Horses, Cats and... CHIMPS?

A friend sent me these pictures and they are just too cute... and interesting... to not share. The back story is a zoo chimp died, leaving her baby to be raised by the keepers. One of them took the little chimp home and...

Back to the canines
but nothing new to report. Esther is still keeping her eyeballs hidden and the Naughty Nine are still doing well. I gave them some newspaper balls and a stuffed animal to play with last night and they lost no time, even as young as they are, at getting into it. There is something about puppies and newspaper, especially CLEAN newspaper. The pups were rearranging every sheet in their pen, toting them from one side to the other and back again, so I though the wadded up balls would interest them. They're over it now and are back to moving the sheets of paper. The stuffed animal has had every one of the pups chewing on it and dragging it around. It is just a tad heavy for them to pick up... at least for the next few days... but it has been all over the pen.

It has been cooler today... mid 80s instead of 90s... and not one request for a wet towel all day. Supposed to be cooler all week and down into the 70s (yeah!) over the weekend.

Birthdays

Every pup here had a birthday this weekend... Peri's daughter is 2 weeks old and Emy's babies are 5 weeks. Seems like they all should be a lot older!

Emy has taken to leaving hers all day... she goes outside around noon and then makes a beeline for somewhere else in the house. And come 10, 11 every night, she goes out for the last time and then wants back in with the pups. Of course, they all rush her and suckle for a short while and want their faces (and butts) cleaned, but by the time all the other dogs have come back inside, the pups have sprawled out and are sound asleep... and Emy is sleeping too. IN the pen, but away from the kids.

Peri is also spending more time away from Esther, but only if she is outside. Once she comes back in the house, she wants in with that pup!

Esther's eyes are still tightly closed which has made me think that part of the problem the whole litter had was they came a little early. Remember when I took Peri in for her ultrasound? It was 5 weeks to the day from her first breeding date... she was bred two days in a row and that was all... and she was so small, I was fairly certain she was NOT pregnant. When the fetuses showed up on the ultrasound, surprising everyone, they were small. At that time, we talked about the possibility that the eggs had not been fertilized for some time... days... after the breeding(s.) The pups arrived at the time they would have if conception had been close to breeding, but the problems they exhibited could have been from prematurity. The eyes not open business could be more of the same... she is still playing catch up. On the other hand, she is sitting up AND trying to walk. Her mom has made the latter a little more difficult by pushing all the bedding into a corner, leaving Esther on a fairly slick... but cooler... surface.

The pups have gotten me well trained during this heat wave. Every morning they start out whining and every morning I wet a towel and put it in the pen. And all of us are happy the rest of the day... even though they seldom get on the towel except by accident. The heat is supposed to ease off soon... thanks to Beryl. Wonder if they are still going to demand their towel!

Little Buggers

I've listened to the same 2-3 pups whining and howling for the last two hours. It is HOT and I'm in the same mood they are, but I'm in the same room they... and their 6-7 siblings are... and none of us is whining. So I put Emy back in with them, opened up the pen so they have three-fourths of the room AND spread a wet towel on the floor. Plus, I added a second fan. On high. Did they stop whining? Yes. But first, they climbed all over their poor mom, grabbed a suck or two, explored the area of the pen they had not been in before and are now sprawled out asleep. Back in the same smaller area of the pen they were in originally. One pup... count her... ONE pup is on the wet towel. I think their whining was just "DO something!" I did. So they quit bellyaching. Probably after congratulating each other on their success at controlling me!

Horses
Six degrees of separation... a friend of mine is a friend of Calvin Boral. She ran into him at the Derby and he introduced her to a number of people... like Mario Gutierrez, Another's jockey, and Lava Man and she got within 20 feet of Another. AND she got me a copy of the photo of Calvin and Rachel Alexandra that I saw but couldn't down load. It is now my wallpaper or screen saver or whatever the big picture on a computer screen is called. It makes me smile every time I see it.

Pictures

In case you are tired of opening email from me...
there are 3 pages of individual photos on the website.

