Meeting people on line and talking on the phone to place puppies can be a risky business.  Selecting just the right people to own your beloved puppies requires a level of trust that they are what they are telling you.  Some of our puppy buyers this time were able to come and visit us in person either before or during the time the puppies were growing up with us.  A few were people I met through the Otterhound club and one even corresponded with me for over 3 years as we waited for another breeding to take place.  When people began to arrive here in Door County, I felt I was greeting old friends and was so excited for the puppies to begin their new lives.  Puppies were ready for their new relationships to begin--moving away from us as breeders and away from their littermates--ready to become companion animals, each with a very special family.  I look forward to continuing relationships with these families and watching from a distance as these puppies grow up.  I couldn't be happier that these 12 families contacted me about bringing home an Otterhound puppy.

One of my puppy buyers contacted me recently to ask if there were any books I could recommend about caring for a puppy.  One of my favorites is The Art of Raising a Puppy by the Monks of New Skete.  The authors raise German Shepherd dogs which are very different from Otterhounds but the basis puppy care and training and confidence building are the same.  Though Bruce and I don't have a whole monastery of people to interact and help bring up the puppies we try hard to follow the same premise of caring and interacting with the puppies.  Near the back of the book is Puppy aptitude test developed by Joachim and Wendy Volhard.  I had the pleasure of having one of my previous litters tested by members of the Badger Kennel Club using these items and a few more at the age of 7 weeks which is considered the prime time to give this test.  What this test does is give an indication of the temperament of each puppy.  This is not given by a familiar person but one that is unknown to the puppy in an environment the puppy has not been in before.  Next Friday our puppies will be seven weeks old and on Saturday I have a friend that will administer this test for the Twelve!  I'm looking forward to the insights this test may give as we consider the placements for the puppies with their new owners.  If you are interested in seeing what the test entails, http://www.volhard.com/uploads/choosing-your-puppy-pdf.pdf you can read for yourself the items included as well as how the test is interpreted.  This is also why I try to find out as much as I can about each family getting a puppy as well as knowing of other animals in the household. 

The weather has been cold and windy here in Door County this week.  Though in summer we would have the puppies outside for the good part of each day, in winter we have to watch for a warmer day.  It has not been appropriate this week.  Temps have hovered near zero and even those nice warm coats on our adult dogs have not seemed warm enough for long periods of time in that temperature.  Thus I have been looking for other opportunities for the puppies to have some different experiences.  Pictured above, Stonewall had the opportunity to mingle with Allie one afternoon this week.  After unsuccessfully trying to nurse her, he began following her around the dog room to see what she was up to.  He even followed her into her crate.

Like children, each puppy has a unique personality affected by the experience he has as well as the heredity he gains from his parents.  It is amazing to me that 12 puppies all with the same parents born at about the same time can be such individuals.  One way this is shown is their approach to eating.  Some puppies are ravenous and try to consume as much as possible in the shortest time available.  Others seem to savor and enjoy their food taking their time.  As a breeder, it is my responsibility to see to it that each puppy has an opportunity to eat all their food at whatever pace best suits their nature.  Looking at the photo above, you can see each puppy has an equal amount of food in the beginning which each one is enjoying very much.  We have served them 2 meals so far in this manner and so far there has been no food left behind by any individual.  Guess this means we need to offer more food tomorrow!

After spending 3 weeks in Madison including before Wicket's puppies were born and then by the time they were 12 days old, it was time to go back to our home in Door County reuniting with Maddie and Allie.  It felt fabulous to be home.  And we had adventures on the way!  Here are 3 puppies climbing out of the heated box Bruce had in his car on the way to Lomira to visit Dr. Greer.  Yes, he was careful with the electrical cord so all puppies were safe!  We had not experienced them climbing out of this styrofoam cooler until we were on the road, of course.
When we got to Dr. Greer's, she removed Wickie's stitches from her C-section and then drew blood from all the puppies for our breed's Glanzman's test.  Since Wicket is a carrier for this bleeding disorder, we need to know which puppies will be carriers and which will be clear.  None of them will be affected since we carefully bred Wicket to a clear.  Now we are hoping for most of them to have their father's blood!
We told Dr. Greer that feeding 12 puppies has been challenging for Wicket since there are so many so she made a suggestion that we try adding puppy mousse to their diet.

Judging by the clean plate club we had here, the puppies seemed to like their mousse!  Needless to say Wickie loves to clean up after them now that we have made this a part of their daily diet.

This post is quite long so stop now if you bore easily.

I have been in stressful corporate roles for 35 years but I have never experienced
stress and emotion like that of the 18 hours from 8 pm on Dec 13 to around 2 pm
on Dec 14. Our Otterhound, Wicket was due to deliver 12 puppies on Dec 13.  The
stress really began before that when we were required to choose between whelping the pups or delivering via C-section.  We chose the former as it is better for the pups (no anesthesia) and ultimately for the mom (how would you like to
awaken to twelve squirmy creatures pawing at your nipples?)

