Committed to the improvement of the breed by breeding for health, temperament and better structure in dogs that have the ability to herd.

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Meet the Brindle Brigade! (Individual Photos)

The pups are ridiculous to try and get to hold still. I took about 100 photos and most were blurry, so apologies for the lack of 'premium' photos of pups, but you get an idea of the pups. I did it right this time and have all the girls on the pink blanket, the boys are on the blue. Call names are under each photo and the birth order is the number. i'm sorry to say they are out of numerical order.

Brindle Girl - Puppy #9, Call Name Dia

Brindle Girl - Puppy #3, Call name Denley

Brindle Girl - Puppy #10, Call Name Ditty

Brindle Girl - Puppy #7, Call Name Delta

Brindle Girl - Puppy #11, Call Name Duffy

Brindle Boy - Puppy #5, Call name Dago

Black Brindle Male - Puppy #8, Call Name Dietz

Brindle Male - Puppy #1 - Call Name Decker

Puppy #2 - Brindle Male - Daffyt (Welsh for David)

Puppy #8 - Brown Brindle Male - Dunbar

Brindle Male - Puppy #4, Call Name Dinham

Monday, February 27, 2012

Sophie Update (f/k/a Cleary)

Cleary had been hanging out with some of my friends in MInneapolis as I tried to decide if she were going to be a 'show girl' or not. When her nose noticeably changed from a black color, I knew she would not be able to be shown. There was so much I loved about her, her beautiful head, large round ears, sweet temperament and low stationed with moderate bone. However knowing that I can't keep everything, I decided to try and find her a home.

Cleary is now Sophie and since mid-December she has been a big city girl, living in Milwaukee right on Lake Michigan. Her older brother Duncan the Old English Sheepdog love her to bits, as does her mommy :) As you can tell she already rules the roost here and is the spoiled Goddess that she should be! Thank you Jeanie for taking the little Cleary-Bell and making Sophie such a great home :) I look forward to seeing her grow up in to the beautiful girl I know she already is







Sunday, February 26, 2012

Brewer gets his 2nd major!

Got word that Brewer was Winner's Dog for his second major today in Albany, Oregon. That puts him at 11 points with both majors in limited showing. Thank you, as always Mandy, for showing my boy for me :) Brewer is out of the Pilot x Ell litter. This weekend so far, his daddy has gotten TWO Group 1's coming fresh off of his Westminster Best of Breed win! I think 2012 will be a good year for Pie and his kids :)

Friday, February 24, 2012

Brindle Brigade at 1 week

Has it REALLY been a week already? Yes. I guess it has. Where has the time gone? I've been unable to sleep through the entire night. No, everything is fine. I have not needed to supplement any pups, they are all gaining at about the same pace, Ell has lots of milk, eating at will (always food in the box) and she is being a fantastic momma! I've had lack of sleep because anytime the pups find themselves NOT attached to a nipple, they carry on about how rough their life is, and since I am a light sleeper, it hasn't gone well with my ability to have a sound night of sleeping :) I will have them moved to the living room today, where most of the action with the other dogs and myself happens. I'll still have the xpen around the box in the corner, so they can have their privacy. Ell still isn't ready to let the more submissive dogs in the pack see them, but Sadie is able to view at her leisure (she doesn't really like the pups anyway until they are big enough to play!)

Its nearly impossible to get individual photos showing their faces/markings so I'm still having to take group shots. Here are 10 of the pups, the other was sleeping on the warming pad :)

I'm so blessed that this litter has not needed any interference. Its always better when humans don't have to interfere (but I was prepared to if needed!)

Due to the high number of pups born, there are still available pups. Please inquire!

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Brewer's health tests

Brewer's took a little longer to arrive to DDC as he is on the west coast, but the wait was worth it :)

Brewer was tested for Fluff, Pink and DM. Worst case scenario he could only be a carrier of any of them, but these are his results:

Fluff: Carrier

Extension (Pink): Clear (E/E)

DM: CLEAR!! N/N (Normal)

Now we just have to do hips/elbows when he turns 2 in just over a week and wait for the results. I'm hoping to find the money somewhere to also do Ava, Ballantyne and Bolin at the same time.