Peri and Esther Pix

Took these yesterday when I found Esther asleep in front of the crate. Obviously, her mom was none too pleased.

If you compare the photos with the ones taken a week ago, it's easy to see how much she has grown.

Emy trivia
People getting pups from the current Emy/Boon litter include 2 Karens, 2 Kennedys and 3 from New York. And now, a second Marcy is thinking it over.

Triple Crown trivia
Eleven horses have won the Triple Crown and since the last one in '78, another 11 horses have won both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness. Soooo, if I'll Have Another hits the finish line first in Belmont 2012, he'll be the 12th horse to try and the 12th horse to do it.
And in the "do I know my stuff or what department," Bob Baffert announced he is not taking Bodemeister to the Belmont about the same time Team Valor, Went the Day Well's people, made the same announcement. Baffert is going to run Paynter who he originally thought was better than Bodemeister while Michael Matz who trains Teeth of the Dog AND Union Rags is sending Rags but keeping Dog home.

Some Pictures

Not what I promised, but something to assauge your anxiety until tomorrow or Thursday.

This is their first few hours in the new pen in the new room... on the other end of the house. So much for THEIR anxiety!
One of the girls, obviously not a clingy type!

Eight of the pups

The whole litter

Their colors are a little lighter than actuality because of the flash.

Triple Crown possibilities
This photo is a bit scary for anyone... like me... dying for a Triple Crown winner this year. It shows I'll Have Another just before the KY Derby finish line... with Dullahan on his outside... and everyone says he was closing fast.

Unlike most race horses, Another wears a "Breathe Right" for horses instead of being on the drug Lasix (like 95% of his compadres.) It's a device that fits outside his nose and opens the nostrils a bit. In NY, the DRUG is legal, the DEVICE is not... for thoroughbred racing. So he can't run the Belmont with it. (It IS "legal" in harness racing, sport horse competitions, etc and the Olympics also allow "flair strips.") Really makes a lot of sense in an industry where drug use, legal and otherwise, is WAAAAY out of hand.
Another and his "pony," Lava Man, are safely stabled at Belmont already and enjoying their new digs. The colt is showing NO signs of being tired or hurt from his last two races. I sincerely hope, in 18 days, we ALL have another!

Esther
A complete turn around for Peri's little girl! She's grown TREMENDOUSLY in the last day or two, is active but not crabby AND is trying to walk.

Emergency Kitty Cat Rescue Needed

I know, first horses and now cats! One of the older posters on the Brokeback forum needs to find a new home for the stray cat that moved in with him a while back.
Jack posted this:
my cat, baby, is a rescue who pretty much walked into my house and never left, had apparently been abandoned, because he had been previously neutered and had other medical procedures as well. he is so happy with his new human protector that he practically radiates this with his every gesture. i can't bring him with me to hawaii, i dimply don't have the money, and my living situation once i get there is likely to not accept pets, and i simply don't know even where i will be staying.

if there is anyone in driving distance who would like to adopt an approximately 7 year old short haired tuxedo cat who is within driving distance of south florida, it would be wonderful to here from you. i would post a picture, but doesn't photograph well at all. he has rather beady dark eyes and the white patches don't extend to his face.

he is a sweetheart, and he needs someone to give him a loving home.

If anyone can help, please email me and I'll put you in touch with Jack. Thanks!

The doctor survived our meeting this morning
He's not a spring chicken and didn't get too pushy, so when I left after about 15 minutes, he was still breathing and able to move on to his next patient. I do have to go back in 6 months, but it's for a repeat of last year's blood work.

Ok, So I Lied

Sorry, but I did NOT get around to taking pictures this weekend OR doing weights. Not really sure how it happened, but today got away from me. I actually woke up early and let all the dogs out quickly... maybe because it was earlier than normal, they wanted to go out, do their business, and get back to bed. It wasn't THAT early, but it seemed like a good idea to me, so I joined them. And it was still early when I awoke again... early afternoon. Nobody but me was awake. Yes, it's hot, back in the 80s, but the house isn't bad. I don't know, maybe it was the tension around Peri and those pups all week long and the excitement of yesterday's Preakness, and every living being in this house just needed a break. Outside too since the locust seem quieter than normal. We're sort of awake now, but the day is gone. The pups have been practicing barking and growling for the last hour or so... ALL of them, non stop... except for Esther but even she's been whining a bit. Which I am glad to hear. She's nursed a couple times that I've seen and has been crawling around the nest, totally different from yesterday when she was trying to be a spot of cream on her blue blanket.

