Winter’s litter

Winter and Jasper welcomed seven gorgeous babies on Febuary 26th. 4 males and 3 females. I will be doing a photos session of individual puppies on March 1st. Until then check out our facebook page for photos and video!

Names and collar colors. Remember names are for identification purposes only. This litter theme is Treasure Synonyms. 🙂

1. Male: Bounty, Blue

2. Female: Treasure, Yellow

3. Female: Gem, Purple

4. Male: Cash, Gold

5. Male: Prize, Red

6. Female: Jewel, Pink

7. Male: Fortune, Green

Little paws coming soon

Winter and Jasper are expecting a litter the end of February. This is a planned (a bit late, haha) pairing and will be Winter’s final litter. Their previous litter was in 2022 you can see photos here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.337899885008756…

We will accept 3 pre birth deposits. Please understand that deposits are non refundable (but are transferable to a future litter), due to safety and bio security concerns we do not allow visits, though we can do video chats. We are completely transparent in how we raise our puppies and have years and years of photos and video on this page. Feel free to browse. We do ask that deposit holders pick their puppy in a timely manner as we often have families’ on standby waiting for picks to be made so they can pick their puppy and place their deposits. Delay in this process unfortunately causes families to go elsewhere leaving puppies without homes. We have over 12 years experience in breeding, I am proficient and educated in puppy development, puppy socialization as well as puppy foundation training. All of our litters are raised with Puppy Culture and I am a Certified Puppy Start Right Instructor. Please see our website for more info. www.supernovasiberianhuskies.com or email [email protected]

Our seniors have our heart

While I’m sure most of you only have interest in puppies, on the forefront of our thoughts lately have been our seniors. Nikita and Zuko especially. Though we have a few others getting up there in age.

“Small breeds are considered senior dogs when they turn 10 to 12 years old. Medium breeds are considered senior dogs when they hit 8 to 9 years old. Large and giant breeds are considered senior dogs at around 6 to 7 years old.”

You can find conflicting info on when a dog is considered a senior. So much depends on breed and breed size. But I think it’s easy to see the signs. From simple symptoms like greying fur to mild hip/joint issues to full on cognitive issues. Nikita is 3 months shy of her 14th birthday. Zuko is 11 and a half. Watching my babies age is tough. Nikita has some tough moments, she is hard of hearing and can get confused at times but for the most part she is happy to nap in my chair, in the chair on the porch or in my son’s room. She still walks the yard but mostly tries to avoid the younger bunch as they annoy her. haha We started a lil bucket list last year thinking we had less time with her, but she is hanging in there. We are thankful for everyday with her. When you acquire a puppy (however you chose to do so) they are forever. Don’t give up on them because they age. They need our love, and patience more than ever. We are keeping an eye on our older bunch and no matter how hard it is, we know that when the time comes that they have more bad days than good days, we will make the difficult decision to help them cross over.

Project Update:

So one of the projects we’ve been slowly working on is taking our old “dog yard” that was used mostly by Ghost and Cersei and creating a puppy enrichment play yard. Over 8 years ago we had our property fenced off (wood privacy fencing) into 3 sections. Our main yard, our dog yard and our chicken area. An old dead tree fell several months ago and clearing it all way has been a chore. We finally got it all cleared out, all the twigs and brush burned and are ready to start planning and creating a fun area for our puppies. Again this will be slow going, but we hope to do a lot of DIY to save money but even materials cost an arm and an leg. Safe, enriching and providing a lot of socialization opportunities is my goal. With lots of luck it may be ready in time for our next litter. 😀 We will keep you updated on our progress!

If you would like to donate to this project we do have an Amazon Wishlist with items to use in our play yard and/or our puppy program.

Update on my/our absence.

So after our pups went all went home last summer we took a break. For the first time in 12 years we had a very hard time finding homes for our pups. Yes, we had 3 litters, but have had 2 and 3 litters at the same time in the past without this issue. I really took it heart. It is my job to find the best homes for our pups and to only breed if there are homes for our babies. Was it oversaturation in the market? The timing? Many breeders swear that the “J” months are the hardest to find homes. Was it that we only take 2 pre birth deposits (not locking a large about into buying from us with nonrefundable deposits)? Was it inflation and all the rising cost of owning and caring for a pet? I try keep my prices affordable to the average family in spite of all the work and care I put into our litters. I want to thank the few breeders who reached out telling me not to be hard on myself that it happens to everyone at some point. But even with that, we gave ALL our girls a break by resting them on their following heats and we as a family took time to regroup.

