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Took this photo of our daughter Florrie lying upsides Blottie last night waiting to feel her pups move and she got rewarded for her patience. I thought I could feel movement a couple days ago, but could of been wishful thinking. You can though now diffidently with a bit of patience feel her pups moving. Blottie is now around seven weeks pregnant. 
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Just found this photo on my camera taken this morning from the front of our home. I've yet to find out who took it.  Smudge on the right of the photo shares a crumpled up dog bed fleece with her half-sister Primrose. They share the same Dad Charlie. Smudge only being a couple months older than Primrose, they also have shared the best part of their seven years lived so far together. The father, Ernest of the litter Blottie is carrying does not lie far from her as she blossoms. Blottie lies on my lap at just over six weeks pregnant joined by her Mum Smudge (on my left) and Ernest the father to the pups Blottie is carrying rests his head on her side as she lies back.
Interesting article on the Vet Times website written by a vet Breeding hate of caesareans and as the vet Nick Marsh says, "I’ve heard people say “Nick doesn’t like pugs”, or similar, and that frustrates me deeply. I love pugs as much as all other dogs, which is quite a lot, but I wouldn’t be unhappy if I never saw another one in my life. Not because I don’t like them, but because they suffer; every moment of their lives, they suffer, because some people inexplicably think turning a vitally important anatomical structure inside out is “cute”." I get this a lot. Like the vet, I don't dislike pugs or any similar dogs. I just dislike dogs being bred to suffer.
Dogs that are brachycephaly are more likely to be born by cesarean due to their anatomy more often causing Dystocia. The Brachycephaly disease produces a skull that is broader than normal making it a tighter fit through the pelvis or in more and more cases won't fit through the pelvis. Also many brachycephaly bitches struggle to oxygenate (basically breath efficiently enough) and regulate their temperature during labour due to being intentionally bred with the disease brachycephaly (which produces the flat face that so many think cute), which causes them restriction to their airway and lack of turbinates (due to little or no muzzle) which are pivotal in regulating a dogs temperature. Nick goes on to say, "I have little sympathy for “responsible” breeders, because all the genetic testing, vaccinations and health checks in the world won’t change the simple fact that if they stopped breeding for a shape that is inherently unhealthy, all the problems they are testing for would go away." Exactly, which I wrote a blog about in 2013 Building Better Brachycephalics or should we just not build them in the first place ? As Blottie will be seven weeks pregnant from her first mating on Wednesday (gestation is around 9 weeks for a bitch) it's time to start preparing for the arrival of her pups. Just got one thing to get now, a new thermometer as the temperature never lies We have moved to code red for muddy dogs. Operation mud-spatter is in full swing to contain mud to just the utility room, although mud prints have been seen in the vicinity of the kitchen and sofas. We hope to have a match shortly. Living with 17 dogs, I question our sanity several times a day. . Caught these photos of Blottie watching our son Thomas eating some fruit, apple and pear. Blottie is now just going over six weeks pregnant and Reggie sat beside her in the photo is a paternal Great Grandfather to the pups she is carrying. So they are one eighth Reggie.
I saw this study Genome Sequencing Reveals Extensive Inbreeding in Scandinavian Wolves being banded about by Purebreed Ideologists a couple days ago as if it justifies them inbreeding dogs in ever decreasing shut off gene pools, because wild wolves are doing it, but remember this is a wolf population that has been decimated by humans hunting them and reducing the area they can roam and prey they can hunt. Yes, in nature inbreeding occurs, but as we see in the case of the Scandinavian wolves it is due to the interference (as so often it is) of humans on them radically reducing their numbers and areas they can roam and find food. In the long term this level of inbreeding is highly likely to lead to their extinction. It is already causing a notable impact on population health of the wolves. I must presume the Purebreed Ideologists have not read the study fully Genomic consequences of intensive inbreeding in an isolated wolf population or this study What the Inbred Scandinavian Wolf Population Tells Us about the nature of conservation published in 2013. What it tells us is intense inbreeding in man made closed off populations (as for the Scandinavian wolves this has come about from humans reducing the area they can roam and by over hunting them) leads to each generation an increase of inheritable health conditions, and the 2013 study's statistics conclude, "If this trend continues for another two wolf generations (about 4 years per generation), the value of Ia would be >50%. Each wolf generation (which is about 4 years), the odds (i.e., (Ia/(1 – Ia)) of being born with a congenital anomaly increases by 23%." Neither study is an endorsement for inbreeding. As the 2013 study says "Instead, we raise more basic concerns: should the goal for conserving populations be merely avoiding the risk of extinction, or should it be the maintenance and restoration of population health? If the more appropriate goal is the later, then it is important to understand what population health entails?" and as they go on to say, "Defining population health in general is difficult, but some important guidelines are that population health:
And the 2017 study starts by saying what is already scientifically established, "Inbreeding (mating between relatives) is a major concern for conservation as it decreases individual fitness and can increase the risk of population extinction." Take heed Purebreed Ideologists and maybe read studies in full in the future.
