Chihuahuas, English Mastiffs and Life!

Time to catch up!

2009-06-24T22:22:00.004-06:00

Hello again! :)

Sorry I've been gone for so long, it's been a mad house around here! We got busy doing some touch ups & reno's to the house & it is now for sale as we need to get out to the farm! Kids are finishing up the school year, so we have field trips & exams & lots to do there too.

Lana's pups arrived May 24th starting about 12:30 am & finishing about 6 am. She did a good job!! 5 chubby babies arrived :) They are 4 weeks old now & doing wonderfully. All are healthy, fat, cute, cuddle bugs.. awwwww!

We we very lucky this time to get another brindle female... we are keeping this one, YES!!! She is a very gorgeous blue brindle & we have named her 'Vegas'. Look for her gorgeous babies in a year or so :)
We were also lucky to get 3, yes I said 3, silver fawns. They have the most amazing coloring that a picture just can not capture. Those of you who have seen them know what I'm talking about. Last but of course not the least is the fawn boy.. he is so cute with his white blazing & pink nose!
Lana & Jazz sure made some beautiful babies & she is a wonderful mother.

Also should mention that our Willow is pregnant :) She is due about the 10th of Aug. We are very excited to see these babies & the very unique merle colors that will come!

I'll try to keep in touch more often!

April / 09

2009-04-15T11:29:00.002-06:00

So here I am waiting again for puppies :)

Lana should be pregnant, though we are not 100% sure yet as this will be her first litter. She is about 3 weeks in now so hopefully we will see the definite signs soon.
Her pups will be very beautiful with the nice cobby apple heads & long, lean bodies. I am always so interested in the first litters to see what colors will come. It's like Christmas morning with all the pretty packages under the tree & you finally get to rip the paper off to see whats inside :)
Maybe we will be lucky & get 4 puppies.. it's always a treat if there is more than 3.

Sway & Chloe are doing very well. All the pups have found wonderful homes & are happy & thriving! The girls are happy to be able to go to the dog park for runs & take nice long walks again.

What will next week bring......

Puppy Update!

2009-03-07T17:53:00.003-07:00

So here we are! Chi babies are 6 weeks old now & mastiff babies are 3 1/2 weeks.

Chi's first -

They are sooo cute as all puppies are! They all have new families waiting for them except the brindle female. Not sure if I've said it before or not but brindle coloring in the chi's is one of the less common colors. She is still waiting for the right family.
I hate to use the word *rare* because nothing really is.. it might be less common or not the norm, but never *rare*... to me it's like saying I have *teacup* chihuahuas.. NO SUCH THING!!! A chi should be 2 - 6 lbs. You may 'once in a fluke' get an extra big one or you may sometimes get an extra small one, but they never should be 8 or 10 lbs, like the one I saw yesterday that PJ's pet store is trying to sell as purebred chi!!!
Anyway.. I rambled, sorry.
So I have found very good homes for the other 4 now. I have had the pleasure of e-mailing, talking & meeting with them all lots. The 2 light colored boy & girl are going to the same home. It will be so nice for them to stay together. The black & tan boy is going to a home where there is already another little chi buddy waiting for him :) They will have tons of fun! The black & tan girl is going to a new home where life on her own is just beginning. They will be the best of friends!
My little brindle girl is going to be very lonely soon if I can't find her a new family. It does surprise me that she is the last to go though.. maybe I am the only one to love her coloring.

The mastiffs -

They are very cute & cuddly & the biggest 3 week old pups I have ever seen! 1 is 8lbs already!! I guess I will get used to it though, as this is my first mastiff litter, it's always been little ones before.
They are all sold now & I believe I have found very wonderful homes for these big guys as well. I have been chatting, e-mailing & visiting with them too. Diesel, the biggest boy, is going to a home in the country where there is lots of kids to play with & room to run (he'll need it!! LOL). The other boy is going to live in Edmonton with a couple to be loved and enjoyed. The apricot girl (Sookie) is going to Calgary to live with a family full of kids, other animals & tons of love! The brindle girl is going to live out in the country on a farm with lots of other barn yard friends & a couple other dogs, not to mention the kids to lick & love!!

I have had a very busy time with these pups, but have LOVED every min of it! When I chose to expand our kennel with a few more dogs I knew it would be busy & crazy & stressful & so much fun!! I have only ever had 1 litter at a time before & this has been an eye opener for me. I am in it up to my eyes I think.. LOL.

