The two girls of the “R” Litter are really growing! Their eyes and ears are open and they are starting to push themselves around the whelping box. They should be up and walking unsteadily by next week and I’ll get them started on some puppy mush, that always gets them up and moving.
Two girlsMama Ruth and the babiesRosalind peeking aroundReba just hanging outRosalind faceRosalind backReba faceReba back
Wednesday we welcomed Cedar and Spruce’s Apollo to the south from Hull, Iowa. He took a plane from Omaha and got here safe and sound. We’ve really been having fun getting to know him and getting started on the basics. I will go over his pedigree and why I selected him in the future, it is getting late and I really just want to share the pictures from today for now.
Duke on the moveSide profile of Duke on the moveDuke with Sally and ObiSally and Obi giving Duke a sniffDuke chasing Sally
I hope that everyone enjoyed their Super Bowl celebrations and has a Happy Valentine’s Day! Talk at you next week.
I always, always say that I won’t know how many puppies I have until they are two weeks old. There is always a small one that hangs on a good week and then fades away seemingly out of nowhere. When I posted last Sunday, the little boy was still taking a bottle and nursing the teat, even though he wasn’t putting on weight at all. Like I’ve said before, the most intervention I will do is helping a pup on to the teat and giving a bottle. I won’t try IV fluids or tube feeding like some breeders do, that is just too much intervention that could possibly be bringing up a defective pup that will pass early in life. Little boy stopped eating Monday morning and was gone Tuesday morning. We have two sisters who are going strong and their eyes are now open.
Rosalind and Reba
I finally got Ruth’s bloodwork results back late Wednesday. Although there were no answers, I am glad that it was not a viral outbreak that would potentially impact the future. The working theory is that we switched to an oral chewable for flea and tick when we moved to South Carolina. She was due for that at 30 days gestation. The package is marked “safe for pregnant females” and I was worried about an infestation with year-around bugs down here. So I gave her the chewable. Many fellow breeders and vet friends say that they’ve seen similar outcomes with the flea and tick chewables, and that the study to mark the medication safe for pregnant females was a very small sample size. Ruth had an unplanned litter right when she turned two that had nine healthy puppies, so it isn’t her. And we may never know the full answer, but this is where the collective thoughts are at this point. DON’T GIVE PREGNANT FEMALES FLEA AND TICK CHEWABLES.
I’ve decided to call them Rosalind and Reba. Rosalind has the blaze face and a little bit longer coat. Reba has the shorter coat and liver face.
Rosalind faceRosalind backReba faceReba back
Their eyes are just opening, so it is tough to get very photogenic pictures of them since they are so squishy at this point.
Ruth and the girls
Ruth really does not like cameras. She is a little bit more used to the still camera, but she growls at the camcorder.
I take the puppies out of the whelping box and put them on a sleeping bag to help them practice using their legs. I try to keep the wood chips under them, but Ruth is always digging them away. Once their eyes get good and opened, they will start to use their legs more and more. Then we will introduce puppy mush and they will really get going.
South Carolina Quail
I had no idea that bird season was still open down here until Charles mentioned that he was going to head into North Carolina with a buddy to chase some ruffed grouse. That fell through due to his buddy’s doctor’s orders and Charles didn’t want to hunt someone else’s spots without them.
So luckily the neighbor across the road just happens to run pointers and setters. Who knew that when we randomly picked our house sight unseen, that we’d pick one right across the road from another bird hunter? So Quentin and Charles headed out for some central South Carolina quail yesterday, even though woodcock closed at the end of January, quail goes until the end of February. Charles got two and Quentin got one and a rabbit. Charles forgot his chaps and his legs are full of blackberry thorns. The brambles down here are horrible, if I go work at cleaning up the thickets on our property, I end up pulling thorns out of me for days.
Charles said it was fun to watch our dogs work with other upland breeds, he thinks that it makes them better.
Sally with the pointers with Quentin going in.The full bag for the day on Quentin’s horse trailer dog box.Sally with the South Carolina quail
The bag limit down here is twelve per day, so we were excited that they found some! Obi ran with the setters but didn’t have any luck.
