not feel good. When she pees it is a flood and she drinks tons of water. She is on medication which seems to be helping. But when she is no longer comfortable I know that I have to let her go. I have done this many times over the years but it never gets easy. It is very difficult to make the decision. This is a very important part of responsible dog ownership. Brookes medication is giving her some relief but I don't know how long that will last. When she appears to be in pain and is not eating well then I know the time has come. 

It is your responsibility to take your dog to the vet and stay with them while they drift away from this world. They need to know that you are there. It is a very peaceful time for your dog and he will no longer have any pain. I know many of you don't want to be with your dog, but think of him and not yourself. Look at all the times he was there for you. You know what has to be done and he needs you.

When Brooke gets to the point that there is no hope and she is in pain I will let her go and I will be with her. They know we are there and it comforts them. 

So be brave and think of your dog. You will have a sense of peace when you know they will not hurt again.

The old girls, Brooke on the right!

HOPE YOU HAD A HAPPY AND SAFE 4TH

 The Fourth is over and I hope it was good for everyone, especially for the dogs.

My dogs do not do well with the fire works, especially the loud booms. Fireworks in the area for two nights and finally ended about 10 pm.Thankfully they were not very close. 

My pups have moved to their new homes and families and all are doing well. I have one pup here and I am just waiting to see who her sire is. She too may go to a really good home. I know I have said it before but I am so thankful for the people who have my pups. 

The rain has finally stopped and my dog yard has lots of mud, hopefully it will dry out soon. Once dry I will put more patio blocks down and get rid of all the dirt.  That will help tremendously. I am also planning a large play area attached to the dog yard. I will have agility equipment out there and lots of fun toys for the dogs. The main thing is they will be able to run and do zoomies. They love to run all out and it makes me smile!

The sun is poking out and I sure hope it dries things out. I know we need the water but the dogs sure hate getting wet. So funny watching them tip toe through the puddles.

Now that the pups are settled I plan to spend more time working with Skye. She is a smart little girl and you can see her think. I tell her to find her baby and she goes and gets her lamb, which is her baby. She finds her big ball when you tell her. She is so quick and learning the names of her toys. She taught herself to use the stairs. She is an amazing little girl.

I am definitely taking a break from breeding. Too many pups in too short of a time. I think that in 9 to 12 months I will know if I want to breed or just want to enjoy my dogs. I do love producing healthy, quality pups, with great temperaments that make wonderful family companions. I always want to breed to improve the breed. The Sheltie is a special breed and needs to be preserved.

Breakfast alarms are going off, their clocks still work very well.Time to get this day going.

 

PUPS SO READY

 Another two weeks and I have not written a word. My sister from California, and my brother in law have been visiting.  Such a nice time but the dogs are all off their routine. We are now getting back into the regular days that the dogs enjoy. They sure know the difference. Pups will be leaving this coming week after their shots and health check.  Hopefully another two weeks and we will have the DNA  results from the AKC. It has been a long process and I am anxious to know who the sire of the pups is. I am hoping for Keeper as we lost him in March, a reaction to anesthesia for a dental. I have been on the fence about keeping a pup, I really should not but I need to know if there is a Keeper pup and that may change my mind. I would love to keep his line going. He has sired so many beautiful girls. 

A friend who needs help with his dogs for some time asked me if I would take one for awhile. I agreed to help him out. I don't need another dog but when there is a dire need you have to step in and help. Her name is Alice and she is two years old and still very puppy. She and Skye play a lot, especially run and chase games. Now with Alice it is very hard to decide on a puppy. If it all becomes overwhelming I may not keep the pup. Alice is a very friendly and outgoing dog but never had any training so there is much to catch up with. And she really wants to please. So do I have the energy to take on a puppy along with Alice and Skye.I will just have to give it a try. 

I am taking a break from breeding for about a year, or possibly next winter. Just depends on how I feel. Most importantly is to catch up on my rest. Bonnie's litter was very tiring as I had to hand raise two of the pups. That was round the clock feeding and very interrupted sleep. Now that Topaz pups are weaned and she is sleeping in her crate my sleep has been much better. No interruptions during the night. 

Once again I have wonderful families for my pups and I sure appreciate their patience with waiting to see who the sire is.

All for now, coffee is done and the breakfast clock is going off!

PUPS 6 WEEKS

 The pups have grown so fast. When I ask if they are hungry they come running. It is so cute. I have enlarged  their pen so they have room to run a little and play. When they see me they all line up and wag tails. Two more weeks they go for their vet check and then to their new homes.

Once again I am so fortunate to have so many wonderful families.  Each and every pup will have a wonderful home full of love and care. I am thinking of keeping the boy. Tough decision as there are many pretty pups. Walter is my only stud dog so it might be good to have another boy who is a different line. Although it is definitely going to be a good long six months before another litter. I may even ask a friend to whelp the litter. I had thought that six  months between Bonnie s last litter and this litter of Topaz's was enough time but it really was not. Topaz wakes up between 4:30 and 5 am every day. Just a bit too early. It will be wonderful to change that to 6 am. I will need the dogs to go to bed just a little later so they will sleep later in the morning. I have to admit, that everything revolves around the dogs. But why not. It is just me and the dogs,their clock rules. I am going to change the 4:30 am if I possibly can. It may take awhile but it really needs to change. I am tired of going to bed when it is still light out. Although sleep comes quickly. 

It is raining and the dogs are all in so a good day to do some grooming. At least a good brushing and nail cutting. Some are good with nail cutting and others not at all.

HUNGRY PUPPIES

PUPS GROW SO FAST.

 All of a sudden the pups eyes and ears are open, they have teeth and have learned to bark and growl. Seems like it was yesterday that they were just these little forms of life that looked like Guinea pigs. They are almost 5 weeks. Time to get some really good face photos, expression is showing and attitude is beginning to surface. The fun starts and the work. We are going into the messy stage, eating four times a day and cleaning the pen at least six or more times. Even with all this I love to watch the personalities develop. The little tails now wag a  mile a minute when I talk to them. They are searching out their toys now and when the first one squeaked that brought on a few little growls.

This litter was not far enough from my last litter to get a nice long break. That is coming up now. No pups until next year. I finally can get caught up on my sleep. I am still up between four thirty and five AM but at least no more interruptions during the night.  Pups will now be going into the kitchen to run and play. They will get out about four times a day and will experience many new things. 

I am anxiously awaiting the DNA results to see who their sire is. It has been a long process. I am hoping that the boy is Keepers as we lost Keeper way too soon. It would be nice to carry on with a son of his. The one boy is a lovely pup but is also the second largest and that could be a problem. Sometimes I wish that Shelties did not have a size disqualification but they do and we have to breed for that. 

I have a lovely 15 week old pup that is too big for her age already. She is going home with my sister and will become a performance dog. I am excited about her career. We are hoping for a natural herding instinct. My sister may even get some sheep so she can train to herd. I can't wait to see how she does.

I will finally have the time to work with Skye before she grows up on me.

I am being summoned for breakfast, they are not patient at all so have to go and get them fed.

Pictures of pups coming soon.

TOPAZ