Happy Birthday: Claire

Nine tiny puppies in tiny pussy hats. Sparkler Puppy Activists protesting that it was acceptable to brag about sexually assaulting women.

That is how we roll.

We continue the Sparkler Birthday Week with Claire…

As you know, I made a choice to breed Claire — again. It was the third time. She did not get pregnant in the first two attempts. SO disappointing but undaunted, I changed things up and tried again.

I have had my eye on a young male since Kris O. put him on my radar last year. The way she described his working ability and attitude were exactly what I thought of his father when I watched him in Novice A obedience at the Monterey Specialty. I loved him! His son turned two in July and with his health clearances done, I got serious about him for Claire.

Two things have happened as we waited for Claire to come in season. First, I got to know his people — as represented to me by Kris, they are terrific. Dogs gift us with new friends.

The second thing that happened as we waited is that the dog starting showing a bit and in just four months, he hit #1 Berner in all-breed points. How is that for a sign from the Universe that one has made a good decision?!

Without further ado and on the occasion of her fourth birthday, Claire has a special announcement to share…

Words cannot capture how much this means to me.

ClAIRe

Happy Birthday Claire!

Unfortunately, Claire has terrible morning (aka all-day) sickness and so her special birthday dinner will likely just be more goldfish crackers. We hope her siblings will enjoy something a bit more festive on their special day. HAPPY BIRTHDAY SPARKLERS!

Histiocytic Sarcoma & the Antagene Test

A significant reason for the sad and unfortunate issues with longevity in Berners is a disease called Histiocytic Sarcoma. The only breeders who have not produced this disease are either new or dishonest; it is pervasive in the breed.

One way we try to minimize risk is through pedigree research. This requires that information about cause of death in relatives is both available and accurate; that is, unfortunately, not always the case. It is not easy to face up to hard truths, and so some simply don’t.

Ignorance may be bliss but it is also a killer, which doesn’t actually contribute to bliss in the long run.

As I think about those words, I realize that while I am talking about Histiocytic Sarcoma in Berners, it also applies to Covid. Please be smart and safe.

Back to Histiocytic Sarcoma — there is a newer tool that some of us are using to try and mitigate risk. A blood test can tell if a dog is an A, B, or C in terms of risk.

• A = Four times less likely to get Histiocytic Sarcoma

• B = Neutral; not more or less likely to get Histiocytic Sarcoma

• C = Four times more likely to get Histiocytic Sarcoma

An individual dog rating is not a diagnosis — it is information about relative risk, and the test is pretty new so nobody should be stressing out over their dog’s letter at this point.

The value of the test is for breeders because there is a tool called Histiocytic Sarcoma Index Mate Selection that allows us to create combinations to see what the A/B/C values should be in a litter.

Only people whose dogs are entered in the database can use this tool, and only with our own dogs matched with dogs of the opposite sex owned by others who have given consent to enter their dogs into the database. Further, we have to agree not to use results to advertise or promote a litter/dog.

This is a tool for breeders designed to — hopefully — give us the chance to lower the risk/rate of Histiocytic Sarcoma in our breed.

The Mate Selector tool is so valuable but it is not as straightforward as one might think. These are the results from two dogs who are both A — it tells us what to expect from their potential litter:

Those are really good results — a litter with 30% or less of C is likely better than average.

But consider this combination — same A male but different female, and she is B:

No C’s!!!!

Same A male with a different female, and one who is also a B:

The combination of two A dogs doesn’t always offer the lowest risk. In the case examples above, the best combination is A + B, but the results are specific to that particular B dog. In other words, it is less about the letters and more about the combination of the two dogs.

Most US dogs are not in the database — 145 American males, many not available as stud dogs, are in the database. There are 215 American females in the database. These small numbers make it hard to consistently use a tested dog — there are just so many variables that go into selecting a breeding pair, and eliminating an otherwise solid choice because he or she isn’t tested may not be a good plan at this point. It’s complicated for sure.

Yes, all of my girls are tested and yes, this is a tool I utilize in my breeding program. Hopefully, more and more breeders will get on board so that we can — together — start making a dent in the incidence of Histiocytic Sarcoma in Bernese Mountains Dogs.

Have a blissful — and informed — day.

Home with Mats

We are home!

Two well-timed breedings for Daisy with a delightful boy. I love him — a wonderful match for Daisy. Everything crossed.

I do not reveal stud dogs until I have a confirmed pregnancy but suffice it to say that I am really excited about both potential litters. REALLY excited. And I am grateful to the stud dog owners who were willing to work together to make the breedings happen. Quality dogs bred and owned by quality people — can’t get better than that.

And now we practice that challenging virtue of patience.

Unlike humans, we cannot tell if a dog is pregnant until she is almost halfway through her pregnancy. If Claire is pregnant, her puppies will be due on January 21 and if Daisy is pregnant, her babies will arrive a week later (January 28). We will know the status of the potential L and M Litters by Christmas.

One thing I did on the way home today was to meet Dear Son-in-Law to pick up my new floor mats.

Self-care matters and especially during a Pandemic Winter. The mats are now covering most of our large living room. I needed a non-slip surface to train things like scent articles and so Elizabethanne and I did a mat order together since she was doing her basement.

Dear Daughter and Dear Dear Son-in-Law picked the mats up from her in Salt Lake City and then Dear Son-in-Law met me today as I took the long way home from Boise, saving me hours of driving to get those mats. He works nights and so we met very early and I was home by 1:00 pm.

Of course, I immediately put down the mats.

The living room is big — and it also has a treadmill and my Peloton bike…

It isn’t very fashionable but it will all help as we march through the dark winter in a pandemic.

What are you doing to make sure you will be okay through the next few months?

Remember — You Matter. And so do what you need to do to be okay, even if it means there is no furniture in your living room.

Furniture is so over-rated. Self-care, on the other hand, is essential.