I did get the puppy pen set up in the computer room, so if nothing else, I'll get them moved tomorrow. Maybe.

Today could be caused by my normal reaction to having a doctor's appointment. First thing tomorrow morning. I really HATE going to the doctor... especially when I'm not sick. It's hard enough to get me there when I AM ill. I need my blood pressure med renewed and my "old" doctor, who was half my age and who I saw twice after my surgery last year, moved his practice so I'm seeing the guy who replaced him. I asked the office if he could just renew the prescription and their reply was no because he hadn't prescribed it in the first place. The old guy hadn't either as it was something they put me on in the hospital. Seems like once you're on Medicare, the doctors own you.

As far as taking pictures tomorrow goes, it depends on how I feel when I get back home. I learned a long time ago that I find puppy pictures so frustrating, I'd better start when I'm in a good mood. The happier the better! We'll see.

Cisco's Kids
This is Lula who is 30 pounds at 6 months and has stayed really black so far.

Preakness

I'll have Another did. He's the first horse in 4 years to take the Derby and the Preakness, the first two races of the Triple Crown. It's been 33 years since Affirmed won all 3 back in '78.

MY 4 Preakness horses, so you don't have to look it up, finished 1 - 2 - 3 - 5, AND in the right order to make my heart happy: Another, Bodemeister, Creative Cause and Teeth of the Dog. Not bad, if I do say so myself!

IHA and his people are headed for NYC and the Belmont and as of right now, are planning to enter. Of course, it will depend on how the colt comes back from today.

Two horses he will probably face are Dullahan (3rd in the Derby) and Union Rags (7th in the Derby.) Neither of them ran today. For some reason, I have the feeling that Bodemeister and Went the Day Well will NOT go to New York. But what do I know?

One thing I DO know is I hope Nick Zito has nothing hiding in the back barn. The last two times a horse won both of the first two races, Smarty Jones in '04 and Big Brown in '08, Zito won the third leg, with Birdstone and Da'Tara. There are some trainers who get off on such spoilers.


Peri and Esther
Haven't heard a peep out of Esther all day, not even when Peri picks her up and I wish I thought that was a good sign. She doesn't seem to be dehydrated, so it could be her system has adjusted to life outside the womb. However, Peri went outside this afternoon and didn't try to come right back in. And I don't think that's good either. Maybe I'm just being a glass half empty kind of person.

Best Pix for Last?

I am seriously thinking about moving Emy and the puppies out of the bedroom into the computer/tv room this weekend. For one thing, they are doing really well and while they don't need extra space just yet, it won't hurt them. And for another thing, I spend a lot more awake time in the computer room than in the bedroom. And, for another another thing, I can put up a low divider in the computer room pen so Emy can have a space to get away from the pups, if she needs to. In the bedroom, she is pretty much trapped in... or OUT of... the puppy pen.


Bad Winter/Big Pest Spring
The local evening news just did a story on the incredible increase in the number of tick-bourne diseases this year. They have seen both Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Lyme Disease. When I moved up here 12 years ago, there were NO tick-bourne diseases in the area. This is not good news since I am surrounded by trees and brush. I had a number of trees close to the house removed just over a year ago... well, taken down... the trees are still there... and have seen A LOT fewer ticks since. So far this year, I've seen only a couple, both on ME, not the dogs. Following the theory of "better safe than sorry," I'm going to have to start using BOTH Frontline (for ticks) and Advantage (for fleas) each month. Speaking of which, you don't want to get me started on fleas!

Hanging in There

A couple photos of Peri and the 3 days old Esther

Are You Up for More?

