Change in Blog Site

The new address for the blog is
http://mtsummitblog.com

My apologies for the change.
I hope this will solve my login and posting problem.

The old blog will stay here and be accessable for some time... how long, I don't know.
Sherry

Pix 2 & Anniversary

Let's start with anniversary...
it was one year ago tonight that I got Peri back. I have a vivid memory of getting the phone call telling me she was coming into the Mills house but dashing back out before the door could be closed and how long the 5 minute drive from my house to theirs seemed. I was discouraged when I got to the porch and the screen door was shut tight. But when I went in, almost immediately there she was, all the way across the room and down the hall, peaking out at me from the bedroom. As poor as my eyesight is, I saw the exact second she recognized me and her mama... she turned into another dog as if by magic and came running down the hall, practically jumping into my arms. It will always be one of the best moments of my life.

And, of course, it is the one year anniversary of NOT getting Cotton back.

Having the two girls missing will always be an experience I NEVER want to go through again, but I will ALWAYS be grateful and humbled by all the kindnesses shown me by complete strangers.

Now the fuzzy pictures 
for some reason, I cannot post photos directly to the blog (again,) so I am linking them from the website file. It worked in practice.

Here are the pups in birth order

female - male - male - female - male - male - female

And the 3 girls


And the 4 boys


For me, it is interesting that the birth order was the two parti, the two black, the three blond.
The blond boys, born 5 and 6, were so close together I don't know which was 5 and which 6. The blond girl was 7th.

All are going well. And there is already one I can identify by her cry... the parti girl is NOT a patient puppy and she is very vocal when she is unhappy... which is any time she's awake and there is no nipple in her mouth!

Em is eating her regular food and going outside voluntarily (and VERY quickly.) She's already jumped all over poor little Crockett because he beat her back to the bedroom and dared to approached the puppy pen. He survived without a scratch, except to his ego.

Pictures

The biggest problem with pictures from the blog point of view is I've tried all day to post them... using two different browsers... and what you see is what I've managed to upload. Tomorrow, I will put them on the website.

The smaller problem is when I went in to take the pictures in the first place, I grabbed the wrong camera. Instead of the nice new one Marcy sent me (thanks again!) I got the old one that makes everything fuzzy. So, you're saying, why not just get the new one and go back and take more pictures? Well, I'm answering, Emy was upset enough that I took all her babies away to get the first batch, even though they weren't gone that long.  It's took her 36 hours to get them to shut up and she wasn't pleased that I disturbed them. She'll be over it in a day or two.

Business cards
are FINALLY in the mail to those who asked for them. There are reasons I always put off Spring cleaning and Fall cleaning until next year, year after year... not being able to find anything afterwards is the main one.

And last
I am in need of some creative mortgage financing ideas. The particulars are small loan, repossessed property  now owned by Freddie Mac, NOT going to be primary residence OR rental property.

Well!

They're here! Seven stunning and amazing BIG pups. (Comparatively speaking.) The first one, a parti girl, arrived 10 PM and five others in quick time... a couple hours. Number seven, a solid blond girl, showed up around 3:30. There is one other girl, a black with tan already on her feet, and four boys: a mostly black parti, a solid black and two solid blond. All the light colored pups are really light. 

Em had the first one in the dog room, but really wanted to come into the bedroom, so I moved her. She's done well and they've been fairly quiet... tonight I'll put  hot water bottles in with them. Warm puppies are quiet puppies and I want to get some sleep! And I'm going to get off this computer and make Emy go outside for a few minutes. 

Will get a picture or two tomorrow morning when she goes outside again.

Hang in There

Emy's still cooking those pups. I think they are browning now and should be making their escape in a couple days. Em is big, the pups are moving forward and she is happy to be in a puppy pen all by herself. Don't know if I'll leave her there as it is in the "dog room." I may move her into the bedroom once the pups arrive. We'll just see how it goes.

