Violet: A-Laying of the SIx Geese

So here is the story of Violet and the un-naturally natural birth of her litter this week....  It was: Terrifying!! lol

Violet was nesting late on Monday, but temp dropped at 6am Tuesday, so with no other signs I thought maybe late in the day... for those not in the breeding game, there are a number of signs we look for in our girls to give us an idea that the babies are a-callin'. Temperature usually drops and stays down by a full two degrees about 12-24 hours before labour onset, they nest (or root around to dig out a comfy spot), they will stop eating, and they start to get a bit of an ansy look to them and then signs of labour begin: panting, looking at their hind end.... you get the idea. Well Violet was eating nicely, and that in and of itself usually means 'not today' - I figured the game would be afoot late in the afternoon at the earliest. So, called the vet as a heads up and had her with me while I worked on the nursery.

and then I heard an "urp!"

like a burp, I mean - well, frenchie owners know this sound - kind of half vomit half burp.

and so I thought oh - that might be a contraction - best to get moving.... and I looked down ....and there was .....a thing that can strike fear into the bravest bulldog breeder's heart when monitoring expected labour....... a puppy!!!!!!

A PUPPY!!!!

just like that!!!!!

I nearly swallowed my tongue!

I do, however remember saying to Violet: 'Hey! You're not supposed to be able to do that!!"

...I grabbed a towel, and a puppy, and called Amy (the vet tech I have on staff) as I frantically grabbed keys, a stack of blankets, and my pup carrier - oh, and Violet, of course.

So, here I am driving to the Vet's office and speaker dialing to let them know I'm on my way:

"Oh, hi, Sheila! Do we have signs of labour?"

"Actually, no.....but I have a puppy!!!"

The second little shocker 'urped' out on the way to the vets!!; Now, again for those of you unfamiliar with the saga that is the breeding of bulldogs: we always do c-sections. In fact, it's standard procedure in my world for everyone to be on high alert around projected due date, but on signs of first stage labour we get in and do surgery. We are still looking at around 85% of the attempted natural births for frenchies turning into emergency c-sections, where chances are much higher that puppies and/ or mom can be lost in the process. I don't gamble, personally, and I certainly don't do it with my girls. SO, nonetheless - natural childbirth is not in the same repertoire of the bulldog breeder. Point in fact: I can watch a c-section, where all of the insides of my girl are taken outside, emptied, and then replaced back insdie again - without batting an eye. Old hat for me. But NATURAL births?? Not in frenchies. Nope. I've had one other female that birthed two naturally before the other 6 (yes oh my goodness I did say six more!!) were taken via c-section and my reaction was the same: EEEEEEEEEEEWWWWW!!!!

How's that for being seasoned? Yep, Natural birth grosses me out. Ironic....no?

So here I am pulled over in an ESSO parking lot toweling off puppy number two, whilst trying to retrieve the very active puppy number one from creeping down the sleeve of my (oh my goodness SO toasty puffer jacket). I opted to place both in the puppy carrier while alternating blankets warmed for them on the heat pouring out from my dash; eat your heart out MacGyver!

I arrived at my vets about half an hour later, looking very much (I would think) like a dishevelled backpacker lost in the Himilayas with my puppy carrier backpack draped in a blanket, covered in...well...not nice things, not a shred of makeup, oh, and a huge mama of a frenchie in my arms.... Apparently leash and collar were not on my short list of 'must haves' running out the door.

The office was seemingly calm an collected, but immediately (after a hurried 'man she's heavy! from me) I was rushed to the prepped room and the familiar orderly chaos of my vets office on b-day insued.

I popped open my laptop - Carol (Violet's mom) had the specialists that had monitored Violet's southern portion of her pregnancy put her medical info and xrays on disk for me - and Two vets and I perused the xray together whilst two vet techs took blood and assessed our momma and babies.  

Now let me be clear on this point: everyone upon everyone saw 3 pups in this belly from those xrays. The specialists in the States, and mine now viewing....everyone except me. I swore I saw four. My agruement was easily challenged, however, as I am reknown for seeing one extra puppy in almost every xray. Nonetheless, the vets that were now taking my advice to 'tilt the screen waaaay back and view it in negative' were a tad suspicious about the mysterious 4th puppy that neither of them saw. SO here we are debating my need for wearing my glasses and we all stop short as we hear: "urp" from Violet.

Everyone froze.

Seriously. The whole room. It was shortly after this that I realized that it's not just me that is surprised by Violet's dumbfounding ability to pass puppies without even standing up let alone actually PUSHING!! I was, though, ahead of the game (having seen it twice already), and therefore managed to break out of the shock shortly before anyone else. I frantically looked back and forth from my hands to around the room, and one of the techs, realizing that someone was in action - albeit not really firm action - asked me regarding the gloves I was looking for, gave them to me, and then all watched as I picked up this perfect little puppy that just magically urped it's way onto the blankets.

So now we ARE at a strange spot indeed, as we now have the three puppies everyone has seen (but me) and we have to actually determine whether our dear Vilolet is done for her day. Bloodwork in process, an xray was prepped - so we could make certain all were out as well as placenta etc. I figured now was the time to update my hubby, as he'd been texting for updates but lets face it, hands were full. Now that our 3 lovely babies were here and nested in with mom I took the minute. And that's all I got, really, as just as I was explaining that there were only 3, but no c-section, thankfully ( as a litter of 3 or less spell L-O-S-S in our world with c-section costs included) out 'urped' wee tiny number four. Where most puppies are around 8 or 9 oz at birth, this little girl was only 5.4oz. "Now there!", I thought to myself as I hung up on poor hubby to grab the new baby and help out, 'That's why no one saw her: she's so little!!'.

... Momma went a few minutes afterward to do the xray to confirm placenta's were passed, and everyone was happy and learning to eat with mom, who was all settled and realxed now that her toughest work was done.

And then the tech cams back from the xray results....."how many more would you like??" "Ummm......Sorry??"

"we still have two more to go!"

I'm pretty sure that's when Violet called the game for rain. Because number 5 was NOT coming out without pushing, and our dear Diva Violet was more than a little sure that pushing is not a part of the birthing process! - I mean lets face it - only number 4 had any push needed and that scared Violet so badly that she yelled out in an almost human voice. Truly! I had two people look in thinking it was me that had yelled!!

So oxytocin was on the menu and eventually Violet begrudgingly pushed out number 5. And then promptly went on strike. So much so that we started prepping the operating room because an hour went by since number 5 and we started to see meconium after the water broke. Meconium is a greeny colour that is basically a babies first bowel movement... but it's usually only seen in fetus distress. But Violet was certain she was done. No more pushing, thank you very much!

At this point we started to use more urgent techniques: mama would push when being examined, so she was examined ALOT. The baby did have some slight movement, just not mearly fast enough. So hear I am, mother of two children (both also, incidentally born via c-section) trying to act all slick and ...well....not shell shocked over my having witnessed gruesome natural birth, and *yack* mom's eating of *ick* placenta *ugh*. I figure what all silly inexperienced people do: regurgitate some barely applicatble tidbit mentioned to you by someone in passing years ago that you're pretty sure was backed up in an article somewhere we once read, I think....and give it to the people who do it every day. Yep: brilliantly I share, "when I was in labour (eight years ago ;/), they told me to go and walk around to speed things up! We should walk her around...?" About 30 seconds later one of the vets enters the room and suggests taking Violet for a walk to get things moving....hey! wasn't that MY idea?? You mean I'm NOT brilliant? Well there's a surprise...not.

