You think I am joking, right??  I mean after Jazz having 12 how could I possibly even think about another litter.  Well, funny you should ask.

The end of October arrives like a ton of bricks.  I’m sleep deprived, trying to arrange pick up for both Emma and Rey (my two new mini girls) then Chime gets sick.  I’m snowed under… yet Sue who owns one of my girls (Libby) contacts me with a request.

If you follow my blog, you will have noticed a post last year about a girl named Libby being retired.  Well, that’s what we all thought… including Sue, who is her mom.  Libby never cycled normal, at least not for the first few years.  However, last winter Sue and her family moved from Minnesota to Kansas.  I’m not sure if it was the water, weather, or the open plains, but Libby had a perfectly normal cycle in the spring.  Sue was still living in boxes and couldn’t breed her, so again Sue thought “Well, that’s it.  She will probably never cycle again” and didn’t even mention it to me other than in passing.  “Hey, Libby came into season right now… of course!” and I responded “Yeah, I figured right when you were moving she would do it.  We plan a breeding 2 years ago and she couldn’t cycle during that entire time, but no… now she does!!”  Both of us had a laugh at the irony and mentally took Libby off the table.  October rolls around, 7 months after her last cycle, and BAM… she’s right on schedule.  She’s never cycled normal!  Sue contacts me begging me to please take Libby and breed her before she turns 7 years of age.  This was what Sue felt was her last best hope to get a puppy from her beloved Libby.

It took everything in my power not to laugh in Sue’s face.  I’m in total puppy burn out mode.  Whelp a litter??  NOOOOOOOOOOOOO.  I responded back within moments with a ‘I can’t.  I can’t even think about another litter right now.  I just can’t’.

Having pups is expensive, even if you don’t do it like I do.  Having pups like I do is ULTRA expensive, because I spare no expense, nor will I put my name on a puppy that isn’t raised to my standards.  Sue told me she was willing to whelp a litter, but honestly didn’t have the funds to get Libby bred to an outstanding stud, progesterone tested to make sure she was cycling, nor cover anything unexpected like C-sections, emergency care, etc.  Sue was willing to raise the pups, but she was concerned about the cost involved (rightly so!!)

We came to an agreement.  I’ll fund the litter, she keeps pick girl (please Lord let us have one girl!!), and I will place the rest as pets and hopefully that ‘might’ cover the expense of this litter.

Ok, so I am left with the seemingly impossible task of:

  1.  Locating a stud within driving distance for Sue that is available to breed a bitch within a one week period.
  2. Locating a stud that is diverse, meaning not related to Libby so we have the best chance of healthy pups.
  3. Locating a Standard Poodle who was smaller than average due to Libby’s tiny size.  She might still need a c-section, but we are going to stack the odds.

I contact Angie at Argan to ask about a couple of her boys who match well with Libby according to the DNA diversity testing we have done on our dogs.  Angie tells me the only small boy she has is Clooney, who is a silver male and pointed in AKC but not finished yet.  She describes his temperament and I am excited by what I hear.  Sue really wanted a good retriever, as they hunt with Libby and hope to do the same with her daughter.  So, once Angie gives us the OK, the wheels are set in motion.

This litter is due January 5th and will be whelped and raised by Sue.  Once the pups are 7 weeks of age, I will meet up with Sue in March to aptitude test the litter and bring the babies back here to Texas for a few weeks of training before placement.  This works out wonderful.  I get a couple months to sleep in and rest, while Sue and Libby do the hard work of raising those babies.  I get to have the awesome fun of expanding some puppy minds.  March is a wonderful time to have pups, as the weather is beautiful here in Texas and not to hot to potty train.

So, if you are interested in this wonderful litter, please drop me a line!  These guys will be small and active, but not hyper.  Clooney is lovely both inside and out!  Libby is a daughter of our Zelda and River.  You can meet River here in my home.  He is super sweet, has low prey drive, and such an epic cuddler.  Ultrasound last week showed at least 4 heartbeats!!  I am excited for Sue.  Let us all cross our fingers and paws for one girl for Sue!!

DAM:  UKC CH RO1 ANUTTA LADY LIBERTY CGC


SIRE:  ARGAN THE POLITICIAN FROM DOE VALLEY

Information on pedigree, health testing, colors expected can be found here

If you would like a puppy from this litter, please fill out an application here

~Becky