Hey

We're still here. Everything is still calm and quiet, even the weather. Emy is still eager to go outside and sit in the sun or lounge on the deck. She's still eating a normal amount and, big as she's getting, still quite comfortable. And I still haven't set up the puppy pen. I hope I get moving before she does!

Business cards
Several people have asked me to send them my business cards to pass out when they are out walking their pups. Anyone wanting cards needs only to ask! I'm happy to send them.

Big news
But I'm not yet willing to share the specifics. However, in general, it involves a move and means I have a number of rescues that HAVE TO be placed, the sooner the better. If you know of an adult home needing a small mixed breed dog, PLEASE put them in touch with me or vice versa. And Lucky is still looking for a place.

Interesting pictures

I'm Back!

I wasn't really gone anywhere. I just had nothing to post about and was really busy with other things. I quick update...
Emy is doing well. She is getting really big,  but is feeling fine. Em's reservation list is full but it looks like she's going to have a good number of available pups when the litter arrives. I'm going to get the puppy pen in my room ready in the next day or two and will move her into it as soon as it's done. That means Diamond is going to move back out to the dog room and she's already avoiding it like the plague.

It looks like everything is under control with all the pups in their new homes... I really HATE typing that because it is basically DEMANDING that something go wrong.

Some time this Fall, Boon is going to be bred to a Wheaten Terrier girl and I'll be helping her people place the pups. They will have their tails left long and will be CKC registered. The waiting list for THIS litter is different than my normal waiting list. If you're interested, soon is better than later for letting me know.

And a few pix

  Sassy Peake

Tucker Sybrandt

Seed Ticks

MAYBE the mystery is solved. Seed ticks... which are very VERY tiny baby ticks... are making an unusual late Summer appearance. The two girls who just moved to Connecticut are proof of that. Over the weekend their new mom found them scratching like crazy and when she started exploring their coats she found a whole lot of little dots on their skin, a few were small freckle size, but most barely visible. Usually, seed ticks come out/hatch/whatever in the Spring after a week or so of unseasonably warm weather. I didn't see any this year, but the last week or two, I've scratched several a day off my skin. Since I wasn't seeing them on the dogs and no one was particularly itchy, I did not apply Frontline. BIG mistake. The last three pups to leave here all had some on them. Clooney, who roomed with those puppies, has a couple on her. Peri, who is clipped very short and also was in with the puppies, has none. Frontline WILL kill the baby ticks the same as it does older ones, so EVERYBODY in the house has been treated with it. Everybody except me. All I can do is continue to scratch them off.

So the cheyletiella is probably not the problem. However, I am sending ivomectin to everyone who asked for some. It won't hurt to use it.

And if you still have any concerns, you can pick up some flea/tick shampoo with PYRETHRIN which is what we used to use to "control"  those critters before Advantage and Frontline came along. The good thing about pyrethin is it gets other little unwanted bugs as well. Since pyetc is no longer the treatment of choice and the once a month topicals do not kill anything but fleas and ticks, other pests are making a comeback.

Reservation list

The September litter reservation list is full. If you missed out, do not despair. There will be unreserved pups available. Of course, having just stated that as a fact... like I had control of the numbers situation... there will only be 4 pups!

This litter is a repeat of the one that gave me Cotton. Don't know if I mentioned that before.

Pictures

Bernie in NY

Penny and Coco in NC

 Cash and friend in CA

Esther in NY

Big News!

I have made no secret of the fact I am NOT in charge around here. The dogs allow me to live here because I am the only one old enough to drive.

Two weeks ago, I... and a number of other people... were disappointed when Diamond's ultrasound showed she was not pregnant.

However, her daughter, Emerald, anticipated that result and took care of the Fall puppy situation, with a little help from Sparky.

Now, MY intentions were to skip Em until Spring next year. The boys, who are my early warning system about girls coming into season, all sounded their alarms. And because it was too early by a couple months for Emy to be back in season, I basically laughed at them and told them they needed their play-dar checked. 