So walk we did. An Violet just heeled besdie me and my Vet Tech backup like 'oh, walk time...cool, now that I'm done I wouldn't mind smelling every blade of grass I can find through the snow.' Yeh: no success there.

I was also told that maybe a car ride might get things back in gear (ok, I know: punny - but I haven't slept since Tuesday and it's Sunday so bear with me). The car ride, I thought, was a brilliant idea as there is a coffee shop 500meters from my vets office and at 3pm I hadn't eaten or had coffee yet. And for those who know me you know coffee is one of my food groups!! So there I am in the drive through contentedly ordering my coffee as Violet started nesting again as soon as we got in the car: great news!!! Nesting should mean no c-section after all in order to get that last baby out! And then I hear it "I'll have a medium black coffee with a" "URP!" "Holy Mackeral!!

"I'm sorry??" said the speaker box in response.... Yup - you got it: "Tim Horton" was born then and there: number six.

And that is the end of the story.

Nope.  

Add to that my cell phone dying and having to stop at a corner store to call my husband to find someone to meet the kids at the bus because number 6 was waiting on coffee.  

There. Now that is the BEGINNING of the story....

Love's Labour Lost - The End of a Saga

Ok, so it has been eerily quiet here on the blog, I know. It's not from lack of interest or falling behind - as it would normally be in my case (just kidding) - but for the need to type out bad news. No one likes bad news, especially the bringer of it, but nonetheless it needs to be done all the same.

My lovely Islay was admitted a week ago friday to the reproduction specialist with an open pyometria. Now if you are a breeder you just gasped. If you're not you're wondering what all the gasping is about. Pyometria is an infection of the uterus, a very serious and often life threatening condition which not only results in the loss of any pups concieved but the most often recommended treatment is to spay. - Now the rest of you can gasp along with us.

Luckily, if you can use that term in the case of pyometria, Islay's was open (meaning that the cervix was open allowing the infectious material to leave the body). Thankfully it was wide open; it allowed a great flow of infectious material and let us have a hope for treating her condition medically. We also caught it very early onset, which makes a massive difference in terms of survival - which thank God she did - and recovery of the uterus to go on to carry healthy pregnancies in the future.

Islay had been off her food for a week or so and, though unusual for her, I assumed it was morning sickness. All other signs of pregnancy were in place (enlarged nipples, tiredness, being extra cuddley, and a swelling belly) so the assumption seemed sound. It also seemed pretty normal as I was trying to switch her off of her beloved raw to a top of the line kibble as I lost a pup in my last litter to raw and vowed it would not ever happen again. Islay was not 100% on board with the idea as she had been on raw since about 5 months old when she came to us and LOVES it. Not to go off on a huge tangent here, but let it be said that if a love affair can happen with food - and if you have ever met chocolate, sour cream or potato chips in your life... or sirloin *drool* I think you know the validity of a food love affair - Islay had run off with raw in a mad passion and was not happy with mom's plan to settle her down with her realistic kibble suburban life. SO, all things considered I assumed upset tummy and mad at mom for yuck food covered the bases for me having to hand feed and finally break down and buy her off with one beautiful raw sirlion (hubby has still not forgiven me for that).

And so had she not been bred this heat I feel I would have caught it even earlier and feel like the better part of 'ass' of 'u' and'me' for assuming all was normal. If anyone on the planet should be suspect of things going 'normally' it should be the french bulldog breeder. Nothing is ever normal for these guys and when it is you really should stop and think through what is really going on!

So Friday last Islay woke up - with some prodding (also normal) as Bean needed to pee ("Uh oh, mum! PEE MUM! OUTSIDE MUM!!") first thing as all good 4 month pups do and I was determined to make Islay (aka just 5 more minutes of sleep, mum) join in the event. I noticed the discharge right away when I went into my daughter's room. The bed was wet and her back end was soaked in a slightly cloudy bright red liquid. Not good for a pregnant girl no matter the species. I took her out for her pee (and Bean's peeeeeeeeeeee) and then brought Islay inside for a bath and an exam.

Can I just interupt here to say that it is very frustrating to be and hour and a half before the vet's office opens (yes it's 24 hours but the answering service for the same time arrival is doubly frustrating) and have your eyes on google. I mean God bless google (or whatever search engine you use, of course) for .... well everything. Years ago when I worked in an office they dubbed me 'Google Eyes' as I cannot resist looking up the answer to something I do not know. I adore the internet and it's information. But man alive, when you have an hour on your hands (and an iphone) you can drive yourself bananas searching in a panic!!

Thankfully, there are other options as well, like the online forums for canine fertility. I knew that what was happening wasn't good, but there was no obvious sign of infection and no smell to the discharge (HUGE apologies to the non-breeders for mentioning that - *ICK*). I was given great advice on "how much should I be panicking?" and called my Repro Vet the minute they opened to let them know I was already on my way. Good Repro Vets can be worth their weight in gold, and though they are farther away even in emergencies - check that - ESPECIALLY in emergencies with my girls I would never do differently.

This trip definitely paid off (well the bill was pretty high, too, but don't get me started on 'why are french bulldog puppies SO expensve??!!??' we'll be here listening to me rant about my whopping '23 cents an hour' as my one friend puts it). I was given the option to try to treat my puppy loving, prize breeding bitch via spay or medical treatment and after realizing her chances were very good with medical (meaning we would know well in advance if the treatment was not working and could still opt to spay at that point without adding any danger to her life) I opted to treat medically.

Islay spent the next six days winning over the entire veterinary staff and twisting them around her little paw. When she came home the following Wednesday I was delayed at the office for an additional ten minutes while each staff member came out to give her a hug, wish her all the best, and comment on what a wonderful disposition she has.

I have to interject a little story from her stay: One of my update calls from the attending vet over the weekend included a comment that she was 'quite a little character'. Of course I knew that already, but like anyone I was curious as to what she'd done that was especially endearing. When asked the vet responded 'well, we have her out with us when she's not on her I.V. because she's so good, and she follows me everywhere I go!!! I move 2 feet and she moves two feet. She just seems to think that it's her job!'. I giggled and left a little pause before saying, 'Oh! That's it?? That's not Islay that's just a frenchie!!'. It's so funny when people have their first experience with our little guys. They truly are a wonderful breed!!

And so my great Islay is home, resting up and on her antibiotics for 6-8 weeks. AND eating her kibble..... with much regret on her part. The cause of the pyometria? Hard to say exactly, of course, but a pyometria is an invasion of bacteria introduced the uterus via the vaginal opening and my raw food loving dog is the only one of my troop that reaches all the way around to clean herself (yes, another wonderful trait of the frenchie is that not only can they not usually reach to clean themselves, they feel that as one of the human children they deserve to be clean like the others!). Let it just be said that a RAW food diet is not on my happy list this spring!

Islay will be bred on her next heat and every following until retired as prescribed - to lower her chances of a repeat encounter with pyo and the veterinary team in charge of her case has had a great amount of good results from medical treatment: 50% - 75% have carrying happy healthy pregnancies after recovery. With Islay being the olympian she is we have high hopes.

