Snowed in!

The snow started Friday late afternoon, and it hasn't stopped yet.  The girls here at home don't really think too much of going out in it.  Phoebe did venture out to the mailbox with me.


Lucy found that she had to leap her way through the stuff:

Meet Miss Lucy

It was a tough decision, but I finally selected the yellow collared girl as the pup who would be staying with me.  I'm calling her Lucy - registered name to be determined still.

Decisions, decisions...

Puppies start heading to their new homes soon, and I still must decide which girl I am keeping. This evening one of my girls really got into the "point the bird wing" game. It's difficult enough taking good pictures of lively puppies, but when you throw in the factor of one hand operating the bird wing on a fishing line while the other hand operates the camera, the odds of getting a great shot are even lessened. Yellow girl was the most cooperative, holding her points longer than any of her siblings. Could this be the future "Lucy" (call name I've been kicking around for my pup)?

Playing on the Deck

Puppies - 6 weeks old

Maternity leave is over

Dixie's maternity leave is over and she is headed out to North Dakota to get back to work. She loves her job of running and hunting hard, so it's more like summer camp to her. Dave sent this picture of his training grounds there.

Now that's got to hurt!

Dixie nurses her four-week old pups. Ouch!

New Digs

Red girl escaped the whelping box Monday afternoon and again this morning. This afternoon I came home to find both Red and Black sitting in Dixie's crate. So this evening's project was to dismantle the whelping box and put up an x-pen. I put a 300 sized crate inside of the x-pen, and the pups took to it immediately. Of course, Dixie joined them INSIDE of the crate to nurse.

New pictures have been loaded into the slide show.

First Meal

Puppies enjoyed their first meal on Friday evening. They seemed to enjoy their Pro Plan "Slurpie" quite well. As usual, there is always one puppy that ends up lying in the pan. This time it was the Red collar girl.

Puppies at Two and a Half Weeks

More Puppy Video

Puppies Getting More Mobile

Puppies' eyes are open now, and they are getting a bit more mobile. They don't have that walking thing down quite yet, though. This video was taken on Friday (7/10/2009) afternoon.

Puppies Growing Like Weeds

Dixie's "pound puppies" are now all over two pounds each. They are growing fast. Typically the puppies' eyes start opening at about two weeks of age. It's funny to watch their reaction to the site of things. Up until then, they are driven by their noses. They certainly can smell when Mom, aka dinner, is nearby.

Puppies - One Week Old

New pictures of Dixie's puppies, who are one week old today, have been uploaded. Click on the slide show to the right to see all pictures.

Happy Fourth of July to everyone!

Sofa Time with Sara

Three year old Sara enjoys a bit of sofa time with Mom.

Feeding Time!

Reflections...

Fifteen years ago today, my beloved first Vizsla, Ricochet, was born. I first saw this little pup when she was about a week old. I remember the excitement that built during the next several weeks until it was time to bring her home. I had no idea how my life would change over the next 15 years. Ricochet got her name when I first visited the home of her breeder, Carol Wynn. I watched Carol's Vizslas race around her yard and commented that they sort of ricocheted around the place. And Ricochet certainly lived up to the name. As a young pup, she would fly up or down the staircase and literally bounce off the wall on the landing to make the 180 degree turn. When she whelped her first litter, I pondered what kennel name I would adopt as my own. I could not come up with anything better than her call name, thus the birth of "Ricochet Vizslas".

Ricochet has been gone for about two and a half years now, but her memory lives on, as does her spirit in the generations that have followed her. Dylan and Dixie's pups, three days old today, are Ricochet's great-great grandkids.

The "Pound Puppies" are Growing Fast

I jokingly refer to Dixie's litter as the "Pound Puppies" because they all weighed in close to a pound at birth. Here it is a little over two days later, and my how they've grown! Tonight's weigh-in goes like this:

Black (male): 16.6 oz
Blue (male): 18.0 oz
Yellow (female): 18.7 oz
Red (female): 20.0 oz
Green (female): 17.5 oz

Tomorrow they take their first road trip - to the vet's for tails and dew claws. They will look more like Vizslas and less like rats in the next pictures!

Puppies Have Arrived!

