Off You Go Then

 

Last Day Of The Year

Orin and Siska

Beti, Meerah and Kiaan

Kasey and Ross

Meerah - Day 1 - I think

Meerah is in season - not sure when she came in, just the last couple of days I guess. 

Siska's Diary 2025

6/11/25 - As Orin predicted yesterday, the first drop of blood today, so we'll call today day 1 and book her in for a blood test around day 10 - 12 (I Think)

11/11/25 - (day 6) I keep checking her, she's bleed, but very little, and there is no swelling, Hmmm!!

15/11/25 - Test 1 - (Day 10) Siska was very low, 0.8nmol/L, the vet suggested I re-test her on Tuesday. Ok I'll go with it, but she doesn't seem to have progressed at all. 

18/11/25 - Test 2 - (Day 13) OMG 0.6nmol/L and no physical changes. 

22/11/25 - Test 3 (Day 17) she's taking the piss 1.1 nmol/L - but I guess it has gone up. I'm not testing again now till the middle of next week. 

26/11/25 - Wednesday - Day 21 - Changes afoot, I've had to separate Orin and Siska, but Beti's season is not helping the boys. 

27/11/25 - Thursday - Day 22 -The result of the 9am test today was 10.3nmol/L. "7 - 12nmol/L (Approximate Range): This range typically indicates that the LH surge has happened or is happening now. The LH surge is the trigger for ovulation, and ovulation usually occurs 2 days after the LH surge." So allowing 48 hrs for the eggs to ripen, Sunday looks like a good day.  

29/11/25 - Saturday - Day 24 - The boys are just nuts, and I'm constantly doubting my decision to leave it till tomorrow, but that would coincide with her second mating to Lucca. The eggs are not fertilizable until about 2 days after ovulation. The optimal fertility window is generally 3 to 5 days after the LH surge. So tomorrow is the most reasonable single-mating choice. She hadn't ovulated at 9 am on Thursday and should she fly forward, and say, ovulate at 3pm on Thursday (Which is highly unlikely) then she still wouldn't be close to being ready till Saturday - and there is obviously a window of opportunity for mating before the ova start to age. Come on Rhian, tomorrow will be Ok.

30/11/25 - Home at last - after a bit of time we got a mating and 20 min tie - wait and see now. 

2/12/25 - Wow it's gone quite here and the boys are eating, Wow - there would definitely have never been a second mating 48 hrs later. 

4/12/25 - Everyone is calm and quite, but I'm nervous of putting Orin back with Siska just yet. On a positive note, I've always considered an abrupt end to the season as promising sign of conception. The decrease in visible signs of the season (Estrus) can be linked to the rapid hormonal changes that occur after successful ovulation and fertilization, specifically the rise in progesterone. The body begins the process of Diestrus, which is the stage that follows estrus and is characterized by high progesterone, but of course that happens whether they are pregnant or not. 

7/12/25 - A week since the mating, and I've just remembered to measure Siska's waist at "normal" size - so 29 cms.

19/12/25 - (Day 19 from mating)  Three weeks since ovulation and nothing to report. She's eating well and is affectionate and a tad lazy and nervous of a OTT Orin. I think her nipples are starting to pink and point, I had observed this with her between day 21 and 25 last time, but I'm always cautious with that as I've had bitches who do it anyway after a season. 

I've been playing with Gemini and she/it says this, "You should start looking for this change between December 18th and December 25th (roughly 2.5 to 3.5 weeks after her ovulation/surge). 

The Change: The nipples (especially the ones closest to the hind legs) will become more prominent, firmer, and take on a distinct rosy-pink or "glowy" red colour. 

The Cause: This is caused by increased blood flow to the mammary tissue as the body begins preparing for future milk production. 

First-Timers: If this is her first litter (a "maiden" bitch), this sign is usually much more obvious. If she has had puppies before, her nipples may already be slightly larger, making the change harder to spot."

24/12/25 (24 days from mating) -There are very little signs that Siska is pregnant. I had been more positive earlier on than I am now. Siska's season had finished very quickly after the mating, she is cuddly and a little demanding, and her nipples are larger than normal but only mildly pink. (But so are Beti's) These are positive signs, but they can also be simply hormonal changes after seasons. What I'm pessimistic about is that she's still eating her breakfast, between 3 and 4 weeks after mating as the embryos implant it is the peak of the "morning sickness window," but of course between days 26 and 32 the hormones (progesterone) are very high, and it's normal for them to be picky or even skip meals then too .. I've been hoping every morning this week that she'd reject a breakfast .... as yet, it hasn't happened!

