Meet Zeeta

We've been waiting a long time for this mating. Anne who's been a friend in the GSD world contacted me about mating Orin to Zeeta over 12 months ago - I wrote a post about it then called "Nikita," her registered name is "NIKITA Z ROTUZKICH BAGIEN," she is a Polish import and very glamorous as is typical of her breeding. Here is the link if you would care for a reminder which would be beneficial ...

http://talistails.blogspot.com/search?q=zeeta

Sadly before Zeeta came in season Anne's husband Andy was diagnosed with cancer and obviously the mating didn't go ahead. Andy died a few months later and Anne and her family have found it hard to move on. 

Anne contacted me 2 weeks ago and asked what my terms were for Orin? When she contacted me 12 months ago he was very inexperienced, but already a good stud dog. As Anne and I go back 30 years in this breed, of course I would honour the verbal contact I made then and told her she could pay me when puppies were on the ground. I did find her response was odd as she said, "I'll think about it." Hmmm 

After a few confusing messages to and fro Anne eventually confessed she had found another male for Zeeta, he was the grandson of her old male Zac and she really wanted to keep him in her line. She was worried her decision would affect our friendship and had been apprehensive of telling me so. Well hell of course I was disappointed, especially as I really had considered a puppy from this combination, but I totally understood. Anne is now 75 and this will probably be her last litter and her last opportunity to keep a puppy, having the old male in the pedigree would have been really important to me too. I especially understand as we've lost Dexi from the line as he only carried on here through Kiri and Louis and neither were bred from. 

Anyway two days ago I had a call from Anne, she said she had got to meet her chosen dog, but cards on the table, she didn't like him. She said he growled at her and Zeeta and that had really put her off ... could she go back to Plan A and use Orin? Well yes, of course. 

Ok, if your feeling a little prudish, then log off now and don't read the next paragraph.

Yesterday, we had one of the funniest matings we'd ever had. Zeeta practically threw herself at O and having had to do all the chasing previously he was initially a little take aback! She stood with her tail flying in the air showing off her bits and pieces, but as soon as his willy touched her she started pumping like hell leaving him with a very willing but moving target. I swear I've never seen the like of it, we were hysterical. Zeeta was bubbly and happy and eventually the mating went well. 

Anne and I have agreed that should she conceive, I have the option to have a stud fee or a bitch from the litter. Zeeta is stunning and has an adorable character, and yeah, straight front legs and strong pasterns! I'm not making any commitment, I'm not in the right headspace to make any decisions, but maybe in 4 months I will be in a better place to make the right decision! 

Decisions Decisions

I'm in a bit of a predicament. I've now set my heart on an Orin daughter. Zeeta is almost 6 weeks, but Anne doesn't know if she's pregnant. I would hope that if my bitch was 6 weeks pregnant that I would know, on saying that Seffe hid her pregnancy till 6 weeks and she had 5. When Sammi carried 3 she didn't have any abdominal enlargement till 6 -7 weeks, but she'd had other signs of pregnancy from 3 weeks. Zeeta isn't eating that well, at this stage of pregnancy she should be ravenous, but she is sleeping a lot. Zeeta is the only bitch that Orin has mated that hasn't been progesterone tested, so even though she thought she was ready she may not have been! Some bitches are simply happy to mate for a long period during their season. The sperm can live 5 days and more, but with different bitches being ready anytime from about day 7 to 20+ days, without testing it's simply a lotto.

Zoe's pups are now 8 days old and Emma is starting to think of advertising them. There are 4 bitches in this litter, they are keeping one and a friend is having another, so currently there are two bitch puppies available. Zoe and Zeeta are stunning girls with impressive pedigrees, but it had been agreed that I would have a puppy from Zeeta instead of a stud fee. But, what if she's not pregnant? What if she is only carrying a small litter? What if there is only one female, and of course Anne would want her? What do I do? 

Yesterday I discussed the possibility of Anne getting Zeeta scanned, that would at least answer some questions. She said she would and was contacting someone, but I've heard nothing today and don't like to nag! The advert for Zoe's litter will go live on Champdogs, probably by the weekend, which gives me 2 - 3 days. Though these females are very different, I honestly have no preference between them, both have a lot to offer. I don't want to message Emma and ask if I can buy a puppy then find out that Zeeta is pregnant and have to tell Emma that I no longer want a Zoe pup. I simply will not mess her about like that. Another factor is that I would have to pay for a Zoe pup, but the Zeeta pup was instead of a stud fee. Of course I would pay, but I would be getting third pick instead of first .. but my choice may well be different to their choices! My pups needs to have show potential, I'm not having a puppy for the sake of it, so conformation, colour, coat, attitude glamour all has to come in to it.