I just want to say I have enjoyed raising these babies for you & look forward to keeping in touch & watching them grow with you. Thanks!!

Lana is in heat now, so I guess there is no rest for the wicked. We will be doing this all again very soon!

Let's see what next week will bring........

Puppies, Puppies, Puppies!!

2009-02-19T08:54:00.005-07:00

So all the puppies have arrived!

Sway's are now 3 weeks old & Chloe's are 1 week old. I haven't slept in 3 weeks LOL. The chi's are doing great.. growing all big & chubby. All but one are 1lb already. Their colors are so crisp & such a variety. The long haired brindle girl is the best! I can't believe she has not sold yet, the more common colors are all going & she is not. I thought she would have been the first to go. Maybe it's a sign I need to keep her... ha ha ha.

Chloe's babies are so big & cute! My favorite is the big, lighter brindle boy, he is going to be so big & stunning with his coloring & the size of his head already... WOW! New family very lucky!

She did have issues with the birth though. There was one little baby that just didn't make it :(

it was the first in line & blocking the birth canal. Her labor started but just did not progress as no pups could pass. After trying a couple shots of oxytocin & passing the day away with no progress, we decided to follow through with the c-section. All but the little babe came out crying & ready to rumble. They are strong & healthy, which is all we could ask for.

I'll try to keep you updated, but life is really busy now.

Let's see what happens next....

Last week for Chloe

2009-02-08T19:29:00.002-07:00

So, here we are on the last week of Chloe's pregnancy. She has done really well & hasn't been miserable or grouchy at all. Some dogs don't enjoy it at all & she seems in great spirits.
We took her for x-rays & we saw some nice sized puppies.. how many you ask??? Well.. we counted only 5. There could possibly be 1 or 2 hidden still but looks like 5 chubby puppies. We have a waiting list of 6, who all want fawn males. I have to say that with breeding Chloe to a brindle male, chances of making even half my waiting list happy.. not good! I am hoping to get 2 at least, but we will all just have to wait and see what comes. I was hoping to have some who wanted a brindle as they are so beautiful & not as much the norm. If your looking for a big, gentle but mean looking dog, I think the brindle says it all. It's my favorite!!
I have no pictures this time, I have been so busy running here & there all week that there has been no time for anything. Maybe I should have wrote this tomorrow.. I am now stuck at home doing the hurry up & wait game until puppies arrive. Anyone who wants to send me e-mails to keep my mind from going numb is more than welcome, LOL. Here's to hoping Chloe goes into labor early & not on Friday the 13th like planned. I hope no one is superstitious!!! HA HA HA HA!

Let's pray all goes smoothly & see what next week brings....

Breeders & Puppies

2009-02-01T14:03:00.015-07:00

So I am not really writing today to talk about the puppies or Chloe. I am here to rant about bad breeders!

I spend alot of time online looking to find chi's that are beautiful & come from good stock, that I might be proud to add to our program. As you know we had to find a new boy. Well I researched ALOT online & e-mailed a ton & spoke with a few. I thought I had it narrowed down to a wonderful breeder outside Manitoba. This was the first time I purchased without going to meet them first & see everything. I was on her web site alot & fell for a tiny boy that is stunning! Good color, nice cobby head & small. I e-mailed & she sent back a nice long response about his wonderful pedigree, color & size. I was nervous about having to ship, she said "no problem she does that all the time." Well, once I sent in a deposit to her, she basically just dropped me. She stopped answering my questions.. I couldn't get a response from e-mails or phone calls & when I did get an e-mail it was only 2 or 3 words. She didn't even tell me when he was born, (that part was not important at first), but as time goes on & you ask 3 or 4 times with no response about birth date or more important questions about his health, you start to wonder whats wrong. I did get her on the phone once & tried to talk with her about this, well she just proceeded to yell at me about how busy she is & can't do everything. Isn't everyone busy???? Granted some more than others, but as a GOOD breeder you should be there to answer questions & support the person who is trusting you & parting with their hard earned $$$$$. So anyway, now I just have to suck it up & wait for him to get here. She wanted me to make all the travel plans, then bitched me out when they didn't suit her schedule... nice! Then just 2 hours before his flight to us she called to say she couldn't do it. Isn't that a nice time to tell me!! Loren was home that day, I had the day off work & now he wasn't coming. So now we have 20 min to scramble to reschedule his flight for another day so we don't loose all that money. I'm worried!! Almost 2 weeks goes by with no communication & the day of his flight arrives. We still don't hear from her, so we go to the airport & just hope he shows. He did & is as cute as I hoped for!! We get him home & find a few things about him that concern us. The next day we take him to the vet for an exam & she points out a few things to us. Some we are not concerned about (as they are traits chi's can have, she was just making us aware) & some we were. When I return home I decide to e-mail the breeder & hope she can address these things & finally do what is expected. NO SUCH LUCK!! She proceeds to respond to me with such hate & nasty accusations about me being a BYB. I also have to tell you, she knows nothing about us except our names & address, as she needs that for the CKC papers. She never asked how many dogs I have, how long I've been breeding, kennel name, family life... NOTHING!! Though she may know more now if she comes across my web site or reads this.. LOL. So when she comes at me like this, after I tried to voice my concerns, I kinda told her off a bit. Now we have no communication, I can't ask her anything & will have to figure it out myself I guess. Don't get me wrong... I think he is a great dog (with a few quirks), I just wish his breeder was better & not obviously out only for the money.