They're the ones laughing now.

This litter is due at the end of September and will be ready for their new homes the week before Christmas

IF THEY ARE PICKED UP.

The reservation list is open... two spots available.

Interesting

The last two Emy/Boon puppies have found a home. That's right, A home. They are moving together to  Connecticut. That makes 7 (SEVEN) of the 10 May pups (Emy 9, Peri 1) living in or around NYC. A number of those families have either met or are emailing and planning to set up play dates. The girls, Belle and Bailey, are leaving on Saturday, via Delta. Everyone, please, keep your fingers crossed for good weather!

More interesting stuff

Yesterday was the one year birthday of the first Emy/Boon litter. The interesting thing is, the people who have updated me about their pups ALL have dogs that are under 25 pounds. THIS year's litter are ALL close to that already! Nothing like making it even more difficult for me to predict what pups are going to weigh!

This is Finn from Ohio, from that first litter.

Is This You

This photo was taken last week in New York by someone who said it was the cutest dog he had ever seen. The pup definitely looks like one of Emy and Brogue's youngens! I know who it is NOT but because I am mentally challenged when it comes to observing and remembering PEOPLE, I don't know... definitely... who it IS. (I have an idea, but I get lots of ideas!)
Warning
Swallowing even one flea leads to tapeworms. I forgot to put that on the shot records that went home with the pups. Your vet should tell you , especially since the warmer than usual winter led to a bumper flea crop this spring and early summer. Here, the extremely hot weather before July killed off much of the problem. BUT, the extremely wet and somewhat milder tempered July brought us meant the fleas are coming back in force. Just in case you don't already know, tapeworms look like rice. (Roundworms look like spaghetti and you can't see hooks or pins.) There are no over the counter wormers... that I know of... that kill tapes; you have to ask the vet for it. It is a single dose with a follow up 10-14 days later. BUT if the dog swallows another flea, you're going to see tapes again.

More Maggie/Cisco puppy pix

Dewey Schneiderman and his kids

Tale of Two Motels

Bernie (aka Moose and Brown & Tan Dog) left yesterday morning with a really wonderful family from New York. They stayed Wednesday night at the Holiday Inn Express and we got to spend about an hour sitting in the lobby Thursday morning, letting the pup get used to them. When we finally parted, Bernie walked to their car with them just a few looks in my direction. He seemed more puzzled than upset. And this is a picture of him maybe an hour later.

Now, the attitude of the people at the Holiday Inn was totally different from that at the Comfort Inn. When I met people there, I was told in no uncertain terms the puppy was not allowed in the building. Period. 

The Meadowview has also allowed me and pups to sit in their lobby with families picking them up.

So guess which motels I'm going to suggest when folks are spending the night in this area.

By the way, just so you know (if you haven't already figured it out for yourselves,) these pups are pretty smart about getting their own way. This is Watson who also lives in New York. His folks hide the car keys.

Cash, who lives in California, really likes what his family calls his "mimi" or his special smells-like-Tennessee towel. His mom put it in the laundry basket because it's becoming way to easy to smell Tennessee whenever it is around. The next thing she knew, Cash had retrieved it.

Notice every one of these guys is looking right at the camera. 

Must be pups just don't want ME taking their pictures!

Growing like Weeds!

Clooney is up to almost 11 pounds. She is 4-1/2 months old. And then there are Emy's 3 pups. Moose (whose family is planning to call him Bernie) was 22-1/2 pounds at the vet's today. His sisters, Pony and Cream/goldy, are 18-1/2 and 19 respectively. (The interesting thing is Pony is taller and looks bigger, but Cream is a lot more solid.) They will be 4 months in another week Clooney has mastered the steps... she goes up, she goes down, she goes up, she goes down. The other 3... go up. Period. I put them down, they beat me up. So far the pups who have moved out have lost no time in getting the hang of it, so I don't know what the problem is here.

