Kirislin

I've only bred 2 litters of my own so far, the most recent being almost 9 years ago now. Recently a friend asked me to be his backup and midwife for his litter of Italian Greyhounds. I thought, I'd better brush up on the pregnant bitch and whelping so went to my local library as they'd had an excellent book when I bred my whippet litters. There was not one single book that had anything to do with breeding. Nothing. The litter was born on Saturday, and we had dramas. We got the bitch to the suburban vet (Box Hill) with one puppy born in the car on the way and then 2 born in the vet clinic. There was an older vet there who was very good and reassured us that all was now going well, but the younger vet was fascinated and had NEVER seen a puppy being born! It's got me thinking about how much has changed in the 9 years since I bred my last litter. Is it because most people get their dogs now from puppy farmers? I really dont know, but the change in attitude, knowledge and availabilty and access to information has really surprised me.

Kirislin is absolutely the best Have you set up a camp bed alongside Widget yet, K? :laugh: They are totally gorgeous and in those last photos of Widget before the births, she looks like a bronze statue. What a stunner of a girl. I'm very sad the second little girl didn't make it. Hard to believe that huge bulge contained just 4 puppies. No, I live about an hour away but her owner is sleeping in the whelping room and he said last night Widget left them and hopped into bed with him for a cuddle, but the second she heard a squeak from them she jumped off his bed and back to her babies. She's very attentive. I'm helping a friend pack today for moving house but Wednesday I'll go back down for a couple of hours during the day just to make sure all is well, while her owner returns to work. Thanks every one for the kind comments about the photos.

It happened a few years ago now but it was going to cost me alot of money to get someone out and the snake could have been gone by the time they arrived. I wasn't completely silly though, I took precautions. I rang a friend and got her to come around just in case I got bitten. I put on gumboots, some big elbow length welding leather gauntlets, got a bucket with a lid on it and long handled barbeque tongs :laugh: Picked up snakey as close to its head as I could, although it still managed to turn its head and try to bite the tongs. We took it up the road to the National park and let it go.

Not really, I lost 2 from the first litter I bred and I dont know why either. It just happens sometimes. Her owner is now just trying to concentrate on the 3 beautiful puppies she's given him. I know, just wondering. I love the pink toes on the black one. Will it stay un-black as he grows up, or get colour? I think the white gets smaller but she might always have little white toes, I suppose it's a wait and see, sometimes that's the fun bit. :D

Not really, I lost 2 from the first litter I bred and I dont know why either. It just happens sometimes. Her owner is now just trying to concentrate on the 3 beautiful puppies she's given him.

We are still hurting from losing the 2nd little black girl, he had 2 people who both wanted girls just like the mum Widget. Breeding is fraught uncertainty and sometimes heartbreak isn't it.

5F6A7258dpptcr by kirislin, on Flickr

I think this is boy 2, the smaller one. 5F6A7225dpptcr by kirislin, on Flickr 5F6A7237dpptcr by kirislin, on Flickr 5F6A7240dpptcr by kirislin, on Flickr 5F6A7248dpptcr by kirislin, on Flickr 5F6A7249dpptcr by kirislin, on Flickr

and they're so sleek and smooth, their feet are like tiny berries and their tails are almost pre-hensile at the moment, they seem to wrap themselves around a finger if you touch them, about the same as they've wrapped themselves around my heart.

Hasn't their dad got beautiful artists hands. :laugh:

thankyou all. I struggled a bit with the light, so they have a very shallow depth of field which I'd prefer not to have but when I upped the ISO then I have the noise. Anyway, it's still a record of them for their owner. I wish I had a camera like this when Kibahs puppies were born 11 years ago.

I couldn't help myself, I had an attack of the mushies and had to go back down yesterday to gaze at them some more. They wont be like this for long and already I could see they've grown and changed a bit. Have to soak it up and make the most of it. Meet boy 1 5F6A7184dpptcr by kirislin, on Flickr Boy 2 5F6A7188dpptcr by kirislin, on Flickr and girl 5F6A7193dpptcr by kirislin, on Flickr 5F6A7202dpptcr by kirislin, on Flickr 5F6A7206dpptcr by kirislin, on Flickr Boy 1 with Pac man on his chest 5F6A7217dpptcr by kirislin, on Flickr Boy 2 5F6A7227dpptcr by kirislin, on Flickr

You've captured some incredible expressions there. The furious glaring cats and I especially love the mother gorilla with child looking on while she eats the silver beet.

I forgot to mention, the first born boy was a bit slow to start with and we were worried because of his difficult birth, but the other 2 pretty much came out running. I've never seen such vigorous active puppies, they were so tiny, but so strong. Nature is truly amazing. Big boy is OK too now, he's figured out how the milk bar works and was suckling well last I saw.