Our son Alfie took these photos of Lily and Bumble watching and waiting for my return from the morning milking yesterday. Got this lovely little update for Mojo just over a week ago, who was from Lucy's litter of Cavapoo's born December 2011. "Hi - 6 years ago we bought our puppy Mojo from you. I thought you'd like to know that he's doing very well and much loved - everyone we meet admires him and says he's the friendliest dog they have ever met. I attach a picture."  Mojo "Many thanks for a fantastic dog, David and Nicola Theobald" "Hello David and Nicola,
thank you so much for letting me know that at 6 years old Mojo has been and is still such a wonderful addition to your family. I remember Nicola well and talking about you living in Twickenham near the rugby stadium and of course there is only one Mojo. His Mum Lucy is enjoying a wonderful retirement with Judith and Tony who update me on how she is Festive Greetings from one of the old girls Lucy and Blenheim Lucy update: "Her heart murmur has got no worse" Mojo's Dad Reggie is really well and top dog in our pack at 7 years old Just Reggie Thanks again. Really kind of you to get in touch. Kind regards from us all at Poundlane Jane x" Great to see the Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) campaign Love is Blind gathering steam. The ANKC counter campaign is a joke. They could not even bother to reply when Karen Hedberg BVSc, an Australian vet who is also Chair of the ANKC's Canine Health and Wellbeing Committee made false unsubstantiated claims in an article about BOAS Australian National KC dig in. The Bulldog breeder in the video is a classic example of breed blindness and I have no doubt she loves the breed, the whole ideology behind the breed, winning in the show ring with her breed, but somewhere under the lumbering mess she calls a breed is a dog, and I certainly would question whether she loves dogs?  Blottie's parents Smudge and Henry
Photos taken yesterday just after eating lunch of a blossoming Blottie (now just over 5 weeks pregnant) lying beside me, sat down with the father Ernest and Grandfather Toby (Ernest's Dad) to the litter of the pups she is carrying, lying on my lap. Lily, Ernest's sister joins us in one of the photos. Yesterday for a quick lunch we rustled up Easy sausage carbonara which lead to a lot of licking of plates. Took Henry and Ernest up Kingsford Hill woods for a run yesterday afternoon and our son tried to catch some action photos of them together. It's obvious that he needs a better lens to capture photos of the dogs out and about. Christmas is coming. Henry is Blottie's Dad and Ernest is the father to the litter of pups Blottie is carrying. Henry and Ernest are really good mates, and Ernest surprises us how well he can keep up with Henry when they are out.
 Lily sits between on her right her Dad Toby and her paternal Auntie Jessica (Toby's sister) and on her left her brother Ernest and their Mum Treacle. Ernest is the father of the litter Blottie is carrying.
Some brownies and sticky buns for the colder and darker days as we head in to Winter  Toby lies upside me with his son Ernest in front of him and daughter Lily behind him |
“The greatest pleasure of a dog is that you may make a fool of yourself with him, and not only will he not scold you,but he will make a fool of himself, too.”
― Samuel Butler 
Me (Jane) with Puddin' and Teagol, waiting patiently to flush a patch of kale, December 2019
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