The moral to the story? 'Don't count your puppies before they hatch'? 'A watched pot never boils'? Nope. 'An ounce of prevention'. I do everything I can to ensure my troop is in the very best of shape.... so when illness or accident occurs (God forbid) it allows them much better chances of being in the right percentage for survival and recovery. The vet team agree that it very well may have saved her life. And well, 'watching them like a hawk' probably fits in there somewhere too.

And there ends the saga of the Islay baby belly this time around. We're sad, yes, but thankful she's doing well and back to her old self again. The best ending is room for a new chapter.

The Islay Belly Saga - "Lost Love"

So my little girl is sleepy, and sad. Her bff Scarlett went back to her other parents' house as they are back from vacation.

Now, Islay loves everyone, but she has a special attachment to Scarlett. Quite bluntly, I'm pretty sure that Islay sees Scarlett as the love of her life. And yet again we have had the phrase "too happy!!" ringing through the halls; born out of a long long time ago when my roommate (and still a bestie)had an african grey parrot that would repeat anything said too emphatically. 'No humping!' therefore was just not an option.... apart from the conjecture on how funny that just might have turned out. Well, the days of roommates are gone and have been replaced with the days of young children who, although equally funny in it's own way, do not need to learn that particular phrasing. And so I return to "too happy, Islay, too happy!". Poor, sweet, hormonally confused Islay. I love her dearly regardless. Scarlett, on the other hand, could take her or leave her. Ah, the trist of unrequited love.

And so the house is eerily quiet. As sometimes (almost freakishly) happens we have only Islay and one other pup here at the moment; and Mojave Cherry Bomb will sprout wings and fly to California within the week. And my poor Islay is lonely and missing her Scarlett pillow... At least for now she has Mojave to take out the sting. Mohave got the bath of a lifetime this morning as Islay's other new habit was to preen Scarlett over and over, as you might recall. Mojave, though, seemed to rather enjoy it - he is potentially a stud in the making.

Last night brought a new set of events into our lives, as frenchies so enigmatically seem to do. Islay, who eats raw, was given a yummy dinner of part of a beef roast, spinach, cucumber and romaine. Islay never turns away food; at least not to date. In fact in my experience even the pickiest of dogs won't refuse raw meat. So eating her meals hasn't been an issue and it's left me curious as to what will happen when and if she gets the morning sickness that hits most for a least a couple of days around this point. Well, suffice it to say I am no longer curious. After 45 minutes of repeated eating, gagging, vomiting and re-eating the froth, Islay's tummy finally decided that the plate would stay clean. I, on the other hand, was just about ready to join the festivities. Now, for those of you that have seen a dog vomit (which I don't highly recommend) leftovers, or kibble or grass... you know, the typical ick, and have been thoroughly disgusted: I will very strongly urge you to not feed large pieces of raw meat to a dog that may be sick at the stomach. I believe I may have psychological damage from the experience. All that said, breakfast went down swimmingly and I think I'll stick to ground meat for her for awhile.

I have noticed a bit of swelling of the 'ninnies' (a southern word for nipples that I recently learned from a breeder I mentor - another new bestie, a second pea in the pod, and the giver of great southern phrases) which is pretty typical of early pregnancy so I have high hopes. Linda, Islay's sister and litter-mate, recently had a gorgeous litter of 4 pups so I'm continually rubbing the belly and giving those babies a pep talk. My daughter (who has an uncanny ability to guess the correct number of pups in a litter) had a wonderful conversation with the Islay belly convincing her to have 7 puppies. I may buy her that ipad she wants if she gets the Islay belly to do it and they look like Linda's!! ;)

Well, off to rub that belly! More soon!


- another AMIaBULL 2 cents from owner Sheila Saar -

Islay x Wasabi - buns in the oven

Okay, so for you who have read this before I really mean it this time: I'm going to blog the step by step of this litter!

You can't imagine how excited we are for the litter coming from our Islay by Wasabi. Not only our first completely solid litter, but one that should have rare chocolate fawns in it!!! The extra added excitement is this: though most of our dogs are co-homed - a personal sacrifice we make to ensure that our dogs have the very best, including perfect, permanent pet homes, Islay is own of our very own family pets. Yep you got it: All ours!! So as wonderful as it is to share experiences with our other 'parents' its will be exhilarating to have this one all to ourselves.

A wee background on our Islay: Islay was born 'Polar Chocolate Ven Der Monarchia' and was given to us (and we are forever thankful) by Marci at Northen Bullies who imported both her and her sister(Linda, a gorgeous fawn pied girl). Marci knew what we knew: Islay would be a perfect match for our Fawn choco boy Wasabi who joined us last year. And so arrangements were made to add our first choco girl to the AMIaBULL program. And what a girl!! She was a knock out, of course, we knew that from the photos, but her personality was absolutely perfect for us here at our home. She was laid back and friendly, loving everyone, every dog, every child she met. Outgoing, personable, charismatic and very go with the flow she fast became a favourite and we knew she was never going anywhere but here with us.

My daughter, 4 at the time, was especially smitten. Islay slept on her bed, sat by her chair, you name it they did it together. I have great photos of the night her father sternly told her that if Islay was going to sleep on her bed she was to sleep at the end of the bed on her own bed, NOT under the covers like a stuffed toy! My daughter very obediently nodded and Islay (god love her) moved to her bed on the end like the good girl she is. Now, I'm not saying there was a plan involved with what happened next, if fact, knowing them both as well as I do I would guess it was only a sleepy, getting more comfortable thing.... but not ten minutes later when I went to check on our girls I found one with her gorgeous little head on the pillow and the other sleeping contentedly: head on the other's stomach. Yep you guessed it: puppy on the pillow, little girl using puppy as a pillow. When I showed my husband the photo I'd quickly snapped on my phone he just shook his head and smiled. It was then it became poignantly clear that we now had two little girls to reckon with in the house.

Islay has only two ..... well I guess 'negative traits'. The first is that she insists on letting my children treat her like a stuffed animal. The fact that my daughter can hug her around the neck lifting her off the ground and Islay has the expression: 'more please!' on her face will someday mean bad things for a new dog in the neighbourhood, I know it. The second is that she is a 'Houdini' - meaning that she can get out of almost any confinement you can think of if she wants to. She can climb fences, push barricades, jump baby gates and break plastic crates. She also mentors other dogs. Puppies have been taught to navigate out of pens, doors, and gates.... one mother was actually taught not only to open the handle of the puppy pen, but to close the door behind her so the puppies couldn't follow!! We are talking serious genius here. My neighbour one time called me over when I was out with the dogs to let me know that they had been eating breakfast that morning looking out over the lawn and enjoying the show: Islay and Kali had been opening the enclosure at the back of our deck, going out to run around the yard and letting themselves back in whenever they to heard me coming me check on them!! Thankfully my husband does extensive renovating for a living: a wooden fence was completed and a professional run installed shortly thereafter. Saar's won that war. We lost a good number of battles getting there, though I tell you!

