On 1st January 2011, exactly as the new year dawned, Laiya gave birth to the first of a litter of five beautiful puppies. i had decided that I was going to keep back one of the puppies from this litter and that puppy is Mischief.

Mischief got named only when she was 3 1/2 mths old. Considering we waited so long and this was the name unanimously given to her by all in the family, it should give you a fair idea of her personality!

It’s been a long time since I have raised a puppy myself and I had forgotten how much fun it can be. Chewed up shoes, tripping over doggie toys, toilet training and everything that goes with it!

Sally was my inspiration to start Windward Kennels and Mischief is my motivation to continue!

Penny along with Winston recently joined the Windward family. Both of them came to me from Judy Walker in the US.

When I asked Judy (Penny’s breeder) about Penny, she just smiled and said she is a clown. I now know exactly what she meant.

Penny has these twinkling eyes with twitchy eyebrows with that look like she is just on the lookout for the next shoe to chew on or like she is just waiting for Mischief to get distracted so she can steal the toy Mischief managed to hide from her for the last ten minutes.

The standard scene when I walk into the room: Penny sitting with this happy, self satisfied look on her face. if you look a little closer you will realise that there is a tail sticking out from under Penny. Look a little closer and you will find that the wriggling tail is attached to a very frustrated Mischief who has been trying to get out from Penny for a while. Penny probably forgot she was even sitting on Mischief!

Penny is the happiest dog I have met in a long time and she just lights up a room with her presence.

Winston and Penny joined the Windward family a few months back. Both of them came to me from Judy Walker in the US.

Winston has a ton of tittles to his names from dog shows across the US and I am very lucky to have him. He and Penny are going to be the forerunners of new and wonderful things to come for my kennel.

Winston is just one of those dogs that you can sit with and pet all day. He has the most beautiful face and eyes of any dog I have seen. One mushy look from those eyes and you will be one more in a line of suckers who would do anything for Winston! He is such a gentle dog and so incredibly affectionate. And for some reason he is has really taken a shine to me. If I am in the room, everyone else might as well just be invisible. He has to sleep with some part of him touching some part of me!

I plan to breed Penny and Winston in the first few months of 2012. This is definitely going to be a litter to watch for.

It has been an interesting few months.

I spent the last three months in the US of A; away from my husband and kids, exploring what I wanted to do with my life. I know I want to work in the veterinary clinical area. But what exactly and how was the question I had to answer. Which I did!

I am going to train myself to be a veterinary technician, a job profile that does not even currently exist in India. By educating myself and working as a vet tech, I hope to be able to create a job profile that people would aspire to and to create a program for others who would like to work as vet techs. Ambitious, huh! But doable. I met some amazing people like Dr. Deborah Barton at the Washington State University who are willing to help me on the crazy journey and are quite excited by the prospect of the whole idea.

I came back to my home to find out that one of my dogs (Nellie) had decided to do a number on us. She was pregnant! So within a week of coming back I was confronted with the whole prospect of labour, delivery and new born puppies to care for! That has been nuts, let me tell you. Within 24 hours of being back it was life at its craziest! Nellie had a pretty bad time. She had to have a caesarean. We did it on an emergency basis cause the puppies were not getting enough oxygen and there was a serious danger to both the mother’s and the puppies’ lives.

The first couple of weeks were critical. 3 of the five puppies have made it so far. That itself is huge considering they were not breathing at birth and we had do some quick medical work to even get them breathing. And then we almost Nellie post anaesthesia. She made it too and is doing great after being on the critical list for a week. I’ve seen some of my toughest times ever and the biggest miracles ever in the last few weeks.

And now, I am waiting to go back to work at the clinic. I took a break to be with the kids during their Dusserah and Diwali holidays. But as I think about all the things I want to do in my life, study, work, teach, I can’t help looking at my kids and wondering at what cost? I think every mother has asked herself this question and come to her own conclusions of what is right for her and her family. And now, I am asking myself the same question.

Both my kids need me in very different ways. My elder daughter, Tapasya is 8 years old. She has very specific needs. Being a hyperactive child, she has attention issues and so needs a lot of help on that front. To help her improve her concentration and ground her she needs to have scheduled, time bound activities. So, I have introduced her to music, dance and art as an outlet and focus tool. Seems to be doing wonders for her.