I have had so many inquiries for using Brewer that I've been a bit humbled by it all. He is in no way perfect but am so shocked and happy that others see his virtues and merit for asking to use him for stud.

Monday, February 20, 2012

Litter Theme Names (Suggestions appreciated!)

With special thanks to Missy the below list of names is the beginning of ideas for the pups. I can never think of catchy names. I had originally wanted a theme about LOVE (since it was close to that "V" day) and I was going to put it in Spanish in a shout out to mi familia de Espana. After ELEVEN puppies I agreed with Missy English would be much easier :)

Suggestions are welcome, but here is the list of names:

Ebonwald's Double the Affection
Ebonwald's Devoted to You
Ebonwald's Dont' Deny our Love
Ebonwald's Dangerous Admiration
Ebonwald's Diggin on You
Ebonwald's Dare to Fall in Love
Ebonwald's Dream of Romance
Ebonwald's Dedicated to Us
Ebonwald's Delectable Kisses
Ebonwald's Dazzling Hearts
Ebonwald's Dear to Me


As this is my fourth litter, I would like to stick with "D" for the beginning of the names.

Thoughts?

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Update on Duncan Miles (f/k/a Mr. Cole)

I'm not sure a dog could be more loved or doted on than Mr. Duncan Miles! He and his Pem sister Lucy are quite the team now according to their mom! I couldn't decide which photos she had sent me should be on the blog so I picked a few of my favorites and a few random ones to give you an idea of just how awesome his home is. He gets to go to the groomers, Petco, lots of walks and has a plethora of bones and such to keep him occupied when he and Lu are not running full out in the house. He is a Levi x Daisy pup and is a pink (e/e) pup. Notice how his nose color is just an off black now for those genetic junkies :) I miss him but seeing these pics fills my heart with love for him, and for his new family. It was totally meant to be, and everything happens as it should. Thank you Leslie for being an amazing person and a great mommy to one of my pups :)





















Saturday, February 18, 2012

Puppy Photos

I realize now I did this wrong. The girls I photographed on the blue, the boys on the white. Oh well. Now that you know...I should have gotten pink blankets for the girls haha. The litter remains consistent in weights, everybody is very fast and content. except for Boy #1. He's fat, and nursing with milk coming out of his mouth and screaming for something yet to be determined. He's not sleeping next to his littermates but I'm betting he'll be a dramatic puppy haha.






Friday, February 17, 2012

ELEVEN puppies update

After blogging about the 10 pups, Ell had an 11th puppy. I can't believe it. She was a basketball on legs, and pitiful for a good 10 days before she whelped. NOW I KNOW WHY! Ell does not cease to amaze me. When she had her first litter she never uttered a sound while she whelped, proceeded to immediately get up after each pup to lick it off and get it moving. I was a bit nervous with her first litter after the catastrophic litter with Zoe, and I ended up using Oxytocin on the last pup Ell had in her. And I lost that little brindle girl. So this time around, despite my best efforts with anxiety, I waited it out and let Ell tell me when it was time to whelp, and let her take her time. She did just that! Never stressed out, worried, panicked or nervous (except right before the first pup I had to lay along the whelping box stroking her back), she handled every pup with ease and in the pile of brindle pups she would find the newest one and continue to clean it and get it going.

Ell took 14 hours to whelp, we started right around chore time yesterday at 5pm and she finished at 930 this morning as I was coming back to do one last check before running to town for supplies. Also surprisingly she had most of the puppies breech (tail first) and the entire litter was very consistent.