Lousy photos is what I'm talking about. THIS weekend, to mark their 4 weeks birthday, I'm going to try getting shots of individual pups. Now here's the thing, I can use the same "background" as last week (green for boys, orange for darker girls, yellow for lighter girls) but the next time I take pictures, I won't be able to tell which is which (except for gender.) Haven't microchipped them yet. Soon.


Another first prize... for escaping from the CLOSED puppy pen... first prize goes to the (currently) darkest of the males. He squeezed out and was wandering around the bedroom, totally unperturbed by the other dogs who were following behind him. I swear he gave me a big grim when I picked him up and put him back in the pen. (Then fixed the gate with TWO clips so he couldn't get out again.)

Peri
Just the little girl surviving now and she seems to be doing ok. She is being hatched by her mom who keeps her so close to her belly, I have to move her legs to see the pup. And whenever Peri gets up to change position, she scoops the pup up in her mouth and carries her around. This is VERY annoying for me because it makes the otherwise quiet pup cry which makes the dogs in the room rush over to the corner where Peri's "nest" is, whining and barking. (All the other dogs except Emy whose attitude is "it ain't one of MINE!") I wouldn't mind so much except Peri holds her for a while before putting her down... sometimes until I go take the pup OUT of her mouth. In all the years I've been breeding, I've never had a dog do this. Several breeders have suggested Peri is nervous and insecure and being over protective, which IS a possibility... except she doesn't act nervous otherwise. AND when she gets up to go outside, she doesn't pick the pup up. By the way, I've already nicknamed her Esther, short for polyester because Peri and Emy are full sisters and Sparky is the father of Peri's girl and Emy's missing girl, Cotton.

Preakness
Saturday is the second race in the Triple Crown. It is for 1-3/8 miles and the field is down from a possible 20-21 to 11, thank goodness. Six of the 11 ran in the KY Derby 2 weeks ago,including the 1st, 2nd, 4th and 5th place finishers. Mostly because I really REALLY want to see another Triple Crown winner, I'm rooting for I'll have Another who won the first race. Then I'd like to see Bodemeister and Creative Cause and a newby, Teeth of the Dog (for obvious reasons) in the next 3 slots, not necessarily in that order. As a bit of trivia, Dog's half-brother, Tiger Walk, is also running in the race.

More

Today's photos, boys first

Girls

So, in the middle of the night last night, I removed the pool from the puppy pen. Over the last 3 weeks, a good bit of air has leeched out and the sides were pretty squishy. 8 of the pups were having no trouble getting out and 4-5 of those also managed to get back in whenever they wanted. However, several were also worming their way UNDER and the prospect of suffication bothered me. Plus I was tired of listening to them whine about the predicaments they'd gotten themselves into, although it didn't seem to bother Emy. Now EM is the unhappy one since she can't get away from them. She just spent the whole morning outside. And they were fine. They have food and water available and even as young as they are, they're doing well with making do.

More "Gender" Pix

Boys

Darker girls

Lighter girls

Last night, for the very first time, all the pups noticed me when I went in the pen. They all pranced around... yes, they're sure enough on their feet to prance... and tried to get me to pet them. Right now, "petting" means giving them a massage along the spine. Haven't started holding them on the back and rubbing the belly yet. But now that they are aware that I exsist, I'll get on it!


Peri and pups
She did really well with them last night. I only had to check a couple times. The female is active and has a full tummy but the male is barely hanging on. I'm actually amazed that he is still breathing. He isn't in any distress, just fading away. The interesting thing is, mamas tend to shove those pups aside and not pay any attention to them. (That is often my first clue that there is something SERIOUSLY wrong with a pup.) But whenever Peri changes position, she moves him to where she can see him. She doesn't put him up close to her like she does the girl, but she moves him from one side of the nest to the other. Whenever I check on her, she lets me know that the female pup belongs to HER... she's worse than an old hen... but she doesn't object to me picking up the male. Right now, I'm not even to the point of cautious optomism about a survivor in this litter, but I'm headed in that direction.

