Isa/Skee breeding next week (The Thanksgiving Litter)

The lovely Isa and handsome Skee will "meet" through artificial
insemination next week. If we are successful, the puppies will
come just after Thanksgiving. Lucky for them, they will be whelped
in warm Orlando, Florida, and raised by Isa's co-owners, Stephen
and Ruth. Ruth plans to keep a little boy from this litter.
I will be helping at the whelp....already looking at flights.....and will
bring puppies to the Washington, D.C. area for placement when
they are 9 weeks old. That would mean the first week of February,
2015. The Florida repo vet is in place. A local breeder has offered
to help with temperament testing when the time comes. And I plan to
be very involved in mentoring Ruth and Stephen. I am confident that
Isa will be a great mom and a good whelper. The puppies should be
gorgeous. Pictures of both Isa and Skee are in previous posts.
Washington area families who would like to be considered for one of
these puppies should contact me to fill out an application at:
 DrCWinchell@gmail.com.

Shepherdstown Dog Fest August 2014

Seven Blue Run Porties participated in an event in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, which show cased rare breeds. Preparing to go down the red carpet were Honey Bear, Kojo (brown and therefore not a Blue Run dog), Yaya, Bacchus, Amber, Libra, Taffey, and Georgina. Our seven ranged in age from 7 months to 11 years in age and all behaved admirably. It was nice to have the participation of Blue Run owners in this event which was followed by a "meet and greet" in the park.

Greeting with a Toy

We often teach our Porties to "go get a toy" when greeting guests.
This helps to reduce jumping up and inappropriate sniffing. My girl
Joy has taken this to heart. Here she is greeting my housekeeper
with her Elmo in tow. What you can't see is the furiously wagging
tail or hear the muffled vocalizations as she greets Aracelly each morning.

The "Willing" Litter is One Year Old

The handsome pups shown in this photo are now one year old. They are 8 weeks old in this picture. I re-evaluate puppies at one year and 5 of the 8 remain show prospects. This is a phenomenal litter and I hope to be getting these pups in the ring next year after their age 2 hip screening. These puppies
are sired by Blue Run's Aries and CH Blue Run's Red Robin. Their call names from top left to right are: Alvaro, Bacchus, Jedi, Corra, Tugger, Amelia, Lhotze, and Mays.

                                                                                                             

This is why we breed dogs.....

Foxy Graduates

Foxy is the first of the "Free" litter to graduate from puppy obedience. By contract, all owners
enter their pups in an obedience class by 6 months
of age as Porties can be a hand full. Doesn't
Foxy look cerebral in her cap and gown? And
very serious, too.

Stud chosen for next breeding....meet Skee

This handsome boy is CH Kimlyn's Olympic Mogul aka Skee. I have
chosen him for Isa to be bred in the fall. Isa is CH Blue Run's Aquarius.
This would be a line breeding with an 8% coefficient of inbreeding, a
level which gives "predictable" results by "forcing type". If the puppies
look like the parents, as they should, they will be stunning. Skee has
one of the most correct and impressive chests I have seen on a Porty.
I visited him to assure that he has the temperament and attributes I
want in a stud and he passed with flying colors. I had seen him as a
one year old and made a mental note: you want to use this boy when
he is old enough!

BLUE RUN PORTUGUESE WATER DOGS

              CHERYL WINCHELL HOOFNAGLE

Isa is now Champion Blue Run's Aquarius

Isa finished her championship and the plan is to breed her on her
next heat cycle. This beautiful girl lives in Florida. A search for the
best stud for her is under way. Isa is 3 and this would be her first
litter. Isn't she lovely?

Libra delivers

The babies have two mommies with Blue Run's Noel Joy sharing
the nursing duties. With such a large litter, it is helpful when one
of my other girls volunteers to help. Also pictured is one of the
pups at 3 days of age. Most of the puppies are marked with
about 30% white markings on legs and chest area. Very flashy!

Libra delivered 11 female puppies. The chance of having an all
female litter of 11 is one in 2048. The puppies are all wavy and
most have white chests and front legs. A few only have white
toes and a white chest and chin. All but the one lost during the
whelp are doing great and Libra turns out to be a very gentle
and careful mother. She looks a lot more comfortable, too, now
that all those big babies are out. Weights were between 12 and
14 ounces which is ideal.
Here is a short video of the puppies at 10 days of age:
http://youtu.be/tKdVMsgCAGk

Amelia, one of the promising 6 month old pups

It was so much fun to see Amelia today, the first visit since she departed 4 months ago to her new home. Like all of the puppies in this very fine litter, she is turning out beautifully. I am very proud of my boy Willie
(Blue Run's Aries) and my girl Lilly (CH Blue Run's Red Robin) for producing such stunning puppies with lots of potential.

I am currently waiting for Libra (Blue Run's Libra) to whelp on December 23rd. She is chock full of puppies. I am guessing ten.

Puppies coming December 23rd

CH Blue Run's Black Jack and Blue Run's Libra are pictured here. Their puppies are due December 23, 2013. I expect black wavy puppies with very substantial heads and bone. Both these dogs have been fully health tested and have "Good" OFA hip ratings, normal CERF exam, and do not carry GM-1, PRA, or JDCM. This is a line breeding on both head and tail of the pedigree. Puppies will probably go to their new homes around the first of March, 2014.

How do you know if it is a puppy mill?

Recently "The Whole Dog Journal" published an article on how to tell if you are dealing with a puppy mill versus a truly dedicated hobby breeder. I realized my own ignorance of this subject prior to becoming a breeder. Most people haven't a clue how to distinguish a puppy mill from a reputable breeder and most people haven't a clue how to find a quality puppy. So, I have been developing a list of caveats that puppy seekers should know when they begin their search:

Red flags for puppy buyers:
The breeder is not a member of their national breed club
There are multiple breeds being sold by the same person
Both sire and dam are "on site" (good breeders usually go to the best stud and don't use what is just handy)
The breeder does not compete their breeding dogs in conformation shows to establish their quality
The breeder will sell you a dog without meeting you
The breeder will ship a puppy unaccompanied
You are not encouraged to meet the dam and see the where the puppies are raised
The breeder pursues you to make a purchase
The breeder uses the internet to market their dogs with cute pictures involving toys and bows
The health testing is vague. A good breeder should list what tests were done and the results.
The puppy is sold through a commercial outlet like a mall pet store (100% mill puppies)


Why should you avoid buying a puppy from a puppy mill? If you "rescue" a puppy mill dog by paying for it, you are part of the problem. These breeding dogs are kept in abusive conditions. If the market for their puppies dries up, they will no longer be used as breeding machines for profit. It's always about the money. A good breeder is happy if they break even. And a good breeder should be able and happy to supply you with the names of their buyers who can provide references.  I marvel that so few people think to ask for references! This is a big and expensive purchase. Why not approach it by doing your research as you would with any important decision you will have to live with for years to come?

ISA is Blue Run's Aquarius

This pretty little girl is well on her way to finishing her championship. She lives in Florida and is a member of my Zodiac litter born in 2010. She already has a suitor in the wings and she should produce lovely puppies.

Fabulous Willie/Lilly pups are all sold

Born just last week and now all sold to families, most of whom have agreed
to a potential show prospect. This is such a promising litter that I am
delighted to have found such wonderful families for them all.