Flash over to Wasabi: dear wonderful, lovable, energetic Wasabi. Wasabi was a boy I saw online from a breeder in South Dakota. I knew his daddy quite well - a very famous dark chocolate boy with a head that could sink a tanker: Annette Wood's "Wotan"! Kelly Johnson at Beggin' for Bullies was great to work with and we got him up here after a few weeks of drooling at his incredible photos. From the get go he was just a super joyful little man. More energy than I'm used to in frenchies, healthy as a hog, and a way of winning everyone over. One of my girlfriends recently commented when meeting Wasabi and Islay together that she like them both but if hard pressed she preferred Wasabi!! Now - don't get me wrong, Wasabi is..... well phenomenal... but every person who has ever met Islay in this world has wanted to keep her for their own. So when she's known Islay for months and meets Wasabi and says that you have to respect it!

As an AMIaBULL stud, or rather when he was younger a 'to-be' stud,co-homes are an automatic must. I tried for years to keep a male here because I've always been a sucker for boys, but it's just too hard on them. When girls are in heat in the house it's a hormone game that's just not fun to watch. Now add the factor of any litter not to be sired by that boy has ANOTHER intact male come into the house and THEY get all the fun!!! Nope. Not a good scenario. It's hard enough to deal with one stud that smells the intoxicating scent of a woman: they stop eating, start puking, peeing, pooping, whining "I want my momma" like the dogs on AFV. No - multiplying that by two isn't good for anyone. So like my other boys, Wasabi has his perfect permanent pet home where he's loved... and spoiled.... and shown off, and I take over for vacation times (when I can), visits, and yes the 'scent of the women' moments. Wasabi's co-home is perfect for him - full of love and laid back but strict with expectations, and complete understanding of his fervent love of the world. I couldn't ask for more. I know they love them every bit as much as I do.

So last week was Honeymoon week for the two of them and it was quite a sight to see. Two very amiable AMIaBULL's flirting and playing up a storm. They truly enjoy each other's company and it was so nice to watch them play. Breeding on the other hand is never an easy feat for frenchies and there always seems to be some strange new glitch involved.

Now, Wasabi, god love him, is many things: loving, beautiful, energetic, and an incredibly healthy little stud-muffin..... but in the end: not the brightest bulb in the pack. In terms of breeding and knowing his job he's a bit of an idiot savant. He learned very quickly that in AMIaBULL terms...well..... I'm the girlfriend. That is to say Frenchies are very often impregnated via artificial insemination. Which means the stud is 'collected' from and that sample is used to inseminate the female. We have a saying here at AMIaBULL: "What happens in the bathroom, stays in the bathroom". And with the exception of our mentoring program (yes, Cara at Blue's City, I'm talking about you being very professionally scarred by witnessing the process) we don't really share the details of that process. Needless to say I will not go into the play by play of HOW Wasabi came to the clear understanding that it was me he should run to when a certain level of excitement is achieved. :\

What I will share is that Islay was not impressed. In fact the poor girl became so frustrated with him running over to me every time she expected (and frankly I also expected) him to try to mount her that she would sweep him every time he tried to run away and mount HIM from behind. It really was as if she's just had it and figured she knew how it was supposed to be done. Poor girl.

Well, all the vaudeville routine aside: the deed was done(...yes... by me. lol). And now we are at one week in the very exciting process of Islay's first pregnancy.

Do I feel she's pregnant? Yes. Absolutely. And her best friend Scarlett (who is visiting for the week) can attest to Islay's very motherly instinct of bathing her every time she's within reach... a new and interesting mannerism born with her hormones. (Scarlett is a Shelby keeper to be bred later this summer, and is another of my favourites.) She and Islay love each other dearly, but Scarlett would choose people over dogs any day. Oh, she snuggles and plays with Islay and enjoys every minute, but the look that she has on her face when Islay preens her is like a girl stuck on a bad date!

I will keep my eyes peeled and my typing fingers ready - more on the unraveling of this exciting AMIaBULL time soon!

AMIaBULL Boleyn x Viking Litter 2012 at 4 days old

Boleyn's Xray : Baby News!

So our xray this week has shown us what looks like 4 bright big and beautiful babies! Our due date has been firmed up to the 17th or 18th of July (though only that belly knows the real day!)! I will be sure to send out an update with any new information as we go - but should have warm tidings of bouncing babies by Wednesday next week.

More soon...

Boleyn x Viking: Next week the fun begins!

So here it is: our first official update - Boleyn has her xray scheduled for Tuesday which will give us an approximate head count and maybe even let us know a more exact date for pups to be born! Our Bella Boleyn is starting to get uncomfotable these days and is kind of in the '8 month' phase we go through as women:... is it almost time yet?! She's been healthy and gaining nicely throughout her pregnancy and started to show a little early so for everyone who is waiting in the wings to see who we have, but didn't manage to get in on official reservations spots, we have hope yet for a couple of amazing pups like last years for some. For the moment, I'm sticking with my original projection of the 15th - 18th of July, but I'll reserve final guesstimate for after xrays when we can all have fun counting little heads and spines and see how solid they are (the more solid on the xray the closer to due date). A birthdate of July 15th would land us for a mid-September home time for those of you planning time off with pups... but if you can hold off another week or two to book those dates I can firm those up when the pups arrive. I'm getting very excited to see what combination of blue brindle pieds and blue fawn pieds we'll have this year and to start my sleep deprive Rorschach interpretations. ;) Everyone cross fingers and toes (so to speak) and join us in our little chant for this pregnancy: seven, seven, seven. (I'll settle for healthy healthy healthy, and just like last year - big, beautiful, robust and great natured!) More soon....

Why Blue and Chocolate?

What do you think: Are breed standards static or gradually changing? Should they be static or gradually changing?

I see the horrific battle between the "do's" and the "do nots" of 'rare' coloured bulldogs out there and have stayed on the sidelines for years. I do my own thing - do it well and with confidence, and by staying quiet I procure some ability to stay low and out of musket range. Have I been asked why? Yes. So, to take my chances of coming into the melee combat and getting bludgeoned: This is my reasoning:

I do it because we had the same bias in Danes for years. But good breeders with amazing ethics produced some serious quality in colours like blue and merle and the standards changed. The quality, health and conformation of those once DQ'd colour is indisputable - and there are many multiple champions now of both colours.

I believe that with the right ethics and determination the same can be done for French Bulldogs. Blue has forever been my favourite in any breed... or species for that matter. I try my very best to help further the breed by creating unbelievable quality in 'alternative colours'. Please note that there is a major cost involved with doing this. The investment of the level of quality in a dog of the highest caliber French Bulldog breeding dog in a 'regular colour' can be daunting. Then track down recessive genes. Not just 'rare' colours but say, maskless, or bright red. Each of those are more difficult to produce and the prices match the fact that you may try through four litters and get one specimen in each (if you're lucky) and THEN you need the rest of the package (in conformation, health soundness) in order for that dog to be considered worthy of breeding. It must be an absolutely remarkable specimen of a dog. This is not an easy feat.

Now look for MORE recessive traits for that remarkable specimen.... you get the picture.

