Snow White

Last weekend the Maritimes experienced a major snow storm called Nemo. Seems harmless given the reference to Nemo in popular culture but it was a bit of a blow for the region and a large part of the eastern half of the continent. In the morning I let the dogs out and per usual Leeloo, Cora and Esme shot out the door without checking the weather, while Raimi hung back as always to make sure it wasn't raining. When he saw the wind and snow blowing he put on the brakes and, while I was holding the door open to encourage him out, Cora had done an about face and shot back inside. Now I had two sad-faced Ridgebacks refusing to go out in the snow. I had to push them out, whereupon they stood on the deck looking horrified. It's only a little snow I told them.

I was proven wrong throughout the rest of the day as I watched the drifts build around the house and the insane north east wind blow the trees about dangerously. I have only sat through a couple true of Nor'Easters in Atlantic Canada and none of them had the force or velocity of this one. I don't think I've ever sat through a storm like this in living memory actually. It was quite the event and although it had mostly blown itself out by Sunday afternoon, and thankfully we never lost power, there was a lot of snow to shift. Still, we took to the woods to see how the landscape had changed in 36 hours and I brought along my camera to record the dogs after their first major snowstorm at this property.

I would say they enjoyed themselves ... to a point. Raimi and Leeloo got to wear coats; Raimi because he is a big ol' sissy-boy and Leeloo because she doesn't like to get wet. Cora is a bit more hardy because she's young and invincible ... so she thinks. Still, it's hard going in snow that's 18 inches deep when your legs are only 18 inches long.

Now imagine you are Esme. I will give her this: Esme is all try and never quits. It didn't matter how deep the snow was, where we went, or how hard it was, she never ever gave up trying to keep up. I took pity on her a few times and carried her over some of the larger drifts but she doesn't like being carried and for my part it's hard to carry a 35 pound dog in deep snow.

Snow changes the landscape so unless you remember where the dips and hollows are you can find yourself in much deeper than you intended. I decided to head into the woods thinking that there would be less snow there, and I was right, but because of the lay of the land getting to the woods proved a little more difficult than expected! Cora smashed her way through with all the verve and vigor of the young.

Leeloo, on the other hand, flew over the snow with all the skill and experience of an older dog. Plus she has the added benefit of, although not being the tallest dog in the bunch, having the longest legs.

 Raimi muddled through and tolerated my encouragement and requests to run a little more in the snow but every time he thought I was headed back to the house, he was off like a shot and waiting on the deck for me to let him inside. I'm not sure if he doesn't like the snow because he has dangly bits that get cold or if he's just the biggest baby ever. Likely it's a bit of both. The girls have always been made of sterner stuff and although he looks like a big scary dog, he's the softest of the three. Everyone spent the rest of the day napping under their binkies after this walk!

We had a lot more adventures than this though so more photos to follow in the coming days ...

Parental Guidance

On the heels of my last post I thought I'd follow up with this post about actually being a responsible breeder with integrity and a good reputation. Surely you don't think I'm referring to myself? It's not for me to say; your reputation is determined by other people, you can only influence their opinion by your own actions and as we know, they speak louder than words. The truth will out ... and all that.

As mentioned in the past, and probably multiple times, I take breeding pretty seriously. I think the reason I take it seriously is because my parents take it seriously and it was just something I grew up with. My mom refers to herself as a hobby breeder and wouldn't describe her life's work and dedication to the dogs from a presevationist's standpoint. She loves the dogs, she is devoted to their health, temperament and in producing the best Pulis she can. My parents have done this for over 40 years and have never considered themselves 'guardians of the breed' or other such nonsense and that is because they don't see themsevles as being appointed as a Grand Poobahs of raising Pulis, they see it as a simple joy and delight in watching generations of quality dogs accumulate.

My mom is really my anchor when I have questions or concerns about things that are happening in my breed, or in purebred dogs. She doesn't just draw from her life's work of breeding dogs, she draws from her insatiable need to learn. She has a library of dog books on breeds that she will never own, texts about structure, shows, breeding, and training, and shelves of books on dog fiction that span decades. She is obsessed with learning, expanding her knowledge and then writing about it. For years she has written acticles for dog magazines, published a Puli grooming guide with my Dad, edited and produced the Puli club's newsletter, and been nominated and won awards for her writing. For years she's been a member of several online dog lists, both public and invitational, that almost certainly benefit from her knowledge and experience. I know if I have a question she can't answer, she can draw from their pool of collective information.

My mom is the only person in my life that can actually say she is 100% responsible for the success of all the dogs in her kennel. I don't know anyone else who can point to a dog and tell me that they knew, and probably bred, that dog's 8th generation grandfather. Very few breeders can take all the credit for their dog's wins. Every ribbon she wins is appreciated despite the hundreds that have come before it, and although perhaps the placement might not have been as high as it could have been, sportsmanship is always on the table.