Please be careful about the chi breeder outside of Manitoba!!

I vow to never treat my customers in this manner as I know that you spend alot of money & have alot of trust in those who breed your beloved family members.

On a lighter note...

Chi babies are growing like crazy!! Sway is one of the best moms I've had, she has tons of milk & feeding, feeding, feeding. LOL. The pups don't want for anything & are chubby little pork chops!

Chloe has finally lost her waist line, not that I think she worries about that like maybe some of us should :) , she is slowing down now though & isn't running anymore. She likes to just lay & chew on her bones & be spoiled with treats. Time is running out for us to be ready though, so I guess we should step up & get things done. We have her whelping box, but still need to build the puppy pen. Ya, you heard me!! If you think I'm going to let 8 or 10, 20lb, not house trained puppies have the run of my little house... your crazy, LMAO!!! It's going to be in the basement for at night (when they are older of coarse, not new born's... in case you were worried) for them to do what they need to do & us to get sleep. During the day they will still be up in the kitchen with us & mommy. Loren needs to get going on building that because I hate waiting for the last min. If I am prepared, then I am calmer!

Let's see what next week brings.....

Chloe's Count down

2009-01-28T13:36:00.005-07:00

Sorry it's been more than a week.. I was doing around the clock watch & wait for those sweet chi babies. They finally made their appearance on Monday. She tricked me for almost a week with the on & off pre labor & with it being her first, we just didn't really know what to expect. We had a few calls to the vet who talked us through what we thought was going to be a c-section & just as we were packing her up to bring her in, the first babe made her appearance. Then we were in for a very long day as it took her 5 more hours after the first one, to have the last one. She had 5 pups & they are all very healthy & big chubs! LOL

Look at the tummy starting to show!!

Now I'm wondering if Miss Chloe will do the same for a week before.. I don't think I will stress nearly as much if she does, though I will always be on my toes! She is getting bigger everyday now & eating for 12 I think.. HA HA HA. She is enjoying the extra treats & goat milk is the new favorite around here for sure! All my pups seem to think they need it now instead of water.. spoiled little brats!! She is still full of energy & wants to go for her walks, though she isn't running & running like she used to. She likes to just have a nice jog instead.

Let's see what next week brings...

One Week To Go!!

2009-01-17T10:24:00.005-07:00

So, here we go... the count down begins.

I am excited to see this chi litter, as it didn't happen like we were originally planning. Not sure if I mentioned before about the tragic accident we had with our wonderful, very handsome blue & tan boy. Well just as the breeding was to take place he died :( I cannot tell you how devastated we were! Because we only have a couple dogs, not 20 or 30, & they are our loved family members.. it was a shock & so, so sad for us. So then I was stuck at the last min needing a stud for my girl if we were to still go through with a breeding. Luckily for us I have a great friend who happens to be a breeder as well, that lives very close to me. She came through for me & lent me her male, & wonderful 4 lb, long haired boy.... So, as I've said, I am excited to see this litter. I'm wondering what colors will show up & how many long coats or short coats there is. She is very big now & I have stopped letting her jump onto or off of the funiture, or do stairs, she doesn't seem to mind being carried everywhere.. LOL. I have also stopped the goats milk, for this last week, as we don't want to much EXTRA calcium in her. It can make the delivery more difficult. She's not to happy about that part. She keeps going to the kitchen counter & looking at me like hey, where's my snack!! But she'll be fine.. & the vanilla ice cream at delivery time will make up for it I'm sure.