Please note that not all of us charge 'designer prices' for alternative colours. Bad breeders that look for the almighty dollar are not a question of colour, but of ethics - unfortunately there is a magnetic draw to anything that unethical people can try to get ahead with. But keep in mind that there are those of us who ARE investing sizable amount of money.... more than I care to admit to even myself... to ensure that if this is done some of us will do it wisely. By NOT charging those high prices I can (and do) take big financial hits. Do I blame the ones that price twice the amount for their blues than I do? No. Not at all. We all have to try our best not to lose the battle while we lose our shirts. But a few of us do choose to take hits financially to work toward killing the 'designer pet price' that tattoos the rare coloured world with such a nasty face: Greed. Am I taking the wiser course by pricing lower - I'll let you know if I make it through. ;))

The truth is that there are many out there that are led by greed. They cut the corners and lie about what wonderful genes their dogs 'carry'. But don't believe that every dog out there with a $5000 price tag is being sold by a hack. It is absolutely viable that the breeder has spent that amount (or will) in the generations, testing, and additions to breeding stock that got that litter here. Is it possible to tell the difference? ..... I'm still finding that out myself. It's a tough world out there and we all have hungry mouths to feed. I have seen too many that have done unbelievable things to get by. By the grace of God may we all learn to stand more firm. Truth be told even breeders, who have so much more experience than the 'average Joe', try so hard to sort them out and still get taken advantage of, shocked, and dismayed along the way. Money and the magnetism thereof is another topic for another philosophic heart. One that is stronger than mine. I'm the kind that feels the burn of the iron to learn my lessons (as do many others) and do not necessarily judge the intentions of others that well. My being 'Honest and trusting' can mean: 'broken-hearted and taken advantage of', yes, but it also makes me VERY proud that I have nothing to hide. And I have great respect for those few that I continue to have great dealings with. It's not easy to do the right thing. But someone has to, and so we try. Oh, I'm not claiming perfection, here, let it be known that my pedestal is as broken and stained as the next guy's. We all make mistakes in life, but I'm also not talking about a group of people that are making typos in ads or (somehow?)do not know the parentage of their dogs. We know that there are liars and cheats out there. What I am saying is that I am not one.... let me prove it to you. :)

...To add a thought on 'rare' genes. There is a school of thought that the rare colours do not have a large enough pool from which to draw. It important to remember that these are merely 'double recessive' and dogs who are genetically capable of producing blue and chocolate are actually pretty common, they just don't happen to have both sets of the recessive gene so they do not actually HAVE that coat colour. Although on another gene strain, cream works much the same way; maskless as well. There is no issue finding good genetics now when we can so easily look worldwide at pedigrees and communicate across the world via computer in seconds. To add to that, the pool can be filled to the brim with new carriers as soon as any double recessive dog bears a new blood line's puppies. More expense? Yes. Worth it? I think so, yes.

I think we need to stop and honestly evaluate how the dogs in those faded black and white photos and the hand drawn likenesses from a century ago would fare in the show ring today! :s In my mind the standards are living and breathing and if we refuse to work toward bettering the breed in a living breathing sense we will not have wonderful healthy purebred dogs of ANY breed. It is certainly not unethical to breed healthy, well-bred, well-formed and purebred dogs on a very limited basis - of any colour. Bad ethics are out there in any circle: dog breeding is only one in several million ways to express what your ethics and morality are.... or are not.

To steal a famous quote: "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" in dogs as in any other thing. But good health is not.... The good structure of a dog, his good character, his longevity, and the great experiences of those who love them: that is the centre of it all. If I love a colour and can find a way to breed it ethically, lovingly, and with thought for the breed, it's character, it's long-term health, and it's loved filled life, then I believe that musket has some better targets.

... another rambling thought from: Sheila @ AMIaBULL

Unauthorized use of AMIaBULL name

Please note that after repeated requests for the content containing our company name to be removed from CKC Rare Color Frenchies (aka Juggernaut Rare French Bulldogs, aka Henessey's Rare Frenchies) website they have continued to refuse. Please disregard comments you may read as those documented with the AMIaBULL name on that site as they are misleading and do not accurately reflect the relationship between AMIaBULL and CKC Rare Color Frenchies. I apologise for the public nature of the statement, but realize that we do not all have the time to call each reference that is posted on a website. Please note that AMIaBULL is in no way affiliated with any other kennel and does not recommend, refer, or guarantee the legitmacy of any breeder or dogs other than the ones AMIaBULL themselves produce.

Sierra x Viking @ 6 weeks

Anyone else out there have a hard time believing the pups are 6 weeks old already!? I find myself caught between feeling they've always been here and thinking they were just born last week!

These little guys are growing by leaps and bounds and I've discovered that this litter as a whole seems uniquely unfazed by almost anything. Each of them seems equally able to play on their own happily without their siblings. Each morning when I remove them from the sleeping area to clean it and to make sure everyone is happy, clean and healthy from head to toe I alternate who is first to the play zone. I haven't had one of them complain about being their alone while waiting on the rest yet. Now, to be sure, all frenchies are laid back, but let me assure you it is very normal to have certain ones in each litter who hate to be separated at this stage. And they are usually VERY vocal about it. ;) I have heard the occasional opera when they are confined to 'the bin' (a topless tote that I use to hold them when I carry them up the stairs or do a quick clean of the play or sleep zones) but yet to hear anything other than happy playtime when on their own in the play zone! These are very confident and happy puppies!! :))

Everyone is eating well and using the papers regularily... some mistakes happen when they have time in other parts of the house... but on the whole they are doing very well with their training. My son, Garrett, had all the puppies sitting in a row to say hello last night when he arrived home from school, and of course the camera was no where in sight to capture the moment!! The kids are enjoying playtime with the pups early in the evening and snuggles at bedtime. All puppies are great to come when called (Phoenix has decided that she no longer responds to that name but much prefers her permanent name of 'Lola'!) and enjoy our fun recall games back and forth. Unfortunately for me "stay" is never really mastered this young... as you can see from the photos attached the shoot yesterday afternoon was with one monkey after another (except for one or two sleepy monkeys who were worn out before their turn!)!

The babies are absolutely adorable at this stage.... they look like little dogs come into their own. It always seems unreal that such small creatures can move and play just like the dogs in the dog park! These are the times that I truly treasure and they make up for all the trials and tribulations involved in breeding dogs.

More soon...

Sierra x Viking @ 4 weeks

Four weeks have come and gone since watching our dear little Sierra roll that big belly into the vet's office and come out with 5 beautiful babies!! It's been a whirlwind of a week with everyone finding footing and learning to run and wrestle, and with the bunch fighting off a cold as they wean and leave Mom's immunity behind leaving me sleepless and with a few more greys, but filled to the brim with puppy cuddles. I mentioned last week that I would have a bit of an idea of personalities at this stage, and though they are still budding, it never ceases to amaze me how the milk slurping, warmth seeking, sleep drawn little hamster-like creature turn into full fledged little dogs in the span of a week and a half!! This is by far my most favourite time.

Our sniffley snorters have been vet assessed and diagnosed with the puppy version of a common cold. They were put on clavamox (antibiotic) to stave off anything that might take advantage of their lowered immune (one or two had some green boogers that have since passed) and rest assured that all will be right as rain in no time and (though I watch like a hawk through the night regardless) it's a pretty common occurence with weaning pups.

McKinley is one of the two smallest pups, but just like his Mom now one dares tell him so. He's an action packed little man that seems to love being in the middle of everything. Very agile and one of the first to walk and run this guy is usually on the top of the pile up and then leaving the others in his dust. He's also a sweet little man and loves to cuddle almost as much to chase... well whatever that was that just rolled by. Very curious and outgoing he loves people and will sit on a lap and absorb as much attention as you are willing to give.