We all thought we could feel one more in there, I had felt the other puppies and knew the texture/firmness of how a puppy felt, but then it disappeared. We thought it must have moved into the birth canal, but no action from Widget so she went back to the vet. I headed off home then as it was late and I had over an hours drive. I haven't talked in detail to her owner so not sure how they confirmed no more puppies. I'm very tired today but have a strong urge to go back, and just sit, and look on in wonder at her little brood. Not sure if I will, but I'll be sure to take my camera if I do. :D

The end result of a hard day for Italian Greyhound Widget, a.k.a. Roskyle Preshus Lilywhite and her owner. 2 goldy sable boys and 1 black girl 5F6A7137dppt by kirislin, on Flickr

a tiny precious golden child 5F6A7165dppt by kirislin, on Flickr 5F6A7166dppt by kirislin, on Flickr 5F6A7167dppt by kirislin, on Flickr 5F6A7168dppt by kirislin, on Flickr 5F6A7169dppt by kirislin, on Flickr safe with Mummy 5F6A7170dppt by kirislin, on Flickr Thankyou all for your good thoughts. Widge is sore and bruised, and I would imagine very exhausted now. I'll wait until a more civilised hour before ringing for an update on her.

Yep, you guys were all right with your intuition. Yesterday was indeed the day, and it was a long hard one, especially for the wonderful brave and stoic little Widget. I had a sense that it was going to be Saturday and I couldn't sleep, so I was up at 3am doing my normal Saturday chores, and sure enough at around 8.30am I got a shocked slightly bewildered sounding Widge dad saying, I was just having cuddles with her and her waters broke, no warning. I got there about an hour later and she was having contractions but they didn't seem very strong. Big bulge behind that was firm to the touch so we felt sure it was a puppy but it wasn't coming out. By about 11am we were getting worried and when finally we could see a tiny tongue we realised it was out of the sack. Frantic vet on the phone trying to instruct her owner how to get the puppy out, all to no avail. So we bundled her into a doona and I started driving them to the vet when suddenly her dad said Pull over! and I'll never know how he managed it but he got that big fat plug of a puppy out. We sat there in shock and tears and wonder. Continued on to the vet and I am normally a very conservative law abiding driver but as I approached the intersection and the lights turned amber I just jammed one hand on the horn and blasted through, we couldn't wait. While at the vet she had 2 more in quick succession, she actually had the 3 puppies within about 35 mins. A goldy sabley fawn boy (that's my description) first born (in my car) at 11.55 weighing 270gms then a tiny exquisite black YES BLACK!! girl who popped out when I left the room for 40 seconds, weighing 210gm and then another richly coloured boy similar to the first another 10 or so minutes later weighing 210gms as well. The vet examined Widge and sent us home believing there were more pups to come. Finally about 2.5hrs later another beautiful black girl, this is what we'd hoped for, but heartbreakingly, she is not with us anymore. After that Widge seemed settled, relaxed and just doting on her new brood of 3. We were sure there was at least one more puppy but absolutely no action from Widge at all so late at night another friend took them all to the vets to check and I made my way home to a pack of 5 hungry whippets. I rang to check and she is empty! so that enormous belly for 4 puppies, you just never can be sure. Anyway, here is the beautiful new family, coincidentally photographed on the very same doona that I photographed Widge on all those years ago when I first met her and fell in love. 5F6A7138dppt by kirislin, on Flickr 5F6A7137dppt by kirislin, on Flickr 5F6A7132dppt by kirislin, on Flickr 5F6A7134dppt by kirislin, on Flickr and anxious uncle who feels sure he can offer some help and assistance 5F6A7156dppt by kirislin, on Flickr 5F6A7158dppt by kirislin, on Flickr

Here's the rationale (which I don't believe, but the GSD people take seriously). "The gait, which describes movement, is called the flying trot. The German shepherd is supposed to have a far front reach as well as great rear end extension. This produces a dog that glides across the ground, covering a large area in few moves, which is the right movement for a dog keeping a flock of sheep together. In fact, the whole visual picture illustrates the qualities necessary to do their intended work. Large, strong and fast might simply state the breed's physical attributes." from www.stevediller.com/articles/german_shepherd.pdf‎ Seems to me that kelpies do a great job of keeping a flock of sheep together without resorting to a strange gait that seems to be gliding. I dont think I've ever seen or even heard of a German Shepherd herding sheep in Australia. I wonder if they use them in Germany. Australia being such a big sheep country, you'd think they'd be used wouldn't you.

I dont find it funny either. I have my doubts it's even true, or if it is there's alot more to the story because as I said before, I dont believe a dog would just start eating a sleeping human for no reason. Otherwise we'd all have had bits chomped off us, although most of us would wake up at the first taste. If it is true I understand why the dog would be euthanased. I think it's the only way to tell if the dog had rabies.

I've been awake for hours, tossing and turning waiting waiting waiting, and worrying way too much for no good. Finally got up and see an email from her owner from last night. Temp still normal but she's off her food. Didn't want her brekky yesterday and threw up each time she ate after that. Getting close now I think. I'm up cooking the weeks dog food I planned on doing during the day Saturday because I wont be at all surprised if I get a call to go down there once daylight comes. Think good thoughts for tiny Widget and her babies. She has an ordeal ahead of her.

I wonder what the purpose of the flying trot is. I would imagine if a shepherd dog was guarding sheep, and a predator came to attack the sheep the fastest way for the shepherd to chase them off would be to run/gallop after them.

Just heard from her owner, no change. waiting waiting waiting .............

No, temp still normal last time I heard from her owner. I'll get a call as soon as she goes into labour. If I get a chance before dashing out the door I'll mention it here. Otherwise you'll know cause I'll start posting photos of itsy bitsy iggies!

Try to keep him quiet too. Put him on a lead to take him outside for toilets and no walks off leash anywhere until that settles down. That's what I'd be doing anyway.