We were supposed to get our new little guy from Winnipeg on Thursday... well that didn't happen :( The breeder called at the very last min to say her van wouldn't start & she wouldn't be bringing him to the airport as scheduled. I have to say that she has not been the best to deal with! She has wonderful dogs & looks after them beautifully, but her people skills... well they just suck!!! She doesn't like to return e-mails or phone calls & she only sent me a couple of pictures of him growing up. She doesn't answer your questions or give you the info you need to move forward with things. Now we will not be getting Grifin until the 26th. I am not happy & will not be dealing with this breeder again or recommending her to anyone. To bad though as she does have nice pups.

Chloe has now been confirmed pregnant.. woot! Four weeks & counting for her. So now the wait is on to determine how many?? How big will she get?? How many will be brindle?? Let the pampering begin girl.. Extra treats, goats milk for the calcium & extra fat & of coarse lots of love!! You can see she still has a waist, but those boobies are getting BIG!

Let's see what next week brings... pray for no c-sections y'all!

2 Weeks To Go!

2009-01-09T19:49:00.011-07:00

Well, there is 2 weeks left until Sway's puppies arrive.

It has been a sad week for us here as my wonderful granny passed away last Saturday. She was a few months away from her 95th birthday & she went to sleep and just didn't wake up again. We should all be so lucky!! She was a wonderful, sweet woman who was always busy cooking great meals, cleaning or looking after someone else in some way. I will miss my dear old granny.. God Bless Her!

So as you can see Sway is growing. She has gained another 1 1/2 lbs & is now weighing just over 8 lbs. Normal (not preggers) weight for her is 5 lbs, so she has many chubby puppies in there! lol, I hope!

I have my work schedule figured out so I will be home for when she's ready to deliver. That is one less thing to worry about. She is groning alot these days & not very comfortable laying on her tummy. I can't blame her though, as I have been through 4 full term pregnancies & know what it's like to be big, bloated, short of breath & just plain uncomfortable. She's a real trooper though & is enjoying all the perks that also go along with this. She very rarely stays at home now, she gets to go with mum everywhere but to work & loves the goat milk every day for the extra calcium & vitamins. Not to mention her extra comfy sleeping situation.. curled up right next to mum, wrapped IN the blankets no less. LOL.. blanket hog!!

Still no concrete sign that Chloe is pregnant. I had her on her back today & was poking and prodding again... with 4 1/2 weeks left & her being a deep chested large breed, I guess I can't worry to much just yet.

Let's see what happens next week.

Look at that tummy

Welcome!

2009-01-02T15:43:00.006-07:00

Hi there!

This is my first blogging attempt.. I hope you enjoy.

This is where my journey starts... I used to breed shih-tzu's & when my last girl was done with her last litter we decided to take a break from breeding to focus on the family. The kids grew, we traveled a bit, finished renovations on the house & rested a little. Now 5 years later I decided I missed it & loved it so much I just couldn't stay away anymore. Instead of getting back into the shih-tzu breed (I wanted to stay away from all the grooming & hair cuts they required) I decided to go even smaller & get a chihuahua. They are loving, cute, loyal & travel so easily.

We have always had a big dog in the family as well. They were just pets not breeding dogs for us, but after we acquired our first mastiff *Cujo*, we completely fell in love with the breed. They are loyal, loving, protective, big couch potato's. How could we not want to breed these gentle giants also!

So now here I am with 1 chi & 1 mastiff expecting babies within weeks of each other, (I told you I jumped in with both feet!! LOL!). Sway has 3 weeks to go & Chloe has 5 1/2 weeks. After being out of it for so long & having the new breeds I am a little nervous. I know there can be complications with these breeds delivering & I am hoping that all goes well to ease me back in gently... ha ha. I have been very excited to watch the pregnancies progress though, Sway started to show about a week ago, so it was nice to have confirmation that the mating worked. Chloe, we are still waiting for conformation (fingers crossed).

I think I'm ready & have everything in place for the big day though. Whelping boxes, blankets, towels, scale, birthing kit (ky, gloves, scissors & such stuff), goats milk for momma & babies. I made a special recipe for the momma's too that will help them bulk up or gain a little if needed, that's in the freezer ready any time I need it. Now I need to make sure my work schedule doesn't conflict with the babies coming as Loren will not be home to help.

Sway with 3 weeks left... getting bigger every day!

Let's see what next week brings...