I'm pretty sure my mom dispairs sometimes at the things I do and say. She rarely comes out and says "Just shut up already" but I know sometimes she's thinking it. I'm quite sure that the passion I write with sometimes is just a different version of the passion she has for the Pulis - she's just not as vocal about it! She likes to simply go about the business of producing great dogs without all the fuss. Thankfully I am able to provide entertainment for her through the wonder of the Rhodesian Ridgeback breed and all the facets of the people who have them and breed them.

For my Dad's part he is the anchor to their kennel. He is the work horse in the operation and it would be difficult, if not impossible, for my mom to maintain 10+ dogs without him. He does the manual labour which includes everything from cleaning the kennels to carrying a heavy, wet, just-washed dog upstairs to be put on the deck to dry in the sun. He does all the driving in the motorhome and loves to travel to the shows and see new places. He helps handle when he's needed and does a fine job (although sometimes with a little guidance). He obviously does a lot more than this but the list is too long to relate; just know that everything he does for the dogs he is actually doing for my mother. A better example of a marriage would be hard to find and it's probably the reason I am still looking for my 'kennel help' - my example set the standard too high.

If ever there was a breeder who has earned a reputation of honesty and integrity it's my parents. My Dad is honest almost to a fault and that's probably where I get this infuriating inability to lie convincingly. A good reputation is not self-appointed, it comes with time, not only wins in the ring; it is determined by course of action, not words on the internet; it takes decades for a reputation to become established and is quietly earned. There is no fast track, there is no short cut, there is no easy way in. Show wins aren't the only thing that gets people clamouring for your lines; making connections, demonstrating reliability, being humble, giving credit where it is due(and sometimes even where it is not), and maintaining healthy relationships with other breeders is paramount to success. My parents are still friends with Puli people they met before I was born and who watched me grow up at dog shows; I think I make them feel old when, after several years apart, we meet at ring side and they realize who I am!

I will never be my parents. I will never have a dozen generations of Ridgebacks. The idea is beguiling, to be able to look back on a life of dedication and work simply for the love of the dog and the breed. But that is not me. I have other legacies I intend to leave and although they involve dogs and dog shows, this life is not about one specific breed for me. I love having the dogs, and perhaps in time will see another litter pass through my doors, but the singular, devoted determination and purpose that my parents possess is just not my path. It's not a lot of people, and as the cycle goes we can expect some new breeders to be out of the breed in 5 to 10 years. Some people can't take the drama, the seriousness, the overload of information; and some people are like me, despite my upbringing, it's just not my calling.

However; I am lucky, although not uniquely so, to have been raised by dog breeders. I am part of an intricate world that is constantly changing, fighting, celebrating, weeping and growing. I wouldn't ever change my childhood and at my age I see now how interesting and bizarre it was(although as a child it was simply my life). I wasn't traumatized by circumstance and I don't have any crazy stories to tell, there was no abuse or neglect, no addictions or therapy; I only have stories of road trips to half a dozen states, driving up Going to the Sun Road(do it, you won't regret it), vehicle trouble hundreds of miles from home, overnighting in seedy motels, learning about more birth and death before the age of ten than most people understand in a lifetime and two parents who worked together in our travels across the continent and in every day life.

So when it comes to being responsible and demonstrating integrity my examples are a tough act to follow, but I try. I don't always succeed and in those cases I am usually more of a disappointment to myself than anyone else. Only you can know what your personal standards are but, whether you like it or not, people are taking note of your actions and your words and whether the two actually meet. If you are in the breed now, or intend to be in the future, you must begin how you mean to go on and remember, no matter how long you are in the breed, you will have earned the reputation with which you end up.

The New Normal

There has been a lot of chatter lately, in my breed anyway, about new breeders. It's a huge and hotly discussed topic so I hope not to diverge too much into rants and personal asides. Let's face it, the dog world needs new people in breeding to carry on the genetics of purebred dogs. The 'old guard' is fading away and without new people to replace them it's a short road to the extinction of something to which many people have dedicated their lives.

There is nothing wrong with being new at something. You are not an expert right away and without at least trying, you will never become good at anything. When a person crosses over from 'newbie' to 'experienced' is based upon the individual and their relative ability to pick up the 'trade'. And let's be honest, there are people who have been breeding for decades who know less than they should! Conversely, some new breeders pick up things easily and are able to understand the dynamics of the purebred dog world with relative ease. Even truly experienced breeders still encounter things they've never seen before so issues with whelping or showing or training that new breeders run into aren't necessarily because they're new, problems can arise anytime and don't care what your experience level might be.

My own experience level lies in the mist.  While I am relatively new to Ridgebacks, I am not new to purebred dogs. I'm sure I ruffled a few feathers when I got Halo and it was assumed I thought I 'knew it all' but I understood that I didn't, and still don't. What I did know was a lot about purebred dogs and although my specific breed experience was not at the level of established breeders, I knew when I was being bullshitted and some people don't like being called out on it - especially by a 'newbie'. Now that I've had a few litters, learned a lot from my Ridgeback breed mentor Erin, I am better able to see the Big Picture and the Finer Details.

