Looks like Barbara wins the guessing game and unfortunately I had to make a few disappointing phone calls.
My apologies went to Jeremy, Angi, Sandra in Tallahassee and Robin. I know what it's like to wait for a pup and come up empty. I've been there. While there are never any guarantees, I try and keep my reservations down to around eight and beyond that I'm pretty up front with the possibility of there being too few pups but that reservations are accepted for those willing to take a gamble. Even so, I dread the phone calls.
Breeding is not without it's pitfalls by any means.
Regarding Jess, her pups and our day, I return to the topic of the guessing game. Barbara was spot on with the date and in the end predicted the number of pups correctly however her guess of sex turned out to be exact opposite of reality. And I say "in the end" picked the correct number because that's what we have. Unfortunately, and in keeping with transparency as well a acknowledging a life, I'm sad to report we lost what should have been our ninth pup during the whelping process. Losses -another dreaded and disheartening aspect that goes hand in hand with breeding it seems. Apparently and unfortunately the protective sack of Majestic's first pup broke before he was safely delivered.
Our morning started off so well. But after two and a half hours of contractions without results I began to worry. It was more of a gut feeling really because two to three hours, especially for the first pup, isn't unusual. But my gut told me my girl needed some help and over the years I've learned to listen to my instincts as they rarely fail me. So... off to the Vet we went. There Majestic received a shot of oxytocin enabling her, within a fairly short amount of time, to pass her first pup and largest boy. Such a shame -very disheartening and so much potential wasted. I do wonder sometimes how much loss is too much and find myself thinking about other breeders. Specifically those who no longer breed. Is it the losses that get to them? I'm sure there are a multitude of reasons why people stop breeding but I would imaging losses and ill placed pups top the list. But then there are those who survive and thrive. The 99% who without fail pull you back to full engagement. Today I feel fortunate to have eight healthy puppies, 5 males and 3 females, and eight families prepared to show them the world while providing loving and caring homes for them. Today that's enough.
As for Jess, she's settled right in to the job of mothering. She's a fabulous and gentle mom. She's content and her pups seem to be as well. Tomorrow I'll get weights on each and continue with weekly weights thereafter as I always do. To the naked eye though, they all appear to be roughly the same size. They're all strong and beautiful. But I'd expect nothing less. They are Doberman!
My apologies went to Jeremy, Angi, Sandra in Tallahassee and Robin. I know what it's like to wait for a pup and come up empty. I've been there. While there are never any guarantees, I try and keep my reservations down to around eight and beyond that I'm pretty up front with the possibility of there being too few pups but that reservations are accepted for those willing to take a gamble. Even so, I dread the phone calls.
Breeding is not without it's pitfalls by any means.
Regarding Jess, her pups and our day, I return to the topic of the guessing game. Barbara was spot on with the date and in the end predicted the number of pups correctly however her guess of sex turned out to be exact opposite of reality. And I say "in the end" picked the correct number because that's what we have. Unfortunately, and in keeping with transparency as well a acknowledging a life, I'm sad to report we lost what should have been our ninth pup during the whelping process. Losses -another dreaded and disheartening aspect that goes hand in hand with breeding it seems. Apparently and unfortunately the protective sack of Majestic's first pup broke before he was safely delivered.
Our morning started off so well. But after two and a half hours of contractions without results I began to worry. It was more of a gut feeling really because two to three hours, especially for the first pup, isn't unusual. But my gut told me my girl needed some help and over the years I've learned to listen to my instincts as they rarely fail me. So... off to the Vet we went. There Majestic received a shot of oxytocin enabling her, within a fairly short amount of time, to pass her first pup and largest boy. Such a shame -very disheartening and so much potential wasted. I do wonder sometimes how much loss is too much and find myself thinking about other breeders. Specifically those who no longer breed. Is it the losses that get to them? I'm sure there are a multitude of reasons why people stop breeding but I would imaging losses and ill placed pups top the list. But then there are those who survive and thrive. The 99% who without fail pull you back to full engagement. Today I feel fortunate to have eight healthy puppies, 5 males and 3 females, and eight families prepared to show them the world while providing loving and caring homes for them. Today that's enough.
As for Jess, she's settled right in to the job of mothering. She's a fabulous and gentle mom. She's content and her pups seem to be as well. Tomorrow I'll get weights on each and continue with weekly weights thereafter as I always do. To the naked eye though, they all appear to be roughly the same size. They're all strong and beautiful. But I'd expect nothing less. They are Doberman!
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