Ginny Is LOVIN Life

I cannot express fully how life has changed here now that Martini has been placed with friends. With our regular updates, we feel so confident and happy for her as she is so happy and spoiled. She is exactly where she needs to be. I get sad at times, missing her jumping up into my lap for kisses and affection but smile at the fact that she is getting that ten-fold in her new home.

At the same time, Ginny - Martini's imbalanced focus - has become so much more confident and happy. She is out of her shell and totally loving life. She was out in the back yard, running around with her buds is pure glee. All of the dogs are much more relaxed and stable actually. It's a happy world for everyone!

Bitter Sweet

We have struggled with what to do about Martini for months and have tried everything to make things better. Special training sessions, stricter control and even having her spayed to try and get her hormonal issues under control. We thought the surgery did the trick but she still had issues with Ginny and her puppies, With Baby being due at any time, we are unsure of what she will do to Baby or her pups.

Keeping her with us has been hard. We have to separate the dogs to keep things sane. Since we always keep moms and their pups away from the rest of the dogs it was ok for a while but now that the pups have been placed in their new homes, she still is not accepting Ginny. It's not fair to her or any of the dogs in our home to constantly separate and rearrange them.

Ultimately, Martini and her temperament are perfect for a single dog home. She is so affectionate with people and adores children. In a perfect world she would be the only dog where she could cuddle, nap and be loved on by a family. We love her very very much, but realize it is very selfish to keep her here with us. We have been on a search for a perfect fit for her to live.

Prayers Have Paid Off

Martini is a totally different dog! 9 days after her spay and she is totally calm and back with the rest of the pack. We have had her back with the rest of the dogs since yesterday morning and she is totally loving it! Not a single growl and tons of play - even with the girls. I am SO happy! Now she can be happy too - and that is really what it is all about.

We Counted FIVE ....

... and Martini is on the Mend. We drove out to Lady Lake as a family and spent the day just outside the final bands of TS Fay.

We started by having Martini taken back and prepped for her surgery. She did so AWESOME! We all have our fingers crossed that spaying her will get her hormones back into check. I am convinced she is hormonally imbalanced. She was still weaning her last litter of pups when the other girls in the house went into heat. Teener has been on a hormonal high ever since. Luckily we have an hour and a half drive home - she came out of surgery very loopy - just looking up at me saying "MOMMMMMMMMMMMMYYYYYYYY" with her eyes. My sweet baby girl. She has been resting on the couch all afternoon. For the first time in over a month I am happy she is alone and away from the pack.

They warmed up the X-ray machine and got ready to snap shots - We took a look at Mo's chest. His infection has cleared up but there is a distinct whistle in there. Monday will be the day! We have him on some antibiotics to get him through the weekend.

Next came Ginny - the much anticipated baby shot! The bets were placed. My palipations have always be dead on - so I stuck with three - even though my guts said there were more. The remaining bets ranged from 3 to 6. When they called me in to take a peek - the number given was 4. But I saw another spine in there. Doc took a second look and he confirmed it! Ginny has 5 pups!!!!


Bitter sweet day - Martini - who is such a fantastic mommy - will live the rest of her life in a happy yet babyless state while Ginny proved she will be our newest mommy - and of course Mo - we all pray for a fantastic outcome on Monday.

Another Surgery On The Calendar

With Ginny due next week and Martini's hormonal nastiness getting even worse, we have decided it is time to have her spayed. She really is the sweetest dog to humans - loving and cuddling - she just hates to have other female dogs in the same room. It is not right for her to have to live a life separated from the others. We also would hate the possibility of breeding that trait into any puppies. We would have to require a placement in homes with no other unaltered female dogs???? That's not cool.

She is such a fantastic mommy and it makes me sad to see her loose that ability since she is so happy when she is pregnant and even happier when she is with her puppies - but it's the right thing to do. So tomorrow morning we are headed out to Lady Lake to see doc and have her spayed. Her hormones will become more manageable - and we ALL can live a life of happiness.

They Don't Call Um B**CHES Fer Nuttin'

Man OH Man! Martini is being such a major brat!! With all of the hormones in this house, she has gone off the deep end and is so nasty to all of the other girls. She has spent the last few days with the boys - them - she LOVES. She is due to come back into heat in a few weeks - those damn hormones will get ya every time!

Too Cute!

Martini took her one-less litter in stride and had one last play session with her pups this afternoon. Today they didn't try to feed - as if they knew that free ride was over ;) Instead, they did a lot of wrestling and playing and I just had to grab a shot of them all on their backs together. They all move so fast it was hard to get the photo in time but this got some of it. They may look like their daddy but man - they got the belly thing from mom!

Like Mother Like Daughter

I almost cried from laughin so hard. Teener-Beaner has been a back sleeper since she was a puppy. Over the last week I have seen her puppies doing the same thing - sleeping on their backs. Now little Icehouse has master eating on her back. Now THAT'S a talent!!!!!!

Then There Is Mommy

See what I was talkin' bout? Ginny wants in and Martini wants out!

