Pregnancy Confirmed!

Pregnancy was confirmed today by ultrasound.  We had a feeling that Roxy was, indeed, pregnant given her change in eating habits in the past week to 10 days.  Our vet told us that the due date is May 1st/2nd.  We will go back April 25th for an x-ray to get a puppy count but have a lot to do to get ourselves ready before then!  Huge thanks to Dr. Carver-Raffa at Town & Country Animal Hospital!

Girl Meets Boy

This past weekend, Roxy traveled to Florida for her blind date with Jasper, and it was love/lust/animal magnetism at first sight. Roxy typically greets other dogs very confidently and imperturbably: tail up and patiently going through the sniffing rituals. She put to rest any doubt of our breeding timing when she saw the big, handsome fella that is Jasper. He needed no pick-up lines. He had her at I'm-a-male-canine. The game was on.

It was so reassuring to meet Jasper and know that we had made a great match. He is a large Chinook with a beautiful coat, and he danced quite elegantly with Roxy all over the yard. But most striking was his wonderful temperament. He was the perfect gentleman, not pushy with Roxy and always attentive and responsive to his human. He greeted me and my 13 yr old son appropriately and was neither territorial nor elusive.  This gentle giant is a lover. And it was easy to see that he's the apple in his human's eye. She adores Jasper.

Despite the willingness, the flirting, and the foreplay, we did not achieve a natural breeding. Despite her relatively large overall size, Roxy is anatomically a bit narrow for a natural breeding, and Jasper ended up a bit frustrated. We ended up doing two side-by-side artificial inseminations.  We're keeping fingers and paws crossed for several buns in the oven, and we should have confirmation around March 28th! We're thrilled to have paired two dogs with such great hip health, and we look forward to pups with the fantastic disposition and intelligence of their parents.