Wicket's water broke at about 8 pm and the first pup, a boy, was delivered at 10:30.  The second, a girl, arrived just before midnight. Then three more boys arriving roughly hourly through 2:30. Then the "fun" started.  We were advised by our vet care folks that more than two hrs between pups could indicate trouble for the remaining pups.  After waiting a nail biting 2 hours and 20 minutes, Pup 6
was born.  A very small 6 oz boy who we struggled to get breathing, but he made
it.  Then two more boys about 30 minutes apart. Then we waited another
excruciating 2 and a half hours before Pup 9 arrived.  His tongue and feet were
blue, but our friend and "midwife," Betsy Conway would not accept anything but
life for the puppy, and Boy #9 also survived.
After the 9 am delivery, all labor stopped. We were advised to get to to the vet hospital as quickly as possible. We use Veterinary Village in Lomira, Wisconsin, Dr Marty Greer (a plug for some terrific folks). They were waiting for us when we arrived around 11:30. Ultrasound revealed 3 pups alive, but 2 of 3 with faint heartbeats. Wicket was in surgery by 12:15. Three more pups, all girls! were delivered within minutes. Two of three were revived quickly. The third appeared limp and unresponsive so we were prepared for the worst. The vet tech worked feverishly to resuscitate the pup, alternating between rubbing vigorously, clearing the air way, and administering a drug designed to stimulate the pup. It went on for at least ten minutes (seemed like an hour), but first her mouth moved, then a little squeak, then the miracle of life. All 12 were now safely in our care.

Wicket did great through surgery and is now a doting mother with two fewer feeding stations than she needs. But with mom and dad's help, she'll manage. Three of the pups are small and are not "out of the woods" yet, but Becky and I will do everything we can to get them through. The next eight weeks promise to be agony. We have had litters of six and nine, but nothing like this. It promises to be painful joy, but we'll survive. And those twelve little miracles will make a lot of folks very happy.

As I write this, I am watching news of the death of 27 people, mostly children, and I feel a tad bit guilty for the joy I feel when so many are suffering. But life goes on and so will the story of the 12 Otterhounds of Christmas 2012.


Note:  I so appreciate the love and support my husband provides for this passion of mine--this Otterhound breed!

In this busy holiday and puppy season, Allie and I took a break to go and visit friends in Michigan for a dog show in East Lansing.  Top photo, Callie with owner Linda, Allie with Nancy Martin and Beep with Karmen. Left, Gabe with Nancy Lange Right, Beep and Luggy each sitting with owner Teri.  Bottom, first Striker with Cheryl, Echo with Karmen and below Allie with Jester competes in owner/handler Hound group competition.
One of the highlights for me on the trip was that Allie won Best of Breed on Saturday and went on to win a group 3 placement in the hound group.  Linda Spence was able to finish Callie who is now a champion and Stryker won a major with owner handler Cheryl.  Luggy got his first point with Karmen handling.  Gabe won some points toward his grand championship.  Henley won breed 2 days and made the cut on Sunday.  We all went home tired but all went home as friends!  Thanks to Nancy, Karmen, Joni, Allie, Sharon, Teri, Linda and Cheryl!

It's been a busy week as we prepare to move to Madison for the duration of the whelping through Christmas. I took Allie for a vet visit for an allergy that seems to be very common in Door County.  Came home to give Wicket a bath to prepare for the birth of her puppies and also discovered that Allie is in season.  So much going on with the dogs all at once!  Luckily Jack is just his usual jovial self though very happy that Allie is in season.  Looks like he will have to join us in Madison so the house sitter won't have him around Allie!  Seems challenging for Wickie to get comfortable these days.

Here's Johnny for a brief moment taking a break from his adoring public.  All the attention certainly wore him out but he was an amazing ambassador for the breed already.  No one could believe what big feet he had and what beautiful ears!  He did a great job of following Jack around in the hound parade.

I read this story today from the Dogington Post on Facebook  It seemed appropriate to share it as for years I worked with young children and they often have a way of understanding things that adults just don't consider.
A Dog’s
Purpose?
(from a
6-year-old).


Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish
Wolfhound named Belker. The dog’s owners, Ron, his wife Lisa, and their little
boy Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a
miracle.


I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we
couldn’t do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure
for the old dog in their home.


As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good
for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might
learn something from the experience.


The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker ‘s family
surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time,
that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker
slipped peacefully away.


The little boy seemed to accept Belker’s transition without any difficulty or
confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker’s Death, wondering aloud
about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives.
Shane,
who had been listening quietly, piped up, ”I know why.”


Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me
I’d never heard a more comforting explanation. It has changed the way I try and
live.


He said,”People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life —
like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?” The Six-year-old
continued,




”Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don’t
have to stay as long.”


Live simply.


Love generously.


Care deeply.


Speak kindly.


Remember, if a dog was the teacher you would learn things like:


When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.


Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.


Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure
Ecstasy.


Take naps.


Stretch before rising.


Run, romp, and play daily.


Thrive on attention and let people touch you.


Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.


On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.


On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.


When you’re happy, dance around and wag your entire body.


Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.


Be loyal.


Never pretend to be something you’re not.


If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.


When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by, and nuzzle them
gently.