Haven't had a chance to post anything as life has been full of changes, both good and bad lately. The bad was the worst. On Jan 26 I let the big dogs out to pee when I got home from work and when I let them in 15-20 minutes later I knew something was wrong with Jurny. He was listless, depressed looking and just not right. Even at 11, Jurny was a happy, bouncy, busy dog. I took a peek at his gums and my heart broke. His gums were white, his body was colder than it should have been after a few minutes in the house, and it was like a reinactment of when I lost my first Aussie, Quest to hemangiosarcoma of the liver/spleen. Called the vet and took him over and to my absolutely devestation we found he had a hemangio in his heart that had burst. He went literally from healthy to dying in minutes. Even at the clinic I could see him going downhill second by second and chose to euthanize him then. Jurny was my heart dog, he was my right hand man and I'm not sure I've even begun to accept the fact that he's not coming back. I have to say, I am endlessly grateful to have found the vets that I did years ago, and so so glad that they do their own emerg calls (many of the vets around here rotate, so you're not guaranteed you'll actually get your vet in an emergency...the time when you want someone familiar). Both Jeff and Louise came to the clinic to see Jurny when I brought him in, and it was obvious they really cared about my little goober dog too, knowing him well enough to give him the bowl of liver treats to snack on in his last few breaths. Jurny lived according to his stomach. So, the last few weeks has seemed a bit empty around here, counting three dogs as they come in, three dishes to prepare, three dogs to crate up and let out, only three dogs on the bed at night. I take comfort in knowing that he didn't suffer and had no pain. It's just going to take some time to adjust to not having him here.
And on to some happier news. The puppies have been doing great! On the 31st I packed all the dogs up to Comox and with the help of some good friends we did the Puppy Aptitude Testing and conformation evals. Turns out...I was doing pretty good in deciding who was going where. Except for my own puppy, but more about that later. Everyone scored mostly 3's, with Eva scoring mostly 4's. I took last week off for vacation time so I could get everyone vaccinated, tattooed, do some crate training etc and off to new homes. The week was busy and helped keep my scatterbrained self occupied and not dwell on the sad week prior. By Saturday I was bathing Boston (now Bizi) and getting him bundled up to head off to his new home in Edmonton. He arrived safely and is settling in well. That night I got a nice little email from a friend who had finally been swayed to inquire about Chatter. By Sunday we were meeting and Chatter was heading to Campbell River to live with her new family, which includes one of her uncles, Habenero. Chatter is now Savina. Monday was back to the grindstone and only four puppies left. I have to say...it was nice. Tues had us all up in the middle of the night to make it to the airport by 5am so Luna could make her flight to Ottawa via Calgary. She has also arrived safely and is now in New York and on her way to Kansas tomorrow. And finally little Eva was delivered to her dad and is settling in. She has no doggie family to keep her company so she will have the biggest adjustment to make, but it sounds like she's doing just fine.
So. I'm left with the two boys. In the last week or so the house has been turned upside down with teh busy busy puppies. Turner took up residence in the spare room, Impulse avoided everyone, and Argus was really barky adn clingy. Things were not going with ease. Yesterday afternoon we got home and apparently the big dogs think that two puppies is acceptable. Impulse played with the boys most of the afternoon, and Argus let them crawl on him. Even Turner was brave enough to sniff puppies and not jump up when they got close to him. It is so nice having a small bit of normalcy back.
So, in all this I've been rethinking my decision to keep Juice. He's a nice puppy, but ultimately I was seeing that Porter (was Billy) was the nicer puppy. He's nicer put together and has really come into his own little personality. He's a bit quieter puppy, and doesn't tend to get in the big dogs' faces much. He likes to play, and then he likes to go in his fort and hang out with his toy. A good friend of mine told me that she thinks a part of a deceased dog's spirit goes into the new puppy. Well, Porter could have chosen a different part of Jurny to channel. I found his ass end up, little stub wiggling as fast as it could IN THE GARBAGE! Really...the garbage at 8 weeks? I see a lot of Jurny in Porter, which shouldn't be too surprising as Jurny's mom is the puppies great grandma on Argus' side and great great grandma on Impulse's side. Porter has some awfully big shoes to fill! So now, my big goofy clown dog Juice is available. It was an incredibly hard decision to make, but looking at where I want to go in my breeding program, what will fit in the household temperment wise and the puppy as a whole...Porter is the one. Juice is looking for a show home (but one that won't be overly upset if his nose doesn't fill by a year...it's still pretty pink) on a co-own, preferably on the island or with someone I know, and preferably in a home where he'll get to do agility, obedience etc. He is a busy busy boy adn will need to be kept busy.
So, that's a brief summary of the last few weeks...some tragic changes, some bittersweet changes as the puppies leave, and some changes as to who will get to stay here. I look forward to seeing the entire litter grow and excell in whatever it is they put their mind to!
