We had 5 puppies in this litter, two of which were placed in homes that have a puppy from Bella’s first litter. Once you develop a taste for this breed, it’s hard to stop at just one! We the litter conssted of all-black puppies, two curly girls and three wavy boys. Pansy is the girl we kept here at home, and Mimi was lives with her REAL mother in Hood River.

Spencer is a special boy—really quite remarkable in his accomplishments. He took BOB and Working Group 1 and 2 at the AKC Eukanuba National Championships in January and December 2006, as well as BOB at Westminster in 2005, 2006, and 2007, including a Group 4 in 2006. He was also the 2008 PWDCA National Specialty Best of Breed. He has won four All-breed Best in Shows, 36 Working Group firsts, 160 Group placements, and 290(!) Best of Breeds. He has other breed ring accomplishments too many to list. In addition, he is also a great working dog! After retiring from the breed ring (and getting rid of some hair), he passed Apprentice Water Dog last summer on his first try with a picture perfect performance. He is, at the moment, training in agility and water with his owner Jane Freeman.

This very special litter was the object of much good karma. All ended well, with healthy pups and mothers, and new friendships as well. Bella had a C-section due to puppies in distress (we did lose one, a very small girl), and ended up with intra-abdominal bleeding and very nearly died. After a transfusion and emergency surgery and week-long hospitalization, she was physically unable to care for the puppies. I was bracing to take care of a litter of orphaned pups the day they were born, when a miraculous turn of events saved the day (and the pups). A wonderful Malinois named Reese, owned by Shannen at Pilchuck Vet Hospital, had just had a litter 6 days premature and had lost all but one.  Shannen suggested that we try the surrogate route, so we introduced the pups to Reese at Pilchuck. She took to them immediately—the look on her face was remarkable when she saw the pups. The tension seemed to melt from her body as she finally found the puppies she’d been missing. The litter was named “Reese’s Pieces” in her honor.

Bella had to stay at Pilchuck for a week, and then she went straight down to Portland to recuperate with relatives. Reese and her preemie pup came to live at our house where we successfully nursed her to health with round-the-clock care, and Reese raised a beautiful litter of six black PWDs and one brown Malinois. Reese is such a wonderful dog, and it is beyond lucky that all came together as it did. Mimi now lives with her mother Reese and owner Shannen in Hood River. Reese has a particular fondness for PWDs now, and the pups definitely love brown dogs with erect ears!

Bella did not recognize the pups as hers when she came back after 8 weeks—they were merely interlopers that bit and yelped and harassed her. She gets along very well with Pansy now, and actually it is probably better for both Bella and Pansy not to have that maternal relationship.