Arya, on the other hand has a developmental lag. She is 4 years old but has not reached the required milestones. I worry that she might have a learning disability that I haven’t figured out yet. I need to have her evaluated by the right professionals and figure out what she needs to help her.

And now the turmoil that I am going through must be pretty obvious. Everything seems to be falling into place perfectly. I just met someone who can help me with both the kids in understanding their needs and how to help them. I also have a fantastic vet and boss in Dr. Pawan at Cessna Lifeline clinic who is extremely dedicated to providing better and better vet care. He stands firmly behind me in all that I want to do.

The question is, how much can I realistically do? I could decide not to work at the clinic because physically the whole situation is pretty demanding just between both the kids and without the added fact of working at the clinic.

Have you ever had a dream? One that you knew was in your grasp and that was just soooo you? That actually left you wondering why you never thought of it before? Like you felt that your entire life has really been a journey just to get you to this point? That is how I feel about my work. To call it a passion is just not close enough. I am currently reading a book ‘Agony and Ecstasy’. It is a biography of Michelangelo. Every puppy and litter that I nurture, every animal that I nurse at the clinic is like the perfect sculpture to me. It is an expression of me.

I can’t choose between my family and my work. They are both me. I would drift through life without either. That doesn’t really leave much to choose from, does it? I will have to take care of both. I have to be there for my family, my work and somehow find the time to study too. However that may be.

It is going to be a challenge. But I know I am upto it. Once you figure out what you want, the rest of it is just organisation! And that is something I am a master at!

Nellie and Frankie decided to surprise me a few months back (10th October 2011). Have to say it was a wonderful surprise! Three beautiful male puppies, all doing great. All three have wonderful personalities. With Nellie and Frankie as parents they really can’t go wrong!

Interested in picking up a puppy from this litter ? Contact me before its too late

]]> http://www.windward.in/?feed=rss2&p=1018 0 http://www.windward.in/?p=671 http://www.windward.in/?p=671#comments Fri, 03 Jun 2011 02:30:06 +0000 preeti http://www.windward.in/?p=671

This is for you, Boss, wherever you may be.

Boss. My 11 ½ year old smooth haired dachshund who died on Dec 10th 2010. I write this blog for you and hope that there are people in this world who don’t turn away from a dog that needs a home because he is too old and think that he may not be able to adjust. You could have shown them just how wrong they are.

Everyone wants a puppy. And that is great. But never lose sight of the fact that there are many older dogs out there that need homes. Who need people who will love them and they can love back.

I hear people say all the times that they want ‘young’ dogs because they are worried about how an older dog will adjust. And a lot of us have this preset notion that older dogs cannot be trained. And of course the one that clinches the deal – the dog does not have that much longer to live.

A case in point: I adopted a nine year old smooth hair dachshund, Boss. And he was the one who really taught me that age does not matter.

Firstly, he was a much easier dog to handle since I did not have to chase him around the place trying to safeguard my possessions like I would have to with a puppy.

Secondly, he was already trained in many aspects like basic commands, toilet training, walking on a leash, socialized and so much more. Adding on stuff to his training was so easy cause he already had a basic level of understanding and all we had to do was build on it.

Thirdly, it isn’t the number of years you get to spend with the dog that count. But the way you spend them. Six ‘happy’ months are better than 5 ‘maybe’ years. I got two years with Boss and I treasure every moment I had with him.

Older dogs have so much to give. So take the plunge, be one of the brave ones and become the owner of an older dog. You won’t regret it.

Boss.

You have been a revelation to me. You came to me 2 years back as a 9 year old dog. I wondered then how you would adjust to being in a new home at your age. I remember spending days sitting by your side cause I would find you sitting by yourself and I was so worried about you. You looked so alone.

And then one day I woke up to find you in the middle of all the dogs, tail wagging and looking like you had lived here your whole life! That was the day I finally breathed easy. I had hoped to at least be able to provide you with a place to live out the rest of your days in peace and comfort. But that day I knew I could do more for you than just that.