Cute picture

This is NOT my house... but it sure COULD be!

Yeah, Yeah, Yeah

I know it's been a while... 6 days to be exact... since I last posted. I've been busy but not with anything blog-worthy. Except for photos. I've gotten a good many from a number of people (you know who you are) and none from some others (you know who YOU are.) The updates have, for the most part, been positive as well as entertaining. You have no idea how good it makes me feel to know the pups are settling in quickly. The first couple weeks in their new homes are trying for ALL of us! And the pups still here have gotten wise to the departure procedure... first a pup goes away with Mom (human mom) for about 2 hours and the next day, the same pup goes away with Mom for 3 to 3-1/2 hours, but Mom comes back alone in the middle of that for about 2 hours and then the pup comes back looking... and smelling...  all strange. And the NEXT day, that pup goes away. Period. Now when I reach into the puppy pen for someone, they back up. You can see them mentally shaking their heads, silently shouting "Not ME, not ME!" The only one still willing for me to pick her up is Clooney. She's already IN her new home and it is fine with her.

The big (BIG) boy... Moose... leaves in a week. He won't even let me hold him to watch tv.

Getting closer to Diamond's ultrasound. I'm much more relaxed now that there is no big decision to be made.

And that brings us to photos...

The first to be picked up

The last to be picked up (so far)

The conversation in a few new homes

A Few Updates

Delta... unexpectedly changed their rule about the amount of time needed to make a connection IN ATLANTA, extending it from 2 hours (unless you paid more money) to 4 hours period. When I called Wednesday to book Esther's trip to New York, the reservation agent said the announcement had come THAT morning via email effective immediately with no explanation or time frame. This means it will take as long for Esther to reach New York as it did Cash to get to California.

Re: poop

So the pups have been on the new and COMPLETELY different dog food for almost a week. And guess what... their poop is now pudding. It will probably take another week for their digestive tracts to adjust. Thank goodness they're all paper trained... for the most part!

Esther and Clooney pix

Nothing New Here

Been a really slow few days. Pups are doing fine, eating the new food with no change in stool (a sentence every blogger wants to write.) The new one is a member of the pack and just as sure of herself as Esther. I'm going to TRY to get some pictures tomorrow afternoon. The guys who do my yard work should be here first thing and once they are finished... and the pups can be seen on TOP of the grass rather than THROUGH it... we'll all go outside for a bit. Until the afternoon rains arrive. I need to get some new shots of the two available girls and the other families want pictures of their pups. I have a plan (!) because the darker females, Cream/gold dog and Teddy bear are so similar I still can;t tell them apart without the scanner. We'll see how it goes.

Cashmere in California

With his new kids the day after his arrival

With his new vet

Taking his new kids to camp the second day after his arrival

I like the way the stress seems to be dissipating from day to day. Wonder if he is looking for his kids now that they have been gone a couple days!

5 Down

So, we went to the airport early yesterday and the pup got off on time. He was NOT happy to be awakened at 5 AM (which is just 2 AM California time where his new family was sleeping peacefully) and was even less happy when I made him get inside the crate an hour later. I imagine he was overjoyed at 1 PM (California time) when his people let him out again. At their request, I sent a towel which had spent 24 hours in the puppy pen with him. His new mom said he seemed to relax as soon as she got it out and put it down for him. Two other families have also sent towels for the same mistreatment, but (ahem!) I haven't heard if the smell of home has made any difference in the pups' adjustment. It DOES seem to help with younger pups.

So, with this guy, looking a little stunned, safely in his new home, that leaves 5 in the old home. Two are leaving the first week in August and one a week later. Anyone doing the math,knows the balance is two....