I got Halo, showed her, bred her and had 3 litters - although not all in a row (because we've already established no excuse is good enough for that). I did this because, with Erin's guidance of course, after my lifetime of being in purebred dogs, I felt I knew how to do it 'right'. I had a plan (which subsequently changed for various reasons) and I understood what I was trying to accomplish, what my 'vision' was and how to get there. I was also in an educated enough position to know if it was too much for Halo, to keep her in optimum shape, how to evaluate her structure against the boy's, what to say no to, how to whelp a litter, how to choose puppies. I also knew all the stuff that you simply learn over time, the things that new people don't have the benefit of and need to learn over time as well.

There are some things a mentor can't tell you, some things you have to pick up as you go. I just know stuff that isn't really in a book, or online, and often times common sense, a decent set of morals and some ethical responsibility are the only things guiding you. Those may seem simple enough but I have learned the hard way they are a rare commodity when several thousands of dollars is a possibility with a litter. I also had the benefit of a single trusted source of breed information who understood my own experience level and knew that when I disagreed with her I could explain my point of view. I knew the lingo, I knew the shortcuts to information and a lot of things you can't know unless you've been in the dog world for several years.

And when I say world, I mean World. It does no good to skim the surface or ride on coattails, you will never understand the intricacies of anything if you think you only have to learn the bare minimum to be successful. The purebred dog world is truly filled with depth and scope that cannot be completely understood by any one person, it is made up of so much diversity and layers it cannot be explained. There are Breed Worlds within All Breed Worlds and within those are Health Worlds, Training Worlds, Feeding, Grooming, Structure, Handling, Whelping, Performance ... the list is almost endless. To attempt to know it all is impossible, but whether you are new or experienced, you must take it upon yourself to learn more than just how hire a handler to get the wins and how two dogs have sex.

But really, how hard can it be? There are new breeders who are winning right out of the gate, but their success often comes because the experienced people guiding them established the groundwork. That is certainly true for me and Halo - I'll never forget Erin saying that in her spare time she liked to research dog health records and pedigrees because she enjoyed it - now that's commitment. Even with a mentor, in time all new people must pay their dues, just like everyone else that came before them. Eventually you have to stand or fall on your own and the short cuts to success have a price.

Personally I have been soundly disappointed with a few new breeders which is why the most recent puppy I sold to a 'newbie' (who wants to breed) will be the last. Thankfully that person is keen, earnest and wants to learn how to do it right, instead of how to do it fast. I have been wildly impressed with still others who have taken it upon themselves to learn, and learn properly. They aren't looking for short cuts or 'fast tracks' to success. They have grounded themselves in knowledge, researched their own lines, and made decisions about what they want to do in the breed. They maintain contact with their breeders, have established a working relationship and know who to turn to if they have questions. There is little more important in breeding than knowing your lines because what is behind your dogs is paramount to what the future holds. If you lose contact with the breeder of your foundation dogs, genetically, you are going to be in trouble one day. 

You have to start somewhere though and usually it's a bitch. Many people get a purebred dog, try to show, realise perhaps their dog doesn't have the quality required, and after doing some research, get another that is better quality. Sometimes the first dog was always intended to be a pet and they thought they'd like to try showing; sometimes that first dog was sold to them as show quality but was 3rd or 4th pick - whichever it may be, it's a start. I think this is the most common introduction to showing and breeding I've heard although it's obviously not the only way. The point is; people will get a dog, show it, enjoy some success and the natural progression is to want to breed.

Most new people start with a mediocre bitch. Established breeders are seriously unlikely to sell you the pick bitch puppy if you are new to showing or the breed. Unless you can provide outstanding references or have proven your commitment to the breed in some way, you are unlikely to start with anything other than a mediocre to good dog. And there is nothing wrong with that because for one thing - most dogs out there are mediocre to good. Outstanding dogs are rare and do not get sold to newbies. People are constantly describing dogs that, to my eye, are no better than good as "stunning" and thus they have ignored, and sullied, the word and done a disservice to the dog: stunning means exceptional and not everything can be exceptional (not even 5 day old puppies so please do not go advertising your ignorance by saying so on a public forum). Is it okay to breed a mediocre to good bitch? Of course it is, as long as she has been shown to her championship, has her health testing, has a decent pedigree, demonstrates a good temperament and is otherwise a nice dog. Oh, and is bred to a dog that compliments her structure with a view to improve not just her, but the boy as well. It's not all up to the bitch to 'get better', he has faults that need correcting too so don't be afraid to turn away a stud that you think is not right for your girl or who might introduce a fault that you think your girl can't correct or overcome based on her pedigree. It's okay to breed your first purebred dog, really it is, but there is a benefit to doing it with caution.

