Not Yet

A quickie for everyone who is waiting for Cotton... no pups yet. I stayed up all night... well, I was up and down all night (actually, that's pretty normal at my age, so no big deal....) Every time she moved, she rustled the newspaper in the puppy pen so I'd come to full alert waiting for a squeak or two. Every time that didn't happen, I took myself off to the bathroom... no sense wasting the non-sleeping minutes... and then back to bed. Will keep you posted!

The Filly Does It, Cotton Still Working On It!

Rachel Alexandra led all the way and finished first against the colts, with Mine That Bird coming from the back of the pack to finish second. IF they are both in the Belmont in 3 weeks and both have an equally problem free trip around the track, I think he'll catch her. But maybe not... her jockey said she didn't like the track in Baltimore and maybe the one in NY will please her more. But it is for sure Bird's Derby win was not a fluke.

Cotton - Maybe Tonight
Cotton has been panting off and on all day and she's eaten (FINALLY!) about half a bowl of food, so tonight might be the time she's chosen for whelping. She certainly isn't arguing about wanting to stay out of the puppy pen when I tell her to get in... a sign that she feels safe and comfortable there. I don't have anything planned for tomorrow (except the Survivor finale, so I won't mind getting up and down all night long!

Update

So, today's the 15th. No puppies here yet, although Cotton hasn't eaten anything for 2 days and is just lying around, doing nothing. She did a little nesting (digging) Wednesday night... during the Lost finale, bad girl... but that's it so far. I'm not one of those who's had any success with taking temperatures, but I may try it just to give myself something to do! This waiting is the worse part of breeding dogs, for me anyway.

She'll probably get really active tomorrow during the

Preakness
Rachel Alexandra is in. The field at post position picking time was just 13, so the "extra" horses weren't thrown into the mix. Maybe the owners were just trying to scare RA's people away. As much as I'd like to see her kick the stuffing out of the colts' owners/trainers, I'm hoping Bird wins. I'd really, really like to see another Triple Crown winner. I'd like to see them come down to the wire:
Mine That Bird
Rachel Alexandra
Friesan Fire
so it will probably be Pioneerof the Nile, Papa Clem and Tres Borrachos!

Why Do People...?
I've been working with a lady for over a week for one of the rescues... sending pictures, putting her in touch with my vet, getting the dog groomed... and we were supposed to get together yesterday for her to get the dog. She was coming from about 3 hours away and I had to rearrange my schedule (and leave Cotton alone for 2 to 2-1/2 hours) so we would have time to give the dog a little adjustment period before he was whisked off. Then, as I'm almost to the meeting point (about 45 minutes away,) she calls and says her husband told her she couldn't get the dog. Now, here's my first question:
why would anyone make the decision to get a dog (or cat or car or tv, etc) without consulting the other folks in the home?
And my second question is:
why would a woman allow a man to veto the decision?
Don't get me wrong... I think adding an animal (or making a big purchase) should be a mutual decision and all points of view should be considered. However, if the objections are without merit, or if it is really important to one party to go ahead (or NOT,) the other person should not have final say.
One lady, who has two of my puppies (now grown up,) wrote me a while back and asked if there was any way to keep the dogs in full coat without brushing them continually. She said her husband refused to let her get them trimmed and their upkeep was very time consuming. So I told her to suggest that since he wanted them long haired, HE should do the brushing. Either that idea worked or they are now divorced... I haven't heard.
BUT bringing a puppy into the home is a big decision. It changes EVERYTHING and it is a long term commitment. Everyone should be on board... especially the people who are going to be doing all the work!

