So, on January 5th Rushell, Chloe and I headed to Princeton Massachusetts for a play date with Quinn of JRS Goldens. JRS Goldens is the home of Logan, Chloe's beautiful daddy. Quinn was pre-chosen as Chloe's mate for a reason, if plan A didn't "play"out, breeder Rhea of JRS Goldens was knowledgeable and capable of artificial insemination. Things started out promising, Chloe and Quinn definitely were interested in each other, but despite Quinn's persistence Chloe lost interest and before we knew it Quinn was tossing himself into a snowbank to cool off. It soon became obvious that plan B would need to be played.
so, I got to hang around upstairs while Rushell, Rhea, Chloe and Quinn headed into the "breeding room"...and really when it comes right down to it...I was pretty happy upstairs :)
I was told everything went well and we headed home. Rhea recommended we bring Chloe back in a couple of days so that she could once again try to breed naturally, and if needed have another round of artificial insemination. Indeed, that is the exact order it went down in.
The rest of January was a bit uneventful...and even most of February...but at some point around mid February Chloe became sick...both with vomit and diarrhea. Could it be morning sickness? Indeed...yes it's possible. Plus, I would say Chloe was a bit needier...and naughtier. She would get into the office trashcan and shred stuff. She was grabbing wood from the wood pile and chewing on it...and her desire to go outside to potty was increased. We suspected the artificial insemination had worked...but it was really only two weeks before her due date that our suspicions were confirmed. She sat funny, she laid down differently, and her nipples began to grow boobs. :)
Puppies have a 60 day gestation period, so judging from the artificial insemination we knew her due date would be around March 6th to March 8th. Chloe left for the breeders on Thursday morning March 6th. I had requested that Rushell really allow me to take an active role in this delivery. Also, I wanted to document it. Rushell called early Friday morning. Chloe was showing signs of labor. In summary, I spent the day Friday, the night Friday, and the day Saturday with Chloe. Once real labor kicked in, things started to move pretty quickly. By 1:30 Saturday afternoon Chloe was having her first puppy.
If you are able to see the video above you can see that Chloe was still having contractions. Chloe had three puppies all within an hour, but it was obvious she had at least one more to go. Both Rushell and Rhea are very experienced, and as the hours progressed the thoughts that Chloe would have a stillborn were evident. I stayed with Chloe until 6:30 pm, but at that point I was exhausted and just wanted to go home to be with my family...it had been a long and emotional 36 hours. Rushell assured me that she would get Chloe up and moving to see if she could deliver whatever else was still there causing contractions.
Having puppies is like a grab bag, you have no idea how many you will have. We all had put in our "bids" on how many we thought she was having. Chloe had not put on a ton of weight, and she actually looked very good for an expecting Mom. I had guessed 4. Was it Mother's intuition?
As I went to bed Saturday night, Chloe was very much in my thoughts. We had three beautiful puppies...but obviously something was not right and I was just a little worried. I moved my clock ahead, because it was "Spring ahead" daylight savings night and tried to settle into sleep...with my cellphone tucked closely by my head.
3:15 am Rushell texts me to say she is bringing Chloe to the vet. Although Chloe was not in distress, her contractions had continued and it was obvious things were not quite right and Rushell just didn't want to take any chances with Chloe's health. I asked if I can go with her. Yes. (thank-you thank-you Rushell!)
After a 45 minute drive we arrive. We get Chloe settled inside the vets...and Chloe immediately jumps up and delivers a stillborn. Her instincts kick in and she begins to do what comes naturally. My heart skips a beat. Does Chloe understand? (Did you notice that stuffed dog Chloe has in some of the photos? I can't help but wonder?)
Other than that little wonder about the stuffed dog, I'm happy to say that I am so very very grateful that Chloe delivered that stillborn on her own, without any complications...it just took a bit of time and a long car drive in the middle of the night. I'm grateful that Rushell made that decision to help Chloe out and I'm grateful that she let me come along and be a part of it. Another first for me...talk about losing an hour springing ahead!
The selection of photos below begin with three days old, up to two weeks old. The puppies have just now begun to open their eyes! I am so very fortunate to be able to share this precious journey with all of you!
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