Being a successful dog breeder is not only about producing puppies. Anyone can throw two dogs together and produce puppies; just look at the full rescues, shelters and pounds across the nation. Success is also not measured by wins at the shows or how many ribbons you can display on your wall; it's measured by your connections, your ability to maintain relationships, networking, and being able to establish lasting friendships within your breed. It's about getting deep into the genetics of the dogs, learning pedigrees, knowing what faults are prevalent and working away from them. It's sinking your teeth into as much information as you can about this crazy purebred dog world. And it's also knowing when you shouldn't breed.

Puppies are cute, there is no question. But they are only cute puppies for a few weeks. After that they turn into little Hell Demon Dogs and only get worse from there. Without the proper support from a breeder who knows what they're doing (and can answer some of the weirdest questions I've ever been asked) those puppies are in trouble. It is not okay to breed just because you love your girl so much or because you love puppies, or you want grand-puppies (which is one of the most pathetic reasons I've heard for a stud dog's prolific use) or you think you'll make a lot of money (yes, we can all do math) or even because your breeder demands a puppy back in your contract. Breed when you are ready, when the bitch is ready, and when you understand the gravity of what you are doing.

Take it seriously, you are producing life. Without taking it seriously, and without doing all the 'right' things', you are no better than a backyard breeder or a puppy mill churning out puppies to make money. The way some new breeders are producing puppies has the words puppy factory on the tip of my tongue.  Take the time to whelp the litter properly. When I see photos of a litter whelped on a couch or a bed I want to reach through the computer screen and shake the breeder. If it starts on the bed move them to the whelping box immediately. If you do not have a whelping box, for doG's sake get one. Put it in another room, shut the door and for the love of all things, do not allow any other dogs access to the litter for at least the first few days. A new mom is stressed, anxious and protective. Do not count on your girl's 'wonderful temperament' to come shining through a whelping - they change into different dogs when they have puppies. That is a Universal Truth. Learn to read your bitch's body language - that 'smile' on her face is actually a grimace of anxiety. Puppies (and dams) have been killed or badly hurt in dog fights over the whelping box. Even if she is allowing other dogs near her litter, please consider the stress she has just been through and give her some damn privacy.

And don't be disappointed with a small litter. Hell, if I could guarantee three or four I'd be delighted. What a breeze that would be; fewer puppies to place, fewer homes to find, and a lot less poop to clean up and I could truly get to know the puppies as individuals before they went to their new homes. A successful litter is not based on quantity (truthfully a successful litter cannot be quantified until the puppies are at least two or three years old) and I would rather have a litter of four outstanding puppies than 10 mediocre ones. If you are looking for large numbers I can't help but think you are looking at the dollar amount affixed to that litter. Recouping the cost of the litter is great, and if you end up with more than you spent that is even better, but don't count on it. And certainly more puppies give you more choice, but if you've done your research and made the right guess (because, in fact, breeding is always an educated guess) you are more likely to end up with a litter of exceptional puppies - and if it's only three you better hope they are really good! Oh, and you don't make back any of the money you put into that small litter and in fact likely lose money. Be okay with that or quit now.

New breeders are allowed to win of course and sometimes win very well, but you can't know it all because of a win record or because you've produced a bunch of puppies. Some are making rash decisions, breeding too much too fast, don't understand their pedigrees, stepping on toes, pissing people off, demonstrating seriously questionable ethics and rationalizing behaviour and breeding practices that, if done by someone who knows what they're doing (*experienced*) would be fine (with caveats) - but done by someone with fewer than 3 years experience breeding pose a danger to not only the future of the breed, but also to the future of the puppies they are placing.

New people do not have a handle on the breed's temperament - there is no possible way someone who has only owned a Ridgeback for 2 years could understand what type of home is required for this breed. Having a mentor helps but ultimately the decision on where to place puppies is up to the breeder themselves. Your life with your dogs is not the life that the people who get your puppies will have - they will train differently, they will ask questions you won't know the answers to, they will feed differently, they WILL listen to their vet over you (despite constant and repeated advice from the breeder advising against certain practices), they will have weird things happen, they will let the dog get overweight, they won't train the way you'd train, and a whole host of other things that you never anticipated. Without understanding the breed very well you will be as lost as they are when they email you. Even with my most recent litter, I second guessed who would get a puppy and whether they would be a good home. Although I realize all breeders do that, likely up until their very last litter, I know my self-doubt comes from the understanding that I am still learning the ins and outs of this breed's temperament, traits, needs and the delicate balance that must be struck with their training. A new breeder, producing litter after litter, could be setting themselves up for a teary call demanding they take back a very badly behaved dog that no one wants to live with.

And this doesn't mean experienced breeders are off the hook - time served doesn't earn anyone a free pass to questionable practices. Don't forget, some of those new breeders are simply following their mentor's advice or example and that doesn't always translate into being a good breeder. We are all guided by our own moral compass but if the person you are relying on for advice is doing things, or making suggestions, that you are not comfortable with or don't agree with, then you are not obligated to blindly follow. I have always told the people who ask my advice to use the information I give them and apply it to their own life and philosophy. I would never expect anyone to blindly do as I say, we are all individuals but my advice, when asked for(and even when it's not), is always exactly what I think. No bullshit. No beating around the bush. I have a reputation for being straight forward and that will never change.

