Members of the All-girls Club

A lady always tries to look her best, no matter what the situation. (well, maybe, says the human who has been wearing pajamas since I'm not sure when, and who couldn't even tell you where her hairbrush is!)

When you are in the all-girls club, you have to line up in an orderly fashion. No pushing, shoving, or cutting in line.

Got Milk?

Breezy's Babies!

Breezy's babies arrived via c-section on Friday afternoon, December 4th. We have four very lively girls in this litter. Two reds, and two brindles. Mom and babies are doing well. In contrast to Syd's boys, who weighed in at 6 and 7.5 oz at birth, Breezy's babies were all about 11-11.5 oz, and one of the red girls weighed in at a whopping 14.7 oz! No wonder Breezy was so big at the end! She actually had 7 babies, but three didn't make it. Another sad and anxious afternoon for us. I really have to thank Laura and Michelle for their help Friday. Laura was coming from St. Louis to spend the weekend here, and Michelle was only a phone call away. Laura arrived literally 10 minutes before the c-section, and Michelle apparently drove like a woman possessed to get there in time to help get puppies warm and dry. I was still feeling a bit of bittersweet deja vu about Syd's unplanned c-section, so I was not exactly in the best state of mind. These ladies worked hard, and did whatever was needed when the vets or techs needed something done to help the babies. I count myself as very lucky to have Laura and Michelle as friends. I'm pretty sure I heard Michelle tell me not to worry, paybacks are hell. :-)

We are thrilled with Breezy's girls, and Breezy is getting used to them. She was very nervous and afraid of them at first, since she only went to sleep for a nap at the vet clinic, and when she woke up, she had these screaming aliens near her!

Laura has been helping me this weekend, and I would not have made it without her. I might cry when she leaves tomorrow! I hope to have many more photos, including individual puppy photos, posted to the Hurrikane puppy albums (link at right) sometime soon. But things are pretty busy here, so please be patient, it may take a couple of days.

In just five days

Breezy has nearly exploded! She has gained five pounds so far, but she's still as active and athletic as ever.

On the other side of the fence, though, is poor, poor sister Syd. Syd has gained 7 1/2 pounds, and she really looks it.

One of these girls is still a threat to the squirrel population in the neighborhood. The other, not so much.

Breezy-Belly

Breezy finally felt like showing her belly today. She's not much on posing for the camera, she'd rather be in motion than laying still! But don't worry, just because she's getting a round belly, it doesn't keep her from her normal mountain goat activities! She's so cat-like, it's impossible to keep her off the back of the sofa. Especially when the weather is so nice (75 in November, really???) and the windows are open. When the new sofa arrives, I think I'm going to have to try to do something about it!

More Bouncing Baby News

More Bouncing Baby News from Breezy!

Careful, Bree, we didn't mean bouncing babies literally!

You may have read over at Syd's Blog that Syd (CH Kingsbury's It's My Alias NAC TN-N) is expecting puppies by "Mick," CH Telltail Like a Rolling Stone (WD, BOS at the 2009 CWCCA National Specialty from the Bred-by class!).

Well, more good news to share, Breezy (Kingsbury's Cover Girl) is also expecting babies, this litter sired by CH Telltail T For Two, "Smarty." Smarty has sired some lovely puppies, including the handsome Dickens. We are very anxious to welcome happy, healthy babies from Breezy on or about December 5th! While these puppies will be registered as Cardigan Welsh Corgis, I'm pretty sure they could be part Mountain Goat like their mother, always in the air, bouncing around, climbing, leaping.

It's going to be a busy winter in the Hurrikane household!

Who needs agility classes? This was taken through the back door window. When Bree gets this muddy, I call her the tri-color undercarriage cardigan. She loves to perch at the top of the Aframe and look out on the neighborhood. I think I need to build the dogs a wooden play gym like the kids have. ;-)

FedEx, Part Deux

This last week, we've had deliveries via FedEx again. And hopefully, we'll have more good news to report in the coming weeks. It was not my idea to be embarking on this project times two all at the same time, (Syd's announcement on Syd's Blog) . However, with my job and travel requirements, it seemed like this was the only time to make the attempt in the next two years. Our next project is local, so I would not be traveling after little ones would arrive. And with several scheduling and shipping near-fiascos, plus the given that both girls thought it was funny to schedule for weekends, the first phase for both is now over, and the waiting begins again. I believe this could be brindle-only, as so far, there have been no red pups from this stud dog, so it will be interesting.

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I'm now shopping around for the best option for a mental health facility for myself, but with Norma and Jacque as calming influences who both seem to be very positive about the possibilities, I might just make it! And bless Norma's heart, she's told me every time we talk or email not to worry, she's around to help. Now only time will tell if either of the two girls or both will be bringing special deliveries to us at Thanksgiving and beyond.

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And a HUGE thank you to Paula, who has made personal visits to just about every package carrier (FedEx, UPS, USPS), and happily reports that she doesn't anticipate any further problems with any of them. ;-P She has the patience of a saint, and a great sense of humor. Amen for that!

Thing 1 and Thing 2

Oh, my two sisters. As different as can be, just like my sister and I. One not wanting to be outdone by the other, and neither having any indication that they care about any plans I might make, they are going to both be in season around the same time. Bree came in first last cycle, so this time, Syd is now in, Bree close behind. And please, can you both *please* come in right before I have to be out of town for work? Thank you.

Another Normal Girl

I have to laugh thinking that any of my girls are "normal," but yesterday we got Breezy's OFA results back. Normally I would scan the pretty colored papers and post, but somewhere between the agility spare bathroom (that served as my office during the Vallhund agility specialty) and the host hotel in Topeka, Kansas, I lost half of the cord to my scanner/printer/copier. sigh.

But Breezy's elbows came back NORMAL, and that was a huge relief to me. When she was about 7 months old, Breezy was still in her daredevil phase, and leaping from the back of the sofa. The result was a growth plate injury, and a broken widdle weg. Lots and lots of crate rest and leash restrictions for Daredevil Puppy was quite a challenge over several weeks, but she healed well and it was a matter of hoping for the best that by relieving the pressure for the bone that was not finished growing, we would prevent any later elbow displaysia. Just a couple of weeks ago we took the films, and I was amazed to see that the two front legs looked identical, and you could not even tell that anything had happened to that front leg. Breezy's hips came back FAIR, not surprising since I waited until only weeks before she's due to come in season. So far, the other two littermates submitted both came back GOOD, so I'm pleased with all normal results.