We have kept a few offspring over the years. Nikita has Amara and Rayder as well as Stark. Muffin/Autumn has Winter. Reign has both Millie and Mazikeen. They each have different relationships. For instance, Nikita gets excited when she sees Stark and Amara was very doting to Nikita when Nikita lost mobility. Winter is the only one who tolerates her momma’s shenanigans and they get along very well. But Maze….. she is 9 months and is super bonded to her mom. Maze is currently crying because Reign is in the puppy room getting use to it again and not in the carte next to Maze napping. Maze is also pretty close to her sister Millie and we made sure to put Millie on the other side of Maze because we anticipated we may have issues. With Reign due in 2 weeks we are defiantly going to be working on this because I don’t think Reign will want maze in the puppy room with her. And honestly it is not something I would ever risk.

I’m going to go back to offering her a pacifier at nap time and bedtime and make trips in to reassure her. Hopefully after a few days she will get use to it. If all else fails I can move her crate in my room but I’m not sure that will solve much.

I am constantly learning with these guys. Just when I think I got things figured out… lol I’ll keep you updated.

After the last puppy goes home I usually sit with a cup of coffee and reflect on the past few months. What went well, what didn’t, what I can improve on and what I did that worked well.

Millie experiencing pregnancy complications was defiantly new and very hard. I broke down several times as the spotting and clots didn’t stop. I questioned everything and took it to heart. Her health was my priority and I’m am so thankful for a wonderful vet and staff. Even after confirming she lost at least one pup but had at least 4 viable, it was still hard as she continued to spot for another week or so. Holding seven healthy pups was a surprise and a relief. I laugh now because I tell folks this was one of the most rowdy bunch of pups I’ve had in a long time. But now that I think about it they had to be rowdy… these guys held on and survived. They are lil fighters and it showed.

I had a lot going on personally. Like many of us home life can be chaotic but the past few months brought a lot of changes. Kid moving back home, new grandbaby, hospitalizations, husband working out of state and not seeing him for a month at a time….. typical home life stress. But I did what I could. The more I put into practice the things I have learned in my classes about puppy socialization the more it becomes the norm. Puppy Culture is a wonderful program and as always we do as much as we can knowing every lil bit makes a difference. Yes, I could have done more, but we did what we could. I have jotted down notes and may tweek things next time around… it’s trail and error and realizing all litters… all puppies in those litters are different. Breeding is stressful, so many things can and do go wrong no matter how good your intentions are. It’s hard not to throw in the towel, in fact I think about it all the time. But I truly love my pack, and love raising puppies and sharing my love for this breed with other families. Maybe that’s selfish…. but for now we take it one day at time. When the joy is gone, we know it is time to stop. And that will be ok too because I still have my pack, who are my world.

I want to thank you all for your kind words. I’ve never held back that by the time the pups start going on home that I am exhausted. But hearing how much you see and appreciate my/our effort makes it all worth it. I am thankful my continued education benefits my breeding and puppy raising program and I plan to continue that. Who knows it may lead to a whole new venture in the future. 😀 Thank you again to our puppy families, followers and friends for your continued support, love and understanding.

Missy

Hey Guys, I wanted to do a quick post to give you a brief update on how things are going here.

Winter: Winter is recovering nicely from her litter. She showed some distress when I returned home from meeting with puppy families without puppies but quickly bounced back. She is back to her sweet loving self. She seems to have permanently integrated in with Muffin and Tyrion and their mini unit.

Reign: We are waiting for Reign to start her cycle. My girls normally go 7-8 months between heats (we are at the 8th month mark) but with new girls in the group it seems several girls have been irregular due to possibly syncing up. Once upon a time all my girls cycled within a week of each other. Not so much now as you may have noticed. She is on a vitamin b complex to help with reproductive health and hopefully encourage her cycle to regulate. Once she is ready she will be paired with Jasper.

Millie: Millie is due in a little over a week. Her pregnancy got off to a rough start (see past entries) but she is doing well. She has a round tummy, enlarged breasts and we can feel movement. I am keeping a close eye on her and might be a bit more protective than normal. Due to early pregnancy complications, we only took one pre birth deposit. All other deposits will take place after the litter is born and thriving. The health of Millie and pups are my top priority. If you are interested in this litter (Millie x Ghost) please send me a puppy questionnaire (application).

Other: Most of the pack have not been to happy with all this rain. I’m not gonna lie, I wouldn’t mind a little break, though I am not ready for 100+ temps. We got the pool set up and Reign and Rayder are in heaven. They are my two water babies. Big changes are coming as my husband will be working out of state. Having my son and his family here has been a sweet blessing. Grandbaby cuddles are wonderful and I enjoy the company. I am hoping to start my Dog Training Certification this summer (early fall at the latest). I keep waiting for things to “calm down” but it doesn’t look like that is gonna happen. Gonna have to just go all in. hahaha

Hey guys, this is just a lil apology if I’ve seemed distant. I’ve faced some challenges this past month or so. I tried to take some time for myself this past weekend. I want to thank my family for allowing me to hide away in my room in-between obligations and commitments. Self care (however that looks for you) is so important and not something I am good at. As someone with anxiety I tend to worry about everyone and everything around me and I put myself on the back burner, I’ve learned that leads to burnout and exhaustion. Please be patient as I work on myself while still taking care of everyone around me.

Missy

Millie and Ghost have bred. We had a first pairing yesterday. We will take 2 (only 2) pre birth, non refundable reservation fees (deposits). Please understand I do not control nature therefore I can not guarantee eye color, coat color, or the sex of the puppies. You must be open to the possibilities. Your reservation fee holds your place in line (example: first pick), it comes off the total due and the remaining balance is due at 8 weeks/Puppy Pick up. I must have a puppy questionnaire on file. Please see our coming soon page for more info.

There is a good chance this will be Ghost’s final litter. As I continue to pursue my dog training certification and start up my puppy socialization / foundation training business, I need to make things a bit easier. Having only one unaltered male will help. I believe we found a quality male in Jasper who will pair wonderfully with all 4 of our females. There is no desire or intention of adding any more dogs to our family (and or program) at this time. This will bring us back down to the original goal of a small breeding program with our main focus on Puppy Training. We will keep you posted on our decision.

*Note: our pack are our family and at this time there is not intention to rehome any of our dogs.