Solene wins NOHS Reserve Best in Show at the New Castle KC, Canfield, OH

Solene wins NOHS Reserve Best in Show at the New Castle Kennel Club, Canfield, OH

While the younger girls were busy at home with summer litters, we entered Solene at the only day of Canfield we could attend. Our son Sam was marrying his longtime sweetie Lauren on August 1, so off we went to the Thursday Canfield show. Canfield drew huge entries and was the only dog show held in the US on this particular weekend, just as US dog shows were beginning to start up. Solene won Best of Breed under Charles Olvis, then waited through a very long day to compete in the Owner Handler group. Judged by sporting specialist Doug Johnson, Solene was selected as the best of the Sporting group. On to Best in Show. Solene was so happy to be in the ring; she shows with so much attitude and goes around the ring with effortless movement. With her tail wagging non-stop, Solene was chosen by Robert Shreve as Reserve Best in Show. What a thrill to have Solene, at 8.5 years old, near the top of the day's show results. Good girl, Solene. We love you so much!

NOHS RBIS CH Hickory Tavern Intl Intrigue CM

Summer Puppies

Flynn's puppies are two weeks old today. We are so happy with these chubby little pups, 5 girls and 5 boys, sired by Beau. Flynn continues to be a wonderful and caring mother.

There are no puppies available; all are spoken for.

Jessa at Summer Camp!

Lucky Jessa is spending the summer in Tennessee with our dear friends while we are busy with the puppies. Jess has never been in a pool until this week. Looks like she is a natural water dog!

Solene: Another Barbet Champion

Right before Westminster, Solene and I went to Indianapolis to show for two days to try and earn her final three points for her championship. At 8 years old, Solene is competing with girls who are much younger than her, but her type, style, and correct movement make her still competitive. The first day she was Reserve Winners to a major and the second day she was Winners Bitch for 5 points to finish her AKC championship. Solene became the second Barbet bitch to earn a championship, following in her daughter Flynn's footsteps. Flynn and Solene are also the first two American bred Barbet with AKC championships. We are incredibly proud of our girls.

American and Canadian Champion Hickory Tavern Intl Intrigue CM

Thanks to judge Anne Savory Bolus

After finishing her championship, Solene won Group 3 in a large OH ring. Thanks to judge James Albrecht.

After dropping off the dogs at home, we flew to New York for the Purina Show Dogs awards dinner. We celebrated Bourbon's incredible year as the #1 Whippet, #1 Hound, and #2/3 All breeds.

Happy Traveler

So many people have asked me about our 4 year old Barbet who was recently rehomed. My heartfelt gratitude goes to Paul Anthony at AB Canine, Industry, PA for his selfless help and assistance. Dallas had a wonderful cross-country journey with his new family where he is now settling in. We have nothing but thanks and best wishes to Andy & Marla, who opened their hearts and home to our little man.

Dallas at Pompey's Pillar National Monument, along the Lewis & Clark Trail in Montana

Flynn Wins in Erie

At the Erie Kennel Club, Flynn placed in the Sporting group under Paula Nykiel and the Owner Handler group under James Albrecht. I'm so proud of her results in her first month of AKC regular status!

Canine Chronicle November/December 2019

Our girls as they appear in the November/December issue of the Canine Chronicle. There is also an article about the Barbet that I wrote for the magazine as we enter the AKC Sporting group in January 2020.

Barbet Puppy Update

 

 

 The puppies are now four weeks old and are just amazing! They are so similar in type and temperament. We are really enjoying their new explorations every day. This is a special litter for us and we couldn't be more pleased with the pups so far. The baby Barbet are meeting new people and having different experiences added to their daily routine. Teeth are just starting to come in but Flynn continues nursing them several times a day. They are eating their food with enthusiasm.

Here's a quick video of Flynn and her ten beautiful babies who are enjoying their feeding time.

New Barbet Babies

Late last night, Flynn began delivering her puppies. Three hours later, we had ten beautiful black Barbet babies. 6 females and 4 males, all doing well. Flynn is doing a wonderful job taking care of her new huge family. We are really excited to watch this litter grow.

Newsworthy Barbet

 

Dana's recent page from the Canine Chronicle. We are so proud of this beautiful girl.

 

Flynn has big news of her own as she is expecting a nice sized litter from Can Ch Hickory Tavern Fool For Brookberry CM.  This litter is 3/4 the same pedigree as Dana and Beth, our stars from Marlee's only litter in 2017.

