Last night was another sleepless night. It's so hard to tell your brain to stop thinking once it starts whizzing at 3am isn't it, but it's amazing what becomes clear at that time of night!
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| Ziva and Nico |
If we accept that there will be no puppies this time then plans need making for the future. With the possibility of a litter from either bitch I had to think hard. It was a knee jerk reaction from me on Thursday to think, well I'll mate Ziva to Nico now then. Lets be honest their litter was absolutely super, they did produce Sammi; but now with time and thought I've decided to wait. I will take Sammi to see Jill Hubbard (vet) and talk about the herpes vaccinations (and maybe antibiotics) and take on board any thought that she or others with experience may have. We used the herpes vacs with Krizzie after she missed to Rangemore Arko, so that one may well be worth a go! If Sammi then goes on to have a successful litter as Krizzie did, then that's it, job done ... if not then at her following season I will repeat the mating of Nico to Ziva and hopefully keep a bitch from that litter. So between one of them we should have babies next Spring or Summer.
Ziva is now just 5 years old, so will be months short of 6 by then, well within the breeding age recommended by the KC of up to 8 years. She is currently fit, well and healthy, and of course will have to be at the time if that's the path we have to follow. I would never consider allowing a bitch to have a first litter at that age, but I have no qualms with a second litter at 5+ years.
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| Sammi and Ziva |
What would happen with Sammi then? Well I don't know. You only have the option to go back to the stud dog once free of charge. Having stud dogs I totally understand you're paying for the service and not the result. The dog is doing "his job" it's not his fault when it doesn't work out. But she's young and there would always be the chance in the future, anyway, let's think more positively than that!
I've now informed all the potential puppy buyers that there will be no babies this year. Some may wait, others may look elsewhere and I can't blame them for that! And me? Well I think it's time I start re looking for a suitable sable pup to join us at Blanik.
