Now that Reine’s “season” has passed, life is back to normal with all of us living back in the house. Gorgeous weather has arrived, a great time for hanging out on the porch and spending even more time outside. Spring wild flowers are in the woods and our garden has emerging tulip bulbs along with asparagus, columbine, astilbe and peonies. It’s all so welcome after winter’s cold and dark.
A puppy family visited this afternoon and they asked about our dog collars. We LOVE the collars that Bob Tunkun from Parker, Colorado, makes. Here are some of ours:
They come in many colors and styles, and an ID plate can be incorporated into the collar. The quality is beyond anything we’ve seen. His prices are reasonable. Bob’s email is: royalbirddogs@yahoo.com and his phone number is 720 438-0300.
Bob has been willing to customize some of the collars we’ve ordered to reverse the direction of the fold so the “loose” end would come to the outside instead of being up against the dog’s neck. See the yellow collar just above for this detail.
Today’s young visitor wore them as crowns!
We don’t get anything from promoting these dog collars, we just love the quality of the product.
Reine’s breeding to Chev is now finished and they have just returned to hanging out in the house together without the frenzy of breeding on their brains. Breeding canines is an amazing (and intense) process to be party to. For about five days, both dogs’ natural instincts kick into high gear and they do what needs to be done, when it needs to be done and then they’re DONE!
Now we count the 63 days to mid-June and keep treating Reine like the “queen” she is.
Chev and Reine have been bred (twice so far) and will likely “connect” another time or two before their interest in each other fades. This photo is Chev “after”. Reine rolled happily in the grass but we didn’t photograph her. If we count 63 days of gestation from today, that puts us at June 16th (give or take a day) for puppies to arrive, if all goes as expected.
We’re having an incredible weekend, weather-wise. It’s sunny, warm and breezy. Biff took Chev and Xupe out to the pond this morning to retrieve dummies. One got to swim for the dummy while the other waited for his next turn. The girls stayed in with me. It nearly drove Finley crazy as she watched them through the window.
Reine’s in season and breeding is imminent. The couple has been courting, always a good sign, and Chev is a “gentleman” as he pursues her. They’ve been through this with each other once before and signs are looking favorable. All good things take time, right?
We’ll post again when they’ve been bred.
The snow’s gone, the ponds have opened up and Reine’s officially “in season”. We’re anticipating that she’ll be ready to breed in about a week.
That’s Xupe on the left, Reine in the middle and Chev on the right. There are lots of sounds and smells outside to entertain dogs – wood ducks, sandhill cranes, geese and other migrating birds. It’s a great time for humans, too. I planted bulbs last fall and have been looking every afternoon, waiting to see something come up. Today was the first day that anything’s been visible. Not much to see yet, but a joy nonetheless.
