Puppies

The long wait to find out if Ginger is actually pregnant is over. An ultrasound on May 1 confirmed the presence of at least 6 or 7 embryos. Ginger was cooperative…but not happy…about the procedure itself, which lasted approximately around 10 minutes from start to finish. Our vet was also able to detect puppies by palpating. I can’t feel them yet and I’m not trying all that hard as I’m not trained and don’t want to do any harm. I suspect it won’t be long before they are easily detected.

Now the fun begins. There has been a fair amount of interest in this litter. We have a number of names on our puppy update list and several people have already returned their questionnaires/applications so I know that the interest is more than just in passing. I’m very pleased that, of the people who seem to be serious about getting one of Ginger’s pups, a number either have farms or homesteads.

Even though the vet saw at least 6 embryos, I have a fairly strong feeling that we’ll have more than that. He wasn’t trying to count…only to confirm the pregnancy, although he and the staff did seem excited to see that many. (This will be the first English Shepherd litter for them as well.) Other breeders have told me that daughters often take after their mothers in litter size. Ginger’s mother, Maggie, had an AVERAGE of 10 puppies in each of her litters!