No Puppies

Another disappointment - Lola is not pregnant.  I was sure I could feel one puppy, but I guess it was just gas.  We do not have any future breeding plans.  I guess I'll be in the puppy market myself - looking for a new boy. 

I wish I had better news.  I hope all who were waiting for a puppy will find their little sweeties soon.  I'll certainly keep my ear to the ground if I hear of any upcoming litters.

Great Aunt Deb

I became a Great Aunt on May 16 at 3:15 pm.  My niece Jenny gave birth to her daughter, Colombe.  What a wonderful day.  I managed to drive to Yorkton, SK yesterday to suprise Jen, new dad Neil and new Gramma Dar (I thought I'd be busy with pups).  Darlene and I ended up driving to Regina that day to deliever the stem cell blood to the airport so it could be shipped to Vancouver.  Fedex SCREWED UP and did not pick up the package for delivery despite arrangements made the day before.  FedEX picked up someone else's stem cell blood instead.  Makes you go hmmmm - wonder if that blood was delivered to the right place?  This stem cell blood is precious and time sensitive and for FedEX to screw up like that (and it's expensive - parents pay around $2,500 to get the blood stored).  Shame on you FedEX.

Anyway - Gramma Dar and Great Aunt Deb saved the day and delivered the package to Regina.  It was quite the journey.  We had problems finding the aiport (not great signage Regina). Then trying to find Air Canada Cargo...sheesh.  The signs at the aiport did not point to the terminal.  However, the staff at Air Canada Cargo were top notch.  They have done this shipping of stem cell blood so many times.  Thank you!

And after that, we were headed back to Yorkton (2 hour drive) and managed to get lost.  Found ourselves headed to Winnipeg.  Well, we did get back on course and arrived back in Yorkton around 8:45 pm.  Had a great dinner at the York Steak House and then got back to our hotel and watched a movie on Netflix.

Sparkle is Not Pregnant

I am so sorry to disappoint anyone who was waiting for a Sparkle puppy.  We did xrays yesterday and there are no pups.  Poor thing - she thinks she is pregnant and is nesting and moaning.  This will last several days.  She will most likely take stuffed toys and try to nurse them.  It's quite pathetic.

Lola will be xrayed on May 20th to determine if she is pregnant.  She is not very big so I do not anticipate a large litter.

We have no future plans for any more litters at Kimberlite.  I am going to enjoy my retirement and my dogs.

Belly rubs to everyone.

Shasta and Boomer

Sadly, there are two more Kimberlite angels.

Kimberlite's Little Lady Shasta passed away May 1, 2011.  She was 8 years old.  Beloved girl of the Felt Family.

Ch. Kimberlite's Master Blaster..."Boomer" passed away yesterday, May 4, 2011 - he was 8 years old.  "Boomer" lived with us until he was 14 months old and then went to the loving Flick Family.  This gentle boy will be greatly missed by all who adored him.

"Until this grand illusion brings us home.  You and I will always be together.  From this day on you'll never walk alone.  I'm a part of you. You're a part of me."  (Eagles)

April is Birthday Month

So many birthdays this month.  So Happy Birthday to all you Kimberlite berners.

Special mention goes to Kimberlite's Foreign Affair (Reigny) who turned 11 years old April 23.  She is the last survivor of the F litter.

Happy 2nd birthday to Q Litter - born April 13.

Happy Birthday TODAY to O Litter - you are all 6 years old. The entire litter is still alive and well. 

Tomorrow is N litters 7th birthday.

April 28th is the 9th birthday of I litter. To the best of my knowledge 4 remain from that litter of 10.

Hugs and kisses to all you Kimberlite berners...hopefully you all get lots of belly rubs and special treats.

Sparkle - just over 4 weeks

I am 99 percent sure that Sparkle is pregnant.  She has been extremely sucky and I see a bit of a  swell in her belly.  She is also very hungry and has twice raided the garbage can.  I have to be much more vigilant now in securing the gate to the kitchen.  I was going to do an ultrasound but decided that I'll just wait and see.  Either she is or she isn't.