Sad News re Peri

Mother's Day was not a good one here for Peri. She had to have a c-section after her first two pups were stillborn. In total, there were 5 puppies, which is pretty much what I was expecting, but tonight only 2 are surviving and they are not doing well. Peri had a really rough time throwing off the anesthesia and the pups also seemed overly affected by it. I checked with my vet today (the c-section had to be done at the emergency clinic) and was assured the drug used was the "latest thing" and was well thought of, especially by younger vets. As most people know, not everything works well in every situation. When it comes time to breed Peri again, I'll have to consider everything that has happened this time around.

Right now, I am feeding the pups every 60-90 minutes but this afternoon, with Peri finally awake and fairly sure on her feet again, I did put the two survivors with her. Before that, she heard the pups when they whimpered and absolutely KNEW they were hers. Since she was upset being away from them, I figured it was best if they were all together. She has settled down and they have been quiet. Their nursing prowess leaves a lot to be desired... they are rooting in the right area, but just don't have the hang of grabbing on a nipple and sucking... so I am continuing to feed them. The last time, neither of them was particularly interested in what I was offering, so they may be getting enough without my help.

So, another waiting game around here.

I understand that I generally have better luck with breeding, whelping and raising puppies than anybody I know, far better than anyone has a right to expect. So ocassionally, I have some bad "joss" just to remind me of how long things have been good.

Another First Prize Award

In the "I'm 3 weeks old and want some variety in my diet" department, first prize goes to the darkest male pup who, yesterday afternoon, discovered F O O D !

The incredible thing is how quickly word spread about this great find...

I ended up putting the bowl inside the pool, mainly because I prefer the pups stay nested a while longer and they won't be as inclined to go exploring if there is this wonderful new stuff close at hand.

Em - 3 Weeks Pix

As promised, photos of the pups by gender. It is simply not possible for ME to get 3 pups to look at the camera long enough to get a good shot or two, so I have a whole collection with one or two pups looking good and the other(s) not. Every day, I'll be posting one shot of each group until they're used up. And as soon as I can get to it, I'll do a separate page for Emy's pups on the website.
Starting off with the boys (on a green towel... and yes, the color is a little off!)

Then, the darker girls (on orange)

And the lighter girls (on yellow)

Puppy Watch

Here we go again! Peri kept me up late last night. She was very restless and VERY interested in her bottom. In fact, she was so reluctant to settle down and go to sleep, I thought we might be going to have puppies. I locked up everyone in the bedroom... which they were not happy about!... and put fresh food and water in Peri's puppy pen. She went in and ate... she ate quite a bit actually... but didn't settle down until I closed the pen with her inside. Then she laid down on the blanket, stretched out on her side and went to sleep. Eventually, I let the other dogs out so they could lay down on MY blankets and we all went to sleep. This morning, Peri finished off the food in her bowl and ate some of the new when I filled it up again. And she seems cool and calm.

Here's the thing, an experienced mom-to-be, like Emy, knows where the safe place for her pups is... the puppy pen in my bedroom. But it's all new to Peri. However, she is an extremely smart girl... or she would never have returned to the house on top of the ridge last Fall... and it seems to her that the second pen, which has suddently magically appeared in the bedroom is going to be the best place for her pups. Even though she's not yet sure what is going on. She has all these hormones telling her things and none of it makes sense right now. NEXT time around it will all go ding ding in her head.

If you remember, Emy was "nervous" and uncmfortable for a long time... almost a week... before her pups arrived. Well, Peri is not nearly as big. She is a smaller girl to start with and she is bred to a smaller dog, but the main thing is this is her first litter. And she's in great shape. So her muscles are still taut, the same way a young woman with her first baby looks and carries differently that an older one who has already had a couple sets of twins. To be honest, I am NOT looking forward to delivery time. First time bitches often get freaked out and take a while to settle into the process.

Back to Lazy Pups

No one has left the nest for 24 hours. Several of the pups have gone to the sides, especially the area where Emy steps in and out, and looked over, but then just walked a few feet and stretched out. Guess the 3 escapees told the rest of the litter how much work it was and they've decided to wait until they're bigger.