Everest, our other boy, is the polar opposite in the weight and energy department. A heavier set and laid back boy he seems to let everything roll off his back like water off a duck and smile the whole time. He reminds me very much of Hemi from our last litter and I will not be surprised in the least if he becomes my husband's favourite - lying back and watching football with the boys and enjoying the spurts of energy that come with it. You can do whatever you like to Everest - he seems to enjoy having his toenails cut as much as tugging a rope or lying on his back for a good belly rub in front of the TV.

Phoenix is our tiny beauty of the litter. She is graceful and stoic, a fairytale princess that is not afraid to fall on her face in the pileup with the boys. Calm and consistent but always ready to get in there to play she is a very sweet little Diva who wraps everyone around her finger instantly. She's not a complainer and will allow the necessities of life from cleaning to nail clipping... even lying on her back when rolled over without a peep, but with the same look her father gives me: "You know I'm too pretty for this, right?"

Mauna Kea is the outgoing friendly girl of the bunch. She's just plain amiable (bull?)! Adorable and sweet, but ready to play at a moments notice, she seems to be ready for anything that is your speed and take it all in without blinking. She's a go with the flow girl that seems content as long as she's part of the party or with you at your side. Not afraid of the food bowl, Mauna (soon to be Zoe) is usually first to the food bowl and walks away with the most gorgeous rounded belly!!

And finally Mariana - our available girl, who quite frankly has only been posted for a week and I'm not sure I won't retract it and keep her despite the fact that I really should wait until next season to keep back from Sierra. This girl is the litter's sweetheart; she's definitely inherited her mothers soft cuddley side. Just lovely through and through, she snuggles in like a teddy bear and comes running to anyone offering her love and affection. She has one of those young innocent personalities that only those dogs get to keep - the understanding that everyone is wonderful and loving in her world, and embracing it wholeheartedly.

Now that you have all come to understand the unreasonable time I spend doting over your puppies ... :))
Yes, it's true, my sleepless life has some definite perks, and despite the bags under eyes and the loss of most memory at this point I still walk around mosrt of my day with a big smile on my face.

More soon...

Supreme x Tarvaris pups coming in February!!

Supreme & Tarvaris: Supreme is in heat!! Brindle and Brindle Pied champion quality pups will be bred next week and arriving for February 2012. Please contact regarding reservations; Show and pet homes considered.

CKC Rare French Bulldogs - using AMIaBULL incorrectly as a testimonial in their website

It has come to or attention that CKC Rare Frenchies (aka Juggernaut Reg'd French Bulldogs, aka Hennessey's Rare French Bulldogs, aka CKC Rare Color Frenchies)is using a statement on their website intimating that AMIaBULL endorses their kennel. Despite written request for it to be removed the postings remain. Please note that AMIaBULL is in no way affiliated with any other kennel and does not recommend, refer, or guarantee the legitmacy of any breeder or dogs other than the ones AMIaBULL themselves produce.

Sierra x Viking @ 1 Week

The puppies are one week old today! Seems I'm spoiled to death again with this litter, as Sierra is a great Mommy - just like her mother, Shelby... though she has a crazy habit of barking at the pups if one bothers her incision site - silly as they can't hear her and all it does is send me sprinting into the room to tell her 'no'. Maybe it makes her feel better to vent.... she did spend a great deal of time with me when she was a pup! ;) Then again she could just be playing me and this is all another mischievious plot....... hmmmnnn...

The puppies are growing like mad and plumping up nicely. They love their milk, and Sierra adores feeding them, so they are all nearly double their birthweight already!

I can't say enough of how proud I am of this litter! This whole season with Viking at the helm has been fantastic; He's very consistent in siring beautiful puppies when the momma is a pretty girl! This litter in particular is wonderful because of it's diversity as well as it's beauty. The two boys are very different from one another. Everest is just as his name would lead you to think: a stocky, manly little thing with a thick neck and chest already! This boy has a huge head and looks the most like daddy in form. McKinley is all about flash and beautiful colour. He'll still be a manly pup, but is not as burly as his brother, instead his amazing bright red is what draws you to him; well, that and a beautiful face!!

The girls are also very different from one another. The tiny beauty of the litter, Phoenix, with her perfect head and lovely short form is to die for! Mauna Kea iss the spitting image of her half brother Cruiser and looks exactly like daddy in red; 'nough said as Viking is darn near perfect!! Mariana is bigger than our other blue girl Phoenix, but beautifully balanced in her frame. This little girl has the magnetism of her father; the certain 'je ne sais quoi' that makes you love them immediately. She will have me wrapped around her finger (and everyone else)very shortly, I'm sure!

I've attached today's photos
More soon....

Shelby x Viking @ 4 weeks

So our little red fire crackers were 4 weeks old yesterday and the transformation from belly crawling to full out running has taken place!! Each of these little guys has changed so much in the past week! There are come great little personalities shining through, and I'm so very happy with these little guys! Shelby's babies started on mush in the middle of the week this week - each litt

er is a little different on the start date for this; these guys were wimpering everytime they watched Momma eat so we let the mushy games begin! All are very good eaters and seem to think that a good milk chaser is the best finale to a chunky meal... Shelby agrees half-heartedly as they all have very sharp little dagger teeth in already!



This little is very agile, and has already been upgraded to our larger whelping area, as they were playing Houdini and escaping too frequently from the smaller one for my taste. Viper especially seems the little acrobat! He is also the most forward of the crew and has a little voice he likes to share (he 'defends' the rest of the party with a great little bark when the bedding is changed). He's also very confident and will sleep at least 75% of the time sprawled out on his back - preferrably on someone's lap. Viper is higher energy and loves to play, but defers to his sister for for steering the games and (surprisingly) likes to play from his back! Viper is a little go getter and is much loved by my five year old son.



Mercedes (our keeper girl for the program will be going to live in a co-home here in Southern Ontario) is loving and cuddley and loves to be right in the middle of the fray telling everyone what to do, just like her Momma. She's laid back and rolls with it all, but always seems to be right in the middle of the play zone making sure all of her brothers play the game by her rules! She has a sweet confident disposition thusfar, and it one of those little girls that just steals your heart and wraps it around your finger. She and Cruiser are the most careful of the puppies (of course at this stage that's mostly with regard to chewing!) around the children, and Mercedes (aka Scarlett) has definitely quickly become my three year old daughter's favourite.



