And He's Off!

Well this morning I'm not a happy kitten owner! As predicted by Mr S, Jimmy Choo made it outside over night, and he's only just over 4 months old. I'm really not impressed, but he's very pleased with himself. He's had his breakfast and gone for a sleep. There will be no stopping him now, and no I can't close the cat flap that wouldn't be fair on the others, but I have to at least think of a short term over night plan! Maybe as Loki is now using the big crate I'll shut Jimmy in the smaller crate overnight. He's really is too small to fend for himself out at night. We do have wildlife about, but generally Foxes don't bother cats. It's other cats that I would worry about really, especially any unneutered males who could be about, they could well take exception to this cocky little teenager on their patch! 

Visiting Friends

 With a lovely walk In Garnfadryn, Pen Llyn

Absolutely stunning countryside and even more rural than us!

Can't You Just Tell

That it's raining!!!

Junior, Jimmy, Billy and Oliver. 

Plan B

Sammi and Stella - Feb 2014

Sadly Plan B is now cancelled. I will have to wait and see what happens with Sammi before rethinking. If she safely produces a bitch, then she will be staying. I never thought I'd hear myself saying this, but whether L/C or not, she will be staying. Steve would be delighted to get a fluffy girl .. but if that did happen, of course he would have to do the brushing! If Pixie and Dixie are both boys, then of course one will be staying! How can I bring a litter into the world and not keep one? It would kill me to bring up a litter and then have to let them go. To me that would be pointless.
If I did end up keeping a male then I would have to cancel plans to have my sable boy, or delay it by a few years at least! Of course my preference would be a S/C bitch, for life here and showing it's the logical choice and then the door would be open for that sable to join us over the next 12 months.
God after all the uncertainty there isn't much time to get my head around all of this now is there ... hopefully they will be here, a few days old and settled in 3 weeks time!

More About The L/C Gene

Now with the risk of getting long coat puppies from Merlot and Sammi, I was thinking again, yes during daylight hours, about the long coat gene.
In 2014 Tasha was mated to Nico, they produced 10 standard coat puppies, meaning it's highly unlikely that she does carry the gene. Nico does! So where does that put Loki and Bella? Well 50% of any progeny they may have will carry the l/c gene and 50% will not. But If Tasha had been mated to a l/c all pups would still be s/c but all would carry the l/c gene.
Well I guess it makes sense, but it makes no different to Merlot and Sammi pups. We know Merlot carries the gene as he has l/c progeny. I would imagine Sammi would. Both her parents have produced l/c puppies and had siblings who were l/c's. But it's a little more complicated than that. There would on average have been 25% in Nico x Ziva's litter who don't carry the l/c gene, 50% of the litter are s/c who carry l/c gene,  and 25% are actual l/c. So yeah in the "I litter" we had 2 x l/c's and 4 x s/c's. So of those S/C one at least theoretically does not carry the l/c gene. Maybe that is Sammi? Maybe not ... but definitely it was Seffe in the "A" litter as she had 2 x l/c siblings, but she didn't produce any l/c's progeny!
After all that, we may understand it (I hope) but without testing our dogs, we just have to wait and see, and consider that dogs who do carry the gene have an important part to play in our breed. Further more many of the dogs who do not carry the L/c gene may not always produces as profuse a coat as those who do!

After A Morning Of Rain ...

...Came an afternoon of sunshine, and everyone was glad to get out! 

All Change Again Then

So it looks like the search for the sable male will have to be put on hold again now. Concentrating on Sammi and Pixie and Dixie is the best way forward. Let's see what comes into the world and take it from there.
Jimmy has already been partly evicted from the kitchen, I'm still feeding him in there but he's sleeping with the others now. Only problem is he gets up early and starts playing about, which winds up Tali and she starts to make a noise. I wake up and lie there thinking, does she need to go out, or not? I end up getting up and letting her out, just incase! Feeding Jimmy with the others may be a nightmare, he's just so greedy! The other concern is that as he's as bright as a button is he going to work out the cat flap? He's really too young to come and go as he pleases at the moment, especially at night. It took Junior a fair while, but they are very different personalities, Junior is far more, err .. how can I say it nicely ... laid back! (Steve has always maintained that he's not a full shilling!) Anyway come what may, we need the kitchen completely vacated for Sammi and her hopefuls in just about 18 days.