Johnny

Sadly, Can. Ch. Kimberlite's Imagine was euthanized Sat. April 9, 2011 due to complications of bloat.  Johnny was best friend and love of her life to Jane.  He was a registered therapy dog and brought many smiles to many people's faces.  Johnny would have turned 9 years old this month.  Tears and Hugs dear Jane  - my heart aches for you.

Tweet Return

Saw my first robin this morning.  I'd love to think it is "Tweet" all grown up. 

Red Deer Show Weekend

I went to a dog show with Joey this weekend in Red Deer, Alberta. Last week, I had carefully shopped for a cosmetic bag that has 4 compartments and hangs off the back of a door - this way I could organize all my toiletries. I packed it nicely on Thursday morning. I had bathed and groomed Joey the night before and had packed all my gear and was on the road by 10:30 am Thursday morning.

It was a good drive - the highways were bare and the weather was sunny. I arrived in Red Deer around 4:30 pm. I found my benching spot and set-up my equipment, then went to check into the motel (Motel 6) but they cannot find my reservation. I had booked it online a couple of weeks ago and I do remember receiving a confirmation number but never wrote it down. I did however have it in my email so used the motels computer to locate that email. That's when I discovered that I had made reservations for the following week. Luckily, they had a room for me - and thankfully I had come the correct weekend for the dogshow rather than next weekend. Sheesh.

 

I can't say enough about Motel 6 in Red Deer - it's extremely clean; they don't charge extra for dogs; they give you a dog collar; they give you dog treats; they have high speed QUALITY internet (I could stream Netflixs) and it's very affordable.

 

I dragged all my luggage up to my room on the 2nd floor and was unpacking and hanging up my showclothes. I went to hang my cosmetic organizer on the back of bathroom door only to discover that I had left it in my own bathroom. I had a small freak out wondering if I had also left my glasses at home too. I was relieved to find my glasses in my purse (this after I had strewn the contents of my bags around the room looking for them). Fortunately, I had packed my shampoos, blow dryer, and make-up (you don't want to see me without that!). But I was still without basic and necessary items (including my jewelry). So, off I went to London Drugs to replace those much needed items. I also had to go and buy Joey a different dogfood as he decided the stuff he was eating was POISON!

 

So - I am finally ok and have all the things I need and I go out for a nice supper with my good friend Paul. Got back to my room around 10:00 pm and plugged in my laptop and watched Netflixs (I LOVE IT) and fell alsleep.

 

Up around 7 am on Friday morning and get Joey out for his morning "walkie", then back up to my room to get ready for the first show. The schedule I saw online said my ringtime was 11:00 am. I got to the showbuilding around 9 a.m. and was just strolling around and meeting other dog people when someone mentions to me that ringtime is 10:00 am. The schedule I saw was wrong. OK - better go and groom my dog! Got Joey primped and fluffed and then go off to change into my show clothes. Here I discover I'd packed my "small" black slacks. Last time I tried to wear those I looked like I was stuffed in a sausage casing. Imagine my delight when I discovered they fit again! Yippee!

 

I was just fine for ringtime - but there were many people who also read the wrong judging schedule and were quite upset. Mistakes like this can cause a lot of problems especially with people (pro handlers) who have multiple dogs and rely on the integrity of the judging schedule to manage their time. I think there was a lot of swearing going on that day.

 

The rest of the weekend went smoothly without me having any more mishaps. Joey earned Best of Breed all three days. I'd like to express my congratulations to:

 

• Adelaide for her first home-bred champion. I know what a thrill that is and how special.
• Monica for her nice win with 6 month old Fergie - she is a lovely puppy
• Ursula for her boy's new championship (I am having a brain fart for his name)
• Ruth for her girl's win on Sunday
• Wanda for Solo's win
• and last but never least, Paul for Lucy's Best of Opposite on Sunday

 Now Lucy was quite the showstopper - literally. Lucy was in standing heat on Sunday and all the boys knew it - especially Solo. I had a difficult time getting Joey's attention, but poor Solo he was howling and jumping around. Wanda certainly EARNED that win on Sunday! The ring stewart told us that we were the most AMUSING breed all weekend. It was a total gong show.