And since you didn't ask, my advice to new breeders is this - slow down. Go forward carefully. Take your time. The life cycle of a dog is so much shorter than our own, what's the rush? Learn about whatever you can at every opportunity. With the Internet and all the information out there you can have no excuse to not educate yourself. There are breed seminars, structure seminars, health clinics, mentorship programs, magazines, books, shows, Facebook groups(breed and all breed), puppy evaluation mentors, and breed clubs with dozens of members just itching to help. Choose a direction, know what you like and know what you don't like. If you don't know how to articulate your preferences, take the time to learn the lingo and be able to say no when you need to. Producing puppies is pretty much the easiest part about being a breeder, but experienced breeders understand that breeding is not just about producing puppies.

50/50

In keeping with the desire to post about the dogs I've bred, today's blog is about another one of my 'babies'. But only him because he deserves a special mention for the most adventures had in his short life. Some people may know who Mungo is but if you don't I will endeavour to enlighten and introduce a pretty cool cat into your lives. He was born, as they all were, in my house and raised with 11 other siblings. Then he left to spend the rest of his life with Daniela, Kevin, Sean and Sara. He was especially lucky because Daniela is a vet and Mungo would spend the rest of his life wanting for nothing - not only medically, but also in every other way possible.

When Mungo was two years old I got an email from Daniela telling me that their family was leaving for a year to drive to Latin America. They were going to drive from Calgary to the southern tip of South America and it was going to be quite an adventure. And Mungo was going too. He had all his things packed and everything was planned - he even got his own blog for people to follow along with his adventures of travelling through all those countries. I don't think Mungo cared about the travel; he, just like every other Ridgeback I know, just wanted to be with his family and if that took him through countless countries, then that was fine with him.

They travelled down through the USA, crossed over to Mexico, through Central America, and into South America and I'm sure they saw and experienced things that no one of them will ever forget. Through it all, for an entire year, Mungo was there. I often hear from Daniela that Mungo is a goofball and has boundless energy which he uses for finding naughty things to do . This means he's very active and I can imagine that more than once on his trip through Latin America he was getting on everyone's nerves with his need to go for a run - not always possible on the road!

Once the family returned to the Great White North they had a little extra time and decided to travel across Canada. One of their stops was to visit me here in Nova Scotia and it was a pleasure to see them all again. Mungo looked marvelous, he greeted his brothers and Leeloo with gay abandon and there were some hilarious hi jinks that will stick in my mind for a long time. I saw first hand what Daniela is refers to as Mungo's humour.

Things carry on, as they do, and the family settled back into life in Calgary, Mungo was treated to a new buddy to play with, Sargon, in early 2011, and Daniela opened her own practice in Marda Loop called the Canine Companion Clinic, just a few blocks away from where Mungo was born.

As a breeder you don't always hear what's going on in the lives of the people you sell a puppy to unless you prompt them and often I assume no news is good news, but in the summer of 2012 Daniela contacted me to let me know about Mungo. It wasn't good.

Mungo had been playing with Sargon as rough as they generally do, yelped and came up lame in his left hind leg. Initially the thought was that he'd torn his cruciate ligament, a fairly common injury for an active large breed dog. That would have been good news compared to what Mungo was actually diagnosed with. Osteosarcoma.

For those unfamiliar, that is bone cancer. One of the more serious cancers anyone, dog or human, can get. You can clearly see there is a problem with his bone in this xray - something to do with a whole chunk missing from the top of his tibia. You can imagine that this would cause him a lot of pain. At the time the family decided that because he is such an active dog they would attempt to save the leg, instead of amputating, and so a course of chemotherapy and radiation was established, along with physiotherapy to rebuild the bone lost from the cancer. Dogs handle raditation and chemo better than people, and he was doing quite well for several months.

In case you're wondering, own an Invictus puppy, or have a dog related to an Invictus bred dog, this instance of bone cancer is unlikely to be genetic. Daniela, who is a vet herself, does not believe this to be a heritable cancer, we both believe it's just crappy luck. I know of no instance, in any Ridgeback in fact, of bone cancer, much less in the lines I've used to produce my dogs. It can be inherited in some breeds and especially in some lines of certain breeds, but not mine. I certainly would not ever knowingly have produced puppies who might have had the possibilty of developing such a devastating illness.

Still, Mungo definitely had cancer and treatment, although making progress, was not yielding the results Daniela wanted to see. Mungo's quality of life was in question - he wouldn't use the leg on a regular basis, although new xrays showed increased bone growth, and he appeared to be in pain. The leg was wasting away with muscle mass and strength not being regained at an acceptable rate. Always the question of quality of life hangs in the air. For animals especially, quality of life prevails over quantity - people tend to choose life, no matter the pain or discomfort, simply through fear of death - but animals do not have that kind of foresight, life for them is always now.