Signs of labor started on Friday late afternoon. Dixie's temperature had dropped, and she was getting restless. She and I both just catnapped throughout the night. Hard labor didn't begin until after noon on Saturday. I figured the first pup was going to be a whopper because she was having difficulty pushing it out. Finally, at about 3:00 pm, he arrived. For the next four plus hours, the pups came, and they all were quite large. Sadly, the last pup's sack broke prematurely and I was not able to get the puppy out in time to save her. Resuscitation attempts were futile, so I had to lay her to rest. But Dixie and the rest of the litter are all doing fine.

Each puppy has a color ribbon around its neck to easily identify them, especially in pictures. So Dixie, Dylan and I proudly introduce:

Black - male - 15.7 oz
Blue - male - 15.6 oz
Yellow - female - 16.5 oz
Red - female - 17.1 oz
Green - female - 15.6 oz

Still on Puppy Watch

No puppies yet. She may wait until the weekend. I don't think she has "dropped" yet - not really seeing the backbone like you do when that happens. Here she is this afternoon:

Puppy watch

It's definitely "Puppy Watch" time around here. Dixie is getting rather HUGE, but not yet showing any signs of labor. Her temp is normal, her appetite has not left her, and she hasn't been unusually restless. Here's a pic taken earlier this evening:


And from the rear:

One More Week (or so)

Here's a picture of Dixie today. We're getting ready to start counting down the days instead of the weeks now. I am guessing that pups will arrive late next week or next weekend. Typically, puppies whelp 9 weeks (plus or minus one day) from the date of ovulation. When the breeding is done via artificial insemination, progesterone testing is done to determine the date of ovulation and thus the optimum breeding window, which is 3 to 5 days after ovulation. This was a natural breeding and no progesterone testing was done. So I have to go with dates of the actual breedings and assume that ovulation occurred a day or two prior to the first breeding. That is not always a good assumption - some dogs will breed prior to ovulation. But it's a place to start. I'll be using the temperature drop method along with plain old observation to determine when puppies are on their way.

I think Dixie is telling the kids about the accomplishments of their granddaddy as she gazes at all his awards.

Puppy countdown - 2 more weeks

In another two weeks, give or take, we'll be welcoming Dixie's brood to this world. This pictures were taken this evening.

Puppy countdown - 4 weeks to go

Here's a couple of pictures of Dixie at 5 weeks pregnant... four more weeks until puppies are due.

Puppies a Good Possibility

Three and a half weeks since being bred, and I'd have to guess that Dixie is indeed carrying puppies. She is looking "thicker" these days.

2009 VCA Nationals

So, being the glutton for punishment that I am, I volunteered to chair the 2009 Vizsla Club of America National Field Trial, which will be hosted by the Old Dominion Vizsla Club and held the week of November 1, 2009, at the Cloverdale Farm near Sutherlin, Virginia. A separate blog has been set up to document the event: 2009 VCA National FT Blog. I have posted pictures of Cloverdale Farm, taken during the AKC Pointing Breed Gun Dog Championship held there this past March.

Spring update

Things have changed quite a bit this past month. I have found employment once again, now working on contract at Dominion Resources Services in downtown Richmond. Working downtown is a bit of an adjustment for me. Gone are the days of wearing jeans to work everyday. And then there are tolls roads, parking garage, a three block walk to and from the car, working on the seventh floor of a high rise building, getting lunch from a street vendor, all sorts of changes. But I'm enjoying the work and the people are all great.

Dixie finally came into season, unfortunately keeping her from competition the last few weekends of this field trial season. But she has been bred to Dylan, so now the wait begins.

Catching up

Shame on me! It's been way too long since my last entry. So much has happened since then.

Last fall Joey and Dixie competed in gun dog stakes, both earning placements. I am hoping this spring will bring some blue ribbons for the pair. Sara and Dylan began training as gun dogs last summer out in North Dakota, but aren't quite ready for prime time just yet. Buddy has become a useful field trial horse now. I've judged , scouted, planted birds, and handled from him now. He's doing it all.

This winter, the company for which I have worked for the past eight plus years, Circuit City, closed it doors for good, leaving me in unchartered waters - unemployed. All I can tell you is that searching for a job may be harder work than actually having a job. I'm hoping the economy turns around soon.

Lastly, I am planning another litter this spring - Dixie to Dylan. This should be a very nice breeding of pups with great field ability and wonderful temperaments.