To say this has been an emotional weekend would be a colossal understatement. On Friday, May 7th we said goodbye to our amazing Glock. Then on Saturday, May 8th into the morning of Sunday May 9th, we welcomed his first grandpups, our O-litter. We are exhausted, sad, overjoyed, and hopeful. We’re excited to see what his daughter Khira produces. She has a lot of his strength and sharpness!
There is no one photo, or enough words to sum up the life of a beloved dog. This happens to be one of my favourites. Ron Murray at a training day with his dog. This photo demonstrates a bond that has existed since we brought him into the world, and a love that will exist forever. After a few weeks of not eating and losing weight, we helped Glock reach The Rainbow Bridge with love and dignity. His fan base is unbelievable, and we are blessed to have many of his offspring showing the world what an amazing working line he came from. Those who have/had his siblings, and those who have his offspring, know well the consistency of type, nerve, temperament, and drives. We thank everyone for the well wishes and condolences.
Khira started off on the right track, waited until 7 AM Saturday morning to begin labour. First puppy born at 8:58, a healthy male! But from there, things kind of went downhill. It was more than 2 hours for the 2nd pup, and then slow but steady until 5:43 PM. And by slow, I mean only six puppies in almost 10 hours. The next puppy was a little more than an hour later but she did not survive. SEVEN hours later, we had our 7th pup. Many walks and much oxytocin, and a call to the vet later, we agreed it was time for an emergency C-section. One more girl was born on the 1 hour drive to the vet, but she was not alive at presentation. By this time it’s been 24 hours since Khira began to whelp, and our thoughts were bleak. We were supposed to have at least 11 according to the xray, and we only had 7 alive, 2 dead. This left at least 2, possibly more to retrieve. Doing a C-section was our only option, but we didn’t expect anymore live puppies. NOT doing a C-section when we did, would have put Mom at high risk for infection and death to her, and potentially the litter.
We have a special relationship with one of our vets; he owns his own practice, which means he makes the rules. We have always been welcomed into surgery, and today was no exception. While Ron stayed home to watch Khira’s two-legged sister Sophia, Alyssa (co-owner of Khira) and I participated in the arrival of three more big, beautiful, LIVELY baby girls. We are very grateful to Shawn, Wendy, and Nicole for giving up their lazy Sunday MOTHER’S DAY morning to assist our beautiful girl into motherhood.
So, after all that drama… the O-litter is here!!! We have five males and five females at this moment. Khira is recovering from surgery, and the pups are nursing and thriving. As with any litter, the next several days, and early weeks are critical. We intend to keep everyone alive if at all possible. This is the main reason we don’t accept deposits until the litter is one week old. This litter is PRESOLD, with a long waiting list behind it. We look forward to sharing their development via our various forms of social media.
Again, thanks to everyone for your condolences, best wishes, cheering squad, and concern while we wade through the circle of life.