I guess I have a couple of days to play with ideas ... I do have another bitch booked to come to O, but her pedigree is not what I'm looking for, if I'm buying in it has to be right! 

HELP! 

Now Don't Get Excited - Read The Post First

 
I didn't sleep again last night. Don't get me wrong, mostly I'm better, but it's still a rough ride really. I was in bed at 10.30pm, up again at 12.15am, back in bed by 1.45am, but awake for a long time. Put it this way I saw 3.53am but must have dozed on and off .. then it was something after 5am, and the next thing I heard was Orin getting loud as Loki got unsettled. 

A conversation with Anne really put the cat among the pigeons. After giving me the impression the night before that she didn't know if Zeeta was pregnant or not, now she's adamant that she is pregnant. She sent me a photo - it didn't help! I don't know what the right thing is to do? Both of these females have super pedigrees, great health tests and lovely characters, they both have a lovely colour and both have dark eyes. Zeeta is back on her pasterns and Zoe would benefit from a little more length of foreleg ... in both cases Orin is correct and that could be improved on. Being a L/C herself, Zeeta is more likely to have more L/C's, but I only have a choice of two from Zoe, and one is a L/C. My heart had always been set on a Zeeta pup, but having so many doubts of is she, isn't she over the last 2-3 weeks has made me consider other options and look elsewhere. If only Anne had scanned, then I'd have had more idea sooner, now it's all just a confusing mess in a brain that has no clarity.

I guess the sensible thing to do now is wait to see if this litter arrives, and if/when it does, see how many are female. I have first choice from Zeeta and third from Zoe, but who is to know which combination will produce the stars?  

There is no point sharing the photo of a headless Zeeta that was sent to me last night, but if you want to see it, the please PM me. The poster is one I made 3 weeks ago when Anne first told me Zeeta was pregnant .... but of course 48hrs later she'd changed her mind! LOL It took a lot of work, so pregnant or not I'm sharing it. I'm not taking the piss, honest, it can be hard to tell early on, but now it should be clear!

Nikita

VA1 Fantom Team Ulmental

Andrea Vom Fichtenschlag-Zwinger

Anne is a lady I've known for years and years, she first visited me when I lived in Pontrug - so 1993 - 1995, and we've remained in contact ever since. She's been here, but not for many moons, and now I rarely see her at shows, so thank god for Facebook. Ian and I visited, maybe 2 years ago, I don't really recall, but when we did we got to meet her lovely young Polish import," NIKITA Z ROTUZKICH BAGIEN" or Zeeta as she calls her. I remember she was a heavily coated girl of stunning colour and I remember telling Anne, oh bloody hell I could take her home. 

A few weeks ago Anne said she was thinking of mating Zeeta, and we discussed her using Orin. "Of course, yes please," but we never know what will come do we. Anyway yesterday Anne contacted me, she's expecting Zeeta in season at the end of the month and if all is well would like to mate her to Orin. Well hell I'm so excited! With Orin carrying the l/c gene at least 50% of this litter (if it happens) will be hairy! If he didn't carry the gene, of course non of them would long coated, it has to carry from both sides. Above are Zeeta's parents and below is a photo of Zeeta from Anne, we will have to get her some better ones! Oh God this is lovely, but you know what I mean! 

Ok this is better

Zoe's Girls

This morning I messaged Emma and then we had a telephone chat where I put my cards on the table. I explained how I'd had plans to have the Zeeta pup for a long while, but due to ill health in the family the mating had only happened 6 weeks ago, and now there was doubt that the bitch was pregnant. Even when carrying 3 pups Sammi had the classic signs of pregnancy and an abdominal enlargement of 2" at 6 weeks. When she was carrying 9 her abdominal enlargement was 5" at 6 weeks - so surely if Zeeta was carrying a litter, and it would be her second litter, then some changes would be visible? 

Anyway, Emma was very happy to put me on her list with the understanding that if Zeeta is hiding a decent litter then I may drop out. Trust me this is not second best, you may recall my comment when I first saw Zoe? If not, feel free to do a blog search on "Zoe." 

Today the advert has gone live on Champdogs - so Zoe's pups were born on what would have been Asha's birthday, and Zoe's registered name is "Toilers Ashla!!!"  

