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| LYDIA, AT THE MONTGOMERY COUNTY NATIONAL TERRIER SHOW LAST OCTOBER – TODAY – SHE BECAME PREGNANT. |
It’s not my thing, it’s Joe’s, but over the past few days, I’ve realized how similar our hobbies are. I breed plants, he, breeds dogs and canaries. Silly, perhaps, but at least it’s better than wasting our money on drugs, right? Well, I’m not so sure, but surely, these interests are as addictive.
Besides our plants, we have had some excitement in the dog side of life these past two weeks. I won’t be vulgar, but Lydia, our female Irish Terrier (who just won her Championship, and awarded a medal from the Irish Terrier Club of America, and the AKC), has just today been inseminated with frozen semen from…um…..Fergus’ grandfather.
I know, a little weird, but true – and totally fascinating. It’s not like we are raising race horses, but sometimes, it sure feels like it. The sire we chose is sort of a gift, since his breeder is a dear friend of ours in Pasadena, and she happened to have some frozen semen from her American Champion from years ago ( Fergies Grandpa). It’s not every day that one gets such an offer, so now, years later, Mullagaboy’s Colin Murphy continues to pass his gene pool on. Mr. Murphy’s semen was frozen ( just like we freeze pollen from our daylilies and clivia) before he moved to his new home in Australia.
Breeding here, takes place on all sorts of levels. The canaries in the studio are breeding, with little blueish green eggs in their nests, the Clivia have been crossed and the pods are forming with parents that came from Japan, and, now Liddy Bug and her ultra fancy lady stuff. Seriously – After days of being whisked off to her gyno in suburban Boston, for her daily blood tests, we were notified yesterday that today’s numbers will be perfect for the insemination. Joe drove her this morning to the clinic, where he met his other co-owners. We left the rest to the ladies. Mainly, her lady co-owner, her daughter, her co-breeder aunties in Mississippi and the three ladies at the doggy pregnancy clinic – who all watched the lively, once frozen sperm, come to life. Amazing, right? We could hear the cheers, with comments about how 70% fertility is a good thing. And now, we wait.
Liddy bug is home, resting with her feet in the air, eating frozen yogurt and chilling out until her first ultrasound in September. Her due date is Halloween, if all goes well. Soon? The pitter patter of tiny puppy paws will invade our silence. And the garden.
I love dogs since I was young. I had a Poodle and her name is Lucy. She is such a cutie. I am glad to share my passion with you.
Congrats on being a Grand..grand…sire I guess. Your Lydia is very pretty. Wondered what your terriers looked like! I love that auburn color a lot.
I used to raise canaries….just had one pair. Both the male and the female were incredible singers!!! I also had a dachshund whom we bred three times. The patter of little doxie feet was wonderful. Good luck! I hope the insemination was successful.