So we’ll just keep plugging along here on raising puppies and doing some late season hunting for a few more weeks. We’ve got a little surprise catching a flight into the Charlotte-Douglas International Airport this week and you’ll get to see it in our next blog post next week too.
Oh and congratulations to all of the NAVHDA Invitational Invitees in this month’s Versatile Hunting Dog, a lot of familiar names in there in the Wirehaired Pointing Griffons! And a Griff on the cover even! Keep up the good work everyone.
The three musketeers of the “R” Litter have made it to one week old. We went to York Vet on Thursday for a health checkup and to have their tails docked and dew claws removed. We also had Ruth examined and blood drawn from her to make sure that everyone is healthy. There are no outward symptoms of any sort of infection, so we are anticipating the bloodwork to come back clear.
The two females are just huge since there are so few puppies to compete with, then little brother is about half of their size. He moves normally and latches to the teat on his own, so we’ll just hope for the best unless things take a turn. This next week is extremely critical as we count down to when their eyes open and they can start taking a little bit of canned puppy food mush.
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Puppy nap pileLittle brother nursing while the two big sisters nap
Last day of hunting season
Charles and Sally went and harvested a couple of more South Carolina woodcock yesterday, as it was the last day of the season on public land. They are having good adventures in the cane swamps of the central part of the state. Charles says that it is tough shooting through the tree branches and the terrain is pretty uneven, so it is a challenge. But nice to see them put birds in the bag in a new state.
Sally and the last two woodcock of the season
So keep us in your doggy prayers this week as we wait for the bloodwork results on Ruth and hope that this little boy keeps on trucking. Our two weeks of winter are winding down here and it will be spring later on this afternoon, it looks like. It is so strange going from five months of winter with a few subzero weeks to pretty much no winter at all. I’ll take it though! I’ll be back next week, hopefully with all good news from here on out.
Complaining that I only ended up with three beautiful, healthy puppies and a perfectly healthy mama is like getting some really nice stuff for Christmas, but griping that it wasn’t exactly what I wanted. I have had friends go into the emergency vet for a c-section and come out with nothing, no mama and no puppies. I’ve had friends come out with puppies and no mama and vice versa (a living mama that is unable to breed again and no puppies). Dog breeding is not a vending machine and it is really whatever mother nature gives you. You cry and pout with the mama, but you have to keep going with positivity for the pups who are here and those who are yet to come. I can’t even count how many times I’ve said “I’m never doing this again” to myself. But I’ve matured as a breeder over the last 12 years and I do it for this:
Whiskey of our “A” Litter 2010 will be 12 in April
Old Whiskey of our “A” litter will be twelve in April. There have been so many great dogs that we’ve made. And we have to push past these times to get to the good ones.
“R” Litter Arrival
I woke up Sunday morning to two puppies nursing and one still born. It was all a very normal birth that lasted from the early morning Sunday until about mid-Sunday afternoon. Ruth never strained with any of the puppies, it was all 2-3 pushes and they came out. About an hour between each pup. There were more angel puppies than I would have liked, but I was at five alive on Sunday night.
Ruth and pups Sunday night
One of those was a girl who was slow to come around after being born and I really worked on to get going. The other was a boy who seemed fine and lively at first but come Monday morning, I saw no signs of any peeing or pooping from him, which really concerned. me. I tried to get both the boy and the girl to take a bottle with limited success. The vet and I both agreed that we just needed time and Mother Nature to sort things out. I tried getting them to take a teat with help, but once again, with limited success. I don’t do tube feeding and I don’t to intravenous fluids to try to save a pup, it just isn’t worth it to me to try and save a pup that could have problems later in life from whatever issues they were having.
Ruth never showed signs of any illness or distress throughout her pregnancy or whelping, nor now. She is shaking off the sadness of the lost babies and focusing on those that are strong and thriving, same as I am.
Ruth and the three puppies todayRuth and the R Litter PuppiesR Litter Puppy Closeup
Ruth and the puppies go in on Thursday morning to York Vet for examinations and tail docking and dew claw removal. Ruth will have a full exam with blood work done to make sure there is nothing identifiable/viral as the cause. It really could be anything from random congenital abnormalities, a reaction to flea/tick preventative or Ruth unknowingly ingesting poisoned mice. We may never know. But we’re going to do a full blood panel to rule out anything identifiable (brucellosis, canine herpes, a parvo exposure breaking through her vaccination, etc.).
