Bunny Puppies Update
Don't hate me because I'm adorable
When it comes to newborn puppies, no news is generally good news. Bunny’s puppies fall into that category, at least so far. They’re growing like weeds, eating like little piglets and generally being adorable and snuggly and sweet.
This means I’ve had more rest than I usually get with a litter of puppies, and less stress, and that equals – more time to take photos! Photos are after the cut, at the end of the post.
Videos are another story – I have a new Camcorder, and it’s not playing nice with iMovie. I have to convert the digital clips to mpegs, and THEN import them to iMovie for editing. A pain in the ass, and a big old time suck, too. If I’d give in and upgrade to iMovie 10 (or whatever the newest version is), I wouldn’t face this issue. Instead, I’d face the issue of an editing interface that sucks serious amounts of suckage, and no ability to edit soundtracks. Win/loss!
So, here’s a crappily edited video made using the sucky editing software that came with the Camcorder. Still, you get to see OMG PUppIeS!!!!
Photos and videos after the cut. Read more →
How many is TOO many?
Bunny's Boys - crappy resolution still capture from my new video camera
Here’s a Frenchie Friday question – How many litters are TOO many litters?
We debate this question all the time – what’s that magic number that tips someone over from ‘reputable’ breeder to ‘not so reputable’? Is there even a magic number – or should there be?
There’s a HUGE big name kennel out west (not Frenchies), who has an average of six to eight litters per year – in a breed with fairly large litters.
Is that too many litters?
What if I then add that they feed raw, employ a full time staff of three to care for puppies and adults, have an ‘open door’ kennel policy, and a huge waiting list for available puppies?
Still not good enough?
What if I mention that they have literally DOZENS of Best in Show wins, multiple BISS wins, Westminster group and breed wins, International Champions, etc? Are they still an ‘un reputable breeder’? Or would you even call them a puppy mill?
What if, instead of six to eight litters, they had ten to twelve?
What about the small breeder who only has one to two litters, but they’re raised in a garage, barely socialized and won’t see new people until they either go to their homes or hit the show ring?
Are those two litters still too many litters, if their breeder can’t or won’t care for them properly?
Does it matter if their breeder has multiple champions and shows every weekend? Does it matter if they’ve never shown any of their dogs, and don’t even register their litters?
Can you have four litters per year if your breed only has two puppies, or is just all about that number? Can you have three litters if you didn’t breed the year before?
Personally, I care more about the way that the pups are raised than I do about numbers.
For Frenchies, I want to see pups that are home raised, with tons of exposure to people and sights and sounds. I want them to be clean, well fed, and well cared for. I want to know you’ve got homes waiting, and won’t be trying to dump un sold puppies on Kijiji when they get too old. If you’re doing all of that, I don’t have a ‘number’ – although I do think that there’s a number, beyond which, it’s almost impossible to achieve all of that, or at least to achieve it well.
Of course, all of that is just MY opinion – what I really want to know is, what’s yours?
Meet Brigid
Bullmarket N Windridge Brigid of Kildare
Meet our newest arrival – Brigid, the fawn pied twelve week old puppy.
I can’t really decide if her arrival is the best of timing, or the worst. I feel somehow guilty about enjoying a new puppy, a day after mourning Mae’s loss, but I suppose that’s all part of the cycle of life. At any rate, I’d already made plans for her arrival today, so I couldn’t see the point in delaying picking her up.
Brigid is out of old Eva Han lines, mixed with some British exports by way of Europe. She’s co owned with myself and Paula Roberts, of Windridge. Our plan was for her to live at Paula’s, but Paula’s work schedule at the moment would have left little Miss Mouse spending an awful lot of time in the crate, so here she is.
Delilah hates her, Pickle is slightly scared of her, Sailor pretty much ignores everyone, and Penelope thinks she’s fun to wrestle with. In other words, business as usual.
Just now, I carelessly left the door to Bunny’s whelping room partially open, while I was washing the floor, and Brigid happily ran in and jumped right into the whelping box, apparently thinking that maybe she’d like a drink, too. Bunny was too stunned to do much more than make a puzzled “Whhaaaaa???” face, before I snatched Brigid up and returned her to safety. I’m lucky she still has her head attached – Bunny does not take the protective part of motherhood lightly.
If the dogs think that this week’s new addition has been a shock, wait until they see what’s coming next weekend.