Rescue, looking for home

This sweetheart is Popcorn, a 6 pounds or so PomPoo. He is almost 6 years old and is neutered. Popcorn is a character! He gets along well with other dogs and is very into people. AND he is an excape artist! He climbs and can find the smallest hole in any fenceline. If you have time to keep an eye on him or live where he'd have to go outside ONLY when on lead, he'll make you a terrific pet!

I Stand Corrected

Yesterday's first prize winning pup has convinced me she won fair and square and she knew exactly what she was doing and where she was going when she escaped from the nest. If I returned her once since then, I've put her back a dozen times. AND she has taught one of her lighter colored sisters the trick of sneaking down the back stairs (so to speak.) That one is getting out a lot as well, but always with the first pup. Not to be out done by the girls, the males elected one of their own to join them. But, being a boy, he's done it only once, just to prove he can.

They are all up on wobbly legs but still fall over after a step or two. Makes me wonder what Em's put in the milk!

Word of warning
The puppy pix on the website are going to disappear so if you see one you want to save for your baby book, do it right away. Once I replace a pix with a new one, the old is gone.

Moving Along

The first award for being the first in this litter to do something goes to one of the darkest girls who was the first to get out of the nest. She gets the prize even though I think it was less of a desire on her part to go exploring than "I just got hold of this nipple and I'm not letting go" tenacity. She didn't make a sound when she found herself out on her own... I was sitting right there and noticed nothing. But every one of the dogs in the room was instantly on alert and crowding around the puppy pen. THEY made Emy nervous and she started trying to pick the pup up and put her back. I have yet to see one of MY dogs pick a pup up by the scruff of the neck and Emy is no exception. She tried to scoop the little girl into her mouth as she did when they were newborns but two weeks means the pups are way too big for that. By the time I got everyone out of the way and the pen open, Emy was frustrated and the pup was soaking wet. And still totally unperplexed! As soon as I put her up against my cheek, she started trying to find something to suck on. Emy did lie down with the gang for a few minutes before again leaving the nest to get something to eat.

Cisco's Kids
Millie enjoying her toy.

Millie weighs 32# at 6 months. Her people report she is a happy girl but is troubled by separation anxiety. I have no experience with that since I never have one dog by itself... can't remember a time when mine was not a multiple dog household... so if someone has some ideas, please let me know and I'll pass them on. Today, in Petsmart, I saw a "blanket/coat" that is designed to prevent fear of thunder. The box lists separation anxiety as one of the issues that can be helped by using the blanket which fits very snuggly over the dog's body and chest. Not sure how it works.

A Bark!

Somebody has her ears open! (Or HIS ears.) Today, one of the pups has barked... twice that I've heard. Which means that pup can hear sounds. And it also means the rest won't be deaf much longer. And THAT means it's going to be a bit noisy around here for the next couple days. Once pups' ears open, they react to every little peep and squeek. And if one of them barks, the rest chime in. They can keep it going for a while until they learn to distinquish one sound from another.

Full body scanning made easy...

Sexy pictures
I understand a number of you would like to see what the boys look like and what the girls look like, so the next time I take photos... this weekend... I'll do 3 group shots: 1 of the 3 boys and two with 3 girls each. Individual photos won't start until about 6 weeks.

Back to Emy's Pups

There is barely enough room for all nine to get in there at one time. During the day, Em usually sits up to nurse and at night, she'll lie on her side while one group nurses, then she moves to the other side of the pool and stretches out for the second group to nurse. Funny thing is, when the pups are nursing in groups, there are almost ALWAYS 5-6 pups in each group. Don't know if Emy isn't good at counting, but in MY book that adds up to more than nine!

Hope these give an idea of how the colors are different to each other and how their colors are lightening up.

(More pix on the website.)

The little boogers have their eys open... well, sort of! They sleep more than any litter I've had since doing Whoodles. I was really surprised yesterday when I picked them up and every one of them looked right at me. Usually when I pick one up, it doesn't even wake, Also usually,

pups this age... 15 days today... are moving around a lot. These guys move from one sleeping position to another and that's about it... except when it's their turn to eat. Then they try to get on their feet. But they seem healthy enough. Just lazy and easily appeased!

