10,080 minutes

Time is what prevents everything from happening at once. 

~John Archibald Wheeler

Our Diva x Dempsey puppies are now a week old and while in some ways the time has felt like it has been crawling in other ways it feels like just yesterday I welcomed them into the world. With such a large litter some of the puppies were a little smaller and more delicate than we are used to so I have been hovering over these puppies a little more than usual. Not that there is really much for me to do except supervise and cuddle with Diva when she is not nursing but I find I feel better just being nearby.

Everyone seems to be doing well, gaining weight and strength every day. They are vibrant puppies who nurse vigorously and often and have no problems traveling around the whelping box finding the most comfortable or warmest spots. Diva is a wonderful mom and dotes on her puppies, allowing them to nurse in what seems to be a never ending cycle since as soon as some are done others are awake and hungry. She has finally started to give herself some breaks and will come and sit with me on the couch or computer for an hour or so here and there.  

I am so excited about this litter and what the future holds for these special puppies that I find myself wishing the days to go by faster. Every once in a while I stop and check myself and am reminded to just enjoy each day, each milestone, each breath. Each day is a gift and while I am excited for the future I must not loose sight of the now and all that fills it.  





All good things come in due time

“When we get impatient because something is taking too long, we should remember that Life waits on us a thousand times more than we wait on Life.” 
― Laura Teresa Marquez

They finally arrived this afternoon, our long anticipated Diva/Dempsey puppies and I am just tickled with them. Michelle jokingly says that "Little Eden Girls whelp during the day" and she was right on the money on this one. Just before bed last night Diva's temperature dropped and she started showing the early signs of labour. Not knowing how long it would be before she whelped I decided to sleep in the whelping room, on the floor, and keep an eye on her. She seemed to really enjoy the company as she would begin to bark after about 30 seconds if I left the room and become quiet again on my return. I remained at my "post" all night and through the following morning until a little after 1pm when the first puppy made it's appearance. The next hour and a half was all a blur to me as by 2:30 pm we had welcomed 6 new terriers into the world which is quite a frantic pace for whelping by any standard. Thankfully Diva is a wonderful mom and left little for me to do but watch and enjoy the appearance of each new addition. Things went by so quickly that it wasn't until it was all over that I was able to pick up each individual puppy and determine how many of each gender we actually had. We ended up with  2 girls and 4 boys which is particularly thrilling for me as I intend to keep a male from this litter and there will hopefully be plenty to choose from. Almost 12 hours old all the puppies are nursing and settling into life outside the womb and Diva is quite pleased not to feel so much pressure on her insides and celebrated with a couple of fine meals. She, understandably, has had little appetite these last couple of weeks but made up for it today in spades. I can not wait to watch these puppies grow, mature, and develop but for now I will try to get some sleep even though I would prefer to just sit outside the whelping box and look at them for another 12 hours.

No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow

In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt. 

~Margaret Atwood

With the beginning of April, and a mild winter behind us, spring has come early here at Inseguire. With it marks the beginnings of many things such as trial season, flyball tournaments, disc competitions, and generally enjoying the great outdoors. It also marks the beginning of a new chapter for Inseguire with the addition of a new terrier. When a good friend offered me the chance at a lovely terrier from a foundation line of Little Eden kennel I jumped at the chance. I have been considering for quite some time now adding the right boy to our mix. While, as a general rule in the past, I do not like to limit my options by keeping my own males I am finding it progressively more difficult to arraign shipping for my girls from our rather remote Canadian location. This leaves me with the options of either a) only being able to breed my girls around air-shipment availability schedules, or b) keeping a select male or two and still sending out the occasional female when the star align in such a way that it is possible to do so. I did not come by this decision lightly and have been keeping an eye out for such a male for a while now. I found a couple whom I loved and who would compliment my females and ideals nicely but being that most breeders, understandably, keep the best for themselves none were available for purchase. The next best thing was however available, a lovely bitch with the pedigree I had been looking at acquiring. Arraignments were made to bring her to Canada and subsequently breed her to a stud dog I adore who's pedigree is a line matching to hers. With this mating we are hoping to produce very typie puppies with the pedigree, conformation, and drive to expand and improve our particular type of terrier. To say I am excited would be an understatement and with a little less than 2 weeks until these puppies are due I am finding it harder and harder to contain.

Little Eden Diva II                          Little Eden Dempsey

Little Eden Dempsey

Spring around here once again echos the season in that it brings an end to our journey with our current litter of puppies. Before Robert left for his home in Washington state I had bred him to Calliope for a repeat of the litter that produced Lokasenna and Strike-A-Pose. These puppies, like their predecessors, have been an absolute hoot and a joy to have around. They will go on to be lovely companions in their respective families and we hope will bring as much joy to them as they have to us. It is bittersweet as I really do love each and every puppy we produce and can always come up with some justification or another for why I could keep them. However, in the end, seeing the joy they bring to their new families and being able to touch the lives of others in such a profound and positive way reminds me of one of the many reasons I go through all the trials and tribulations associated with being a breeder and helps ease the pain of letting them go. And in the words of Edward Giobbi:

I think that no matter how old or infirm I may become, I will always plant a large garden in the spring. Who can resist the feelings of hope and joy that one gets from participating in nature's rebirth? 

Tan and White Male

Tan and White Female

Tri Colored Female