You were amazing. I used to love to look out the window and just watch you. You were just so beautiful. I would watch you stretched out in the sun, Khushboo on one side and Nellie licking away at your face while you made a valiant effort to ignore her and still get in your morning nap. And I couldn’t help but smile. Boo and Nellie will miss you as much as I will.

I never expected to fall in love with you.

This is how I will always remember you – sleeping in the sun, with Boo by your side, with just a little bit of your tongue sticking out, happy and content.

Goodbye Boss.

Feb 2011 – 4 to 8 weeks

Food!

I tried some of the food my Mom eats! Delicious! It was a piece of chicken. Sucked on it for quite a while. Lovely!

I think I prefer the meat to Mom now. Tastes good and makes me feel nice and full and happy. I still like to suckle on Mom but mostly when I am sleepy or tired. It is comforting.

Outdoors

Wow! What is this place! All this green stuff around me. What is this slippery stuff under my feet? Sand? Mom! Where are you! What is going on!

It all turned out ok. Seems it is a puppy pen where Mom us spend a few hours every day. I can see many other dogs on the other side of the fence. Maybe I will get to meet them sometime. I love this place! So much place to run around. I can really stretch my legs now! *

* Not just stretch their legs. Let’s not forget how much fun it can be to roll in the sand. Of course, tasting is part of the fun, right? And did you know it is soooo easy to dig holes in!

Meeting the others

Arya and Tapasya come to play with us all the time now. I love nibbling on their toes! And Arya keeps throwing stuff for me to chase after.  My human Mom brought the other dogs to our pen to meet us. They seem quite nice. Some of them were a little crabby but my Grandmom, Isabelle, is really cool! She played and played with us! I really like her! Simba Uncle is good fun too! Especially the little thing on his belly? It is great fun to pull it and watch Simba Uncle jump!*

* Poor Simba Uncle! The little thing on his belly is of course, his ‘wee wee’. The puppies just tormented him! I had to keep rescuing him from them. But sucker that he is, he would promptly want to go back and play with them!

To be contd…

I am almost five and a half months old now. These first few months of my life have been quite eventful and sometimes confusing. But things do seem to be falling into some kind of pattern now.

This is my record of my life.

Mischief Diaries: Jan 2011 – The First Month

Birth

I was born early in the morning on 1st January 2011. My Mum (Laiya) was in labor for almost 6 hours with my brothers and sisters and me. I have two sisters and two brothers. Five of us in the litter! It was so comforting to smell and cuddle up to my Mum and siblings. You know, being born is a tiring and traumatic experience! I had to wait until Mom broke the sack and licked my nose clean before I could breathe! Believe me the waiting was scary! Then I screamed my head off until Mom fed me and cleaned me up all over.

We were quite big so Mom was quite tired after the delivery. We all cuddled up together and slept for a few hours. It was all quite confusing. Everything was different and new.*

* While the puppies and new Momma slept, I didn’t get much sleep as I sat and watched over them. It is a good thing I have a lot of experience on how to manage without any sleep for days on end (advertising job, web job, two kids…)

The First Few Weeks

I love my Mom! She is so amazing. She feeds us, cleans us and doesn’t leave us alone for a second! And believe me I have some really bratty siblings! She is so patient with us. My eyes opened a few days back and now I can see the world around me so much more clearly! *

There is this strange looking creature my Mom seems to be very fond of. She wags her tail and licks her whenever she comes and sits with us. She picks us up and holds us to her neck. I think I like her! She smells nice. Mom seems to be fine with it so I guess she is ok.

* I just love this part of their lives. Once they start to recognize you they just snuggle up to your neck when you pick them up! Simply, utterly adorable!

On my Feet!

I made it! Got on all fours today and didn’t fall over! Hah! Then one of my brothers walked into me and I lost my balance!

This is fun! Life is so much more interesting now. I can jump on my littermates and we have so much fun playing now! It is good fun to pull their tails and their ears! *

I think I have figured out who the funny looking creature is. She takes care of my Mom and all of us. I guess she is like my human Mom. It is nice having two Moms. They both play with us and clean us up. My human Mom brings these toys for us to play with. Quite cool!

* And this is when you realize just what hooligans those cute little itty bitty puppies are! They seem to forget how to let go once they latch on to one another’s tail or ear. The number of times I charged to the pen thinking that something was wrong only to figure out someone was making his/her irritation felt at the loudest possible volume!

