A very long night...

May 15, 2007 was a very long night and not one I will forget for a very long time. After a long day Monday with early stage labor Boston went into hard labor at 10:45 p.m. When no puppies had arrived by midnight we put in a call to our vet who had us administer a shot of oxytocin. Within 20 minutes Boston had delivered two girls and then had another boy about 20 minutes later. We knew from x-rays that there were two more in there but Boston didn't progress as she should have. By 5:30 a.m. I got concerned and called the vet again. We gave her one more oxytocin shot and he said if no puppy had arrived by 7:45 a.m. that he would need us to bring her in. Unfortunately by 9:00 a.m. Tuesday Boston was on his operating table having a c-section to get the last two puppies. Sadly they were not able to revive them and we lost a beautiful boy and a girl.

Boston is doing very well now and all three puppies are nursing and growing very fast. Their beautiful little faces are helping to erase the memory of that very long night. Being a breeder can be heart wrenching and sometimes is filled with almost unbearable sorrow. I know every one of us remembers every little soul that we lose along the way. The thing that keeps us going is the precious gifts of the beautiful puppies we are able to bring into this world and knowing how much joy they will bring to their new owners. Here you see Boston shortly after giving birth to her three puppies in the wee hours of the night. I sat in that box with her all night long. Later you see the beautiful little boy snuggling and falling asleep on his mom's leg the next day.

A special thank you to our veterinarian who answered our frantic calls during the night and who did every thing he could to save our little ones. And another thank you to Sniper's owner Judy McDougall who has been a joy to work with and a wonderful support to us every step of the way. Breeding truly is a partnership and it is indeed a pleasure to have some great people to work with. Thank you also to my dear husband Mike who saved the little yellow boy by not giving up on him and literally pulling him back from the edge when he had fluid in his lungs! And of course Boston who was a trouper and never once complained and who has been a marvelous mother and my best friend.