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GRACEANNA NEWS
July 2008
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Clayvilla Furries
Are you going on holiday? No one around to look after your pets?
Contact me on the number below. |
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I will professionally care for your pet while you are
away to relax and enjoy your holiday. I have years of experience
caring for animals. Each animal is cared for in individual secure
accommodation with runs or, if sharing, together. They will be fed
an individual diet that includes fresh fruit and water daily.
Occasional well behaved canines catered for
specialising, of course, in giant breeds.
If your pet needs transport to and from your house I
can offer this service. Please contact me for details.
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Midge Clayton
The Bungalow
Common Road
Moulton Seas End
PE12 6LF
Tel:01205 260696
Mobile:07904 382315 |
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Rika's Second Litter |
Pascale |
Proud mum - Rika |
... and the puppies! |
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So we
think breeding is easy eh? Rika’s second litter was born on 30 June
2007 after a really traumatic time. An emergency caesarean to deliver 12
puppies followed by complete post op collapse of Rika, an adrenalin
injection to start her heart again, oxygen and put on a drip. What a
dilemma and not for the feint hearted, thankfully my medical background
enabled me to diagnose a dying bitch. The whole story is so much longer
and maybe I will share it with you all at some time. Thankfully Rika is
so much better now but with possibly a small amount of damage to her
brain due to the lack of oxygen when her heart stopped briefly. The 11
remaining puppies are now 7 weeks and off to their new homes soon.
Will I do
it again? All thoughts are negative but we are putting a bitch on
breeding terms just in case we change our minds in a couple of years .
The thought of losing your beloved pet to have a litter far outweighs
the excitement of pups.
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Well, no major changes
to our home life. The loss of Dreamer, our first Leonberger, in 2002 at
the wonderful age of eleven and a half, followed by Spud our JR at the
extraordinary age of 20. Then this year our African Grey, Sammy, died.
We added Flossie Floggitt to our tribe. She is a Grand Bassett Vendeen
and is absolutely gorgeous but not a dog to be let off the lead ... very
difficult when all our Leos are well trained and stay happily with us
but after all they are not bred for hunting are they? In September 2005
we were blessed with our third granddaughter Elsie so more to keep us on
our toes, not looking forward to having three girls in their teens to
bring us their problems in later life!
Rika, our Swedish import gave birth to a litter of nine outstanding
puppies on 24 March 2006, her husband was Pascale and our thanks to Ian
 and Sherry for allowing us to use their lovely imported male. The
combination was superb and produced everything we could have asked for,
confident, outgoing, big boned, dark eyed truly exceptional puppies. We
had a waiting list before conception the only way we would ever
contemplate a mating and all new owners are delighted. We already have a
list started for a planned litter late in 2007, our motto is "if someone
wants something badly enough it is worth waiting for".
Also it gives us time to really get to know prospective buyers and build
a good bond.
Buzby stayed with us from the litter for a
little longer, he was going to Sweden to Gina and had to have extra
health requirements to fulfil the needs of the Pet Passport. As much as
we tried to detach ourselves, knowing he was not staying it didn't work!
He would watch our every movement and would winge if Dick went out of
sight. He certainly knew how to pull at our heart strings. We socialised
him to the best of our ability, knowing how crucial it is at this early
stage of their lives, he went to car boots, seaside, town, the pub
(Dick's favourite place and such a good excuse). In fact he went where
we went.
All this was to pay
off on 27 July when we took him to Heathrow to meet up with Lasse, who
was accompanying him home to Sweden. He strutted his stuff on arrival at
Heathrow as if he had done it every day of his life. In and out of
packed lifts, manoeuvring through crowded pavements, crossing extremely
busy roads, something we don't have in Lincolnshire, greeting everyone
as if they were friends, accepting every situation with confidence. We
were so proud of him. We had a few teething problems in our arranged
travel plans (another story) so he decided the best thing to do to keep
cool was find a comfortable place to sleep, which he did for two hours
only lifting his head to say hello and with an ever ending slow beat of
his tail when someone bent to stroke and admire him. Finally, when we
had sorted the few problems he was whisked away to be loaded into his
crate by Lasse, the speed of this helped us to conceal the embarrassment
of our tears. He coped with the flight and Gina tells us he is superb in
every way. We hope one day to have an offspring from "our" Buzby. Gina
will keep us posted on his progress.