Now, a little airport update or two

First, most people have flown at one time or another and know it takes a while for the baggage to get to the merry-go-round in the terminal. Same thing for pets. When I give you the expected arrival time of the plane, it is the expected arrival time of the plane with your puppy on board. Depending on the size of the airport, it can take from 20 minutes to an hour for the pup to arrive at the cargo facility. Here's the thing, until the pup is there, inside, with someone reading the airbill ,the cargo people cannot tell you if YOUR pup was on board. Despite what Delta will tell you, the Delta computer system is NOT updated every step of an individual shipment (or passenger)'s trek.Sometimes, the computer WILL say there is a live animal or 6 live animals on board, but that's it. And unfortunately, sometimes it will say there are none when in fact there are one or a bunch. Or maybe none. (Animals miss their connections just like people do.) So, you arrive at the cargo terminal (or the passenger counter in small facilities) just before the flight is due in and let the folks there know you're ready to pick up your puppy. If you take your own kids and every one of their friends with you, the Delta employees will be more than happy to get that pup to you quickly. If you must go by yourself, pretend to have a life threatening cough or cold to speed things up. FWIW.

Second, pricing is willy-nilly. There is a severe disconnect between what the booking agents tell you and what the counter people say you owe. When I call in a reservation, I have my airbill right there and know what flights I want the pup on. Not just the one leaving here but the one I want it to connect to... which is seldom the first available connection. In an effort to increase the already astronomical cost of shipping, the Delta rule is a minimum 2 hour connection time or pay more. The problem is, if you pay more there is no guarantee the pup will make the earlier connection, hence no refund when it doesn't which in my experience has been 99% of the time. ANYway, I have the airbill and the flight numbers and the pup's weight and crate dimensions. The cost is figured by the puppy's actual weight and how much weight COULD go in the space the crate is going to occupy. Let's say you have a chunky little Bulldog... since they are very heavy compared to length and height, they can go in a smaller crate than say a Whippet puppy who needs much more room but weighs a lot less. The airlines intend to get theirs regardless (and it's ALL the airlines, not just Delta.)

To make a long story short, the pup who left yesterday weighed 15 pounds and his crate, without him, was 7, probably 10 by the time I got the food bowls and all his paperwork attached, for a total of around 25. On the airbill, I had "+/- 30" which the counterlady changed to 18 for some reason. When I called in the reservation, I gave the booker the wrong crate dimensions and when the crate arrived with its nifty little informational sticker attached giving me the correct size, I called back and gave a different booker the right length/height/width. But THAT apparently was never entered into the booking computer because the price for shipping the pup was much MUCH lower than it should have been. The day before, I picked up a pup that WITH the crate was less than what the California pup weighed by himself. When I booked that shipment, I was told the arriving pup would cost around $210 plus TN tax. Now, our tax is about 10%, but the shipment ACTUALLY cost me just pennies shy of $270. And this, my friends, is why I have gone to shipping c.o.d.

Can You Ship? Not Today!

The puppy going to California this morning, didn't. At 4 AM on the nose, a REALLY violent thunderstorm hit this area. Of course, for people who were up all night or have to leave for work very early and turn on the tv as soon as they get out of bed, it was no surprise since the storm tracked down from the Ohio Valley, making tremendous noise all the way. And actually, some of my adult dogs had been restless and barky most of the night, behavior I tried to sleep through. We had lots and LOTS of lightening, including a number of ground strikes around me... not a pleasant thing. The power flicked off several times before it stayed off for a while. No a.c. and closed windows. When it came back on, I turned on the tv for a weather report and the consensus was it was going to be pretty rough for several hours. So, with the a.c. back on, I turned the alarm clock off and tried to sleep. The pup's trip has been rescheduled for tomorrow and I'll probably check the weather BEFORE I turn in tonight.

The allergy litter
Everyone has checked in and the majority of the pups seem to be fine. Several have sensitive digestive tracts, but nothing major. One has developed an unexplained odor which is a sign of a digestive problem... this IS common with Shar-Pei and usually clears up with a diet change... but the rest are pretty normal. EVERYBODY says they are in love with their puppies, which is good to hear. The pups range from 40 to 46 pounds and the blacks have stayed pretty much black, most with red highlights.