Pups and Weights:
1. Brindle Male - full collar, lopsided blaze 9.4 oz
2. Brindle Male - half collar, full blaze, white on ear tip 9.2 oz
3. Brindle Female - half collar, narrow blaze 9.6 oz
4. Brindle Male - full narrow collar, narrow blaze 8.7 oz
5. Brindle Male - full collar, incomplete blaze, white muzzle 9.3 oz
6. Brindle Male - 3/4 collar, hourglass blaze, 10 oz
7. Brindle Female - minimal white (mini Ell) 11.5 oz
8. Brindle Male - no collar 8.6 oz
9. Brindle Female - white spot on neck (no collar) 9.2 oz
10. Brindle Female - two tiny spots on neck (no collar) 9.1 oz
11. Brindle Female - wide blaze and wide full collar 9.5 oz

to say I'm shocked and excited and now nervous is an understatement. But so far Ell is proving her motherhood by being a trooper feeding them all (i'm making sure all look full and red nosed and rotating pups if need be) and enjoyed a brief romp outside in the last snow bank we have. I had to put a lead on her and pull her out of the box but she seems to be happy to be able to walk up the steps again to the doors :)

Photos when I get a bit more rest. The rest of the critters need my attention now

They are here! (Brindle Brigade!)

They are HERE!! The Higgins x Ell pups have arrived. As expected, they are ALL brindles, some a bit darker, but all brindles. 6 boys and 4 girls, lasting over 14 hrs. Ell FREE WHELPED them all, and they are all between 9 and 10 oz (except for the Mini - Ell who was 11.5 oz) so a very consistent litter. Ell is only 25 pounds so having this many pups in her was painful to watch, but she is every proud, ever a good mother and very exhausted! She does have enough room at the milk bar for them all, but will try and rotate them just to ensure everyone gets some of the best 'table settings' (as my Grandpa calls them).

The whole gang is here





Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Test Results

I did DM and Extension gene tests for Cass and Campbell. I knew they could be carriers for 'e' as half of their litter was 'ee'. I also knew they 'could' be carriers for DM as their sire was a carrier. Its a given they are fluff carriers as Daisy IS their mom and she is a fluff. :)

As expected, both Cass and Campbell are E/e (both carry pink)

Campbell is DM N/N normal
Cass is DM N/A carrier

I am not happy or sad about these results, but will use these as tools as I move forward with them.

Cass is available as a show dog to a show home (or to a pet home where I have access to show him).

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Ell T minus 10 days...

I don't think she'll make it 10 more days. Xray scheduled on Monday to see how many kids are in there. She's already bigger than last time....





Thursday, February 2, 2012

Brodie and Baylor

I wanted to do a few updates on some of the pups that were born here and now live with fantastic families elsewhere. The first dogs I wanted to talk about are the celebrities Brodie and Baylor. They have been seen on the "Daily Corgi" blog several times and their families keep me UTD on all their doings. Fantastic homes. I hope I am always blessed with such great homes :)

The first two photos are of Brodie (f/k/a Bannick) from the Pilot x Ell litter. He was the first puppy to leave and I met his lovely parents when I was at the National in Gettysburg, PA. Brodie lives the life of a very active and spoiled dog. My heart warms with the knowing he is in the best hands ever!

He is like his sisters and mother in their love of the water buckets...

Brodie's family loved him so much, that when I had another litter their daughter and her partner inquired about a puppy. Not only are Brodie and Baylor REAL cousins, they are also cousins in pedigree. Below is Baylor (f/k/a Cam) and he is out of my Levi x Daisy litter. He was puppy #10 to come out and was my favorite for quite some time. He has turned in to a handsome lad! His moms picked him up while I was in Milwaukee for a dog show this summer and he too was the first puppy to leave from that litter. I see a pattern.....



The best thing is that Brodie and Baylor are best buds and they get to hang out often. You can kind of see the similarities in the next few photos :)




Thank you all for giving Baylor and Brodie such fantastic homes! They are truly loved and adored by all who meet them, and I think the feeling is mutual ;)