Program Focus UPdate
All of life is saying on repeat “After this, things should slow down.” But adulthood is knowing that things will just keep rocketing along and nothing ever really slows down!
I have continued to learn new things: things about breeding, things about dogs, things about people, and things about myself! Some of these lessons have been easier than others, but all have continued to build me into a better version of myself.
I have continued to struggle with finding males for my program. I have had 2 males who were crypto-orchid, 2 that developed low sperm count, 2 that suffered back injuries that cut their breeding short, 1 with pes-varus, 1 with PRAA (persistent right aortic arch), and 1 with optic nerve coloboma. But I haven’t given up and I have two young boys ready to step in and a third on the way in July! Of course, that third will need some growing time, but we have high hopes for him!
I am working to eliminate the “e” in the E genotype in my program. While the “American Cream” as they used to be called are popular, the “ee” that is responsible for their coloring is a masking gene. What does this mean? To put it simply, the “e” covers up their color or pattern much like a Halloween mask hides a face. The “E” shows the full color and pattern. When you get two “e”, the color and pattern is completely hidden. While many of these are beautiful pups, poor pigment can result and make less than attractive ones. Additionally, and more importantly in my opinion, it’s a waste of colors and patterns such as chocolate or brindle! Some of my girls do have “e” and my two young boys both have an “e” so having an EE to prevent the “ee” in pairings is a necessity to me!
I am moving my focus to have a more concentrated focus. Instead of having the possibility of all colors and patterns and coats, I am going to focus primarily on the shaded cream (previously called English Cream), chocolate and cream, and sables. Dapple patterns will still be a focus as well as brindle. I will still have occasional black and creams as well. This doesn’t mean that I’ll never have reds or tan points, however, if that’s something you are specifically looking for, I can refer you to someone who may have them in a timelier fashion!
Titan and Griz have both been retired (Titan due to age and Griz due to being one of the previously mentioned back injuries) and almost every single girl in my program is a relative of Titan’s so his beauty will be passed down through them! I continue to have Ammo in my lines as well and have managed to bring Annie’s lines back in as well! Puddin has continued lines as well through her prodigy with Titan. I will continue to look for new lines though so I can stay relevant!
I have started a “real” job as well and work 50-hour weeks during the summer months. This is in addition to the janitorial jobs that I maintain. I couldn’t do it without my daughter! This means that I will drop the ball on occasion and forget to send waitlist emails on the right day or miss photos by a day or two. This does NOT mean that my dogs and puppies are receiving less. The correspondence is the thing that will hurt the fewest. In the grand scheme of things, an email being even as much as a week late isn’t the worst thing that can happen. This also means that in my downtime, I should be able to update the blog more frequently! I have a fascinating update on Powder’s ruptured uterus in the works!
If you haven’t taken the time to do so yet, please take a look at my updated pages of girls, boys, and retired dogs. Every dog from my program that has produced a pup is on there! I also work to maintain the previous puppies page to show all puppies produced.