Plan A was solid. 

Magnus was going to be bred to Lottie, and to complete the plan, Rocky Mountain Epic Evelyn (AKA Evie) would be bred to produce the female compliment to my Magnus son.  That breeding would also be the result of a frozen insemination drawn from an historically well-known sire, Jack the Bear.  This plan brought history to life, both figuratively and literally.

A couple of weeks ago, both girls started their Fall heat.  There was a lot of excitement for this project among those of us involved, and optimism was high.  It’s amazing how someone with all my years of experience can ignore reality so effortlessly.  I forgot how random this process can be, and how frustrating it is to see puppies from an accidental breeding handed out in front of a grocery store while years of planning and thousands of dollars in expenses might yield nothing.  You’d think we were doing it wrong.

As both girls climbed toward their fertile zeniths, blood was drawn every couple of days and tested for its progesterone.  When the progesterone levels reached appropriate concentrations, the procedures would be performed.

Evie’s progesterone levels rose first, but failed to rise consistently.  Given the requirements to maximize chances that a female will get pregnant from a frozen insemination were unmet, that breeding was abandoned.  Evie was bred by a living sire instead, and ties were accomplished.  Although this was not part of the plan, it stands as a solid Plan B.

Lottie’s progesterone levels eventually rose as required, and at the perfect time, Magnus’s contribution was thawed.  The phone rang, it was the vet clinic.  Turns out, Magnus’s little swimmers were few and tired.  Maybe too few and too tired.  Another vial was thawed, and although it was better, it was still underwhelming.  This did not exclude success, but it certainly diminished chances and might limit litter size even if successful.

A decision had to be made, and despite the poor showing, we went ahead as planned.  We considered doing both the insemination as well as a live breeding.  With modern DNA testing, each puppy would have a legitimate pedigree, but we worried that swimmers from the live sire would win ALL the races, so we opted for just the Magnus breeding and hope for the best.  The next day, the procedure was repeated, and although the swimmer count was again low, it was a bit better than the day before.  Time will tell.

Pictured above is Lottie.  We’re rooting for her.