Thoroughbred Shenanigans

So it's not just the dogworld where people don't play fair. The outstanding filly, Rachel Alexandra, who won the Kentucky Oaks on May 1st by over 20 lengths, may be kept out of the Preakness because a number of the colts' owners think they'll have a chance to win IF she's not in the race. (Like, duh!) According to the race rules, she (or ANY unnominated horse) can enter ONLY if fewer than 14 nominated horses do. Several of the owners have said they're going to enter second horses, even though they are not expected to do anything, just to keep her out. Calvin Borel, who regularly rides Rachel and who was on her for the Oaks, also rode Mine That Bird in the Derby. HE has said if he has to choose, he'll stay on the filly. Shame on the owners who are taking part in this. And shame on Rachel for scaring them so badly!

We're Still Waiting Here!

Cotton still has a belly full of puppies. I thought we might be a go a little while ago as she stopped eating and just lay around all day Sunday and part of Monday. But Monday afternoon she got hungry and really chowed down. She's now in my bedroom and has gotten comfortable living there with a different group that she's normally with. I have her puppy pen all set up and READY (except for the "nest" which I won't bring out until I'm pretty sure she's done whelping,) but she hasn't taken the hint. Maybe she understands she's going to be changed forever after the big event.... On the other hand, my first prediction for a whelping date was May 15th, so maybe she's just trying to NOT make a liar out of me!

Patch Crabtree checks in
Pam sent me this picture of Patch taking a break from keeping the 4 kids in line:

He is such a beautiful boy! And a big success in Alabama!

Preakness
Haven't looked up who is entered in this Saturday's Preakness... I think pole positions are drawn tomorrow... so I'm standing by my prediction that Mine That Bird will not finish first. I would LOVE to be wrong!

Talk about CLOSE!

For the first time in the 9 years I've lived here, we had a serious, close tornado threat. One touchdown was about 10 miles from me. I know that doesn't sound like much to those of you who regularly deal with tornadoes, but we simply do not have them here. Something about the mountain ridges keep them away. But tonight, the Lab went and hid in the bathroom (normally she plants herself on top of me during storms) and the Poodle had to be in physical contact with me (normally, the same room is close enough.) Didn't get to see ANY of the programs I usually watch because the local weather people just kept updating their reports which were coming in hot and heavy from all over the area. I tried to find some photos on line but even the news stations haven't posted them yet. Apparently there was little to no damage to people and/or property. Still under a warning, but the bad weather is well away from me. In fact, I just made a group of dogs go outside in preparation for bedtime. I hope I'll get everyone out before the rain starts up again. And, other than that, nothing new to report!

Getting close!

As big as Cotton has gotten in the last week, it is hard to imagine I ever had doubts! Now all I have to do is wait! Three of the four reservation spots are taken and the fourth may be as well. BUT she looks like she's going to have twice that!

Riley
Got this birthday photo of Riley. Jim and Helen say "We can't imagine our lives before we had him." Riley has gone from 6 pounds when he was picked up to 29 pounds. And look at those long legs!


The Derby
What an exciting Kentucky Derby. Even if none of my picks was in the top 10! The horse I was really watching... I Want Revenge... was scratched early Saturday morning and the 3 others I was interested in... Freisan Fire (I love his name and his Eight Bells connection,) General Quarters (love the background story and his low price) and Mr. Hot Stuff (love his big "puppyish" gangliness and his perserverence in the only race I saw him in, the Arkansas Derby, I think)... just didn't have it. But as I was watching the leaders round the turn and head down the stretch, I caught movement out of the corner of my eye and got to see the incredible "been nice fellas, gotta go now" run Mine That Bird made. He went passed everyone like he had lights flashing and the siren on! And his jockey's sheer joy was so much fun to watch. (The trainer, on the other hand, could have used another pain pill!) And just to show how little I really know about horse racing, I don't think Bird has a chance in the Preakness. Been waiting all these years for another Triple Crown winner... just don't think it's going to happen in 09.

Columbine, the book
Dave's book has moved up to #3 on the New York Times best seller list. Got my copy from Amazon a few days ago and am several chapters into it. As I said before, it's not a subject that has any real interest for me BUT it is easy reading and Dave makes the people real.