Sammi's shape is altering daily. She now has noticeable boobs under her huge feathering! Bless her. I've talked to a couple of people who have experience in breeding and they have both told me the same thing. "Do not increase her food as you would normally with a pregnant bitch!" The reason being, if possible we do not want Pixie and Dixie growing too big for a natural birth. I take that on board, yeah makes sense to only increase the food after the have arrived! The other bit of advice is of course ... keep her fit, keep her walking. No problem there, that's normality here other than it's bloody raining again today!

Sammi's Secret

It's been a stressful 10 days, Sammi really has kept us guessing but Pixie and Dixie are doing OK. I'm really excited, but a little nervous as small litters scare me.
Now you're going to think I'm going nutty but for the last few days I've known they were there, I've known they were still developing. Though I have told a couple of people I was just too scared to put it in print.
As we walked in Cwm Dulyn on Tuesday I noticed a slight change in her outline, only something a doting owner could see, but that I am and I saw it. But how could I tell if there was a difference over a few days or not? Then Mikey and his lump came to mind, I would measure her waist. I didn't dare tell Steve, he'd have had me locked up!!!! I decided to measure her and Asha, surprisingly they were both 29". (day 37) (Asha's diet is going well) it was my intention to leave her till Sunday to measure again but on Thursday I couldn't help myself ..OMG - 30",(day 39)  and Sunday 31"(day 43). There was still the doubt in my mind that her body could just be caring on with an empty pregnancy, but if that was the case why was her belly growing so quickly?
On Friday  as Sammi was sleeping on the sofa I was resting my hand on her side .. as you do ... and I felt something there. I felt it, I knew I did but because of the situation I still doubted myself,  but logically it couldn't have been anything else!
So definitely 2, but there is a possibility of more and those 2 took some finding! We also did see another dark patch, but it seemed empty, possibly just fluid? Having seen Milli when she was 7 weeks pregnant and carrying 2, Sammi is looking a lot more pregnant at 6 week. But of course she could be like her mum who was that huge she looked like she was caring 12 but only had 6 and masses of fluid.
My heart is set on a bitch, and despite coat if there is one I will keep her. But if they are boys then I will keep one too - providing one is a S/C. I bring puppies into the world for me to have one, and if these arrive safely then one of them is mine! I can't confirm to anyone that I have a puppy for them now. I have a S/C bitch booked, A L/C dog booked and 2 S/C dogs booked .. it's highly unlikely there will be that many puppies and until they are born and grow coat I simply won't know.
So how easy all the plans change eh .... 3 weeks to go!

(Second scan day 44 from mating) 

Night Thoughts

Another sleepless night whilst the old brain refused to sleep. It's just so frustrating and without doubt only made worse with the irritability of not being able to stop thinking and not being able to sleep. So I get up, have a cuppa, scrawl through Facebook for an hour and try again, still no success. It doesn't help to be told that I should stop doing this to myself, stop thinking and go to sleep. It's not voluntary, if only it was that easy!
I'm waiting for something from someone, they say they will do it asap, but I'm still waiting. Now at this time of day I understand they have lives of their own,things to do, but in the middle of the night .. I don't understand and I'm irritable with them too!
At least one thing is clear this morning, Mr handsome (pictured) will not be joining us at Blanik. His breeder feels he hasn't quite got the X.factor needed to be a show dog. I'm sad, but obviously grateful for her honesty. So lets see if plan B works out then, I currently don't have a plan C.
Obviously the main cause for my current insomnia is Sammi,

and the is she isn't she question? Now I can understand that hormones would make her nipples go pink, would give her boobs, would put her off her breakfast, and even make her fanny stay puffy (lovely turn of phrase don't you think!!)... but now she's got a belly, a small one but still a belly. A belly that is more obvious in the evening than the morning. .. now that can't be hormones .. can it? Anyway tomorrow should be day 44, and according to "The Book" in small litters abdominal enlargements are not noticeable till after day 45. I know what I hope is going on, and I've had the same thought since about Wednesday .... hopefully the scan tomorrow will confirm this and that I'm not left devastated again. (though obviously this time I am at least partly prepared for more disappointment)

Who's Been Sleeping In My Bed?

 Coming into the bedroom last night I found my place was taken! First time Nico has done that, and Mr S who was in the bed didn't say anything about it, he'd just left him there.

But there is no room for three in the bed so one of them had to move! 

This dog is so beautiful .. inside and out

Little Big Man!