26/12/25 -  (26 days from mating) - Some positive news today, Siska only ate the yogurt and the tinned meat off the top of her breakfast. Bang on day 26 from mating - so 28 days from ovulation - good news but of course not confirmation of pregnancy, so keeping myself grounded is a priority for another week or so! 

27/12/25 - (27 days from mating) Today is Day 29 post-ovulation, and her behaviour re food is a "textbook" indicator of pregnancy. The fact that she is refusing her breakfast but eagerly taking treats is a classic way to distinguish pregnancy nausea from illness. I'm scared to get too excited, as I said yesterday, for my sanity I have to stay grounded. 

The staring continues - she sits about 2 ft away from me just staring at me, there is nothing but pure love in her eyes, it's so touching ... If I ignore her she quietly raises her paw. 

28/12/25 - (28 days from mating) Just for my records, as it's 4 weeks today from mating, I've measured her - still 29" - which is fine. She ate half of her breakfast and half of her evening meal. The scan is booked for Tuesday, if there is anything there they will be about the size of a walnut - plumb. 

I really thought, as this was a second litter, that there would be more signs by now. The food thing is promising, but she did it when she had that sort of mating to Vesco too - so that alone in Siska's case can't be a definite indication of pregnancy. Honestly I'm feeling very pessimistic. 

29/12/25 - (29 days from mating) - Tomorrow is heartache or happiness day. There are reasons for believing she's pregnant, but sadly so many reasons for believing she's not. In my head, I've prepared my spiel for bad news. I wish there were more definitive signs of pregnancy - tomorrow I'll know! 

30/12/25 - Heartbreak no puppies - you think you are prepared, but you never are! I appreciate that occasionally at this stage that one puppy could be missed at the end of a horn - but I could easily see the empty space where last time I saw puppies."Losing" a litter at the scan is a "silent" kind of grief. You’ve been watching her every move, worrying about her meals, and planning for the future. I guess it’s okay to grieve for something that was never there. In this world of dogs, I'm just heartbroken ... again!

Boomer Ball

Zeus and his treasured boomer ball which Linda bought for him 4 Xmases ago. He did get a blue one the following Xmas too, but this, now with a coupe of holes in it, is still his treasured toy! That bit of ripped rag at his feet was, until a couple of days ago, a bathmat that sweet little Meerah took out and shredded! Bless her, NOT! 

Talking of bathmats, I have discovered that the bobbly ones actually make ideal beds in the crates, they are extremely hard to rip and putting up with some abuse from Siska and Meerah, who are my bed shredders. So if you are getting rid of any in a decent state, or see some in a charity shop or something, please throw them this way! Thank you.

The Glorious Weather Continues

The brown clowns out together - Ross and Meerah

Mother and son - Sammi and Zeus

My lovelies - Orin and Siska

Beti and Kiaan had a lovely time together

Morning In The Field

Not getting excited as hormones can be mysterious things, but she left half her breakfast today. 

I was up at 7.20am ... Everyone out and fed and back to bed with a cuppa. I hadn't slept well so drifted off back to sleep, well it was Boxing Day and everyone was calm and quiet .. all of a sudden it was 9.10am. OMG jump out of bed ... Zeus? Where is Zeus? Well not in the bedroom ... that sinking feeling, that panic. So where was Zeus? In the yard since first thing, and yes, he was still there. I just can't believe that I left him out there, what could have happened, thankfully didn't. I'm just so surprised that he didn't just open the door and come in! At least I know the yard is currently Zeus safe.

I played hide and seek from these two - LOL 

A Beautiful Boxing Day Walk

A walked from Y Bryn down Alltwen to my mothers. Beautiful sunshine from Fron till Tremadog where it was cloudy and cold.

 

I wonder when that happened? 

It looked so beautiful, but I guess Tremadog itself was below the sun. 

George Michael - Last Christmas (Live at Wembley Arena, 17th December 2006)

Xmas Eve Walks

After the sharpness of my Mother tongue this morning, I was glad to get out with the dogs to clear my head. Yes, I bit my lip again, but the feeling that I can't ever do anything right for her weighs heavy sometimes. I pray that I never become so bitter!

Nothing To Report

Another lovely day for walking, though a strong cold wind came, then went within an hour. I parked down by the Pen Yr Orsedd Quarry and did the same circuit twice. 

