Echo's test results came back this week and everything looks great! She is clear for all the genetic diseases on the panel and carries the brown gene. This means that she will never produce puppies that are affected by CEA, TNS, IGS, Glaucoma, MDR1, NCL, or SN, and she could produce chocolate/ chocolate merle pups if bred to another brown-carrying dog.
Interestingly enough, she also carries two copies of the tri gene, which means that Cleone must be a ghost tri too. She does have very light tan marks on her eyebrows, but I didn't really think she was tri until I saw Echo's results. Even though color is not important, it is fun to try to predict what colors we'll end up with and it is definitely important to know what the genetic disease status is on both parents before a breeding takes place.
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In a way it is hard to believe that it's already been over six months since Cleone had her puppies, back in April, but at the same time, that feels like ages ago. A lot has happened since then, some of which will be covered in a separate blog post. From time to time, I have heard back from the happy puppy owners and received pictures of the puppies. It is always such a blessing to hear how they are doing, and pictures of my pups put a smile on my face, even if the day is not going smoothly. On April 9th, Cleone had 7 puppies. All 7 of the puppies got great homes. Echo One special little girl stayed here and I am so glad to have kept her. You can read more about Echo on her own page. She is affectionate, intelligent, and fast. Hopefully her focus will improve; right now she still gets distracted trying to wrestle her parents when they are herding, but once she focuses on the cows or goats, she is great. Koda: Koda was the dominant pup in the litter. He is doing great with his owner, Nicole - well, except for a destructive spell, which is typical puppy behavior. It sounds like he's coming out of that and he just started basic agility. Ella: Ella is a high-drive, white patterned female who likes to eat and herd everything. She stayed pretty close to home (Ocala) so maybe I will get to see her again sometime. She is doing well, is greatly loved, and (I think) is starting agility. I'll post a current picture as soon as I get one. Logan: Logan was the most laid-back puppy of the group. He also started off slightly timid, but it sounds like he has been thoroughly socialized and gotten over that. In fact, he made it onto the Morgan and Morgan Facebook page when he was a few months old! (There are advantages to going to work with your owner, like becoming an office pet.) Abby: Abby was one of the biggest eaters in the litter when she was here and is a sweet, cuddly, and beautiful girl. Her job is fetching the paper, keeping her owners busy and giving them lots of love. She likes to get her teeth brushed and loves chasing her ball or frisbee and playing in the rain or water. Abby knows the commands come, sit, and lie down, and is adding to her education. Like her mother, she is also a kisser. Wentz: Wentz and Echo seemed to be the smartest pups of the litter when they were all here. I received a glowing report on Wentz after he had been in his new home for about 24 hours: he adjusted to being an indoor dog very quickly and had already learned to ring a bell next to the door when he needed to go out to go potty. Last I heard, he was still doing great and his family is delighted with him. I don't have any current pictures, but here is one of him with his "big brother," Diesel. One interesting note on Wentz: He was diagnosed with a grade I heart murmur when the puppies had their 8 week checkup, but it disappeared by the time he had his next checkup. Heart murmurs are actually quite common in puppies because their hearts continue growing after they are born and often have holes that close up as they age. It sounds terribly scary to think of one's puppy having a murmur because this is such a serious condition in people, but thankfully, it is usually not as much of an issue in puppies. (Older dogs are a different story.) Bellatrix: Trixie was one of the more quiet and timid pups here but she has blossomed into a great dog. Her owners have worked with her and been careful to socialize her, and now she is doing very well. Here is a quote from the update email from her owner: "Trixie is a world class fetcher and knows many commands: sit, stay, drop it, lay down, dead dog, upstairs, outside, inside, jump, down, heel and hug. In addition to ringing a bell to let us know it’s potty time, she knows our names, as well as some of her toys." Like her father, Duncan, she loves to chase the hose, and like Wentz, she has learned to ring a bell when it's time to go potty. She is also getting big - 26 lbs in August! |
AuthorMy name is Alayna Feldman. I have been greatly blessed and am thankful, first and foremost, to the Lord Jesus Christ, Who has saved me. I am also deeply thankful to my parents, who have raised me in a stable, safe, loving home and taught me about what is most important in life. Archives
February 2022
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