It went like this…
Remember when Sparkle had her leg amputated in Montana?
That was March 12. Capella got to hang out with her besties (aka Suzanne and her gang) — we even did our favorite dog walk down the road from where I used to live.
Capella, Shiloh, and Story
Well, one of Suzanne’s girls was in season and girl hormones are contagious. Nine days later Capella was in season. This was too soon — 6-8 weeks early.
I was pretty sad.
Conventional wisdom says you need four month between cycles to have a fertile cycle, and we were not at four months yet.
I got a consult with Dr. Marty Greer to see if it was even worth breeding Capella given the short cycle. She said that yes, if Capella ovulated it was worth a try.
Capella’s progesterone chart
She did indeed ovulate. Timing was perfect. Semen quality was great.
BUT was her cycle long enough to support a pregnancy? I have been pretty anxious about all this, as you might imagine.
Source unknown
I needed to be in Montana for work on Thursday/Friday and so I had our wonderful vet do the ultrasound, even though it was a bit early. The Magic 8 Ball had given me a bit of an early warning that she might be pregnant.
But I was still just sick with the worry of it and the anticipatory sadness — and then I would dare to feel hope and then back to anticipatory sadness. Repeat. I begged Sparkle to send me her great-grandchildren. It has been exhausting, as you can imagine.
When the ultrasound confirmed pregnancy, I just cried. I have cried a lot lately. Not surprising. We even saw a heartbeat!!!! ❤️
One of the things that happens when you have had a lot of bad news is that you do not always trust the good news. I feel that way, and I know it is 100% normal and understandable. It is also understandable and okay to need reassurance.
And so on Monday we will do another ultrasound with our Idaho Repro team, just to make sure it is real.
I do believe it — I already nominated the litter for the 2026 Futurity — but I just need to see them again, and make sure they seem to be settling in and growing (given the short cycle issue).
I just want to be sure the best news is really and truly for real.
Happy Saturday, friend.