Dog things

Sunday 20th May.

I remember my vet in Scotland once saying to me that not all dogs have the natural instinct to mate. This was never the case with Brewster but It certainly was with Raiza.

Ruby came into season and once again Raiza, clearly exasperated, had no idea what to do and I have to confess neither did I. So last Sunday before I was due to take Mark to the airport we did our best to help Raiza along. We were not very successful but I like to think we gave Raiza a clue as to what was expected of him.

The following day my eldest son was horrified when I asked him if he would help me with the dogs. We positioned Ruby over a large container to support her tummy and then helped Raiza along and in the end we managed a mating with 15 minute tie. Sam was acutely embarrassed when the school bus went by but I was just relieved that Raiza had eventually been able to do his job.

I am not holding out much hope for success as I am not sure if Ruby was past her peak but I am relieved that Raiza was able to do what he did as he so important to my plans for the future.

I will have Ruby scanned at the appropriate time to see if she is in whelp.

Brewster is recovering well from his operations and was certainly easier to manage while his mother was in season. He has always been a faithful companion but now I have broken all of my self imposed rules and he sleeps with me at night. I was very surprised that Mark did not mind this new arrangement but we both accept that Brewster has always been very special as he was our first bred dog and he has produced 2 beautiful litters with Kasidi.

Hamlet leaves tomorrow with his new family as they have now returned from Italy but It will not be a sad farewell as he will not be too far and we will be keeping in touch. He is a lovely gentle boy and I know he is going to have a wonderful life.

Our puppy is still un-named but her pedigree name will be loveness Motsi after my Zimbabwean friend from my nurse training days. What her pet name will be is still up for discussion as my children seem to dislike everything I suggest but I think Motsi is the obvious choice. I seem to remember them responding this way when I named Raiza but I stuck to my guns so maybe that is what I should be doing now.

We still have Caesar and after setting him up today I have almost convinced myself to keep him as he is so beautiful. I keep blowing hot and cold as I know It will be hard work and I will definitely have to alter the way I walk the dogs in that I cant walk through the woods every day with 7 Ridgebacks .

Kasidi is on a reducing diet as once again I seem to have misjudged her dietary requirements and her moulting makes her look quite bedraggled . When she is moulting she takes on the appearance of a blotchy leopard and looks quite untidy but I know it will soon pass.

We received pictures of Hermione now known as Inca today and they are quite stunning. She is such a beautiful puppy and has already had loads of exposure to the big wide world.