Her length of stay in the pen is getting shorter and shorter. And let me tell you - these pups are H E A L T H Y - they don't need her in there for very long. It's actually nice to see her so relaxed and willing to chill with us. She even had let the other dogs check out her pups! Totally lovin this chillin version of Teener!

Just Chillin!

Oh Ma GOODNESS! Just look at her!

She really has gotten this nursing thing down pat now doesn't she? Nap, feeding and keepin them warm all in one. She has mastered motherhood - what a hoot!

She has just been so awesome with this litter - a true joy I tell you. She has bounced back so quickly and is full of life.

Martini's Amazing!

Honestly - she has been so awesome with this litter. Nowhere near as nervous as she was the last go-around. She gets them all good and fat and then takes her breaks.

Last time she would stay in the pen and use the pee-pad - Not this time. She wants OUT! Today she ran around the backyard for about 15 minutes with Dude and Cosmo. She has these adventures about 5 or 6 times a day. She truly enjoyed the freedom.

SHEHADABABYITSABOY

...and a girl, and a boy and another girl!

What a morning! WOWZERS! Since all of our other litters arrive at night (or early morning) it was a truly pleasant surprise to have a late morning litter this time. Quite the way to wake up on a lazy Sunday :)

We were sleeping in - as we do every Sunday - but even more so today. We stayed up very late (2:30am to be exact) anticipating the whelping but finally crashed to begin waiting again tonight.

We woke to her delivering her first puppy - a little girl. An hour later came her first boy. 15 minutes after that her second boy arrived and then after an hour break - she had her second girl.

There is NO way in saying these aren't Buddy's pups. Just look at them! All black with white. And they were so BIG! The final puppy was the smallest - and the only one she actually yelped with - and she was the size of her LARGEST puppy in her last litter. That says a lot!

Except for her last puppy - the entire whelping was silent. Not even a whimper. She is such an amazing mommy.

More Sleepless Nights

Martini seems to be getting bigger each day and still no pups. Technically May 1st is her due date but I don't think she carry much more extra weight. She is getting a bit more restless but still no real signs. Until then I will be staying up each and every day watching her like a hawk.

Back Home

The dogs are all back in their element. They all loved Lake Louisa - the chance to explore the nooks and crannies and of course the long walks with the kids but we are home now and they SO love their back yard and chillin on the couch. We are all back to the waiting game. When Is Martini Going To Pop???

Starting tomorrow - she could have the pups anytime. She weighs more now then she did the day she delivered her last litter. This could get interesting!!!

Ready To Burst!

Well, technically Martini's due date in April 30th but we are gearing up to be ready starting the a week from tomorrow. She could go anytime from the 25th on. Last time she held out until her actual due date but you just never know.

She is such a fit and healthy girl - so active and trim. Pregnancy for her is a breeze (except for the hormones that is) and her tummy is so tight. She laid with me this morning on the couch and I could feel the pups kickin around in there. She has gain a full pound in the last week - wonder how much more in the next???

Hormonal Hell

Martini is well along into her pregnancy and her hormones are raging! All she wants to do is sleep - preferably on your lap. She wants no other dogs near her - especially females. We have started to strategically place her in the house away for the other dogs until she is back to her normal self. Until then we wait....counting the days!

She Just POPPED!

Last weekend was the start of my window to palpitate Martini. It was a little more difficult than the last time but I swore I felt four. Three for SURE. She really hadn't gained that much weight and the expansion was minimal. Well it's as if today she just popped - OVERNIGHT!

She is getting so big - much bigger than she was last time at this point. WOW! I think I may have missed a few bumps. Either she has over six tiny pups or three very large ones in there!!!!

Is She???

Martini is clearly out of heat - thank GOODNESS! She gets so hormonal! Life is back to normal - she is back with the pack and enjoying full reign. The boys are done hounding her and she has stopped scaring the girls. Ahhhhhhhh....

So now the next question is, "Did the breeding take?" She would be almost 4 weeks along now and I should be able to palpitate her starting next weekend. Of course Dude is several pounds heavier than Buddy so I am sure his puppies will be tiny compared to her last litter. She was so much bigger last time at this stage but I do see her expanding at her sides so maybe in the next ten days I will be able to confirm the pregnancy.

So Typical

These three play non-stop in the back yard. Their playtime has become so predictable that I can clock it!

First, Dude gets into his prance squat and wags his tail to get Martini's attention. Once their eyes meet, the chase is on. He leads her through a path behind the fence shrubs, around the big oak tree, under the deck and out through the opposite side.

Around this point, Cosmo has joined in, chasing behind Martini. Thing is, he needs to have something in his mouth while he is running. It is usually a toy that he has brought out of the house but often times a stick will do. After a few rounds, they gather in the center of the yard for a quick break and then back to it they go!

We Knew He Could Do It!

Where there's a will there's a way I tell ya! This photo helps show the difference in sizes between Martini and Buddy!!! It did take him several tries and a lot of practice but as of yesterday morning - he was successful! I am SO proud of our little guy. To top if off - he showed us he has MASTERED it since we found them tied TWICE today!!! You go guy!

If this breeding takes - we will have a litter of long coats the first week in May :)