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Inherited Leonberger Polyneuropathy (ILP) - for
the latest click here.
The LEONBERGER CLUB OF GREAT BRITAIN have agreed to
sponsor the cost of tests that will help eradicate ILP. Over the next 12
months coordinators are being sought for different areas to organise
sessions to include a minimum of 10 Leos whether club members or not. If
you would like to help please contact Midge for further details and
details of the relevant paperwork. Telephone 01775 680065 or e-mail
clayville2@aol.com. Click
here for further details. |
So you think you want a Leonberger?
A Leo is a big commitment and a responsibility.
Hopefully your pup will grow into a healthy happy, lifelong
companion. The Leonberger has grown hugely in popularity and it is
no longer difficult to find a puppy. Give yourself time in deciding
whether the Leonberger is the right breed for you. Go and visit lots
of adult male and female Leonbergers, preferably without a litter
being present. It is very hard to walk away from beautiful cuddly
babies. Write down a list of questions you want to ask and be
prepared to answer a list of questions too! Most of us like to know
that you are the right family to own a Leonberger.
Take time to question your own judgment. Is the size right? Dog or
bitch? Have you the time and patience? Can you afford the extra vet
fees that may occur? Is it a family commitment? Is anyone allergic
to hair? ... the list goes on and on!
Once you are sure your choice is right, then you will be ready to
look for your puppy.
This may entail going on a waiting list. This is a good bonding time
for you and the breeder and so much can be achieved if you both have
a good relationship. This also allows you time to visit the
prospective stud dog and to see the bitch in her own surroundings.
Make sure you are very happy with the temperament of both. Also ask
if you can visit any offspring or other siblings, this will help
enable you to see the type of Leo that you may get. Get a copy of
the pedigree and ask someone to go over it with you. Are there
restrictions of any kind? Will they be lifted if all criteria are
met? Ask about any health problems which may be in the lines. It is
advisable to have everything confirmed in writing to protect both
you and the breeder.
Make sure all current documents for health testing are up to date,
the required tests are hips and elbows, eyes. If you don't
understand the paperwork ask for a copy and take advice from your
vet. Some breeders character assess the parents as well as puppy
assessing the litter. This helps enable the breeder to try and match
the right puppy to the right home. Don't be upset if you are guided
to a certain puppy, the breeder spends many hours watching the
litter from the day it is born and will soon establish which one is
a little shy, which one is very bold, which one may need a firm hand
etc. A puppy born in a home environment, with the sounds of everyday
life, washing machines, hoovers, radios, televisions, children's
noises, etc will soon adapt to their new environment with little or
no problems. Support from your breeder should be ongoing throughout
your dogs life.
Last but not least, what price will you pay ? At the moment puppies
range in price from £800 to over £1000. Whatever price you pay will
not determine whether or not you have the next Crufts champion. A
£1,000 puppy should not be any better than a less expensive one. You
will love your puppy no matter what. Please feel free to email me
for any puppy advice -
just
click here. |
Rika's pups
Rika
Wizzy
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Leo Health - Polyneuropathy
John Williams, Veterinary Surgeon and European Specialist in Small Animal
Surgery, writes about PN in Leobergers. Polyneuropathy or Harvey's Disease
is an inherited degenerative neurological disorder that seriously affects a
leo's quality of life, responsible breeding can eliminate it! Read
John's article and
click here for further
background information.
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Features
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The
Graceanna online photo
album will introduce you to my
family. There's pics of my mum, the rest of my family and the extended
relations. Even Midge gets a look in! |
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Socialising your pup
Dogs and children
Leo training - from pup to old Leo new tricks!
The working side of Leos |
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