 

The drive home was good - once again bare, dry pavement. Luckily the storm that hit Calgary did not progress to Red Deer. I did have one moment though - I passed an oncoming police cruiser only to see in my rearview mirror him quickly turn around. I figured... BUSTED! He was coming up fast behind me with his flashers on. I pulled over and much to my relief he sped by me and pulled over the truck that was ahead of me. WHEW!

 

Got home around 7:30 pm on Sunday much to the delight of Lola, Sparkle and Bogart. I was greated with much howling, leaping, sniffing and licks. I just love coming home to that kind of welcome. It's always nice to sleep in your own bed.

 

Puppypalooza

I sure hope I am not jumping the gun here.  Both Lola and Sparkle have been bred and not the big "waiting game" starts.  Sparkle's due date is May 14th and Lola's is May 24th.

I will be having ultrasounds done on both girls to determine if they are pregnant.   Maybe I'll even have "pictures" from the ultrasound to post.

I guess I had better just enjoy the remaining days I have left before the Puppypalooza!

Spring 2011...hmmm

The calender says it's the first day of spring but looking out my patio door I'm just having problems believing it.  This has been the longest winter I can remember.  It seems to be never-ending.  Surely spring has to come sometime?

R Litter - The Hopeful Beginning

Today Sparkle was inseminated via transervical technique.  The semen was shipped from Victoria, BC on Friday afternoon and arrived in Saskatoon this morning at 9:30 via FedEx.  At 12:30 - the semen was inserted into Sparkle's uterus using a device that goes in through the cervix.  It's done in less than 10 minutes - she just stands there (no sedation).  The device has a camera on the end so it's easy for the vet to pinpoint the cervix and in goes the cathetar and the a little push and in goes the fresh chilled semen.  The body temperature warms up the sperm and off they go on their merry little journey to find the eggs.

We did three progesterone tests last week to pinpoint ovulation.

Here's hoping that R Litter is cooking right now. Sparkle's due date will be May 14th.

Showy Joey earns a Group 4th

Joey and I traveled to Prince Albert, SK this weekend and spent a great 3 days up at the show.  Despite temperatures around -30C we had a wonderful time showing and just hanging out with all the other dog people.  PA puts on such a nice show.

Joey earned a Group 4th under Judge Carol Graham on Saturday.  I was so pleased with my old man - he turns 7 years old next month and he still looks like a 4 year old.  He's so handsome that I can't look directly at him.

Happy Birthday L Litter

L Litter out of Can/Am Ch. Oberland's Don't Think Twice (Dylan) x Ch. Kiimberlite's Ebony Diamond (Bonnie) turned 8 years old on March 5th!

Belly rubs to all the Lers!

Gearing Up for the R Litter

Sparkle is finally in heat and we will be starting progesterone testing next week. We are going to be doing a transcervical implant using sperm from "Gambler" (see my website for details).  I anticipate the implantation will happen in the 2nd week of March.  So - if all goes well, we should have puppies in May.

Stay tuned for updates.

Sophie

Remembering Kimberlite's Harvest Moon - "Sophie", beloved girl of Bob and Ruby.  Oct. 10, 2001 - Feb. 17, 2011.  Tears and hugs dear friends.

Still Rockin' and Fresh - Heart

Last night Peter and I went to see the legendary band "Heart" in Saskatoon.  The bandly barely made it as their tour busses were stranded just west of Winnipeg due to a blizzard and Highway 1 was closed.  With the mercury dipping to -30 C and a windchill of close to -40 C, the band did make it with just minimal time to set-up and performed to a sold out and estatic, mainly grey haired audience in Saskatoon.

