Spring is for all things New

Just like this past winter (which mercifully is gone according to my calendar!) Spring is proving to be just as topsy-turvey. One week we have 80 degree weather (in MAINE!!!) just to see it drop right down again and actually see white stuff fall... but it didn't stick around. It's cool again, and if I'm honest with myself it feels like April... but could we just compromise and have 70 degree weather?

The boys and I headed down to the Sporting Specialties the other week. Just Merlin was entered and all seemed fine until my car passed the state line into Massachusetts. I could feel myself getting sick... and fast! What a miserable weekend in that respect. I can't imagine being so sick. I stuck it out and my good friend Kristyn took pity on me and showed Merlin, and I dragged myself to the ER Monday morning (turns out I was VERY ill, and two weeks later still on heavy antibiotics I'm still not 100%)


Kristyn w/ Merlin

Last weekend since I was feeling dubiously better I took all three boys down to Connecticut for a field trial. I had a blast, rode a gundog brace to watch Rock It, a FC half brother to the boys. I ran Trist myself in puppy but my lungs weren't as ready as the rest of me, so I rode in the gallery during Merlin's run which his grammy Darlene handled him in. It was a very large entry so we didn't place but we did learn a lot and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. I also brought Oliver with me and after the trial on Sunday Darlene and I brought him out for a short run to evaluate him. I'll be working on finishing the breaking process with him with the goal of running him in the fall. He's just such an enjoyable dog to train! It was a great weekend with friends old and new, and I am looking forward to our next trial.

Now for the news people actually want to hear about. Isabella is a tank! With 3 weeks to go she's ballooning and there is no doubt she's got puppies packing her full. Yogurt and cottage cheese has been added to her diet and she's being fed multiple times a day to help accommodate the fact she doesn't have much room for food in her stomach. It's important she gets her exercise right now as that will help her during the whelping process. Her last litter of 10 was tough on her and it looks as though she might be repeating the feat. Of course getting a lazy blimp off the couch and moving is no easy task! She is Lazy with a capital L!


Hello Tubbymuffin

We are accepting serious inquiries still. Due to Izzy's obvious size there is room on the waiting list for this exciting litter.

Pet Peeves

I'll admit it, I have them. Pet Peeves. I'm even pretty specific about them, they have to do with pets! I normally content myself with biting my tongue, occasionally offering education, and sometimes complaining roundly to someone who knows where I am coming from. I know that may seem a bit like preaching to the choir, but after a while some of these things build up inside you and you just have to let them out. But here I sit writing about them for the first time, recent events haven driven all of these things to the forefront of my mind.

Meet Jessie. She is 12 years young and still full of that sweet Brittany life. She was brought to a local veterinarian in Massachusetts to be put to sleep because she would not hunt anymore. Her nails were overgrown, she tested positive for Lymes, has ticks everywhere and needed to be treated for worms. The vet took her in, refused to euthanize and contacted NBRAN. She was cleaned up, treated, and even brought home that first weekend to the vet's so she would not be alone. She will be headed to her new foster soon. Lucky for Jessie, many people offered to help her. I was one of them, though I didn't feel she would be happiest surrounded by a bunch of young dogs. Trust me though, had 2 days gone by and no place for her, I'd have driven down to get her myself.

For a Brittany, twelve years of age is often not the end. My Chester lived to be 17! I hope so very dearly that none of the dogs I bring into this world ever end up at a vets office because they will no longer hunt. Does Jessie not deserve a retirement? How could you not fall instantly in love with that sweet face, and want to protect her? If I come across as picky when working with people interested in a puppy... it's because I want to know that the love and value I place on my dogs, with be given to each puppy for their entire lives, not just until they stop hunting due to old age. Sometimes, dogs end up in rescue far earlier due to the same reason. Forget that training, and nurture is needed to hone the skills of these natural bird dogs.

My second pet peeve of the day. Designer dogs. I am sorry, but poodle mixes are NOT hypoallergenic. Their coats vary, their dander varies, and so does their saliva makeup, ALL of which can cause an allergic reaction. There are just too many genes involved that make up a dog that is actually considered hypoallergenic. Get a Poodle! Get a Bischon! Get a dog who has a predictable genetic makeup and temperament. Slapping a catchy combo-name on a mutt like people do to celebrity couples does not make them a breed OR worth much. Yet these mutts, are sold for often 3X what their purebred counterparts are sold for. Purebred counterparts that have been health tested, brought to their AKC Championships, and come with a knowledgeable breeder who will be there for the life of the dog!


That's right people, Poodles are a HUNTING dog!

I have one more, but it really deserves its own post. More so, it deserves its own permanent page. But alas at the moment I am dealing with painful arm due to carpal tunnel and need to get off this box and rest it. Thanks for letting me ramble on and vent!