I really appreciate the Griffon breeder community for their insights and talking through theories and next steps with me on this litter. It helps to hear other breeders similar/worse experiences and how to best react and move forward.
(One totally random thing that came up in all of this is that a FB dog friend asked about the bottom of the whelping box. This is a very well-heated interior room of the house. So here’s the layout of the bottom of the whelping box: mom and puppies on top, pine shavings, plywood under the whelping box, tarp that goes under the entire whelping box and kennel and is zip tied to the kennel wire, horse trailer pads that are like wrestling mat type material that is under the entire tarp and kennel, linoleum, cement floor. The puppies are not laying directly on a wood floor of a barn or house. I have tried blankets, towels, and carpet scrap as fabric alternatives but I have found that they are so dangerous, along with gross and unsanitary. The bitch will dig up any fabric I put under them and then I find the puppies and mom all wadded up in a scary way. So I ditched fabric years ago and found that this works best for us. Where there is bare wood showing is where Ruth has shoved the wood chips out of her way.)
Ruth looks healthy and is moving around well, this is her spontaneously running to me this morning, I didn’t call her to get her to run just for a photo. She is producing milk and tending to the puppies as she should be.
Ruth is looking healthy as a mama
So there are two girls and a boy. At this time, all are spoken for. I have decided that I’ve had enough stress with the move, the holidays and having a one year-old pup Sally that I am going to hold off on keeping a puppy myself (so they will all go to owners on my reservation list). Obi and Ruth are young enough to breed again and we’ll be making sure (as much as we possibly can) that we control the environment for potential hazards such as: hold off of flea/tick medication during breeding and gestation (even though the packaging says it is safe) and making sure our immediate neighbors aren’t setting out bait poison for raccoons or poisoning mice without us knowing.
The reality is that we may never know what caused the angel puppies (but obviously I’ll let you know if I find something out). So we’ll just keep trying and praying and hoping for the best.
“Find us ready, Lord, not standing still/find us working and loving and doing your will/find us ready Lord, faithful in love/building the kingdom both here and above/building the kingdom with mercy and love.” – “Find Us Ready”, a newer Catholic hymn by Tom Booth
I will be back on Sunday with the One Week Old pupdate!
Sally’s first wild bird retrieve
Sally brought this woodcock to Charles on Friday
Charles had the day off on Friday and took Sally back out by herself for some South Carolina woodcock. They got into a few more and connected with this one. The first one a week or so ago, Sally found it and just stood there sniffing it, not sure what to do. This time, she picked it up and brought it to Charles. The retrieve in the field is usually the last basic hunting skill that they pick up. Birds are stinky and sharing is not a natural instinct. It takes lots of training and practice to get to this point where they bring the bird back to you. Sally is Ruth’s full sister from Chief and Fire’s litter last year (both Chief and Fire are retired from breeding now). This picture is another great reminder of what this is all about.
We are expecting our “R” litter from Obi and Ruth in the next week or two. I currently have 18 reservations with deposit. The largest litter of Griffs registered in recent times is 16 puppies, so I assume that I have homes for this bunch. If you are interested in waiting until our Fall 2022 litter, email bluestemkennels@gmail.com. Once the spring litter is two weeks old, I should know where my fall list stands.
Here are some updated photos of Ruth sporting her very pregnant belly. It doesn’t seem to slow her down much!
Pregnant Ruth running in the yardRuth side profileAnother belly shot (a little fuzzy phone pic)Pregnant Ruth running in the snow (I circled her so you can see her)
Now it is just a matter of waiting for puppies to arrive! We just finished our whelping box setup this morning. It will be so nice to have them in a bedroom in the house instead of the heated garage. That way I have a bed right next to the whelping box in case of all-night puppies!
Ready for puppies!
This will probably be my last blog post until after puppies arrive. As they are being whelped, I will keep my Facebook page up-to-date. Then I will contact folks who have reservations once we are done whelping and I’ve had some rest. Finally, I will make a post here to the website.
First South Carolina Woodcock!
