Brian did very well in group but didn't get a placement. He has hit it off with Norlee very well. They started off a little shaky but by group they did well together. Sunday should be fun.

I can't wait to get the picture of Norlee and Brian back. It looked spectacular! Brian was FILTHY from the mud and I wouldn't let them clean it off. It was how he looked when he won and I wanted that recorded! He was GORGEOUS!

One last note, with only six dogs entered and the weather so bad I was hoping that at least one other dog would be there so that a point could at least be contested. It turns out that EVERYONE showed up except for one dog that only needed a major so it makes sense that he wasn't there. Regardless, we think that including the Specials, Brian's win today showed be a major. Nice to get one out of the way!

We had a host of doggies in Newnan today. Brian was in 12-18. Jimbo was in Bred-by. Rainy was in 12-18 and Miss Amara Jane was also in Bred-By. Brian and Rainy won their classes. Jimbo didn't like the rain very much and Amara liked it a little too much! Pretty much all the dogs pulled their respective handlers around in the mud! Norlee Reece did a Herculean job with Brian. They started of looking ridiculous but finished very strong. To sum up this quick post, Brian won breed over three specials and Rainy finished Reserve Winner's bitch to Catie's Gracie. Gracie finished her championship today. Congratulations Catie! Amara just had a ball!

Group starts in about an hour and we are trying to calm The Puddy down!

Our next show is this weekend in Newnan. You don't want to be there. Between now and Saturday night we are supposed to receive three to four inches of rain! Newnan is an outdoor show and the shows does not stop for rain.

Fortunately, The Puddy is no daisy. He actually likes the rain so he should do fine, if he will show his teeth... By Sunday, the ground will be destroyed and we should be slipping all over the place. The fair grounds are super flat and just HOLD water. I am going to sit on the sidelines and watch the fun. Jennifer will debut the debutante, Miss Amara Jane. Sandra is bringing the appropriately named Rainy. I should even get a photo op of me with my namesake, Catie's 'Jimbo'. With a name like that he has to be a stud!

I think I am going to wear full slickers. I figure Amara is going to knock me over and lick me anyway...

Well, James and Sidney got the rest of CiCi's tooth out of Lexus' head this afternoon. I can't imagine breaking a tooth like that OR having someone break a tooth off in my head.

Sometimes weird things just happen.

The vet will tell you to remove stitches at ten days. I usually wait a couple a days longer but I always examine the wound, test for strength and decide by what I see. I removed Lexus' insemination stitches on Saturday.

I gave her a bath prior to stitch removal and generally cleaned her up. The hole in her chest is all but closed and she should be off the antibiotics in a couple days. All of this is pretty routine. What wasn't routine was the abscess I found on the right side of her upper jaw. It was weird. I had noticed it before but it was small and with the larger injuries, I didn't give it a whole lot of thought. Okay, here is where it gets weird...

The abscess was a tooth! Not Lexus' tooth which is a valid first thought since she has actually stretched and pinned her 'upper lip' with her left canine before but someone else's tooth! The missing piece of CiCi's tooth was in Lexus' head! Damn that had to hurt! I told you it was weird. :)

Brian has gotten substantial. CiCi is close to 170 pounds...

I love my goats. Not like my dogs though. If you notice, little Twiggy has injured her left horn and it is twisted a little.

Have you ever met Roxi? Is your face wet? Then you haven't met Roxi...

OKAY, that didn't take long. NO TROJAN IS NOT PEEING IN THE PICTURE BELOW!

MY boy knows that he is supposed to raise his leg! :) He is just sitting in the clover lusting after one of his sisters. LOL!

Trojan in Clover

The 'MASTIFF DRIVE' sign was in front of Susie's old house 'forever'. I asked her for it when I learned that she was moving away from her kennel. She graciously complied and now it can sit in front of my house 'forever'.

Lovely Lady Lexus Lounges Luxuriously

Lexus has come a long way from when I found her trying to go into shock and covered in blood a couple weeks ago! Now she is fat, happy and hopefully, pregnant! For those of you keeping score at home, she is due somewhere around may 2nd.

The dog below is Silver's Pounds Sterling AKA 'Pounder'. Pounder is the Winner's Dog from the 2004 Mastiff Club of America and Canadian Specialty. Pounder is a true giant.

Three years ago, Diane Becker shipped two vials of semen for Morrigan's last litter. Morrigan did not conceive and we thought that was the end of it. Last year I got a bill from my vet for two years of semen storage! They had only used one of the two vials on Morrigan and there was still a vial of Pounder semen in Atlanta! No one knew it was there until the vet did an inventory and I got billed!

When we had decided to breed Morrigan to Pounder we had debated whether Lexus might not be a better bitch for him. Fate delivered a second try for a Pounder litter SO last Tuesday, Lexus was surgically inseminated with the last vial of the Pounder semen.

Lexus was already on antibiotics and she still is. She still has a big hole in her chest from her battle with CiCi but it is healing quickly. (CiCi is fine and is back outside with Brian.) Lexus is eating everything in sight and I choose to look upon that as a good thing. The last two times Lexus has borne a litter she has had tremendous weight loss. We are not going to let that happen this time! After her first litter she lost down to 104 pounds! After her second she got down to 110 and I will tell you that seeing Lexus that skinny will break your heart! Her litters had nine and twelve pups so hopes are high.

Regardless, the surgery went well. There were some cysts on the left horn of her uterus but the right horn was perfect. Cesareans do have the consequence of cyst formation so it was not unexpected.

So wish us well. Chocolate will probably have another litter but pups from this generation will soon become rare.

Pups from Lexus' first litter and Laura's first litter... (I'll pay for that.)

Ok, there may be a reason to know who this doggie is.... :)

For ten bonus points, who knows who the handler is?

Another hint? Here is a huge one...

One more..? Okay, 35" at the shoulder...

They call them 'bitches' for a reason...

When a girl comes into to season, it is rarely pretty. It can be good, but it is never fun. When TWO girls come into season on the same day, it can be disastrous.

Lexus and CiCi have been together constantly for about nine months. They genuinely love one another. Lexus has cleaned and cared for CiCi after both of her bouts with piometra. Both had gone through a cycle together and we had not had any problems. CiCi went first and then Lexus followed a couple months later. They were setting me up! This time they synced and both started on the same day and then promptly tried to kill one another. Lexus has a two inch gash in the middle of her chest and her wrists have been chewed. CiCi has a couple dozen shallow puncture wounds around her head and neck and a broken canine tooth. When I found her, her head was the size of a basketball. I think CiCi was on her back and got scared and started fighting for real while Lexus was still just trying to establish dominance. Lexus won the battle but I don't think she won the war. Five days later, CiCi is fine while Lex still has a huge hole in her chest!

This is the lesson folks, if your girl isn't spayed, she will absolutely try to establish dominance when she comes into season. It is the way dogs are programmed by nature. Only the dominant bitch gets the privilege to breed and they will test to see if they are that bitch. If you aren't going to breed her, spay her and do both of you a favor.