I love learning and seeing new things so I thought I would share a new experience I had just the other day.  Hessia Betleges (Holly) was due to deliver her most recent litter this past Friday.  I was looking forward to being with her when she whelped since she has decided to adopt me as her human.  I get teased that it’s because I’ve spoiled her rotten but I’m denying it!

Friday morning I got a message that Holly has gone into labor and delivered one little black female.   A couple of hours later, I was on my way over to help deliver the rest of her pups.  Evidently, I wasn’t paying quite as much attention to driving as I should have been.  It’s true that police officers really have a knack for picking the most inopportune times to notice that you’re speeding!  Fortunately, even though I was going over the limit in a construction zone, I got one of the city’s nicest officers who let me go with a warning and wished good luck with the upcoming delivery.  While I was being delayed, it was decided that Holly’s labor wasn’t progressing as quickly as we would like.  To ensure that both Mom and all of the pups end up happy and healthy, Holly was scheduled for a c-section. 

Let me point out that first we had to GET TO the veternary office which meant transporting a Mom (in labor) along with her newborn pup.  Sounds easy enough, right?  Well, my vehicle happens to be white.  Yes, that also means my interior is a wonderful cream color.  It’s great for the Arizona sunshine, not so much for messy moms in labor!  Luckily, a kiddie swimming pool just barely fits in the back of my SUV with the seats down.  One hurdle covered, mom rides in the pool.  Hurdle two comes once I get in the car and realize that Holly, being the wonderful mom that she is, is going to repeatedly attempt to climb over the front seat and actually into the towel lined basket which is safely holding her puppy.  I know I must have gotten stares while struggling to drive and simultaneously arm wrestle a nervous mom into the back of the car.  It made for one of the longest half hour rides ever.  Despite the wrestling match, we made it safe and sound to the office.

Although it can be a common procedure, I myself have never seen one.  Luckily for us we have a great friend “in the business” (veterinary that is) who was nice enough to come back into the office on her afternoon off to help us through it.  I was a nervous wreck worrying about Holly and the puppies.  Thank goodness my friend was there with me.  Because of the special circumstances I was able to go along when they took Holly in the back and stay with her during the whole procedure.  I have worked in medical practices in the past and have been able to observe surgery a couple of times.  I found it surprising and also a relief that things are not done much differently with our canine family members than with humans.  Being able to watch the surgery and help with the puppies as they came out was amazing.  Each puppy needs to be stimulated and dried off as they are born then they move to a heating pad to wait for Mom to wake up and nurse.  One of the greatest sounds I’ve ever heard is the gurgling cries of a newborn puppy taking its first breaths!  Imagine a teeny tiny version of Chewbacca, the Wookie from Star Wars, and you’ve got new puppy cries.  So cute!!

I’m happy to report that Holly and her five puppies are healthy and doing great.  After this experience I have a new respect for our Moms who go through a c-section, and still take such good care of their puppies.  They’re tough as nails!

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I’m a very lucky person.  Not only do I get to live with three great Dobermans, but I also get to work every day with many more of them.  One of my favorites happens to be Casa di Oro Donna Delana (Ruby).  It’s no coincidence that Ruby is also the Mom of our girl Madde.  I never really understood the power of genetics and great breeding until I started working with Family Dobes.  You hear about the importance of choosing great males and females whose traits complement one another to produce a well balanced dog.  I never realized just how much of a dogs physicality and personality will show in their offspring.  Being that her Mom was bred to a male living in Germany, we never got the pleasure of getting to know Madde’s Dad.  I have, however, become very attached to Ruby over the last year. 

It’s been amazing to watch little Madde grow into almost a clone of Ruby.  They look alike, bark alike and even have the same mannerisms.  Everything from how they play with a toy, to how they jump up to greet you, is similar.  It’s really a cool thing to see these traits passed down even though they live apart.  I can’t enter a room with either one of them in it without getting paws on the shoulders and a nose in the face.  Every time I walk out and come back it’s like I’ve been gone for days.  Neither of them really plays fetch.  Ruby has learned much better than Madde to eventually bring back the toy but both of them would much rather play keep away.  Both get the same gratified look of “This is way more fun!” as you chase them around for the toy.

Ruby is responsible for destroying many sprinkler heads at the house.  Somehow this even got passed down to Madde.  At my house you can’t fill the water jug without getting soaked because she feels the need to attack the water stream the whole time.  The neighbors probably thought I was crazy laughing outside alone once when Mother and Daughter were together and I was trying to fill the water buckets.  Both scrunching up their faces the same way, one on either side of the bucket, they rhythmically alternated biting the water stream until all three of us were soaked.  I couldn’t help but laugh at how much fun they were having!

Another similarity is both of their loves for Schutzhund work.  You can’t bring a sleeve or a tug around Ruby without her getting giddy and bouncing to get it.  We’ve worked a little bit with Madde at our dog club but she has nowhere near the formal training that Ruby has.  Despite this, she tries just as hard to play the game.  We never had training gear at the house until recently when we placed an order for a starter kit (puppy sleeve, tugs, etc.).  Would you believe that somehow Madde knew what was in that box before we even got it open?  She went bizerk for the sleeve and tugs as they came out of the box.  Another example of like Mother like Daughter!

Some people will say you can train any dog to do anything.  That might be the case for some people but if you really want to know what to expect look to the parents.  It’s completely true that it’s the greatest adults who produce the best pups.  Never disregard the health and temperaments of the parents.  Madde and Ruby are living proof of “what you breed is what you get”!

Denise Meister