 

Barbet Pups at 6 weeks

 

A beautiful winter day, sunny but cold, and the puppies were able to spend a short time outside. They are brave little pups who do not seem intimidated at the total change in scenery. They are eating well, using their pee pads, and growing like crazy. Their teeth have also started to come in. Our sweet little babies will soon be sharks!

Solene had her checkup with her surgeon yesterday and her incision has healed perfectly. Stitches removed, she is now completely back to normal and is enjoying her babies again! She is keeping them clean, spending time snuggling, and of course cleaning up their food bowls!

Give Thanks!

Solene's Homecoming

After a very rough week in the hospital, Solene is home! We are beyond grateful to Pittsburgh Veterinary Specialists, both South and North locations, for their expert diagnosis and care when Solene crashed on Thanksgiving with a temp of 106+ and a systemic bacterial infection. I fully expected a call Thursday night to tell me that she had passed. PVSEC treated Solene throughout the weekend and she improved enough that Monday morning I was able to pick her up and bring her to Meadowlands Veterinary Clinic for surgery. 
 

Solene between hospital stays

Our own fabulous vet, Dr Kathryn Gardner, removed a now necrotic mammary gland and other tissue. Solene is home recovering and we continue to bottlefeed the fast growing puppies. This episode was really scary as Solene went from normal to near death within two hours. Our Thanksgiving thoughts are filled with appreciation for the wonderful vets who work so hard to save our sweet pets. This time we’ve got a very happy ending. Thanks to everyone for their concern and good wishes!
The puppies are doing great and are growing like crazy on their bottle formula and gruel. I can't wait until Solene is allowed back to her babies! 

The babies at 3 weeks with one of their stand-in moms :)

Pupdate

Things have taken an unexpected turn here as Solene has been hospitalized since Thursday with acute septic mastitis. With excellent treatment and supportive care, she is now stable enough for tomorrow's surgery to remove the problematic mammary gland. Thankfully the puppies had the benefit of Solene's care for the first few weeks as we are now hand-raising 10 puppies. Solene will no longer be able to nurse them but I'm sure she'll be happy to snuggle and keep them clean once she is back on her feet. Splitting feedings between bottles and gruel, the puppies are doing great and are extra social with us. They are a bit sloppy learning to eat! Here are a few puppy pics taken this morning before their breakfast cleanup. Our response to email is necessarily diminished; thank you for your patience.

Please help us think good thoughts and wishes for Solene's complete recovery. Our special girl means the world to us.

 

Beth is Best in Miscellaneous at the National Dog Show!

 

Beth won a really nice Best in Miscellaneous at the National Dog Show in Philadelphia, PA for 3 points, bringing her within one point of finishing her Certificate of Merit! Thanks to handler Erica Sanden Cross and judge David Kittridge for this honor. 

Congrats Beth & Erica!

Beth won Best in Miscellaneous in Oaks, PA both yesterday and today with handler Erica Sanden Cross. Judges were Rita Holloway and Doug Johnson. We're very proud of Beth!

Hickory Tavern Fortune Cookie DJ

Barbet Puppies

 

One black boy and one brown girl :)

Solene's Pups Have Arrived!!!

Solene is having a great day of rest after spending yesterday giving birth to her babies right on her due date. We have 10 wonderful puppies, 6 girls and 4 boys. Two girls are brown and the rest of the pups are black. She started whelping at 2:00 in the afternoon and was basically wrapped up by 9:30 pm. The pups are beautiful, vigorous, and strong.

With Solene carrying such a large litter, we knew there were risks that not all puppies would survive. In the end, Solene gave birth to 14 puppies and the loss of those 4 perfect little babies breaks my heart. When we have a puppy born, my immediate action is to open the sac at the head, insert my finger in the mouth to check for a cleft palate, and wait for any movement from the new baby. Usually they latch right on to my finger and I withdraw and allow the mom to tend to her newborn. With a stillborn, my heart skips a beat when I get no reaction. I try many different methods to resuscitate the baby but in the end, nature can be cruel and not all puppies are meant to live. I will never get used to this aspect of breeding and I never forget each lifeless puppy that I've briefly held in my hands.

It is days like these that make each success with my dogs so sweet.

Solene's puppies are almost here!

With a week to go, our sweet Solene is really showing her pregnancy. Her belly is huge and she looks like she'll be giving birth any minute! At this point, we just hope for a safe delivery for the babies and Solene. She still feels great and enjoys her time outside. Only a few more days until we meet her Pascal pups! This will be Solene's final litter. Her other two litters have produced beautiful puppies with special personalities and we're excited to learn what this litter brings us!