Tuesday, April 7, 2009

A Litter Next Year

My nearly three year old Standard Poodle bitch belongs half to me and half to her breeder. We are to share equally in any litters that she might have. Now, at three, we are having to think seriously about when and to whom she will conceive. The litter will be born here, which is a big job for Zara and I, as poodles have about 8 pups on average.

Kathy hasn't seen Zara for some time now, so on Saturday, I put her in the car and went to meet Kathy at a nearby dog show at Bunyip. She was showing the progeny from her last litter, a stunning white girl looking at her absolute best in her puppy clip. I stayed to watch her class and she got Reserve Challenge which pleased Kathy greatly.



She went over my happy little girl with a fine tooth comb and pronounced her to be constructed very nicely. I have to take her off to have her hips x-rayed to check for hip dysplasia, and a blood test for Von Willebrands, the doggie equivalent of hemophilia where the blood doesn't clot. The way my girl races around her yard shows me there's not too much wrong with the hips.

Kathy has a litter nearly due now and I am happy to leave it until her heat next year, so we're aiming for a winter litter. That cancels out the cold kennels in the shed. Where do I have enough room for a litter, I worried until today as I was out in the studio drawing with a friend. She suggested there, and wow! there is plenty of room out there and it can be heated. Worries over.

I have to take her to Sydney to meet her planned boyfriend, so we will take off for a few days and sightsee while she is being mated.

7 comments:

iODyne said...

Is she driving or flying?
I hope the journey isn't too traumatic for her.

I directed a blogger- Middle Child here for the liquid vitamin C story - hope you dont mind.

Middle Child said...

Hello, F.F.Marshall-Stacks directed me here...am out of town, many snakes...I did have a lovely old kelpie who died (natural causes) last sept and have a cat. No doubt another doggie will find me soon enough...where do I gte liquid Vit C from? Please....

I read abuot your old doggie dying...its sad when they go especially the old ones...

Robyn Rinehart Art said...

She will be chauffeured by us; I couldn't leave her on her own. We will combine it with a driving holiday.

Liquid Vitamin C can be bought from the vet. Keep it in the fridge with a syringe and it lasts for a couple of years. Around $20 buys a lot of peace of mind.

zooms said...

Hope all is well, it's a very long honeymoon.x

Robyn Rinehart Art said...

All is well. I have got out of the habit writing in my blog and must get back to it. Sometimes you have a stretch where you feel you have nothing to say. xx

iODyne said...

Maybe "A Blog-Litter Next Year" too, although to be fair, your winding-down was at the time of the terrible fires, and they did put everybody in a bleak-place.

I had a mini bitch whose grandparents were all Champions.
I miss her terribly - she was so clever. I broke up with the man who paid for her and he insisted on keeping her. she was from the CloJo kennels at cranbourne.

Now you have to devise at least 8 gorgeous names, and of course we must see puppy pics on the blog.

peace and love,

Robyn Rinehart Art said...

How awful for you lose your poodle that way. I'd need counselling.

When puppies do arrive I will make sure I put pics on the blog.