Wow!  That Ann Wilson sure has a set of pipes - she can still belt it out and hit those notes.  No wonder she is called the female Robert Plant. Or maybe we should call Robert Plant the male Ann Wilson.  And Nancy  - I had no idea that she was so tiny, but, she is one amazing guitar player as well as an awesome singer in her own right.  The vocal harmonies of those sisters are so tight.  Their last songs were the iconic "Magic Man", "Crazy on You" and the finale "Barracuda".

Indy

Sadly, "Indy" - beloved girl of Cathie passed away Feb. 17.  "Indy" will live on her kids and grandkids.  Peace dear girl.

Kimberlite's Indigo Girl - April 28, 2002 - Feb. 17, 2011.

My Heartthrob Turns 9 Today!

"Bogart" turns 9 years old today.  His fancy name is AKC/CKC Kasablanca's L-Sins Heartthrob, but, I just call him my boyfriend.

We found out last week that Bogart LOVES fur.  My sister was visiting me and Bogart went into her room and rummaged through her suitcase (for some reason dogs love to rummage through personal effects) and he found her fur mittens.  He comes sauntering out and casually passes us by with these mittens stuffed in his mouth.  He was quite polite about the whole thing and was not trying to sneak by with them.  We had a good laugh and took the mittens from him.  About 1/2 hour later - out he comes again with the mittens stuffed in his mouth.  We was quite smitten with the mittens!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Hitchhiker and the Saga of the Astro Van Fan

In 2010 I was having considerable problems with the fan in my 1998 Astro mini-van (I hope to get a new car this year).  It worked sporadically. I stopped by my mechanics  (Kal-Tire)  in early summer and he said that the fan was getting stuck and he showed me where to thump it on the dashboard to get it going.  Certainly this was a quick fix - he also showed me where to thump it when I opened the hood - in case I couldn't get it working with simply slapping my dashboard.  Anyway, this thumping the dashboard worked until December.

I had this rubber mallet in the car and while driving I would reach over and bang the dashboard (above the passenger seat) and get the fan working to deliver the much needed heat.  Well, while parked one very cold December morning (-20 C)  it finally stopped and no amount of pounding the dashboard with the mallet would get the fan started.  So - I popped the hood and took my trusty mallet in hopes of banging on the actually fan unit. 

Upon lifting the hood, there sitting on the engine block staring back at me, was this little field mouse.  I am not afraid of mice, but it did startle me only because I was not expecting two little black eyes to stare back at me from under the hood.  Before I could react and grab it, it scuttled deep into the engine.  I noticed it had made a little nest in air intake - so, I took out all that stuffing from the part.  I thumped the fan component with my rubber mallet and voila!, the fan started working.

When I gpt back into the car, I happened to glance into the back of the van where the dog crates are set up and noticed that one of the dog blankets had been ransacked by Ms. Mouse and another little nest had been made.  I inspected said nest but could not find any babies. I threw out the nest.

Despite the cold temperatures that day, I ran the van through a car wash.  Yes, it kind of froze up, but I was able to tug the doors opened.

The following day, I again made my way to town for work and once again the fan stopped working.  No amount of banging on the dashboard would get the fan working. I attempted to pop the hood and give the fan component a good smashing, but the hood would not pop.  Oh great - either hood mechanism was frozen or it was broken.  I decided it was time to go to the mechanic.  I stopped by and told them either my hood was frozen or the popper was broken - the mechanic came out and I tugged on the "popper" - nothing happened. He tugged - nothing happened.  I suggested it was frozen and he would put the van into one of the bays for a good hour, let it thaw and then pop the hood and get the fan going so I could at least have a warm drive home.  I made an appointment to have the fan replaced - and then went to a restaurant to eat some lunch and kill time while the van was thawing.