Took these pix with the new camera. I have a whole slew of them because I took a whole slew and most of them are fairly clear.

Thanks Marcy!

Quiet Sunday

Hot! But not as bad as the last couple days. We were in low 80s today, humidity down, so it was comfortable. But I slept in anyway. My sleep cycle is really screwed up right now... nothing unusual for me since I'm a night person to start with. I've been up later and later... or earlier and earlier, depending on your outlook... every night. And for some reason, the dogs are letting me get away with it! Maybe because they are enjoying the cool night and morning air too.

Take Charge Indy
As I thought, he had a problem although his people didn't think so for a while after the race. I would have thought, especially considering Calvin Borel saying he didn't know what had stopped him... he thought the horse had bled which they checked out... that they would have give some thought to other causes. He was already cooled down and being taken to the barn when they noticed he was favoring a front leg. They said he was not limping when he came off the track and was being cooled. Duh! As soon as the adrenaline wore off, he felt the pain. He chipped an ankle bone and is scheduled for surgery. Won't be racing for a number of months.
There is a wonderful photo of Calvin meeting Rachel Alexandra and her foal a day or so before the Derby. She has her head buried in his arms and he looks like he is crying. I tried to copy it but no luck.

Union Rags may not be going to Baltimore for the Preakness. His trainer, the terrific Michael Matz, is unhappy with the last two races he's run and isn't sure if it is the horse or his rider who is considered to be first class.

On the other hand, I'll Have Another will be there tomorrow so he has the next 2 weeks to acclimate and make the track his own.

Yep, this blog has gone from dogs to horses! But it only lasts until mid-June when the Belmont is run!

I Don't Need the Stress!

My cable company, which I abhor anyway, lost the NBC visual feed this afternoon about the time the Derby coverage started. Yikes! I finally talked myself down off the ceiling... I could HEAR just fine up there, thank you... and decided I would pretend I was back in the early 50s, listening to the race on the radio. I got to listen to all the pre-race stories and visual was restore about a half hour or so before the post parade.

As usual, MY horses did not do all that well... in fact, Take Charge Indy (who was second in my heart) finished 19th. So far no word on the problem, but he left the gate fairly well and ran decently for a while, right where I expected him to be. Since he wasn't pulled up, I'm hoping it just wasn't his day or he threw a shoe or something, nothing serious. My closest finisher, and closest to my heart, was Creative Cause who was 5th. Bodemeister ran all the way in front, ahead even of Trinniberg who was supposed to be THE speed demon. (He finished 17th.) But just before the wire, I'll Have Another decided he would and he won going away (which bodes, no pun intended, well for the Belmont which is a quarter mile longer than the Derby. And with a smaller field, he just might be able to break free of the herd a little earlier and take the Preakness which is 1/16th mile shorter than the Derby.) A Tripe Crown IS possible this year and more likely than in the passed few years. As for my other horses, Gemologist, who was tied almost neck and neck IN MY HEAD with Indy, was 16th. Daddy Nose Best, my fourth horse, was right in the middle of the mix at 10th. Went the Day Well and Dullahan, two of my honorable mentions, finished 3rd and 4th. The favorite, Union Rags once again had a problem race, something he seems prone to and ended up 7th while Hansen, another very well thought of colt, was 9th. He seemed very agitated starting in the paddock and was soaking wet before he got in the gate, so I don't think anyone was surprised. Another horse that was a little worked up before the gate was the "pony" who travels with I'll Have Another. He is Lava Man, a retired champion race horse (over $5 mil in winnings) and a big favorite in California where he and Another live. Lava Man is probably back in his stall trying to figure out why he never gets loaded in the gate any more! I have the complete order of finish for anyone who is interested.

A minor piece of trivia... I'll Have Another was purchased for... $11,000.

Blog
My friend, Karen, did not like the blog in white. So it is now blue.