Charles is getting Sally ready for her UPT in May up at the Hudson Valley NAVHDA Chapter in New York. This is the NAVHDA chapter nearest to Charles’s hometown of Newburgh and he thought it would be fun to get up there to run some tests. He will also be re-testing Obi in UT to see if he can get a Prize I.
In the meantime he is trying to figure out the hunting game in these parts and he and Sally had success this weekend. They only saw one woodcock pop out of a cane swamp on some public land and they were able to put it in the bag. Charles is pretty sure that this is his first woodcock and it was Sally’s first wild bird.
Sally’s South Carolina WoodcockOur South Carolina Woodcock
I was really excited to hold a bagged woodcock, as I’ve only flushed them in the Missouri River Valley back in Nebraska while out exercising dogs maybe three or four times. I’d only ever seen photos of them up close. Their feathers are much more colorful than a snipe and their bodies are stubbier.
Here’s a random photo of Sally training in the yard with Charles back in November that I just noticed in my files.
Charles and Sally doing yard work
Here’s another random photo of Obi bringing me a stick the other day when I had my good camera out.
Obi with a stick in the driveway
Having snow on the ground in South Carolina is pretty fun and we are so glad that it isn’t day after day with feet of snow piling up like it was back in Nebraska. I think it will be all melted by tomorrow. But for now I will throw on my boots and go muck around in it with the dogs.
Keep an eye on my Facebook page for the latest on the puppies whelping and keep us in your thoughts and prayers for good health.
The Bluestem Kennels “R” Litter was confirmed by ultrasound today! Please see the earlier breeding announcement blog post for additional photos of the parents and our “About Our Dogs” page for pedigrees and health clearances. Right now, we have 11 reservations with deposits. This is going to be a large litter so there is a possibility that if you put down a deposit and made a reservation now, that there could be a puppy available. We are also repeating this breeding in the fall, so if you get on the list and don’t get a spring pup, you could get a fall pup: bluestemkennels@gmail.com.
Why do back-to-back litters? Ruth is young, in her prime breeding years at age 5 and we are finally in a place where we can expand our breeding kennel. She is the great-great granddaughter of Am/Can CH Duchasseur Moustache, UT I, an AWPGA Hall of Famer from Quebec, Canada. The Quebecois bloodline was joined with our strong foundation blood from the upper Midwest US. A fantastic combination of health, hunt drive and family companion.
Obi is a new start for us, coming out of a small breeder in Wyoming. He has hips in the top 10% for the breed recorded by Penn-HIP. He is the most silly, gentle male we have ever owned as a family dog. He also has great biddability and is easy to train. We have high hopes to eventually take him to NAVHDA Utility Prize I in his life.
So this is the beginning of the next chapter.
I had to stay outside during the ultrasound due to COVID restrictions. York Vet in York, South CarolinaUltrasound photo taken by the vet techRuth resting with her little sister Sally a couple of nights ago
As we read test scores and judges evaluations in NAVHDA’s Versatile Hunting Dog magazine, as well as talk to other owners and breeders, it is tough for us to decide where to go next with bringing in outside blood again. We are keeping a male from this litter, so our backs are a little against the wall to come up with a mate for him somewhere. Now that I’m within halfway decent driving distance of Quebec, my eyes wander up there (also because I love the food and hanging around Vieux Quebec “est tres bien”). But I need to do my research on any new paperwork and veterinary requirements. But that is not where we are right now!
We need to focus on getting ready for the puppies. They are taking over the guest bedroom from the guests. I will finally have a whelping box with a bed next to it, like I’ve always wanted. So now it is just time to watch and wait! I will post more pictures of Ruth as she gets bigger and some of Obi training and just playing in the yard (once this rain goes away).
Happy New Year from Bluestem Kennels! Going into our twelfth year of puppies in style!
We are ready to start interviewing and taking deposits for our Spring 2022 R Litter. Please email me at bluestemkennels@gmail.com if you are interested. I have sent an email to everyone who is currently on my contact list, so if somehow it was spam foldered, please consider this your notice to get back in touch with me. I will be taking 10 reservations with deposit on typically 8-14 pups per litter, first come first served (so the sooner you get back in touch with me, the higher likelihood you will get a pup this spring).
