Cotton's Pregnant, Brogue has a Wheaten Girlfriend and Some People are Idiots

Puppies coming
Finally! I'm sure Ms Cotton is pregnant. Just a few days ago I was still on the fence about it, but she has blossomed. I'm thinking about trying to get a picture of her little pooch.

The reservation list will open on May 1st. I'm already screening inquirers, so I think all 4 spots may be spoken for quickly. Since she's most likely going to have more than 4 pups, not getting on the list doesn't mean there won't be pups available... but one of the great things about being on the list is it guarantees the price even if all the pups are something exotic like purple!

The gigolo
Brogue is getting to strut his stuff for a purebred SCWT girl who lives near us. She's a real cutie... light wheaten colored like he is but really small. She's still a little shy and he was kinda ho-hum this afternoon, but we'll see how long those two things last as her season progresses!

What you think you know...
So, a friend of mine told me about another breeder he's been talking to who had some misinformation about her breed. I won't say WHICH breed because it really doesn't matter. Her closed mindedness does. He's been breeding the whatevers for more than 2 dozen years and has a reputation both in the US and South America for the excellent quality of what he produces. This lady (and I use the term loosely since I read her emails to him) claims to have a lot of experience and knowledge. The bone of contention: a black dog having a black mask. Now, I'm not an expert on the whatevers but to me it would seem virtually impossible to know if a dog had a mask if the mask was the same color as the the rest of the dog. Not only that, but why would you care? This "lady" claims her dogs have masks because they don't have any white on their muzzles... apparently the white stops between the eyes on any of her dogs with white on its face and from the cheekbones down, the muzzle is all black. Well, gee willikers! My black lab must have a black mask since she doesn't have any white on her lower face... or her UPPER face either, for that matter (we'll ignore the gray, every hair of which she's come by honestly!) Perhaps I shouldn't have spayed her... maybe with a good advertising program and a little misinformation, I could have cornered the market on the rare and uniquely patterned black masked black Labs. Curses! Foiled again! This is a big issue to the other breeder because somewhere in the whatevers' breed standard is something about masks. I didn't bother pulling out the AKC book and reading the standard... Juan's word is good enough for me. As is his impeccable English... however the "lady" had some not very nice things to say about foreigners coming up here, not understanding the language and therefore, not knowing nuthing about nada (which is Spanish for nothing.) I wonder how many languages SHE speaks.

New Pix and Dave's Book

This is Hershey, one of Emy and Shadow's pups living in the Atlanta area. (There are several there.) Doesn't he have a sweet expression? He's the guy who has a family that includes triplets, just turned 4 years of age. And he STILL has that sweet expression! Hershey is now 22 pounds.


Columbine (the book)

Wrong again. I had assumed... as has most of America, apparently... that the students who killed their classmates 10 years ago were picked on and poorly parented. However, I read this "book report" and found out it just ain't so. So now I have to buy the book and find out what REALLY was going on and why our schools are not prepared to deal with this situation. Here is the link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jesse-kornbluth/a-disturbing-new-book-abo_b_180613.html

Request to Whoodle Families

I've had a number of people email me recently asking if I could put them in touch with folks in their local area so they could actually "meet" a Whoodle. Any of you who are willing to share with a stranger, please let me know. When someone asks, I'll send YOU their contact info and YOU can get in touch... or not... as you choose.

Columbine
Today is the 10 year anniversary of this tragedy. I must admit I have not had any on going curiosity about the situation. However, the owner of the forum where I spend a lot of time... the Brokeback Mountain forum... has written a book on Columbine. It is debuting on the New York Times Best Seller List
at number seven. Dave (Cullen) was supposed to be on Oprah this afternoon but the show was cancelled at the last minute because she felt the program was all about the killers. I was looking forward to putting an "action figure" to the forum poster I've known for more than 3 years. Anyone with an interest in this subject should get Dave's book and check out his Columbine blog at
http://davecullen.com

WHO-DOOS a "no go" again
Well, Debbie-doodle is staying in California so there won't be any Who-Doo pups this summer, at least not here. If the interest is still there when my Keogh comes back into season, I'll try a surgical artificial insemination with her and Brogue. That should be in October.

