The Prewhelp head count

It isn't easy counting babies when there are this many. Of course, it
helps when you put numbers on the skulls. It looks like Korra has
a baseball team in there.
Prewhelp X-rays are done a few days prior to the expected delivery
as the babies' skeletons only start to calcify 10 days prior to the due
date. Now my job is to get them all out alive. Fingers crossed for
the New Year's Day delivery.

Blue Run Does Brown

We don't very often see a brown dog among the Blue
Run family but this pretty girl is a nice rich brown.
Typically, brown dogs fade to a latte brown by age
2. We'll have to see how this puppy matures and if she
keeps this nice color.

CH Scrimshaw's Griffin

This lovely boy is the father of the two expected litters due in a
few days. He is currently 12 years old and still going strong. He
has produced many healthy offspring which is one of the reasons
I chose to use him in my breeding program.

It is a sad Christmas greeting that does not feature
a Blue Run puppy with the family. Here, Jfez is
shown with Santa in Mary's Christmas card. He
is just 6 months old and he is awfully cute! Jfez,
not Santa.

Libra is pregnant, too!

I really thought I had missed the timing in both Korra's and
Libra's breedings but they are both confirmed pregnant by
sonogram. Libra had 11 girls in her first litter two years ago
It appears she again has 10 or 11 pups in the oven.
Korra's litter is probably smaller. I am looking forward to
black and black and white puppies from these girls. The
same stud, CH Scrimshaw's Griffin, sired both litters. He
produces healthy pups that aren't too big.
Local families, particularly those open to having a show/
breeding prospect, are being sought. I expect lovely puppies.

Coming on New Year's Day.....

 This is Korra, Blue Run's Willing to Water Bend. She
is being bred to CH Scrimshaw's Griffin, an all black
boy who has sired many healthy puppies over a long
breeding career. If all goes as planned, the puppies will
be going to their new homes the first week of March,
2016, with a New Year's Day delivery expected. With
such a pretty mom, these puppies should be adorable.

Research on Hemangiosarcoma

There is a new jointly funded research project on
Hemangiosarcoma. This disease kills one in four
Portuguese Water Dogs. Anyone who loves this
breed and wishes to donate to the "Shine" project
to fund this research can do so by accessing this link:
http://us9.campaign-archive2.com/?u=6155638dd8bff7ab2f4b9711b&id=46f0bb6f05&e=74df38c4af


I am donating in memory of Blue Run's Right on Red,
Blue Run's Doce Moro, and Blue Run's Feather. All
died of this disease and are sadly missed. Red died at
age 7, Darcey at age 11, and Feather at age 10. All too
young and oh so sad.

Pope greets Sunny and Bo at the White House

It doesn't get any better than this!

Safe chews for puppies and dogs

Even little Chamie, age 3 months, enjoys the pencil sized raw hide
chews that I order from www.dog.com for $12/100. If she swallows
it whole, it still is going to pass through her G.I. tract without causing
an obstruction. My owners call these chews "life savers" if their dog
has a strong need to chew things.

Fall Porty Party

This year two of my owners, Mark and Glen, hosted a Porty
Party at their Annandale home in northern Virginia. We had
mostly boys attending as many of the girls seemed to be
"indisposed" with their first heat cycles. But the boys had a
real ball running around the yard and swimming in the salt
water pool. Glen and Mark had taken 3 of the boys for parts
of the summer while the families vacationed. It is wonderful
to have such generous and helpful owners in the Blue Run family.

Are Porties good with children?

I don't place puppies in homes with toddlers, but occasionally an
owner dares to produce a human baby after getting their Porty.
Once the puppy is older (this nephew of Amber's is 20 months old
in this picture), the dogs can be very good with children as is
apparent in the photo above.

No Puppies until next year

Sadly, Fin's sonogram today showed no puppies. We won't
try to breed her again after this second miss. This moves
Amelia and Korra into the limelight as these two year olds
may be bred on their next heat. Amelia is due in December
and a search for the right stud is under way. Pictures of  Amelia
and Korra are in previous posts. They are both "Willing Litter"
girls, one Irish marked, the other parti-colored.