With his leg wasting away, and the belief that the cancer was under control, the incredibly difficult decision to remove Mungo's left hind leg was made. Daniela employed the skills of an expert veterinarian, and good friend, to do the amputation. She tells me the decision to remove his leg involved a lot of tears and logic - Mungo was in pain and to have a leg that is useless and causes pain over no leg and no pain just made sense for his quality of life.

I'll be honest, when I saw the photos of Mungo without his hind leg, I couldn't help but cry at the sight. My brain can't seem to reconcile with the image of his missing limb ... it's just ... gone. However, the price of one leg, to save his life, seems small in the long view. He recovered very quickly from the surgery, hopping along just hours later and seeming to accept the new Mungo with relative ease. A dog's natural optimism certainly helps in these kind of cases. Added to which, Mungo has always had a great temperament and that will go a long way toward helping him cope with the drastic change in his body.

It's only been 2 weeks since the amputation and Mungo is making steady progress as a three legged dog. It is a small blessing that the bone with cancer was a hind leg, it is much easier for a dog, especially a large one, to adjust when it is a hind leg affected rather than a front one. He is being taken for daily walks and seems to be enjoying life although he recently did a number on his incision which will require more 'cone time' as a result.

At first glance, if you didn't know he was missing a leg, you wouldn't be able to tell until you saw him move or looked a little more closely. Since he spent a lot of time not using the bad leg for the last few months, the adjustment to three legs, as far as locomotion is concerned, is likely not that difficult for him. I'm sure balance and speed will increase with time and he was even off lead playing a bit with Sargon and enjoying being out in the world

I have repeatedly expressed my heartfelt sorrow to Daniela over the circumstances with Mungo - I can't help but feel responsible in some strange way. He is only 5 years old, barely halfway through a natural life, and my intent is always to sell a puppy to people with the promise of at least a decade. Mungo's life isn't over, that is true, but he's not out of the woods, and likely never will be. The fear of a cancer regrowth will be ever present, this is especially true with bone cancer, and these days every moment with Mungo is a gift.

Daniela put it best when she said she believes things like this happen for a reason. She doesn't blame or assign responsibility to me as Mungo's breeder, she thinks that these are the things that teach us. Her children have learned compassion and about life, she feels this experience will make her a better veterinarian, and no matter how the balance of Mungo's life plays out, his comfort will always be at the forefront of concern. Daniela is straightforward and honest about Mungo's treatment and future - there is hope there but also caution. She writes about this amazing dog on her own blog which was created to document their travels to South America and is now dedicated to it's namesake and his new adventure as a cancer patient - if you have time and want to travel with Mungo and join the fight against this terrible disease, head over to Mungo Eats LA and hope and pray with me and Mungo's family for many years of three legged adventures.

The Family Tree

I haven't done an update on the dogs I've placed with other families in a very long time. I don't like to hassle the people I send puppies to - I prefer they be allowed to establish their relationship with their puppies and if they have any questions or concerns they know they are always free to contact me. If I haven't heard from you in a while I will often send an inquiry email - not to be nosy, just to check in a see how things are. I am friends with most of my puppy people on Facebook - which is a nice way to keep in touch - but again, I don't like to pry or hassle. Some people aren't on Facebook, or if they are they are rarely online and from those people I usually get updates once or twice a year. However you prefer to keep in touch is fine, but I do love to get photos of the dogs, just to see how they are getting along and how they compare to their siblings. It's so interesting to see type and temperament trends for dogs that are sometimes hundreds of miles away from each other. So here we are, in no particular order, the dogs of Invictus enjoying life with their families ...

Peggy is from Raimi and Leeloo's second litter of puppies and here she is giving some love to her new 'sister' Elly who came all the way to New Brunswick from BC via Elyiah Ridgebacks. Elly is one of the puppies from Rifka's final litter and Peggy is delighted to have her cousin come to stay - lots of hugs in this family!

(Photo Carolyne Gallant)

 

Delta is from the first litter Leeloo had and she is enjoying life as a big sister to two little girls, one of whom just had her first birthday and Delta was there to help celebrate. Better hang onto that birthday hat ... Delta's is coming around again soon! Hard to believe these guys will be 2 in just a few months.

(Photo Derreck Parsons)

 

An uncle and a nephew love to hang out and roughhouse in Alberta although travel to distant lands is on the agenda for them too. Rory (right) and Gotham (left) are a couple hound dogs who love their Pathfinder. It's easy to tell who Gotham's Daddy Boy is! Rory is Raimi's brother from the second litter Halo had - he'd be a littermate to Zero and Rifka.

 

 (Photo Kathryn Payne)

Emma's birthday is coming right up and she's bound to celebrate being 1 year old with her Great Dane buddy. I see photos all the time of these two playing and it looks like Emma and Cora have a lot in common in the play department - all go all the time. Emma lives in Calgary and she also has an older Ridgeback 'sister' Zoe she lives with but when Emma needs to burn off some steam ... it's Dudley the Dane to the rescue.