The breeding that we’ll be working on over the next year is the pairing of Obi and Ruth. Obi is the sire and his registered name is AKC/NAVHDA Wyo Plainsman Kenobi NA I, UPT III, UT II. Ruth is the dam and her registered name is AKC/NAVHDA Bluestem Peaches En Regalia NA I, UPT II, UT III.
Obi and Ruth with Charles, sharptailed grouse opener in the Nebraska Sandhills, September 2020
You can see all of their pedigrees, hunt test results and health clearances at the “About Our Dogs” page, which has a button in the brown navigation bar above.
This is a breeding that we are relying on to build on our already strong foundation of Wirehaired Pointing Griffons that are sound in health, have great stamina for all day hunts, cooperative and mentally stable members of the family. In our eleven years of breeding, we’ve placed around 150 puppies successfully.
Our puppies are sold with Limited AKC and NAVHDA registrations, this means that they are not automatically eligible to breed (the requirements to lift the breeding restriction are on the “Puppies” button above). You give a gender preference to me (or state no preference) at reservation with a deposit. Puppy placements are first come, first served by reservation order. If there isn’t enough of a particular gender, you are given the option of the opposite gender, wait for a future litter, or a refund. Deposits are fully refundable, no questions asked, up until the date of the puppies 3 week birthday (at that point I keep the deposit if the owner backs out, with few exceptions). I do breeder picks based on the input of the future owners desires for the dog and the needs that the individual puppies have.
Puppies come with: at least 3 rounds of deworming, tails docked and dew claws removed, first vaccinations, microchips, limited AKC and NAVHDA registration papers, and a three year health guarantee against fatal genetic defects or genetic hip dysplasia. They are seen by a veterinarian twice before they go home: for claws/tails right after birth and for shots/microchips right before they go home at 8 weeks. The breeding is anticipated for around Christmas, with puppies born in February and going home in April.
The puppies need to be picked up from my home in Clover, South Carolina on or during the week following their 8 week birthday. As soon as they are whelped, we know their 8 week birthday so that you can prepare to travel for the pickup. I no longer offer air cargo shipment as an option. Regulations change regularly regarding taking a pup on a flight as a carry-on (if you are considering this you need to research your options and find out if an air carrier near you allows 8 week old puppies to fly with an interstate health certificate).
The puppies are exposed to dead birds, live birds and cap gun fire. Once they are moving vigorously at around 5 1/2 weeks, they go outside to run and play at least twice a day. I take litter photos once a week in the beginning, then around 2-3 weeks of age I take individual photos of the puppies weekly. I also do weekly YouTube videos of the litter. I update my Facebook page every few hours as they are being born.
Although we do prefer hunting and hunt testing homes, we realize that the Eastern US is hardly a Mecca of bird hunting, therefore we are open to active outdoors non-hunting homes interviewing (no apartments, please).
Due to the rampant selling of information and constant robocall harassment in the past, I have stopped releasing my telephone number on my website or through Google. Please email me and we can exchange phone numbers.
The breeding is planned on being repeated in 2023, so you can also contact me if you are not ready for a puppy in 2022, but would like to be placed on my contact list for future litters.
These parents are proven wild bird hunters with successful NAVHDA hunt tests under their collars, as well as great family pets.
Obi and Ruth, wild Nebraska Pheasants and Quail October 2020Ruth, Obi and Fire, North Dakota mixed bag October 2019Caleb and Obi, Nebraska pheasant youth season opener 2020Ruth and Obi, Nebraska pheasant and quail 2020Obi Nebraska Sandhills Snipe, October 2020Ruth, Nebraska Sandhills duck, October 2020Ruth AKC Senior Hunter pass at GWPC of Eastern NebraskaObi Fourth Place in the Amateur Walking Derby at the Heart of America GSPC AKC Field TrialObi First Place in both the Open and Amateur Walking Derbies of the AWPGA AKC Field Trial
It would be near blasphemy if I did not wish you a Happy Valentine’s Day, since I am a native of Valentine, Nebraska! Sorry that I’ve been absent on the blog, my schedule has been extremely hectic. I was supervising a high school debate tournament on the last day of hunting season and it rained/snowed all day, so Charles didn’t go out into the slop.