After an hour I returned to the garage where the mechanic came out and he was laughing.  He says to me that after 30 years of being a mechanic you'd think he would know how to pop a hood of car.  All this time, we had been trying to pop the hood by using the emergency brake release.  The reason he tried to use it was because he saw me  reach for it to try and pop the hood, and he just assumed that was the hood release.  I've popped the hood on that van numerous times, and why I had the "brain fart" that day (and him too) was just hilarious.  So - it was not frozen or broken.  Anyway - turns out he had time and replaced the faulty fan (the bushings were wore out) and I no longer have to smash the dashboard to get heat.

The mechanic did not see any signs of Ms. Mouse - but he did remember working on my old Econoline van back in the 90s and taking apart the air filter and finding it stuffed full of dog kibble.  The mice are very industrious at our house and they sure love our vehicles.

Potato Soup Recipe

Here's my recipe:

This is a meal on its own - serve with some crusty bread or and tossed salad.

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 to 3 shallots chopped
• 1 cup of celery chopped
• 1 cup carrot chopped
• 1 cup of turnip chopped
• 2 to 3 cups of diced turkey kabosah (very garlicy)
• 2 cups of chicken broth
• 1 cup of water
• 4 to 5 cups of peeled and diced potatoes
• 1 cup of sour cream
• 3 tbsp of white flour
• 2 cups of milk
• salt and pepper to taste
• sliced green onions for garnish (optional)
• shredded cheese (I used the nacho cheese stuff)

Preparation:

In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium to low heat.  Add shallots, celery, carrots and diced kabasah.  Cook, stirring frequently, until shallots are tender (about 6-7  min). Add  broth, water and potatoes.  Cover and cook about 25 minutes until potatoes are tender. 

Whisk four, sour cream and milk until smooth and stir into hot mixture.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Mash the soup to thicken.  Add more milk if needed.

Serve garnished with sliced green onions and a little shredded cheese.

Serves 4 to 6.

Thankfully, I have Netflix!

I had plans to go to work today, but Bogart still wants to lick his incision and so he has to wear the evil cone.  I will not leave him alone with that thing on.  In any case, it's -36C with the windchill (that's -32.8 F).  You know COLD!   It's the wind - obviously blowing in from the arctic.

I've straightened every closet in the house and tidied up the clutter.  I've updated my website and taken care of personal correspondence.  I am going to make a pot of potato soup too - however, that's only going to take about an hour of my time.

Thankfully, I signed up to Netflixs and can stream movies to my PC (hook it to my TV to watch it on the bigscreen).  What will I watch today?  Comedy?  Thriller?  Horror?

Update:
Tried watching "Sleuth" - the original, but, it was just too silly for me. 

Made the BEST poatote soup. I've never made it before, but, oh my - I think I made a winner!

Now am attempting to watch "Silent Running" a 1971 science fiction flick starring Bruce Dern.

2011 Breeding Plans

After much waiting and planning I have finally determined my breeding plans for 2011.  I expect "Sparkle" to go into heat any day now and we will be using Madeline and Geoff's lovely boy "Gambler".  We are going to try the fresh chilled semen route and with a transcervical implantation.  Fingers crossed!

And then "Lola" - I expect her to come into season around May and once again we are turning to Madeline and Geoff for their lovely boy "Smoke".  This breeding may be a natural as I hope to drive out to beautiful BC.  Anyway - this one is much longer into the future.

I am excited about these breedings and think the pairings will produce lovely puppies. 

For detailed information go to my website http://bernese.sasktelwebhosting.com/litters.htm

Serendipty of a Poop Grass Mass

I am writing this post in hopes that others might see the same symptoms in their own dogs and save themselves agonizing time.

Bogart exhibited an illness on Dec.21st - he had an extremely bad case of explosive diarrhea (literally painting the walls).   subsquently he was quite lame and the lameness travelled from limb to limb.  He was still eating at this point - and not refusing food.  I watched him closely   - he did not have a fever and did improve, so I did not bring him to the vet.  By Dec. 24th he was eating again and no longer had any lameness.

