Our mating process for what we envisage being Nellie's final litter, started back in the Autumn with a visit to the Irish Terrier Association Open Show and Fun Day which was held at Roade in Northamptonshire. The show was a great day out and much fun was had. In the morning the venue was host to the serious business of competitive showing. It was interesting watching the different classes be judged and hearing from the knowledgeable audience about the different lines and pedigrees in competition.
The afternoon was about fun games for all comers to take part in. The number of owners and dogs in attendance increased for this part of the day and it was really nice to see a large number of family pets arriving sporting the shaggy look.
The purpose of our visit was mainly to speak to stud dog owners and identify a suitable match for Nellie. Historically we have used Montelle studs, but for this last litter from Nellie we wanted to diversify. The main reason for this is that we would like to keep a puppy from the litter (2 dog family here we come!?!) Montelle have been great and very helpful historically, and we want to be able to use them in the future.
The show visit was a success and we reconnected with Ian and Carol Bamsey of the Holbam Kennel. We first met them at the Discover Dogs Show in 2017 when we were searching for our first family dog. Ian was instrumental in the unanimous decision that an Irish was the right dog for us.
Fast forward to this January, and Nellie came into season as expected, the regularity of her cycle holding true. Progesterone test booked, we put Ian and his boy, Freddie, on standby.
A couple of weeks later was test day and a visit to the vet where Nellie had her bloods taken to confirm timing of ovulation as well as being checked over for a clean bill of health.
Next morning came a wait by the phone for a call from the lab that never came. Stress levels rising in the knowledge that it was a couple of hours drive to see the stud and the timing of the mating being all important, we had to trust in the traditional methods of day counting, personality change, tail flagging and the colour of bleed changing to judge the right time. Noel and Nellie set off, and then, inevitably, the lab called to say the ideal timing would be a mating the following morning. Already halfway there and Ian expecting us, we carried on. When we arrived, it was decided that we would be guided by the dogs as to whether it was the right time. Freddie is a lovely dog and he and Nellie appeared to hit it off straight away (not always a certainty!) A positive mating did take place, however it felt right to repeat again the following morning so dog and master adjourned to a local hostelry for the night. In both matings, a really good 'tie' was achieved, lasting about 15 minutesand 25 minutes respectively. There is a considerable amount of positivity about the prospects for success from us and Ian, who was also very pleased with the coupling.
Now we wait. The development of the foetus' takes a different path to that of humans. It is only possible to tell if the bitch is pregnant at around 5 weeks, when the bones and other physical organs start to develop. A little over 3 weeks later, they are born, or 'whelped' . Based on what we know, the dates we are working towards are as follows: whelping April 13th, Puppy visits during May and able to leave from June 8th.
So its fingers crossed for now, and the hope that we will be writing about the arrival of puppies in the not too distant future.