Last night there was a raccoon on the prowl in the woods behind the house, so the dogs were in full frantic mode outside and I brought them in for the night. It was a good chance to check BB out. Not that I don’t spend time with her outdoors, but when we’re out there she is always on the move so I don’t get a good opportunity to analyze her behavior. At this point in a dog pregnancy they don’t show much, so watching behavior is the best way to figure it out. She is pudgy and whereas before she would play with Fire and Sam, she wants nothing to do with them now. She is also very food and bone protective, which she isn’t normally. I’m very confident that pups will be arriving in March. Right now I have 16 reservations and am not taking any more.
As far as Velma goes, she has a stockier build to begin with so Aaron isn’t sure. We will keep watching her and hope for the best.
My brother has been sending over pictures of retired mama Mae. She is enjoying her retirement in Valentine with her Siberian Husky friend, Whisper.
Nap time for Whisper and Mae
Whisper and Mae hanging out in the yard.
Pupdates
Susan in North Dakota has been out cross country skiing with 3 year old TracHer from our 2012 “C” Litter between Sam and Mae. Zephyr is also a griff, but not from us.
TracHer, Zephyr, and Susan enjoying the snow.
Matt had TracHer’s sister Josie, from our 2013 “F” Litter of Sam and Mae’s out enjoying some snow time too up in South Dakota.
Josie snow profile
Josie’s snow run
Jimmy in Oklahoma takes 2 year old Zoey, from our 2012 “E” Litter of Sam and Sue’s, out into the oil fields with him. Here she is begging the trucks for treats.
Zoey scoping for snacks
Kaylee in Missouri put together a cute birthday card for Fire’s sister, Willow. They are both now 1 year old, from our 2014 “G” Litter from Sam and BB.
Willow is 1!
Thanks to everyone for keeping me updated on their pups, it is always fun to look at the great photos and read the stories. If you’ve left a message for me and I haven’t called you back, I will do so tomorrow. Today is an official holiday for me, so I don’t want to disturb anyone. I will check back in a few weeks with some belly pics of BB. The school district asked me to fill in full time this semester in high school English and debate, plus I’m doing my last semester of grad school and helping with the Griffonnier magazine. It is super busy and I’m looking forward to the summer. Talk at you in a couple of weeks.
Happy Valentine’s Day from your official representative of The Heart City, Valentine, Nebraska!
My last graduate school class of my program is a full day Saturday class, it just happens to fall on every Saturday this semester that I’m not coaching a high school debate tournament. We were working our way through introductions in the room and word had gotten around to me that there was a fellow dog person present. I went up to her and said, “I hear that you’re into dogs, so am I!” One of our classmates, who I’ve had classes with in the past turned to me and said, “That’s one of the greatest introductions that I’ve ever heard!” Of course, the fellow dog lady and I launched into all sorts of chatter about where we are in our breeding programs and gossiping about what is going on in our respective breeds. She is a Boston Terrier girl, which is one of the two small dogs I’ve ever thought about (the other being a Jagdterrier). But I’ll be a one-breed dog owner for the foreseeable future.
But that really has nothing to do with the task at hand, which is updating you on the end of hunting season and the beginning of puppy season. This Saturday the 31st is the last day of hunting season in Nebraska, and of course I will be at a debate tournament. But Charles and Matt are planning on hitting the fields. They had great success last weekend just south of Auburn, Nebraska on some private land full of quail. They said that they saw numerous coveys and probably 40-60 birds in total. The harvest shows a successful hunt.
Charles and Matt’s harvest of quail with Fire and BB.
Breeding Update
Although I had thought that I’d missed Sam and BB’s breeding while we were in Valentine for Christmas, last week told us otherwise. If Sam wasn’t having his way, he was howling and barking at BB 24/7. We had to bring in Sam at night in order to not disturb the neighbors. So that puts us at pups being born toward the end of March if Mother Nature smiles upon us.
Aaron also brought Velma over this week to see what the interactions between she and Sam were like. Ben has been kenneled with her since before Christmas and all of the signs seemed to be correct for her being bred. Velma was looking chubs when she was here and she had absolutely no interest in letting Sam get with her. So, we’re going to assume that the deed is done and keep an eye on her for possible March pups as well.