Jan. 4th.  Bogart did not eat his breakfast.  Not a biggie for me, since often a dog will skip a meal.  I had business in town to attend to and returned home around 3 pm.  I found a small puddle of vomit that consisted of just yellow bile on the floor. Again - not a biggie for me, sometimes a dog (or cat) has an upset tummy.

I offered Bogart some food and he ate a small amount, but he was very restless.  Pacing and panting.  This was certainly something that alarmed me - I was thinking bloat.  Apart from pacing and panting, he was not exhibiting any other bloat symptoms, so I just watched him.  At 6 pm he vomited at my feet.  The vomit was just food.  His anxiety subsided after this and he laid down to sleep.  A couple of hours later I offered him some water and a bit of food - he ate a bit, drank a bit and then became restless again.  Around 9-10 pm he vomited again.

He had no fever.  I watched him closely all day Wed.  I would offer him water, he'd lap a bit.  He vomited more on Wed.

I admitted him to hospital on Thursday since it was clear he was not holding down anything, not even water.  He was put on IVs and monitored.  He continued to vomit anything given by mouth while in hospital.

Friday we did an ultrasound that showed he had some kind of mass just south of his stomach (sorry - I don't know the technical terms).   Also, it showed a mass on his spleen.  So - on Friday afternoon - Bogart was prepped for surgery.

The mass in his gut turned out to be just poop and grass.  His intestines were bunched up - why he could not pass this stuff remains a mystery.  The surgeons were able to "milk" the mass up and into the stomach and remove it - so there were no incisions into his intestines - just one into the stomach.  He also underwent a spleenectomy (I am awaiting the pathology report on that mass).

It took about 1 hour before he woke up from the surgery.  I was on pins and needles because he would not wake up.  He was breathing so shallow that he was not blowing off the sedation.  All I could think of was the movie "Coma" at this time.  Finally, he opened his big brown eyes and acknowledged me and I knew that he was awake.

Bogart stayed in the clinic for another 2 days and I brought him home on Monday...but...his incision was not healing.  He was leaking a pink tinged fluid and had a fever of 103.2 F.  I brought him back to the clinic where they swabbed his incision and did cultures as well as a ultrasound to determine if he had fluid building up in his abdomen.  All tests pointed to just normal post leakage and most likely him licking his incision.

And now 1 week 2 days later his incision is looking much better.  There is still a bit of spotting, but, for the most part the incision is dry and the swelling is going down.  Bogart's appetite is increasing and he's once again begging for pets and belly rubs.

Bogart was not amused with having to wear an e-collar and did his best to crash around the house or just sit there and pant....making me feel even more sorry for him.  He is also sporting one of the worst hair cuts ever - it just about killed me to watch his beautiful coat being cut off - but, hey, he can grow another one.

The serendipity of this entire story is that I would never have known he had a mass on his spleen had it not been for this episode.  This poop/grass mass might very well have save his life.  Here's hoping!

I'm Still Here

Yep - I am still alive.  What's been happening, you might wonder?  Well, since my last post the following:

• I became a great Aunt for the 2nd time in December.
• I learned that I am to become a Great Aunt for the 3rd time in May (and it's a girl)
• We put in new laminate flooring in the kitchen and family room (it's gorgeous)
• I had my family over for the Christmas holidays and I had one gorgeous tree (see photos)
• Sadly Kimberlite's Indian Summer (Marley) beloved boy of Scott and Bertha passed away in December.
• I slept through New Years 2011
• I haven't been outside since Thanksgiving because it's been too cold
• Lola passed her eye tests and her hips are normal and her elbows are normal
• My boyfriend, Bogart, was terribly ill last week and had to have emergency surgery - but he is recovering (poop and grass stuck in his gut).

We are gearing up for breedings in 2011.  I am anticipating Sparkle going into season any day now and will have further information on her upcoming breeding soon.  We will be breeding Lola on her next heat too, which I anticipate happening around May.

My tree

Happy New Year from Baby Puddy!

Bogart (my boyfriend) sporting his new hat.