Cruiser is the sensitive sort. He's very much the lover of the crowd and will snuggle any chance he gets - even if it's by wrapping around my wrist to sleep while I am leaning to take pictures or clean up! He is very good to be in the middle of the play zone and sleep with (preferrably under) the whole litter, but I will see him being the smart guy on his own sleeping over the heating pad content in his 'me' time. Cruiser is usually the first to meet me when I first come up to their area - or will sit patiently watching the action nearby (their whelping area is connected to our Family room, so the puppies are a part of all the action). Never complaining, but always happy to be close; I have to say the combination of his looks (just like daddy but not dilute) and disposition has made him my running favourite (not that we do that as breeders, of course) ;)



And then we have Hemi. Hemi is the most laid back, rolly poley, lovely little man! He's very compact, so although he looks larger than the other pups, he's not really - he just has a very sturdy, stocky little structure to him. All of these pups will be stocky; Hemi will be Mojo in a bottle.! Hemi takes it allllll in stride. He loves everyone, everything, anytime - but not in the high energy take it on way of his brother, Viper. Not Hemi.... he's the surfer of the crew. He loves to come with you and be a lap dog, and rests very comfortably on my Husband's lap every evening and all football. He's definitely the 'man magnet of this litter - the one that every man adores as soon as he walks in the room. His colour is not as flashy as the rest - in fact Shelby's co-owner (and great friend of mine) visited last night and called him the blonde of the batch; not because of a lack of red - as far as fawns go he's what most refer to as red - but rather that he's the only one of the puppies that is not the fire engine red of his mother. His beautiful head and broad shoulders won her over right away, and so he's 'gramma's' favourite as well.



And so you can see that I'm head over heels in love with these pups - and as usual spending way more time enjoying them than doing housework! :)) Luckily for us all, though it also means I've been snapping photos like a mad-woman and have attached a few for everyone to pour over! Enjoy!



More soon.....

Buyer Beware - a repost worth reflection...

Finding a good breeder is a difficult and often daunting task,yes, but my motto is that you probably will not have to do it again for years - so stick to your guns and don't let up until you find a great one!
When looking for a breeder PLEASE ask around, call references, check with their vet to see what testing they do (cutting corners on testing and medical care is an obvious red flag!) Talk for 2 hours and see if they start to sigh on the phone because they are bored of questions. Ask about their dogs and if you can get them to stop gushing in 10 minutes or less hang up. Find out what they are breeding toward, and away from; no dog is perfect, can they tell you the faults in theirs? Great breeders are excessively picky, so they should find fault in the most perfect dog and tell you how they hope to improve them in the next generation.
Ask for several references and call them; all of them. Find out how old the pups are, what their challenges have been, and very importantly if they can still rely on their breeder for good advice quickly and reliably. If everyone you talk to raves about them it's a very good sign.

It's a very sad thing, but there are alot of bad apples in the barrel - you know it because you've heard some stories yourself, but it can be difficult to weed through the pile when someone is being cunning and nice to sell the next pup. Always remember that all (well, most ;) ) puppies are cute, but you want to love the one you pick for a long long time - so as always caveat emptor! Believe it or not breeders get bitten, too, in fact every great breeder I know can share at least one horror story - so don't feel you are showing weakness by being super cautious. My recommendation? Assume the worst and make them prove you otherwise - this is about adding to your family; you can play nice in the dog park.

A final note on the matter: If you have had a bad experience - shout it out!! Reputation goes miles, and a bunch of bad reviews of awful experiences speaks volumes! As a consumer in this crazy world you are a king (or a queen), and your opinion can make a massive difference. Breeders can be trapped by etiquette and slamming another breeder, frankly, does very little good; it makes us look petty, competative and carries little weight. But as the new family you have the true power. Rave about the breeders you love, and please, and broadcast the ones that gave you the willies, or worse, the short end of the stick!! And last but not least - ask who we as breeders have had good experiences with - we buy dogs too, probably more often than you do! I know I have a couple of people I've dealt with that I highly recommend! Ask who we love to work with; If my experience has been fantastic, yours probably will be, too!

Be opinionated and hard to win over, your family and it's new furry baby will thank you for it!!

Shelby x Viking @ 3 Weeks

How are these little guys 3 weeks already?! Shelby is still such a great Mom that I think I lose track! LOL!

So the little red babies are flourishing! Just in le last few days I went in to see what the comotion was, as the pups were noisy and that almost never happens. Well, doesn't it turn out that Shelby has gone back for seconds on her dinner just outside the whelping box and all four pups are seated up staring at

her crying for Mum. And me without my camera! - The evolution from crawling little hamsters to bouncing puppy has begun!!

All four pups are pretty laid back so far, though, despite being the most laid back of the crew (he let's me turn him all around and upside down - even when cutting toenails and holding him by the feet - without bothering about it, like, ever!) Viper will give me the petit growl and bark routine if I leave him on his own too long trying to get photos or such. He knows he wants his mom, and he's not afraid to tell me like a big boy does! Hemi, on the other hand scared himself yesterday by making the same noise and actually cried out in response to his own bark. LOL!! So funny to see them hear and see new things for the first time!

Mercedes is also a very chill little girl, and so far the quietest of the crew, though always in the middle of the fray. Cruiser is a big snuggler. He's content to roll belly up on a warm lap, but isn't quite so sure about holding still and taking the nail cutting like a stud..... well, let's face it, it is just like a stud - the most stoic one is usually a Dam, not a Stud. To this day the loudest yelp from a microchipping came from Viking - yep, the Big Stoic Putz; therefore I'm sticking to my original deduction that the mini-Viking look alikes are also usually just like Dad in personality as well. :)

I'm feeling the typical buds for teeth to start to come through in the next few days, so we'll see how stoic this Dam is! I'm forcasting mush by Friday. ;)

I've attached the newest of the pics (this morning) and was busy cursing (figuratively, don't worry) at my camera for it's inability to grasp and translate the beautiful red coatson these little guys.... oh, well - maybe one day I'll upgrade..... again. :(

To sum up in the words of a truly great man and close friend who is recovering from a tragic car accident this week (and so is constantly in my thoughts):
All the best anchovies and hot peppers!

Shelby x Viking - Super Red

I made a promise to follow this litter better than the last - and since my lovely Shelby-Lou is Momma extraordinaire and I'm actually getting a little sleep this time around (sorry, Boleyn, that wasn't intended as a jab) ;)... I might actually be able to follow through.

So this is Shelby's last litter. I'm a little sad over it, as much for her as for me, as she adores being a mum and I love her pups almost as much as I love having her here with me. Shelby is a co-own and is regularily spoiled rotten at her second home. They are a great family (Tina and I go way back) and I couldn't ask better for any dog. Shelby fits in there like peas and carrots and, to be frank, if it wasn't such a great placement I'd never have parted with her.

Shelby lived here with me for quite a while before being placed and she's just my kind of girl. The kind that's sweet as the day is long but will tell our Doberman to go where the sun don't shine if he so much as hints that he's bigger than her. And both are quite content with the realization that she is without a doubt the bigger dog. :)She gets along quite happily with anyone, anytime and speaks her mindjust the right amount for my taste. More loving than headstrong; but headstrong is like salt - can't do without just the right amount.

I like a girl with hutsba - but who knows that I'm in charge here, without doubt (-unless my husband is reading this in which case, she knows it's you, dear). ;) I love her mischievious side that compells her to steal all the toys in the house and hide them in her bed, and charge the dobie once per day with a big grin while he pretends she's scared him away... usually just before they both fall asleep snuggling. The point being: she's unique, just like every frenchie I've known, and I love her to bits for all her lovely quirks.