Yearly Follow ups

I contact all my owners each year to see how their dog(s) are
doing and to update my records on any health or behavior issues.
Often they send me pictures. You know how they say if you live
together long enough, you begin to look alike? Here are Lotus
and Juki (cousins). They are now dressing alike!

Amelia visits for her Health Screening

  

Prior to breeding, both sire and dam need to have complete health 

testing. Amelia is staying with me for a few days and will see the 

eye doctor for her CERF tomorrow and will have cheek swabs done

for the gene tests we now have to clear our dogs for GM-1 (storage

disease), PRA (blindness), and JDCM (cardiomyopathy). This also 

gives Amelia a chance to reacquaint with my "pack" so that when

whelping time comes, she will be comfortable in my house and with 

my dogs. (Amelia only weighs 44 pounds and she thinks she is a lap 

dog.)

Champion Blue Run's Willing to Serve

He's done it! A great birthday gift to me when this handsome
boy finished his championship today. Thanks Bacchus and
owners Glen and Mark for caring for this lovely boy.

P

Amelia to be Bred in the Fall

 

This is Amelia, pictured here at 6 months of age. She

just had her hip and elbow X-rays evaluated by the 

Orthopedic Foundation for Animals and was certified

to have "Excellent" hip conformation. (Only 3% of dogs

are found to have excellent hips.) My plan is to breed 

Amelia (Blue Run's Willing to Work) on her next cycle,

probably this fall. Amelia is curly with Irish markings

and the "ideal" 19.5 inches at the withers. I will be 

working on finding the best stud to complement her.

Porties Aren't for Everyone!

After, in "off switch" mode

 

Before

This active puppy was rehomed after his first family found him
more than they bargained for. His new family thinks he is terrific!
The video shows how active these puppies can be. Fortunately,
as Porties get older, it is easier to find their "off" switch. But
puppies....they can be a handful! When I interview families, I am
trying to gauge if they are up to dealing with an active pup. They
are not appropriate for very young children and the frail elderly.

Bacchus Gets into the Winners Circle

 
Bacchus is almost two years old and he is out showing this
spring. This picture shows him getting his first point toward
his championship. He is Blue Run's Willing to Serve.

Blue Run's Willing to Play Ball

This pretty girl is growing into a lovely adult and looks just like her
mother, Lilly. After Mays has her hip X-rays done in May, we hope to
get her out showing in the conformation ring.

Nico Joins Libra in Bench Sitting

Nico is very proud of himself as he has managed to get up on the
bench for the first time to help his aunt Libra guard the back yard.
Nico and Libra have identical markings but Nico is curly. He
adores Aunt Libra. I think Nico may have used the piled up snow
to climb on the bench but he is still very pleased with himself.

Blue Run's Just for Keeps

These are the Amber/Skee puppies born in December. The
curly puppy second from right is named Nico and he is the
new member of my pack, trying to fill the big paws of our
wonderful Dante who died in January at age 14.5 years.

Clicker training/ 3 month old puppy Haggis

I'm a big fan of clicker training. This video shows
Haggis, only 3 months old. Notice how willing she
is. No "jerk/release" training for Blue Run puppies!

The Blue Run Thankful Litter born 12/04/2014

These pretty puppies are all in their new homes where everyone
got "the best puppy ever". They are now Nantucket, McCormick,
Haggis, and Korra.

Blue Run Dogs Love The Snow

        Kaibo is having a ball. You can tell by his big smile.

Home Work is Assigned to Future Owners

Before bringing home puppy, new owners
are asked to research what items are
dangerous to puppies and what things are
potentially poisonous. Here is Abby's list.
And Lucy, an excellent typist, has submitted
her list as well.

Video of the 5 week old Orlando puppies

 

This is a short video of three of Isa's puppies, now 5 weeks old.