| A BREEDING STORY |
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| We begin with our search for the perfect sire.We contacted Mike Szabo the owner of our all-time favorite Champion Kwetu's Luke Blackburn. We sent Mike Maggie's pedigree,health clearances,and Champions produced thus far for his consideration. We are THRILLED when Mike agrees to the breeding!!Luke has been gone for sometime,so this will NOT be a easy process.This is the story. |
| La Finca's Maggie May Multi-Champion producer |
| Champion Kwetu's Luke Blackburn 9 time Best in Show winner Sire of over 25 Champions Luke dominated the show world in the late 1980's |
| MOM TO BE |
| DAD TO BE |
| Once Maggie shows signs of her heat cycle,we take a trip to our vet.Bayshore Animal Clinic and Dr.Stuart Rosenburg have been Maggies vet team her whole life.Dr.Rosenburg gives Maggie a complete check-up to make sure she is in tiptop shape for the breeding. The storage facility in Ohio is contacted and Lukes frozen semen (collected in 1987)is shipped to Seagers Canine Semen Bank in Sarasota Florida. |
| The Bayshore staff, Denise, Tenia, Jose, and Samantha. |
| On day 5 of her cycle,Maggie goes for her first blood draw.She will go everyday for the next 9 days to check her Progesterone levels.Once they begin to rise,her LH is tested and the"right time" for breeding is determined. |
| Adrian from our vets office prepares Maggies blood for the lab.He also gets some ready for us to take to Carol Schubert for LH testing. |
| Carol Schubert from Seagers Canine Semen Bank.Her job is critical to determine the exact time for the insemination.Here she is letting Maggies blood samples warm up to test. Carol explains the different ways the frozen semen can be used.We decide to go with the surgical insemination,this should give us the best chance for a pregnancy.Finally on day 9 of testing Carol calls and says the surgery will take place at 4:00 pm Oct.30. |
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| Maggie's favorite vet, Dr.Rosenburg |
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| We arrive at 3:45 to the surgeons office.Dr.Bonda,his tech Stephanie,and Carol are already there preparing for the procedure. |
| Maggie is relaxed and put under for the surgery. |
| Tyji and our daughter Naomi watch as Maggie is prepared. |
| Stephanie shaves and cleans the incision site. Dr.Bonda makes the first incision. |
| Carol starts the "thaw",once thawed it will be checked under the microscope for viability. Carol gives it the thumbs up!She is glad to be the one to thaw it since she preformed the collection on Luke back in 1987."It found its way home"she says. |
| The frozen semen sits in liquid nitrogen,waiting to be thawed. |
| The semen is injected right into the Euterus horns where the eggs lay ready for fertilization. |
| Maggie and Tyji both take some time to recover from the operation. |
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| Insemination complete,Maggie is sutcured closed. |
| October 15,2004 |
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| December 23, Maggie gets her final check-up and xrays. |
| Heads and spines easily visible. 10 puppies confirmed!! |
| At 6:45 am 12/29/04 the first puppy was born. Over the next 10 hours Maggie will deliver 11 beautiful puppies. 7 girls, 4 boys. All with perfect ridges and minimal white markings. |
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| And so my breeding story ends. This has been a wonderful adventure! We could not be more pleased with the puppies. 11 perfect little babes any of who might just walk in their daddy's pawsteps and be the next Best In Show Rhodesian Ridgeback! |
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