This was a blessing and just what I needed. I found out my mother had passed away on my birthday just as I was starting to see a doctor to make my health (mental and physical) a priority. A month later we lost our precious Ghost. I was a bundle of out of control anxiety and worries. I was glad to be under a doctors care during this time. My lab work showed I had metabolic syndrome and all that goes with it. My doctor and I agreed weight loss was (is) the starting point and the key to getting healthy, especially with my mom’s passing and my dad having triple bypass. I have spent the last 6 months on weight loss medication as well as eating clean and exercising. I am a little over halfway to my goal weight. More importantly my labs are normal or approaching normal. Essentially avoiding being put on 3 medications in the process. I feel great and have more energy than ever. I am working hard to get everything in the normal range.

In the last 6 months I have taken time for me, my health and self care. I have spent time with my family on outings and adventures. I also picked up a few new hobbies. I started rebounding as my primary form of exercise. I love it!! I got back into reading and loom knitting. I even started playing calm games on the Switch. But the best thing is that in December I started my very own sourdough starter and started baking bread and other goodies! I never thought I would love it so much!

We have decided to continue breeding but keeping our litters low while we test the waters. As many know females will sync up their cycles and we will try to be mindful if/when this happens. As far as offering puppy training sessions, I need to make it known that even with my Puppy Start Right Instructor certification as well as my extensive knowledge in puppy development, socialization and training at this time I can not make this my full or part time occupation. I would like to emphasize that my dogs are my world but not my entire world. I have a teen at home that I home school (we are on his last semester) and I help care for my toddler grandson who lives with me along with my oldest son. That is a full time job in itself. I am also still trying to manage and maintain my health and mental health. Which has to be a priority with my family history. I’d like to be around for awhile. 😀 I still hope that maybe in 6-8 months I can find the balance in my life to offer puppy socialization/training which is my true passion, but until then it is something I absolutely incorporate into my puppy raising program and I am available to answer questions to my puppy families and mentor others on the importance of puppy socialization (done correctly).

So that’s the a quick version on what I have been doing. I want to thank you all for your continued support. I may not always be quick to reply and I get forgetful, but I appreciate all your emails, messages and updates! THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart!

-Missy

Dog Food Dilemma

I am not a nutritionist nor am I a vet. So there’s that! But I have tried my best to research and find the best dry food I can that meets my dogs dietary needs as well and my budget. I have always supplemented with real human foods including meat, veggies, and fruit. I am not a food Nazi and unlike others I do not judge and I do not force my opinions on food on others. A fed dog is a happy dog, and we all do the best we can. I promise your dog rather stay with you and be fed a less expensive food than be rehomed because you can’t afford their food!

I have been happy with Victor for many many years. Even when they were sold and talks of recipe changes were all the gossip. I stayed with what worked. My dogs were at a healthy weight, nice coats, firm stool and vets always complimented my dogs and puppies on their health. The recall hit hard.

I had to find a replacement fast. I decided on Diamond Naturals Chicken and Rice (all stage) the transition was easy and my dogs seem to be doing fine. I can find it locally, it gets a good reviews and it seems to be a good food at a affordable price. I will stick with Diamond Naturals for now.

I am waiting to see what happens when Victor comes back. I know some are saying “oh no it was recalled, how can you consider using it?” My reply is “Many of the top dog food companies have had a recall! It hasn’t stopped them. Blue Bell Ice Cream has had a massive recall and I still enjoy it on occasion! Lettuce is recalled several times a year and I still buy lettuce! We can go on and on!” So I’m going to wait and watch. I am no opposed to going back, but there is another food I have my eye on. Next Level is a dog food created by the same people/guy who created Victor (before it was sold). It seems like a sold food for a bit higher of a price. Again, I’m just gonna wait it out for now.

I openly share what I use in total transparency, and to share that I’m in the same boat as so many, trying hard to find a quality dry food that fits my budget in a time of price increases and recalls. In a time where the prices keep going up and the size is going down. It is honestly bullshit but corporate greed knows we are left with little choice. If I change foods I will let everyone know.

Happy Holidays!

The holidays are in full swing here. We had a beautiful, relaxing, and fun, Thanksgiving. Looking forward to Christmas and New Years!

I’m am continuing working on some health stuff and self care. The progress has been wonderful and beyond my and my doctor’s expectations. A healthy body and the addition of exercise has defiantly been great for my mental health as well.

I am hoping to finally take the step forward into Puppy Socialization and Training, that I have put off for years due to anxiety and imposter syndrome early 2024. Be on the look out for that announcement after the holidays.