Velma and Sam hanging out.
Here’s just a random photo of Caleb with BB and Sam. He is my dog boy and loves spending time with them.
BB, Caleb, and Sam
I have caught up on my e-mails, but am a bit behind on returning phone calls. Right now, e-mail is the best way to get a hold of me with my erratic schedule. I will return phone calls as I can, but I also know that I take down messages sometimes, then the kids get into my office playing around and carry away my papers.
Pupdate
Fire’s sister Bella got out for her first hunt recently. Here’s the word from Gil:
Bella’s first bird hunt was a success! Even more impressive considering the tough conditions. The wind was blowing 25 mph, gusting to 35 mph! Nothing was flushing. Everything was running. She also found plenty of dead/un-retrieved birds.
This sweetheart is a bit of a late bloomer, but seems the training and bloodline kicked into gear.(@ Pheasant Bonanza)
Bella with her chukar from Pheasant Bonanza
Thanks to Gil for the update and thanks to you all for continuing to check up on us even though I’ve gotten a bit sketchy on posting with my new duties. The school district asked me to teach 10th grade English full time and coach the high school debate team this semester, so it is crazy! It might just be for the semester, or it might turn into a permanent thing. The district has to cut 5 million from the budget next year, so there is a possibility the position could be eliminated.
Charles and the kids are stepping up around the house and kennel to make sure that everything we need to do is done. I might drift off for a bit on the blog between now and when the puppies are born, but make no mistake about it, the puppies will be well tended to. My school is only 5 minutes from the house and I will be running back and forth during plan periods and lunch once the puppies are born.
I will certainly let you know about the hunt next weekend and a few weeks after that when and if the females are showing signs of pregnancy. At this point, I am not taking any more reservations this year until I know what the puppy count is. I won’t start thinking about next year until these (hopeful) puppies go home.
I can feel spring in the air and the snow geese are traveling north. Enjoy the extra daylight and send good puppy vibes our way!
It has been absolutely arctic around here. We stayed close to family and did not venture out for grouse, pheasant, or Canadian geese while we were in Valentine. It was very cold outside and several of us were sick with colds. It has stayed cold down here in Bellevue, so nobody has been out anywhere except for the yard. But the good news is that while we were hunkered down in Valentine, we think that Sam and BB got the job done. So, fingers crossed, BB is about 3 weeks along. Velma has just become fertile and is with Ben down in Springfield, Nebraska. They will stay together for two more weeks and see what happens. So if Mother Nature smiles upon us, puppies in March.
Yet if you call or e-mail me, I’m going to refer you to another breeder. I currently have 16 reservations with deposit on file and just have no idea how successful these litters will be. We’ll just keep our fingers crossed and wait and see.
The dogs have been coming in the house quite a big with the cold temps, but I didn’t get the camera out until we were outside today.
Caleb let himself into the kennel with BB and Sam while Charles and Conrad were shooting archery.
Conrad getting his archery practice in!
BB and Fire on a tear in the woods
Fire on a lope, you can still see the shaved patch on her abdomen.
Fire and Caleb
BB, Sam, and Fire
Sam Profile
Fire Running
BB heading in
Sam Eyes
Sam looks on while BB and Fire battle in the yard
Pupdates: Christmas Cards 2014
It’s funny that both of the cards that I received from puppy owners were from the “C” litter of 2012 of Sam and Mae. Not that I can say anything about Christmas cards, I just don’t send them anymore. I figure I send everyone a card everytime I write up a blog post, right? Some cute photos of Chester from Long Island, New York came in Sal’s Christmas card:
Happy Chester
Running Chester
Peaceful Chester
A cute card from the owners of his sister, TracHer, far right, up in North Dakota. Susan in read with Zephyr, also a Wirehaired Pointing Griffon (but not from us). Tom with Max the baby German Wirehaired Pointer and TracHer.
We hope that everyone had a great holiday season and is ready to tackle the New Year ahead. Charles is talking about one more hunt before the Jan 31 close of season, but I’m out of time. I will keep everyone posted with breeding season, please join NAVHDA and the AWPGA, and stay warm!