The photo is of Zoe's girls. 

Zeeta

 Well when you see something first hand you can see how complicated it was. Zeeta is pregnant but I would say about the same size as Sammi was when she had three ... so yes we expect a litter, but a small litter, lets hope for 2 or 3 and not a singleton. By the way, how beautiful is she! 

The pups are due this week, but with no ovulation day, then god knows what day .. (Hence I would think the small litter) My plan remains the same, we'll see what Zeeta gets, and bare that in mind when I go to Monmouth to see Zoe's pups. 

Zeeta

I'm sad to let you know that Zeeta lost her singleton puppy today, thankfully Zeeta is OK, but she will not be mated again. I'm so sorry and so sad for her and Anne. She is a lovely girl and I hope she gets over this quickly. The "Ifs" and "buts" going around in my head will not be repeated here, but I can't help but think them. 

Visiting Zeeta

On our way home yesterday we popped in to visit Anne and see Zeeta. I needed another look at her, to look at her with my head and not my heart. Put aside that she has the sweetest nature for one minute, of course that is a huge factor but I need to make sure I'm not letting her delightful character cloud my judgment, I need to see beyond it and look at her construction. So here is my opinion - she has a beautiful head and expression with a dark mask and importantly for this combination, very dark eyes. High wither, firm back and a long sloping croup. To me her hind angulation is on the borderline and her second thigh is possibly slightly long. She appears a little short in this photo, but I don't think she was, I certainly didn't notice that she was. Importantly, her front legs are straight, as are her feet, though they are slightly long and flat. She did have long nails and fluff between her toes which may not help there. She is a little back/slack on her pasterns, but I don't think it's anything as bad as I've seen win in the ring! Her colour is outstanding and though she is a L/C she is not excessively coated - I could cope with that! 

After seeing her again yesterday, and Joe confirming last week, that it is a top quality, top producing pedigree, I'm still seriously considering a bitch puppy from this mating. Cross fingers for me that she's pregnant and that there will be a couple of S/C girls to chose from. I'm not out ruling a L/C female, but I am out ruling a male!

A photo from the day of mating which shows Zeeta's head, expression, eye colour and more importantly that she is not narrow in the chest and that she has straight front legs and straight feet. 

Breeding And Plans

 A friend contacted me yesterday to say she is going ahead with her mating to Vesco, I really hope it is successful for her. There are litters born from him to bitches mated before and after our unsuccessful mating, which confirms I guess that we just had shitty bad luck. Anyway, knowing how the mating goes to this bitch will help me decide on future plans. If the mating goes well, and other bitches have litters from him before Siska comes in season then I'll continue with Plan A and use him, if there are more unsuccessful matings then I need a Plan B. Plan B is not an easy one, It'll have to be a proven male of suitable bloodlines who doesn't live at the other end of the country ... none spring to mind that fit all the criteria! 

A proven, fertile male does not miss unless his sperm count has been affected by medication, excess heat or the like. We were just unlucky to not have a tie with Siska, a slip mating (a mating without a tie) is far less likely to be successful. After a successful mating but no puppies it is the bitch who's missed, like I said a fertile male does not miss. There are many reasons why a bitch would miss once or twice, but simply some are not fertile! Hopefully next time we can have a good mating with Siska, a mating with a tie ... and then if Miss Otis and her siblings don't come, then we really do have to think again. If we are blessed to have a  "Beti" here by then at least there will be some plans for the future. If Zeeta goes ahead to have a litter then the decision regarding Beti will have to be made before the Siska mating, it would be so much easier if it was the other way round, but it is what it is and with Zeeta already mated it can't be changed! 

Puppy Brain

 The brain is spinning! LOL It's not healthy, but better that it gets on with it during the day! So here goes ... if I go down to see Zoe's pups and decide I want one, I'm having one, then so be it, end of story. But this is my "Penbleth," (I've googled - dilemma - it's hard when the brain is working in Welsh and doesn't have it's own google translate) If Beti is already here from Monmouth and Zeeta has a litter then I could just have a stud fee, or (Wait for it) I could make life more complicated for myself by seeing if someone wants a Zeeta puppy in partnership with me. In that circumstance it could be male or female as long as they agreed to show. It would mean someone could get quality puppy cheap but with a few considerations. I would have to consider how much of the stud fee I would need to get from them and take it from there. Obviously, everything would have to go on paper, but really all I'd want is my affix and joint ownership on paper only. It's not a ridiculous thought, is it? 

