.... and boy did they arrive in numbers!! I'm still in shock and awe of the little puppers!
Over the weekend we had a relatively local dog show, one that I had planned to attend long before the pups were even a plan. Three all breed judges, a CNASA Regional specialty and 2 breeder judges for 2 ASCA shows! Who wouldn't want to go and showcase your dogs to so many Aussie fanciers! Then I did the math... that puts Evo whelping very close to show day! So I sent my entries in less one little black dog, for obvious reasons, and hope for the best!
Trying to keep as close an eye on her and any slight changes, we began the taking of the temperature three times a day... anywhere or anything you read on whelping says there is a significant drop in temp 12 to 24 hours prior to whelping. Weekend approaching and all is good!
And we're off to the dog show... Evo was never left totally alone, with my husband in and out of the house as well as Shelby in between her work schedule, we all managed to keep a pretty close eye on her! Shelby noted one of the first changes in a potty break...Evo tried to dig under the old trailer in the yard.Not a good idea!! I mentioned to Shelby had that happened, she would be on her belly after her directly and to take heed in the leash walk advice given earlier!
At the show we entered all the conformation and 3 obedience trials as well. Ralf showed very well, however we found no love in the conformation ring! Just not his weekend and a lot of really nice dogs competing for the breed. We did however mange to pick up our first 2 "Q"s in obedience. Ralf now has 2 legs towards the required 3 for his CD! Go Ralf.. handsome and clever!
I know.. I know.. Back to the puppies...
I managed to get a couple hours sleep before I woke up to the sounds of Evo yipping.. A high pitched yip like bark that she uses for "I gotta pee!!" 1:30 am Out we go for a potty break, and now that I'm awake I sit with her for a spell beside her pool. She's panting, restless, seemingly uncomfortable, growling and shaking up her bedding because apparently it was not the way she needed it to be! Temp still normal.. we wait..
She seemed to settle and I was just about to head up to my pillow that was calling my name, when she stood in the middle of her bed, squatted, and out popped the first! Black Tri boy.. Almost and hour exactly till the next.. Blue Merle girl #1, and not a minute later.. Blue Merle Boy #1... From that point they came every 20 minutes to half hour apart! Blue Merle Girl #2, Red Merle Girl (Yay.. Red factored!!) Black Girl, Red Boy #1, Red Girl, Red Boy #2, and finally Blue Boy #2!
Black Tri Boy
Blue Merle Girl #1
Blue Merle Boy #1
Blue Merle Girl #2
Red Merle Girl
Black Girl
Red Boy #1
Red Girl
Red Boy #2
Blue Boy #2
The whole gang! :)
It is indeed a happy Friday! Yesterday was a shopping trip in town to pick up last minute supplies for Miss Evo (Day 51).. figuring i had one last stop then home to set up her whelping box/pool. Sitting in the truck I checked messages and was shocked and terrified for a moment when the message asked if my long time BFF was okay after she had been in a roll over accident that morning. Quick call to Trudy.. instant relief that she and Kelly who was with her were okay.. but the 3 dogs in the back of the truck were missing! The truck rolled three times before it came to rest on the drivers door, the canopy was ripped from the truck and the crates smashed on impact. Needless to say my direction changed from homeward East to West to help Trudy search for her beloved dogs. The search lasted until it was too dark to continue down country roads, dead ends, sub divisions, farmers fields and going door to door asking the community to please help and to call if they see anything.
The sweetest sound to Trudy came as a phone call at 6:30 this morning. The voice on the other end said she had the dogs. The voice even went so far as to apologize for calling so early! The voice came form a kind heart whom I had spoke to the night before, the woman was deeply concerned and touched by the story of what had happened. This woman who didn't have to open her door or pick up the phone did so in an act of kindness that is truly remarkable.
I have to say that I am amazed and overwhelmed with the outpouring of support and random act of kindness brought on by strangers far and wide throughout this last 24 hours. The way the canine community pulled together to get the word out to so many people in such a short period of time. I am relieved that this story has a happy ending, that Trudy, Kelly and all the dogs who were on their way to Vancouver for the Collie National are all home, safe with their families. A little banged and bruised but alive and loved!
With 11 horses, 5 mini horses and a small flock of sheep, there are a few chores to be done daily. That is a fact of life.. the gals learned this right from day one. My problem is that I have spoiled them somewhat by actually liking to do chores myself! It was always my escape, my down time, my get away from the noise time. My favorite sound in the whole world is the munching of horses eating hay. At the end of a busy stressful day I would do my chores, clean barn, feed etc and before I left the barn I would upturn a bucket and sit quietly sometimes with the lights off and just listen to the sounds coming from the stalls.
The gals have always had their time/turn to do chores. Being involved with our own breeding and training operation at home and with their Pony Club activity etc they know how much and what to feed, water, and why they need to be consistent. They know how to clean stalls properly, they know all this because they were taught how. They know all this because I am fairly demanding with how I like to do these things and really it comes down to do it my way or you better have a really good explanation why you didn't! Control freak.. maybe.. but I want things done a specific way for reasons that are not difficult to understand. For instance.. Don't feed in front of the gate! Simple concept.. or one would think it's simple. So why is this an issue today.. let me explain.
The gals are very capable and more than old enough to take over the task of feeding critters. I am the chore girl as back up only, if for what ever reason the gals can not! The animals always come first! This morning I said I would feed as youngun #1 worked late last night and then again early this morning.