There are very little signs that Siska is pregnant yet. I had been more positive earlier, her season had finished very quickly after the mating, she is cuddly and a little demanding, and her nipples are larger than normal and quite pink. (But so are Beti's) These are positive signs, but they can also be simply hormonal changes after seasons. What I'm pessimistic about is that she's still eating her breakfast, between 3 and 4 weeks after mating as the embryos implant it is the peak of the "morning sickness window," but of course between days 26 and 32 the hormones (progesterone) are very high, and it's normal for them to be picky or even skip meals then too .. I've been hoping every morning this week that she'd reject a breakfast .... as yet, it hasn't happened!

Talking of eating, Beti is finally eating a lot better. That injection took its toll didn't it! 

Happy Birthday Sammi

Blancmange - The Day Before You Came (Official Video)

For Sammi 

Want Some Coal?

With the coal man not coming next week, and as it's delivered on Thursdays we were not sure about the following week, we ordered extra this week. With the bunker full, for emergency we also bought 2 x 20kg of burnwell coal. They were put against the wall next to the bunker!!!!

Why? And more so how? That took some effort, Miss Meerah! 

Winter Solstice Walks

A lovely catch up with Gail, a cuppa and a rock road in the cafe at Inigo Jones before a walk with Sammi and Zeus. Like everyone who sees Sammi, Gail could not believe how well she is for her age. Keep it up Sammi Belle. 

This afternoon, another lovely walk with "me mate" Ian and the two girls. Just a lovely day for walking, made even better with the company!

Donkey Field Circuit

A blustery walk around one of the donkey field circuits with my lovelies today. The first time I've ever seen anyone on the slate wall track, I literally had to squash O and Siska into the wall so the man and his collie could get past. Not a bad word exchanged between the dogs and pleasantries between the humans. I must admit, the other man who was hovering around the bottom of the donkey field track was a little creepy.  He just seemed to be standing there staring and didn't reply to my "hello." I was quite glad to have Orin really, he was probably very innocent, but he did make me feel uncomfortable. 

I then went on and had tea and cake with Carrie and lovely Tasha. 

Mynydd Cilgwyn

Happy walking day, sunshine and slightly cold. Sad to see Mynydd Cilgwyn still so barren after the Spring fires. Hopefully it'll be back to full glory in a few years. 

A Walk And A Funeral

A lovely walk along Lon Eifion this morning, not usually one of my favourite places to walk, but going down hill takes us out of the wind. This is another section of the track that runs from Caernarfon to Bryncir that I've never walked before, but having discovered a new safe place to park, by St Gwyndaf Church, I'll be going back. 

This afternoon was Uncle Dan's funeral - he was my father's brother-in-law. Dad's sister held herself together well, and it was nice to see my cousins Dylan and Gareth again, though I was shocked to see my dad's younger brother, he has lost a tremendous amount of weight and looks very frail.

Marley

I'm over the moon to get these photos of Marley from Sharon, she was lucky to get to see him today. She described him as tall, long and narrow. So yeah, he sounds like a male version of Meerah and probably looks exactly as he should for his age. He weighs 42kg and Meerah is 32kg so when they fill their frames they will both be pretty impressive I think! 

Llyn Cop With The Girls

After a run in the fields for everyone I took the girls for a walk to Llyn Cop, it rained the whole time, but honestly today I really enjoyed myself. There was no wind and it was mild, I guess after being confined to barracks yesterday, it was one of those days when you realise the beauty in all seasons. 

Poor Beti

My lovely girl is not feeling very well, she hasn't eaten in two days, other than some chicken that I got for her today at Tesco. 

The most common side effects of Alizin (aglepristone) in dogs are pain and inflammation at the injection site, as well as general signs such as anorexia, depression, and excitation. These side effects are usually transient and reversible.  

Anorexia (loss of appetite): Reported in about 25% of dogs. 

Excitation or restlessness: Reported in about 23% of dogs. 

Depression or lethargy: Reported in about 21% of dogs. 

Diarrhoea: Reported in about 13% of dogs. 

Vomiting: Reported in about 2% of dogs.

Two Walks

A lovely time mooching and walking in Dinas with Orin and Siska this morning. A tad breezy, even down there, but we had fun. I was very limited with time as Mum had been unwell again and been taken to the doctor yesterday whilst I was at the vets. It seems the new tablets prescribed on Tuesday had affected her breathing. To be fair, she was pre-warned that there was a risk! 

I had an early lunch and went to Tremadog, Mum was still eating so I took Sammi and Zeus for a walk to give her time to get organised, she wanted to go to the chemist and to Tesco. (Again) The confusion and repetition of stories continue, but at least she now has a date to see someone at Walton in January. One remark made at home, that I do hope was tongue in cheek, " So I won't see much of you again today!"