This litter by Viking is one of my most exciting. It's very rare to see reds as bright as Shelby, and certainly nearly impossible to find them as strikingly bright as Shasta, her mom (incidentally both are Driscol Blue Gene's dogs, who is also a Sheila - yes it is confusing when we chat :), and aho makes some of the most amazing reds I've ever seen!), so with Viking's red jumping through his blue I knew It was going to be an awesome pairing. I am not at all disappointed. 4 pups were born via c-section in the wee hours of the morning on Monday September 26th (incidently her schedule c-section was for first thing in the morning):S. Her surgery went well and true to form she woke up and was breastfeeding less than 10 minutes earlier. She has to be my only girl who in the stuper of waking up from surgery perks up to pups' cries and manages to communicate that she wants them with her immediately. She then flatly refuses to leave them for 24 hrs. Even I was not that hard-core. So day one with Shelby includes me picking Shelby up and carrying her outside to pee and then standing her in front of the ice water and broth bowls respectively that have been sitting beside her untouched for the last four hours since I repeated the cycle. One thing is certain: Shelby will be back to visit other's litters. I really feel that with her it's like retiring a herding dog from the field.... take it away completely and they'll never be the same dog. Working Border Collies need cows, Shelby-Lou needs puppies. I will make sure she has them, though, unfortuately, they won't be hers.

The other toughie on this litter is that they are some of her best yet... or from what I can tell at 4 days old. lol. She's really a perfect match for Viking - mr. macho muscle. These little pups are very short bodied. I'm very tough on evaluating my breeding dogs. I find faults. No dog is perfect, as close as they may come. In my mind Shelby's is that she's just a little bit long bodied. Viking is nice and short, and thankfully so are the pups!

They are also 'Shasta red' so far. I say, "so far" as all pups change colour bit by bit as they age, but I personally think the reds do especially. From what I can tell, though, three of the four are 'Shasta' red brindle. Basically it's the brindle we see now and again with the bright red striping, but reversed. I can't tell you how much I love that colour. Each to their own, I know, but that's got to be one of the most striking colours in the frenchie world to me: reverse red brindle. Yum. So what I'm saying is that I'm in heaven.... 'cause that fourth pup is coloured just like Momma. As much as I adore that reverse red brindle, I have to say that I would have been very disappointed to not get a little Shelby out of the deal. Even if he is a boy. :)

True to form, of course, is the min-viking of the litter: Cruiser. Those who follow AMIaBULL know that from his start last year Viking made sure to include a mini-me in just about every litter he's sired. We joke that it's because he's such an amazing dog that (and that he's told so often!) that he feels he needs to carry it forward. And I'm thankful every time. I spent 3.5 years hunting for a dog like Viking, searching pedigrees and bloodlines, looking at parents for conformation and coat colour and pattern combinations... and he fits every single tiny expectation. He's just darn near perfect. I wanted to be sure without a doubt that if I was going Blue I was going to blow the 'they aren't healthy' and 'they don't fit conformation' myths out of the water. Let me be clear. I'm not political and do not care one whip about the controversy over blue in the ring.... or rather not in the ring (and why). All I know is that I've adored the colour in every animal and breed I've ever seen and was so taken with frenchies that the combination seemed... well... downright perfect. I will not show my blue dog that could kick butt in the ring if I painted him black with stripes. But my uber healthy, totally handsome, one in a million (health, temperment and conformational, *though not by colour*)dog has and will continue to sire dogs that will. Final words right there on the subject.

The point is I wanted perfect and I darn near got it - thanks to Agnes at Bastille Ore (and, yes, that is a shout out!) and the breeders before her in the pedigree tree.

Long and the short (and apparently the long again as I see the above) :), is that I'm absolutely head over heels in love with these pups...again...and I'm enjoying every minute of it shared with Momma Shelby.

I'll close by adding a photo of Driscol's Shasta - to put those who've never seen it out of the misery of curiousity. :)

Photo Op Bust

SO there I was this morning, camera and flash charged, backdrop hung, puppies pristine... and .... crud. Yep you heard me: crud. I think I got 3 good photos out of the lot. There's just no accounting for puppies and there moods. Now don't get me wrong - I have some experience with the preparation of this type of thing. Feed puppies, warm puppies, tidy and rub before looking for action (I WAS trying to get some pics of their new found legs and walking about)...yeah, not gonna work. Everyone wanted to go away from the camera, hide their face in the comfy blanket, our just plain get the heck out. Sooooo... I snuggled instead. The great news with my pups is that I spend so much time with them they think of me as another mom. They spend a good deal of time as a group on top of me, in my lap, wherever they can fit, really.

So, as all good breeders do when thy hit challenges, I rolled with it. I must have gotten some of the best dang pics I've taken of this litter just by letting them snuggle in my lap instead of the fantastic set I'd created. So what if the backdrop is my ugly green velour track pants, my unpedicured feet and my comfy sweater that I wouldn't be caught dead in public wearing... Guaranteed none of you will notice anything but cute cute puppies. :)

Never enough time to catch up - We'll just start from here!: Boleyn x Viking 3 weeks old

So here I am 3 weeks into puppies and I had promised myself I would blog the whole thing this time.... oops. :)
I've tried a couple of times to go back and describe this litter (Boleyn x Viking) from the start and it's just too much for my little sleep deprived brain to handle.... so I will skip ahead and start from now hoping you will all forgive that somehow I got to 3 week old pups instantaniously. ;)

These 3 pups are big, healthy and beautiful. Some of the best I've produced, I think. They are just at the point where they start to do more than eat sleep and void - and eyes have been open for a few days.

Yesterday was the first day that one of the pups tried to play (while tottering) with his mom. Mulberry, of course, who seems to be the first of everything in this litter except out of the the womb (Lychee was already raring to go in the birth canal when Jim (my Surgeon) went in to get them. It was (as expected) completely adorable and I fell in love with puppies all over again. Boleyn, who we've dubbed as a 'teenage mom' - even though she's 2 years old and very much old enough to be bred - was not quite sure what the heck he was doing, or what to do with him.... kinda her standard with the pups, really. lol

Boleyn is one of the sweetest dogs you'll ever meet. She loves everyone immediately and throws her young hearted lust for life into everything she does. She'll land on your lap faster than sitting for you if you have a cookie; that type. I love her to bits. When she started cleaning Shelby and the kids as soon as the pups took I thought for sure we had another Naveed on our hands - a true Maman that would steal everyone elses pups and pretend they were also her's... from her first litter forward. Not so much with Boleyn. She came home from the c-section and was more than a little wary of the little gerbil squeaky things I seems to want her to like. I was anxious as she initially seemed to think they were squeaky toys... nonetheless we do everything puppy together and she is never without me in the company of puppies. I need all the years at the end of my life I can get. I don't plan to lose any more to worry; I've seen what rejecting moms can do. I kept expecting the 'mom' to kick in.... not so much really. This was different, though, than the Dam who just doesn't enjoy being a mother - Boleyn LOVES her puppies, she's just unsure what to do with them. She refuses to clean them... and gives me the, "you expect me to WHAT?!" look every time I hint at what needs to be done!! You get the picture; this one is very much OUR litter - we are both the Mom (hence the teenage mom crack earlier). The pups adore her and climb all over her, and though she doesn't seem to know why, Boleyn seems to enjoy it.

I'm very excited for the next week; the time when puppies start to interact and play. Though early stages of motherhood seem to elude Boleyn playtime is her specialty... If I were a betting woman I would put good money down on this Momma really enjoying the next few weeks.