First I want to apologize for the sporadic updates. We have so much going on. I “stubbed” my little toe on the couch and well, it’s safe to say it’s broke. I taped it and am in a boot. Just like when I sprained my ankle a few years ago, I should be resting way more than I am but I have too many depending on me and too much to get done.
As I shared already we knocked down a wall between 2 of our unused kennel areas and are making a second whelping area in our nursery (old kennels). This somehow led to my sons and I removing the fence between the dog yard and main yard. We didn’t end up using it as a puppy area like I envisioned, I really preferred a smaller area that I can watch what the pups are doing more closely. So since the yard was unused why not open it all up? The dogs are loving the enlarged yard but it is taking some work to clear it all out. We will probably take the old fence are repurpose it for the puppy yard and I also really want a egg/bread (sourdough) stand… but that’s another story.
As previously posted most of our pack are seniors and we are coming to terms with that. I don’t think this is a topic discussed enough, maybe because a majority of breeders rehome (retire) their dogs so they are not dealing with seniors in their program/home. Rehoming aging dogs frees up space and funds allowing for more dogs of breeding age, which of course make since and I’m not knocking it just pointing out the difference in how we raise/treat our pups. Our beloved Zuko, who will be 13 this year, is not only facing joint issues which of course is common in aging dogs he is also showing signs of dementia. All of this is not hindering his quality of life at this time, he just gets a lil lost and confused at times. We are supporting him and loving him though it all. But just knowing we have to go though this over and over is tough. Again it is not something discussed and I hope to be more open and share our experience with you all.
My grandson has surgery in 2 weeks. I think we will be mentally relieved once he gets through that and we have concrete answers on his situation. We are all trying to stay positive but it is still scary to think about this little guy going though a surgery for a situation that has not been seen before and has some risk. We are staying strong, staying positive and trust his doctor, who is cautious but confident.
We are a family first and foremost, and breeding is something we do because we love raising puppies and sharing our breed with other families who will in turn love them. So with all of this, where does this leave our breeding program? We are taking it litter by litter. Making sure our family is in a good space to give our litters our full attention and energy is the most important thing but I do watch things like the economy and interest in puppies. At this moment I am feeling confident that we will proceed with our spring litters. Mazikeen and Nova will both be pared with Jasper. This will be Nova’s first litter, so I like making sure we have another momma to assist if we need it. (this was taught to me by an amazing mentor). Maze has had 4 pups in per previous litters and I expect something similar for Nova who is Maze’s full sibling. So I think 2 small litters will be manageable. I don’t expect issues finding homes based on interest I have had, but as always we will keep our babies until we find them homes. If you have interest in either litter, please let me know. I will update this website with info soon.
Thank you so much for your love and support!
-Missy