Pups
Emy's are two weeks tomorrow. And to celebrate, I have a new camera sent to me by Marcy who is getting one of Peri's pups and wants non blurry pictures when they arrive. She's hoping I'll figure it out quickly!  I hope everyone appreciates my gift as much as I do!

Saturday!

I am SOOO looking forward to THE RACE tomorrow! This afternoon I found a website with various articles about the Derby mostly, but a few of general interest (if your general interest is horse racing.) And one of the authors is Kerry Thomas, THE expert in "emotional conformation profiling." He applies aspects of herd dynamics and individual psychology to how horses run their races. It was absolutely fascinating and I'll be watching the Derby with his comments in mind. By the way, he is really high on Union Rags and Went the Day Well, but his analysis of Creative Cause has not disuaded me from him. His observations of all 20 colts gave me so much new stuff to think about I'll be up all night. Something he said about one of the colts was reinforced when I went to the Zenyatta forum and they were talking about the same colt and problems he had with his mom. (It happens to the best of us!) It just goes to show that moms of any kind have a life long effect, positive and negative that often go unidentified as the basis of behavior. Don't get me wrong, I'm not big on psycological mumble-jumble, but some things just make sense.

Derby Weekend

But first... Take a look at this pup. See the areas of gray (silver) already showing up? Others are showing areas of lighter red or tan than their coat colors.

They are all doing so well, it's scary! The last day or so, they are trying to get up on their legs and if they keep going, they'll be walking before their eyes open! Plus, they have already experienced the coldest night of the year and the hottest day!

I hope Peri's pups are up for this challenge!

Derby Saturday
Well, it is another huge field of seemingly fairly equal so-so colts. No one stands out. Even the experts all have different picks. My four, NOT in order, are:
Take Charge Indy (post position 3 with Calvin Borel up)
Creative Cause (#8, he's bred for over a mile, he's gray and I love his "little guy" back story - his mom, and HER mom, are pretty much his 80 year old BREEDER/owner's only other horses and his 71 year old "small time" trainer says he's getting two Derbys this year... his first and his last!)
Daddy Nose Best (out of gate 10, Garret Gomez on board)
Gemologist (#15, since his daddy is Tiznow and his pedigree is a little "older" than many of the other colts.)
Also
Bodemeister (with Mike Smith up, out of post 6, is interesting because he was unraced as a 2 year old but, heart attack or not, I'm not a real Bob Baffert fan. The last time the Derby was won by a colt that didn't start racing until 3 was in... 1882.)

Union Rags(#4,) Dullahan (#5,) Went the Day Well (#13, LOVE that name!) and Hansen (#14,) are also well thought of. The early lead should go to Trinniberg (#9) but it's not likely he can go the mile and a quarter.
There are 20 horses in the field. If someone scratches, even at the last minute, there is an alternate entry. I would much rather see 12-15 horses, but no one asked me and I'm not paying any Derby nomination fees.
.
So I've listed half the entries...
and I have to admit, my heart is with Creative Cause.

While They're Little

Everyone always says to enjoy the babies while they're little.
I'll drink to that!

It's HOT here again. In the mid 80s and going higher the next couple days. I am loathe to turn the ac on so early so I have every window in the house wide open and fans in every room, sometimes 2 to a room. The pups are a tad whiny and Emy doesn't like it. She sits outside the nest and whines back at them. If they get to the point of actual crying, I'll put them on a wet towel. Right now, they are spread all over the nest, not touching each other. Em doesn't like THAT either as it makes it difficult for her to find a spot to lie down in without squishing a pup. She's solved the problem by going into the nest, nosing this one and that one awake and when they move toward her, she steps over them and plunks herself down in the space they've just vacated. There's nothing like a mama dog who knows her stuff! (Today's pix is from earlier, when it was still cool.)

Peri
I've tried a couple times to get a picture of Peri... who is looking gorgeous! (That pregnancy bloom, you know.) But when I go out in the yard with her, she doesn't leave my side. I may have to resort to tying her to the fence long enough to get a decent shot!