 

Shane is hanging out in Calgary and looks all geared up for the winter there. He is also from Halo's second litter and lives with his pal Ryder. I hear from people in Calgary that Shane is much loved at the dog park and gets along well with everyone. Such a nice thing to hear so I know his owners Peggy and Keith have done a great job raising him.  

 

(Photo Peggy Johnson)

Kenzi lives in Newfoundland and is utterly spoiled. I am hearing that she's also very well trained - something I always worry about a little with this breed. They can be a challenge but it sounds like Kate has the right balance of coddling and setting boundaries for Kenzi who has grown up to be quite the pretty girl!

 

Hunter is enjoying life in BC as the family dog to the Shaw family - he loves to go mountain biking and is constantly impressing people with his speed and skill on the hills. I am not surprised! He is from Halo's last litter and is a sibling to Archer who we see here quite often. Hunter has a lovely head and is in fantastic shape ... would that everyone kept their Ridgeback this lean and fit, it's so much healthier for them.

(Photo Doug Shaw)

 

Remember little Mini from the last litter? Her Big Girl name is Kota and she's all grown up(well, not quite) and is the perfect Ridgeback size at 70 pounds. She has lovely eyes and is Leeloo's color and is adored and soundly spoiled by her family. She sometimes gets to to play with her sister Emma but more often she hangs out with her little buddy the Pomeranian (whose name escapes me). I will never forget Kota as being, bar none, the cutest puppy I have ever raised.

(Photo Michelle Bogren)

 

 Zero isn't just a show dog and I never want to give the impression that he is just a tool for me, or anyone, to post wins about. He is a well loved, well spoiled and extremely happy boy who gets treated like a regular dog - he doesn't care about the ribbons - he cares about the Gurls. This is his post-Gurl stretch ... hopefully puppies in 9 weeks Zero!

 

(Photo Lisa Erickson)

Tezlin doesn't live far from her Uncle Hunter, which is how Tezlin came to move to BC. Her family met Hunter and thought he was a great dog and wanted one just like him. They got Tezlin who has fit seamlessly into their lives and is growing up to be quite the beauty. I still remember her as a wonderful puppy since she got to stay a little longer than the rest. It was nice to get to know her on a one to one basis because that doesn't often happen with large litters.

(Photo Hailee Kepes)

There are many more Invictus babies out there and I will try to highlight as many as I can over the next few days. If you have recent photos of them please email them to me or tag me in some Facebook pictures so I can brag not only about how great these dogs are, but also how amazing the families are who have some of the best dogs on the planet.

Contagion

For the past 5 days I have been slowly extricating myself from what people are calling the 2013 Superflu. Personally I don't think there's anything Super about it. I woke up Saturday morning with some chest congestion and before it got too bad I took the dogs for a quick walk (knowing they'd be more relaxed and nap if they had) and then we all crashed for the rest of the day. Mostly a cough, aches and pains and an irresistible desire to sleep have been my symptoms and there is light at the end of the tunnel this sunny morning.

I'm not hoping for sympathy based on the paragraph above, it's just a virus, the first time I've been sick since February 2011, and I'll get over it; no, what I want to discuss is how the dogs behave when I'm sick. I've never been sick since Cora was born, which is a weird thing to say, but her birthday is June 14, 2011, and it was a new experience for her to have a Mommy who spent days lying in bed instead of paying attention to her.

When we get sick I know we smell different to the dogs. It's well documented that dogs can smell cancer cells, they can sense epileptic seizures and there is no doubt in my mind that a virus changes us so that dogs know there is something not quite right. In all mine have been very good about not demanding too much attention and quietly napping when I need them to - however lying almost directly on me when I'm sick in an effort to comfort me isn't exactly the best route to take.

I'll never forget waking up in the middle of the night on Saturday(or Sunday morning, however you want to look at it) and being soaked through with sweat, boiling to death and having the chills - I'm not even sure how that's possible. I sat up suddenly to try to get some air since I felt like I was being smothered, and startled Leeloo who sat up also. There was enough light to be able to see her sniffing the air in my direction and make out the expression on her face which said "Mommy, you don't smell right at all." Smell right, feel right ... nothing was right.

Since I also have chest congestion sometimes when I'm sitting on the couch and the dogs are at eye level, if I am having one of my many coughing fits, they smell the air coming out of my lungs and the concern in their eyes is touching. Or confusion - mostly that's Cora because she is a dog who tries to figure things out, although this is something that cannot be explained to a dog.

At any rate, we are on the back end of whatever this is and I sincerely hope it's another 2 years before I get sick again. I'm sure the dogs feel the same way since our walks have been short and that, in their world, doesn't have a lot of valid excuses. There's no denying that the dogs are great company when you're nursing yourself back to health, although they don't bring you hot lemon tea when you want it.