As always, and keep in mind these are not brand new rules brought in to surprise and confuse the children, my simple request for feeding hay is to clean up around the bale every time you feed that way it's not lost under snow or taken with the wind. Oh and of course don't feed in front of the gate! When I move bales with the bobcat I always clean the spot with the bucket first and then move the bale in.. clean flat.. easy to control the hay! But really all this wide open space around the bale is actually more area to spread hay, and apparently the only two words that remain in the brain of said younguns regarding feeding in front of the gate are "Feed and Gate"! With all the snow we've had this year the task of feeding may take a little longer to do properly and by properly I mean how I would feed, so over the gate it goes! Now at this point I'm trying to remain calm and rational I know I could just dig the gate out or I could get equipment to move the gate and then spend the better part of the day fixing said gate. Long story short (I know it may be too late for that) I proceed to clean up the hay from around all the bales and dig out the gate (by hand) so I can actually open it to bring in the wheel barrow to feed the sheep and have a little stock time for the dogs.Whew all that to get here!
The lesson today consists of move away from the gate little sheepies and stay back! Both dogs get to come in for that exercise. Not a difficult task and it makes the dogs happy to be useful. Especially Evo, who doesn't get to go into the pens these days! Next gate.. is for the mini's and the ram. The Ram and Ralf have come to terms on the gate issues.. If Ram moves away from Ralf he gets to keep his nose intact! Ralf on the other hand has learned that he is the almighty mover of Ram. This came from a battle of wills this past summer and most certainly another story.
Wednesday mornings are a weekly highlight as it is the day of Obedience class. We opted last week to leave Miss Evo home until after the puppies come along. (Day 42) With the truck running I brought Evo back up to the house, she sat politely at the door.. the wrong side of the door.. I needed her to go back into the house and she was sure I couldn't possibly mean her, after all it's Wednesday!! With some creative door handling techniques Ralfy boy and I head out to class.. just the two of us.
Continued work with off leash heeling and proofing the sit and down stays. With the upcoming trial at the end of month the proofing is more for me than for Ralf at this point. Trust my dog and don't forget to breath and remember the footwork for the about turn.. It's kind of like a dance step, but sadly I'm not much of a dancer these days!
Class was good as always but missing from my morning was my Evo girl and the after class lunch date with my daughter. Just not the same..
If you can call -14 C a heat wave! The high is expected to reach -1 today, so it is a break in the nasty weather we have had to endure this long cold winter! I am so ready for spring.
Day 41 for Miss Evo today.. nothing new to post on that front. Still starving to death (in her mind) and still very cuddly!
All the dogs are spending the better part of the day outside with whom ever is opening the door for them! Even the old dog who is usually whining at the door to come in. In the event you actually got her out of the door! Winnie has a no eye contact.. no outside policy during inclement weather! Only if absolutely necessary will she exit the comfort of her bed. She will however, spring to life for a very brief period of time, with a couple of words like "Breakfast" and of course "Supper" other than that.. nope.. nadda.. not going out there!
Do to the break in said winter.. this post is short and sweet as I am going to enjoy this sunny day!
Day 40..Well nothing new on the home front in terms of Miss Evo.. Her unsatisfied appetite continues with her never ending search for food! I am still stronger than the "OMG can't you see I'm starving to death" look that comes from deep within those dark brown eyes!
So I thought I would take this time to thank my new followers and the folks that posted very nice comments on this blog and elsewhere. The mention of my header photo has come up... Here's the scoop on that!
I took a photography course last summer and this photo was part of an assignment. It was not actually submitted in to the course itself but to a photo contest put on by the school. (PPSOP) Open to photographers all over the world, the theme was "Black and White". Well much to my surprise and delight Miss Evo won an honorable mention! (The judges pick top 3 and 7 HM.) Here is the link:
http://www.ppsop.net/contest_winners5.aspx
The photo shoot itself was rather comical.. Evo is such a good sport.. she lay on the table for a long while, napping, while I was playing with the settings on my new camera. When ready I would call her name, she would open her eyes... Click! She would go back to sleep and I would reset the next shot! Being a Super Model is hard work and the best part is this girl works for food!
The image was done with all natural light from a window, and a reflector to bring some of that light onto her body! It is one of my favorite shots!
Hmm where to start..
Welcome to the home on the blog for Adelyn Australian Shepherds. I was looking for a spot to ramble endlessly on the comings and goings of our adventures with Aussies and well all the other creatures we share our home with! The main purpose of this blog at the present time is to follow our exciting first upcoming litter.
So without further delay.. The details:
Ralf is busy training for his CD in obedience. Currently he has 2 legs towards his RA in Rally. He will be shown lightly in Conformation this year with the main focus on his obedience titles. We plan to take in a couple herding clinics and with more practice we hope to trail him one day in that arena! For now his herding skills lend him to be my "Go To" dog for basic chores at home! With limited showing in ASCA due to the number of available shows in Canada our plans continue with this boy to finish his ASCA Championship. Currently he has 13 of the required 15 points and all points were accumulated with major wins!
Miss Evo is also training for her obedience titles with my oldest daughter Shelby, or should I say was.. She's taking a small break in her training schedule. Evo has also been started on stock.. and wow I really have to have my laces tied in order to keep up with her! If she was not so handler challenged she would be trialling right now! Her introduction to cattle at a year of age was quite impressive. We had attended a Betty Williams cattle clinic, and well.. we were pleasantly surprised at her ability and fearlessness. Plans for this little working girl post puppies of course are to continue with her obedience work, but mostly to get back to the stock arena. Along with all that working girl stuff she is also my youngest daughter Taylor's Junior dog. Taylor has been handling her in conformation and she is Major pointed in CKC. Goals are in place to finish both her CKC and ASCA championships.
Due date is March 30, 2011 the ultra sound showed 3 puppies with a possibility of 6. The vet was unsure if they were close together with 3 on each side or just 3 total. We are on Day 39 as of today.. We will soon know how many! This is so exciting!