This is Eno whose young owner says "Eno just makes life more funner."

A Few Photos

But first, an update on yesterday's post about food allergies...
my vet came down firmly on the maybe side of the entire situation. Which is where I am as well.  She said that food allergies in dogs and cats are going through a tremendous increase, just as they are in humans, and that there is no indisputable evidence that it is genetic. In fact, it is more likely to be caused by the increase of chemicals, hormones and other additives in our environment and food sources. Even plants are manipulated from seed to harvest. She said if the problem were JUST genetic, it would be seen clearly in certain breeds or at least in separate lines within breeds, BUT food allergies occur in ALL breeds and crosses. As for breeding Maggie and Cisco to each other again, she suggested Mag be bred to a different male this time. Cisco already has a litter of purebred Poodle pups on the ground and almost grown with no known problems. Sometimes, for some unknown reasons, two specific individuals to not mix well although they are fine, even spectacular with others. As it says on my website, in the piece about what I've learned in a lifetime of breeding, what looks best on paper gives you the worse results. Or, in plain English, poop happens! So, until Penny has had time to digest (no pun intended... well, maybe a little pun intended) all the "information" and various opinions and decide what she wants to do, there will not be another Maggie litter.

And now, the pictures
This is the problem free Maggie/Cisco girl, Macy, enjoying her time at the beach.

Esther is moving to New York, near "the City," on August 8th. I hope this is not what she thinks of the idea!

And then, get a load of the feet on this guy, who is also moving to NYC in August.

Finally, this pretty face goes with the AVAILABLE girl, Cream and Gold Dog. More pictures of her and the other AVAILABLE female, Brown Pony, later in the week.

What's Going On Here

One of the things I tell people when they pick up their pups and something I mention fairly often in emails and on the blog is I need to hear from everyone from time to time ESPECIALLY if there is a problem with the puppy. I'm not talking about someone pulling a tick off after a day in the woods or the occasional case of the runs or tartar build up on the teeth. I'm talking about anything unusual, especially if it requires vet care. And here is why...

Saturday evening I got an email from a Maggie/Cisco family. They mentioned that there was a problem with food allergies which was "cured" by a diet change AFTER a test showed the pup was allergic to beef, pork, lamb, sweet potato, rice, eggs and brewers yeast. Their vet said it was likely that other pups from the litter had the same problem. I have NO experience with food allergies in dogs... rather odd since I have over 2 dozen years with Chinese Shar-Pei... so I started researching on the 'net AND emailed everyone who has those pups. (Some of you have not answered as yet....) To my chagrin, FOUR pups have issues with food allergies. (Some of you have not answered as yet....)  One of the reasons it is important for me to know what is going on is so I can share information about how to fix or at least improve the situation. In this case, knowing what the allergies are to and what food is working with the first family and adding probiotics to everyone's diet can save the rest of us some time, money and frustration. But just as important is knowing that a particular breeding has resulted in a serious problem. Penny was planning on repeating that breeding in just a short time. No one wants to produce  pups that you know have a greater than average possibility of an issue such as this. (Unfortunately, the genetics of food allergies is still being debated and the "experts" are no help since some say yea and some say nay. Which is pretty much the same situation with the majority of genetic problems.) I will be discussing the situation with Jane this afternoon and Penny is going to talk to her vet. I have heard from Maggie's breeder and she says Mag's mom has had a lot of yeast infections in her ears which the vet said could be from a food allergy. (We were already pretty sure the problem was coming from the Wheaten side since one of the first thing I discovered is that SCWTs are on the short list of breeds prone to food allergies. And Poodles are not.) Interestingly, ALL  four of the affected pups are male. (Some of you have not answered as yet....) 

SO! Please let me know if you have a problem!

AND, everyone... start your pups on a probiotic. Acidophyllus is available... and cheap... at every health food store. It is also very hard to overdose since it is just natural digestive tract bacteria. It's good for people too.