Little Jimmy Choo - growing up so quickly

Confusion

Sammi is well, really well. She's not quite and subdued as they sometimes are after a season. She's eating well and full of fun and energy, though there's not the usual madness with Loki on a walk. To me she still appears to be pregnant, or her body seems to be carrying on with the pregnancy, if you know what I mean. The only thing that I would expect to see by now is more abdominal enlargement, but then I've never had a bitch which may only be carrying 2 puppies before .. the smallest litter here to date has been Seffe's 5, and she was late showing!
Maybe the 2 little ones are still there? Maybe it's just hormones? I just have no idea. When she was scanned there was 2 embryos clearly seen, but they were not developed enough for 5 weeks and it was presumed that Sammi was reabsorbing those too, which by now she may well have done. Due to her hormone levels her body may still think she is pregnant, alternatively, they could still be there. I've never been in this position before, I just haven't a clue, so the next scan will shows us what to prepare for.
Like this post my head is going round in circles ... One minute I think she's pregnant and there's hope, the next I come to the conclusion that there is nothing there. At this time of the morning she sure does look streamlined and apart from her undercarriage she looks no more pregnant than anyone else here. But in the evening she looks different, a little fuller and deeper. Again could that simply be hormonal or are they there and moving? Don't worry it's just a rhetorical question, and for my own sanity it's best I try and believe there is nothing there. I guess till Monday I can muse it over all I like but I simply won't know!

LLyn Cop

Some photos taken today - The Village of Fron beyond the little lake

Jezi getting in on the act! 

The mast of Nebo clearly seen over the valley

September Sunshine

Beautiful Morning Walk With The Blaniks 

Today's Walks

 Asha. Loki ans Ziva at the top of Rhosgadfan 

 Nico and Jezi in Rhostryfan 

Sammi, Loki and Tali on home ground!

The Sable Colour

I've never had a sable GSD, and have had my heart set on a sable male for a while now. To produce sable one parent must be a sable. (Though some non standard colour crosses to white do occasionally produce them) I had tried to find a suitable sable male for Sammi, but there was nothing out there really that was compatible. The plan was then that I would have one for my 50th birthday in 2018, but with recent events I've decided I'm not waiting that long and I'm looking now. It may take me months to find him. but I will!
People often confuse sable with a faded black and tan, some think Asha and Tali are sable but they are not they are faded black and tan. i.e the black saddle is no longer solid, the tan has spread into the black. A sable puppy and a black & tan are very different looking and you could never mistake one for the other.

A beautiful sable pup

Sammi around the same age. 

All my puppies are this colour, with varying degrees of strength of the tan. The adult colour of a GSD simply can not be determined until they are about three years old, and I find my fading bitches continue to fade through adulthood. 

Sammi and Loki both have their full saddles 

(as does Nico and Ziva) 

Tali (pictured) and Asha are very faded but with different shades of tan 

and Jezi is slightly faded.

"Aria" - a beautiful young sable female 

(Shame about the mud!)

A Little Walk

I set off a little earlier to get to the vets with Tali so I could give her a little treat of a walk in Gyrn Goch. I haven't been there in well over a year, and a few bits and pieces have changed with gates now making it safer for the ones who choose not to listen! (Tali!) 

Though the young are enthusiastic we still haven't made it over they style, 

it's just too high for some

Loki towering over Tali

Though to be fair he's standing and she's sitting

Such a lovely little walk, 

but that is all it is, a little walk for young and old, or a place to mooch and take photos.

Tali Vets Appointment!

No Tali don't go in there, we have a vets appointment in 20 mins

Tali ... TAli .... TALI

"Feck off!" 

             

Tali, Tali come on - 15 mins - we need to go!

 "Feck off!"

 Oh well we are late now anyway so one posing pic before we go! 

"I HATE doggy doctor she squished my belly so I grumbled at her - but Aunty Shaz gave me cuddles and a new duck which I squeaked all the way home in the van!"

Again the same conclusion, nothing seems to be wrong with Tali, so we treat as before for IBS. A longer course of antibiotics and a Vitamin B12 injection along with careful management of what she eats ... err yeah! Easier said than done!!!!

Cwm Dulyn

Loki, Asha and Sammi on that rock! 

Just too nice to crop.

Sammi watching Asha going out, Sammi doesn't swim only paddles!

Linda's shouting "too far!" Asha says "tis not!"

Lovely Loki

The only thing that disgusts me more than seeing what my dogs ate today was knowing it was dirty filthy humans that left it there ... best leave it to your imagination!!!