Lots of interest in Butler
After several weeks of nothing going on, my mailbox had a number of inquiries in it over the weekend AND my phone has been busy... THREE calls this afternoon! He is "on hold" for a fairly local family who is going to try to meet him this weekend. He is such a great guy, I'm really going to miss him. Unlike the 2 Poodle mix pups still here! Just joking, sort of. They are really sweet pups but I'd forgotten how much MORE work small breed pups are than medium to large breed pups. They are very active and agile and noisy! But they're smart too and not only know the rules BUT have become quite adept at reading my body language.... These guys are practically house broken and have had all their shots and would make really really good pets... hint, hint!

Keep Those Photos Coming!

Another one of the pups has checked in, via Miss Mary Jane (thank you very much!) Above is Zoe her first day or so in her new home and here she is months later:

She certainly isn't camera shy... apparently just like the rest of the family!

Who-Doo news

And it ain't good. Debbie-Doodle MAY be coming into season and she's still in California. We have not found a reliable way to get her to me, so, if we don't figure something out immediately, I may have to pass on leasing her. And Keogh has just been in season and it will be another 6 months before we can try her with ai. Well, what's supposed to happen, WILL happen... in its own time.

Obama Dog, Haircuts

OBAMA'S FIRST REALLY BIG MISTAKE

The internet is abuzz with the Presidential dog and, as a serious dog-person, my opinion is: given all the choices he could have made, the Prez made a terrible one. First, the breed, Portuguese Water Dog or PWD, is not for first time dog owners, even those with tons of OTHER people around to deal with their issues. Second, this a rehome which means something didn't work out with the first owners. Now it could be the breeder got the pup back because of economics... it's happening to all of us... but it could be there was a problem. People giving up their pets OFTEN do not follow full disclosure rules because they are afraid the breeder... or shelter or whomever... will not take the dog if it has behavioral difficulties. Third, a puppy who has left its breeder, gone to its own home and then had to be rehomed, is confused and frightened by all the changes in its life. It needs time... often LOTS of time... to settle in and adjust to its new situation and people (and the fewer people, the better.) It definitely is not a candidate for high profile first time owners. I hope this pup comes into the White House and makes a liar out of me.

HAIRCUTS and PUPPY PIX

I have several new photos of pups from Emy and Shadow's litter (the one Butler is from.) Scott and Kariss were kind enough to send me "before and after" pictures:



They think Stoney looks too Poodley with his trim and I agree. (A lot of Portuguese Water Dogs get trimmed like this too... it seems to be the universal "puppy cut," one trim fits all!)

Here are Emy (grown out from her last do-over) and Cotton (Em's pup from her first litter) in HER first haircut:

This is sort of a "Two Faces of Whoodles" shot!

And this is the little black girl, Pookie, who is living in the Chicago area:

Of course, this photo is from when Pookie first moved from Tennessee. Bet she has a lot more coat now!

PUPPYSITTING DONE

For about a week I was babysitting a really sweet little Whoodle guy who was between homes. His buyers bought him up north and then fell on rough times... it seems to be going around... and had to give him up. They thought they'd found someone for him but needed a place for him to crash until his new family could get him. So he came here and had a great time playing with Butler and the poodle-mix pups (some are STILL hanging around!) and his people picked him up yesterday. I was sorry... almost... to see him go!

Things that make me happy and one that doesn't

Bad news first... I had to put my little liver shunt puppy to sleep. He made it to almost 5 months which was way longer than we had expected, but he suddenly lost his energy and desire to play and then had 3 seizures within 36 hours. My vet is so supportive. She always makes me feel like I've made the right decision. Guess after all these years she knows long much of an effort it is for me, even after I've reached the point where I know I don't have another choice. I can't tell you how important it is to have a good relationship with your veterinarian.

Now, things that have tickled me in the last couple days...
1) Ringling has a bull calf born 1/19/09 whose name is: Barack.
2) Barbaro has another full brother, still unnamed, born 3/10/09. Lots to look forward to with Nicantor now 3 and Lentenor 2. And mom is going back to dad again this year.
3) Ty Murray is doing great on Dancing with the Stars. His first night was rough... as it was for many contestants... but every week he's gotten more relaxed and this, the 4th week's, performance was terrific. Of course, Gilles Whose-last-name-I-don't-know and Melissa from the Bachelor are the top contendors and my money is on the Frenchman.

And Cotton, my mini Whoodle backcross, was in season and had her way with Brogue (or maybe it was the other way around!) So now fingers crossed for a month or so!

Oh, and the deck is all finished except for the rear where the railing isn't up. We're going to leave it off until I decide what to do about the ramp.