This break from puppies has been nice with all the things going on, but truth be told I’m kind of missing lil paws n puppy breath. We’ve had a nice break and I’m glad the girls all had nice rests. The plan is to still to breed Winter to Jasper, we are waiting for her heat cycle. If this happens this will be her final litter before her much deserved retirement. We retired Millie but Rhaenyra will be joining our breeding program. We will have to see how this all progresses, because I have a feeling they will be syncing up again. I will keep you all posted. Following us on Facebook is the best way to receive updates on future litters.

Please be careful picking a breeder

Scammers are getting harder for the average person to spot. First I want to say that no one is perfect. Certainty not me. Breeding even if done perfectly by all the “ever changing rules” experts spew is still flawed. How can it not be? We are dealing with living breathing beings. But honesty and integrity, learning from mistakes, gaining more knowledge in addition to experience are all important. This is where many mislead and lie.

Once again another breeder has been called out for abandoning her Siberian Huskies, moving out of Texas and starting over in Colorado with Poodles. This “breeder” bragged about “changing the game in Siberian Huskies” being the best “woolly coat breeder”, doing all the health testing, and charging over 3000 for her puppies. She was listed on the “Good Breeder” website, boosted about using Puppy Culture, and hiring a trainer to train all her puppies before going home. She posted YouTube and TikTok videos giving advice on breeding, training and food. None of which she is qualified to do. She came up on my radar several years ago when I saw her on my Supernova Siberians facebook page. When I started to investigate her I saw she stole a lot of my verbiage and wording. She was trying hard to sound intelligent and knowledgeable without any true knowledge or experience as she just started in breeding and huskies. The next thing I noticed was her constantly acquiring and rehoming puppies. Always blaming the rehoming of the puppy she acquired as being faulty, bad breeding, bad temperament, etc. She first wanted to breed show quality but then got into woolly coats (because some breeders choose to charge double or triple for long hair). She often insulted other breeders on social media for poor breeding accusing them of being “back yard breeders” and “puppy mills”. The truth was she was the fraud. She quickly acquired woolly coat Siberians focusing on blue eyes and the popular coat colors, mostly black, mostly coopers, agouti etc. The “money makers”. One can assume she gathered too many, too quickly some have claimed the dogs were under weight, and had scars from fighting. In the end she abandoned these dogs and they ended up in a shelter. Thankfully many on social media called her out, and I believe all her dogs were adopted. But she moved out of state and is trying again with a different breed.

The lesson is that there is no registry (akc, ukc, ckc, etc) that makes a breeder reputable. There is no health testing or training that makes a breeder reputable, no dog sports and no puppy program that makes a breeder reputable. Because they are only reputable as the breeder claiming to use them are. In the time of social media where everyone wants to be an influencer, I also want to point out that going viral and having the most followers also does not make you trust worthy. Putting your ego above your dogs welfare is not responsible.

Breeding is wonderful, fun, but it is also a lot of work, and can be very heartbreaking. There is a difference between a breeder, a shitty person breeding hoping to get rich quick and an irresponsible pet owner who breeds. I know accidents happen, I’ve had some myself, but how those accidents are handled is everything. Breeders do not dump puppies, breeders do not dump dogs. Breeders know this is a life long commitment.

The ugliness in the dog world really turns me off. Because the scams also leak over to the “adopt don’t shop” rescue folks as well. It is getting harder for the average person to choose a puppy. No matter where you buy a puppy…. from a breeder, or shelter, please research first.

Quick Update

We made it through Rhnaerya, Mazikeen and Reign’s heat. Skipping all three cycles. Millie has a vet appointment to be spayed the end of October. As a reminder, she is retiring from our program due to pregnancy complications. She is one of our best momma’s and has gorgeous babies but we don’t want to see her struggle through pregnancy.

After skipping her previous heat, our hope is to breed Winter to Jasper on her next cycle and then she will retire. Plans are tentative as I’m just not sure how I feel right now. Losing, Ghost was a blow that we have not recovered from and we know our days with Nikita are limited as age is catching up with her. Looking around at our beautiful pack, I just can’t fathom losing another.

I’m staying busy reading behavior and training books, taking webinars and listening to podcasts. We do have some plans that I’m very excited for. We are planning on landscaping and creating the ultimate puppy socialization play yard but that will take time and funds. But that’s ok, I’m happy to have something to focus on and get creative with! I will update as I know more, but for now we are just enjoying our babies and holding on tight!

From our family and pack, Thank you for your understanding and support.