La Vita e Bella

Sometimes life throws you for a loop and the best thing to do is just roll with it. Just before Christmas I was thinking about all the things I wanted to do in the next year; have a litter of puppies, sell the house and buy something bigger (for the dogs, duh ... who else?), go to shows in places I hadn't been to yet, start to show in the US again, take a trip to the Caribbean ... you know, the plan was for a busy year.

Anyway, after excitedly planning my whole year I looked at the calendar and realised that Leeloo was not due in heat until at least the end of March which made the major event of the year, moving, not probable since you should really list in the Spring and also the selection of houses would be greater. With a breeding in March, puppies born in May and not placed until July, it meant that I'd miss the major house listing season. After giving this some thought and reconciling that although it would be nice to have more room for the dogs, it wouldn't be a tragedy to stay put if need be and wait to move until 2013. And for the record, it would take some kind of act of doG for me to list a house while a litter of puppies was growing up in it ... just never happen.

So what did I do? I took a moment with Leeloo just a couple days before Christmas. I sat on the bed next to her, put my arms around her, told her I loved her, hugged her, patted her head, scratched her bum, and whispered in her ear so only she could hear "Leeloo, I know it's a lot to ask but if you could come into heat earlier, we could have the litter, place the puppies and list the house. Then when it sells I can buy a larger house with a big yard for you that I can fence so that you will stay safe (because you know you're naughty sometimes) and you'll have lots of room to run and explore. I want this for you Leeloo." Then I hugged her, kissed her head and that was that. Christmas came and went in a hurry and then suddenly it was a New Year full of hope and promise and all things possible.

Then, Leeloo comes into heat on the second day of January, just because she's Leeloo. She beat Esme into heat by 3 days so I suspect it was more about beating Esme than complying with my wishes but hey, no one here is arguing with it.