Chatting With Mr S

This dog gets away with murder, Steve finds everything he does amusing. Me? Well, in the moment I find his actions frustrating, but I can look back and laugh. Yesterday it was catch me if you can around the caravan. Zeus found it highly amusing .. Steve laughed and I wanted to batter them both. Never have I had a dog with no recall, even Tali eventually came, but this guy? Well, life is a big joke to him, and mostly at my expense. We discussed his ability to work in the heat, no, we agreed he wouldn't be able to do it. His coat is huge and thick, and he does struggle in the heat ... unless he's running round and round a caravan with a ball in his mouth of course! Seriously, it does take me back to the same place, is the LSH practical for a days work? I think not!

Obviously, I've told Steve about my thoughts re a Zeeta pup, he's said very little, he listens, he knows I'm broken and I guess would support any decision I made. Out of the blue yesterday afternoon he said "I'd like our next puppy to be called Betty" ... Oh right, I like the name Betty but as I reminded him we'd had a puppy Betty in the G litter (In the photo) ... Betty boo doing the do do do do do. lol I sang it to her everyday. She was quite a favourite in that litter, she became Georgie in her own home. I thought about the name a little and said, well yeah why not, but let's spell it the Welsh way, Beti. I googled it and the meaning had me almost in tears ... "Origin of Beti  - The Welsh meaning of Beti is graceful, strong and happy. Originally, the name came from the Latin for Beatrix  - she who makes happy, she who brings happiness." Wow, very fitting. 

Over the last 18 months Orin has mated 7 bitches, 4 litters, 2 close to being scanned for confirmation of pregnancy and now Zeeta. In his lifetime Nico only had 8 litters, what a waste, he would have been of such benefit to so many. Ah well he benefitted Blanik so I guess that is the most important thing. Of the bitches that have been here to Orin, some have been constructionally better than others, I think Zoe has been my favourite, but not a single one has been "plain" and the litters to date have been stunning. I have lots to think about, especially as I still want a Siska pup. The timing isn't great really, but decisions will have to be made at a later date ... with no regrets! 

Happy Birthday Beti

Without question, I've loved every single Blanik dog (bred or adopted), but some stars shine just a tiny bit brighter than others. Happy 3rd birthday to the very special Beti at Blanik. (Pinchmill Adira of Blanik)Thank you for being the bright spark, the bundle of happiness and joy that three years ago I so badly needed. 

Zoe was mated to Orin just a few days before we lost Kaiah, my life was totally shattered, and I couldn't see a way forward. Zeeta then lost her singleton pup and I knew two of Zoe's girls were booked. But through the kindness of friends and the breeder, I was blessed to have Beti. As I've said before, I now look at this from a different prospective, I now consider that I've been lucky to have both these extraordinary females in my life, but the grief still remains. I cry more for Kaiah's cruel loss than any other ... I don't think I'll ever forget the pain of her loss. 

But today is Beti's birthday, a day to celebrate this special young lady. Beti, you are amazing; thank you for being you and for continuing to be by my side, my special, sweet, exuberant little friend. 

Penblwydd Hapus Beti Bwt!

Moving On Is So Hard

After doing quite well for a fair few days my emotions have got the better of me again. I'm really trying to look ahead and focus on the positives but with so much uncertainty there, it's a bit of a roller coaster ride.

There is a Zoe pup for me, should I want one, but that puppy needs to have show potential. She will be blessed to have good breeding and have a high chance of being genetically healthy, but I need more, I need a show dog and with third pick the best may well be gone by the time I get my pick. 

I messaged Anne again last night, but the reply confused me! I still don't know whether Zeeta is pregnant and I doubt Anne does either. My opinion, and I'd love to be wrong, if the bitch is not showing at 7 weeks then she's not pregnant or carrying a very small litter. (And Sammi was showing carrying three) A bitch's enthusiasm to be mated bares no connection to whether she is ready for mating or not ... some bitches will stand for most of the season but are only fertile for a few days of that time, without testing, with some bitches, we simply don't know! 

I was also upset last night by someone's negativity, maybe I'm asking too much? I just wanted to share my hopes but I got the message, you don't want to know! I won't bother again, I appreciate everyone has their own dramas, but whatever is going on in our lives, well sharing is caring isn't it? I guess I'm just oversensitive right now, I'm still too fragile and the lack of interest knocked the stuffing out of me. Anyway, let get a plan, try and get back on our feet and move on!