Ground Zero

At the end of every year the dog world watches with baited breath, in the USA anyway, to see which dogs make the top ranks of each breed. Zero's year was last year when he made it to the #2 Ridgeback in the USA and #1 male Ridgeback, beaten only by his half sister Fiona. This year I wasn't really paying attention because he wasn't being shown much although the shows he attended had some pretty big wins attached to them.

He started with a Regional Specialty win, then hit a few shows here and there for several months, geared up for the RRCUS National Specialty, won an Award of Merit which doesn't count toward any point system, and then won another Regional Speciality in October. I would check in once in a while to see where he stood in the overall rankings and note that he was comfortably in the top 20 Ridgebacks in the USA. I was happy with that because there are a lot of Ridgebacks being shown America and in just a few shows he'd managed to keep his foot in the door.

I checked in December and saw he was the #11 Ridgeback and after looking at the positions of other dogs I realized it was unlikely he'd move up any. Then, at the end of the year, Erin sent me an email showing where Zero ranked. He was #10. He'd been to a show in early December and won a mere 40 points but it was enough to bump him up and put him in the Top Ten Ridgebacks for the third year in a row.

The interesting thing about the numbers is not necessarily the total number of points, but how many wins it took him to accumulate them. I find statistics interesting because it can show relative success or failure rates among any group. Something that looks successful on the surface might not actually be so based upon the statistics gathered.  However, looking at Zero's numbers certainly puts him in a very good position of statistical success. There he is, highlighted at number 10.

Rank	Name	Sex	BOB/V	Defeated
1	GCH CH Whirlaways Ida Belle's A Ringing	B	112	1,757
2	GCH CH Diablo's Dark Knight's Nemesis	D	60	1,614
3	GCH CH Camelot's Red Hot Tamale	B	38	948
4	GCH CH Camelot's Ventura Adventure	D	85	937
5	GCH CH Raquel Welch Of Malabo Apd	B	55	922
6	GCH CH Spring Valley's Always There	D	69	852
7	GCH CH Kimani's Time Honored	B	30	755
8	GCH CH Spurridge's Axl Of Lionridge	D	40	659
9	GCH CH Vyrtuous Command Performance SC	D	30	642
10	GCH CH Invictus Nightmare Before Xmas JC	D	13	471
11	GCH CH Bakari's Lor Vitra Caymus CGC	D	34	450
12	GCH CH Zareba's Baddest Bess	B	39	431
13	GCH CH Sulawesi's Scene Stealer	B	25	374
14	GCH CH Kuluta Along The Watchtower	D	22	333
15	GCH CH Lafleur's Big Mack Attack	D	4	323
16	GCH CH Sunsweetened Eye Candy By Copperridge	D	25	270
17	GCH CH Uwanja's Raatum JC	D	19	260
18	GCH CH Raviro Chiposhi Remington Rimfire	D	15	256
19	GCH CH Wayamba's Heaven Sent De Soleil	D	34	238
20	GCH CH Roccridge's Heart Of Texas RN	D	16	225

These are official American Kennel Club final rankings. The columns are as follows: far left is the dog's rank, then their registered name, then their sex (D: dog B: bitch), then the number of Best of Breed wins and then the total number of dogs defeated. In the top 10 Zero has less than half the number of breed wins and among the top 20 he is second only to the dog who won the National Specialty (totalling about 300 dog entered).

What this shows is that Zero's Best of Breed wins came at shows with large entries. At least 2 of the shows he earned over 100 points. And just to be clear, he wasn't taken to show after show and only won 13 times, he was taken to less than 20 shows and won breed most of the time - this was his 'semi-retirement' year. I'm sure Erin didn't expect another year in the top 10 but it's nice just the same.

And Zero is making his mark across not just the USA where he has several litters anticipated, on the ground, and in the ring - he is also catching international attention. He was bred last year to a Brazilian bitch from Malabo APD (a top ranking kennel here and there) and his puppies are doing extremely well in South America. He's also had requests from Europe and hopefully this year there will be Zero babies on the other side of the Atlantic. I like to think he's improving Ridgebacks on 3 continents!

Zero, as a sire, has proven to be outstanding. He has incredible motility, is producing large litters, few ridgeless, and he stamps every puppy, no matter who he's bred to, with his quality. It is easy to see why he is becoming more and more popular. It is not easy managing a stud, you really have to know what you're doing and to be able to say no when it's necessary. Recently Erin said "It sure would be nice if having a stud dog meant making some money....but you know how that goes." Indiscriminate breeding by some popular studs has resulted in gene pools being awash with health, structure or temperament issues that plague some breeds for decades. This means it's doubly important to know what you're doing when you have a breed that can produce 10 or more puppies at a time. I am happy to know Zero's genetics are safe in Erin's experienced and discriminate hands.

So there we have it, another successful year for Zero who will rest on his laurels and watch the young up and comers have their turn. I know Erin has big plans in the coming year and I look forward to seeing who she takes to the top next!