To be contd…

Today was one my worst ever days at Cessna Lifeline Veterinary Hospital where I work as a volunteer.

Every day I see so many young and old dogs that come into the clinic with all kinds of problems. Often enough I see so many that don’t make it. I deal with that. I accept that as a part of life. Infections, diseases, injuries are a part of life. But today…

A gentleman came in with his 54-day pregnant mastiff. She had a bacterial infection. An ultrasound showed that some of the puppies were dead and needed to be removed immediately as they would pose a risk to her life. We immediately went in for a caesarian. I assisted in the surgery.

She had over eight puppies. All the puppies on one side were dead. (Dogs have two horns extending from the uterus and the puppies are incubated in these horns.) All the puppies in the other horn were alive. We delivered them.

54 days old. The pituitary gland is not yet developed. Which means that they don’t have the ability to control body temperature. 58 days is normally the bare minimum to ensure puppy survival. Caesarian. Which means that they will have to be hand raised as the mother is not going to be up to taking care of them. She might even reject them not realizing that they are her puppies, as she did not go through the labor. During the process of labor, oxytocin is released in the bloodstream which induces contractions, starts the process of milk production and the ‘maternal, protective’ feelings in the mother. Besides the sheer process of the mother breaking the sack, cleaning the puppy is all part of the process the mother needs for her to be able to associate with her puppies and want to care for them.

The puppies were not breathing well when they were delivered. Within an hour two died. Three were still alive at the point the owner took them home. I don’t put their chances at having survived beyond another hour or two.

At a time like this, not only does the mother require serious care and attention but also the puppies need a phenomenal amount of looking after. You have to be the mother in every way. Feeding them with a dropper every two hours, ensuring that they are kept warm as they cannot regulate body temperature themselves, assist their urinary and digestive to function by rubbing their bellies with warm cotton (puppies cannot pee or poop on their own. As the mother cleans them, she licks their tummies and this stimulates the process.) Moreover, this needs to be done pretty much every hour. Besides all this, they are prone to develop gas as they are being hand fed. And you have to maintain extreme hygiene as they are prone to infections. I’ve been there. A number of times. I live in eternal fear of my dogs having to have a caesarian.

The owner today had no clue what to do. He did not even know that he would need to clean the puppies every hour or how or what to feed them. He knew nothing about caring for puppies at all.

Today did NOT need to happen.

Tell me. Why would any sane pet owner want to put his pet and himself through this trauma? Those puppies did need to be born. Having brought them into this world you have a responsibility to them. If you do not know enough to care for them, how will you fulfill that responsibility? Do those lives mean so little? As a breeder who has been doing this for almost ten years now this would have been a difficult situation even for me to handle. An inexperienced pet owner! Not a chance!

Today, I just stood there looking at those puppies and all I could think of was ‘WHY?’ This need not have happened.

There is so much that goes into mother and puppy care. Not just the pregnancy, delivery and infant care. But even after that. Raising the puppies well. Teaching them social skills. Vaccinating and deworming them at the right times. Ensuring that find the right owners at the right times. Why do people forget all these things when they say, “ooh, I just want her to experience motherhood!’

You may want your dog to experience the pains of motherhood but have you forgotten those little puppies? What about your responsibility to them?

It is not as easy as you think it is. It is not as simple as cross your dog and she will take care of everything from delivery to the puppies. So many times things do not go as planned. The mother does not know how to care for the puppies and has to be encouraged to do so. She does not have enough milk and the puppies have to be hand fed. Puppies develop gas. Puppies die for no apparent reason. And then the whole process of trying to find the right homes for them. There are so many things that can and do go wrong. And as a pet owner you are NOT equipped to deal with these things.

So please. Do your pet and me a huge favor. Spay your dog. Enjoy her. Love her, play with her. Don’t put her in a situation that you will not be able to help her deal with.

Photo Credit: Belfast Telegraph

How do you deal with losing the light of your life? The little bundle of joy that you brought home. That you looked after, raised and loved. That was a part of every moment of your life for so long.

I don’t think you do. And that is probably how you deal with it. By not dealing with it.

I know. Sounds silly. Just WHAT am I talking about?! What I mean is – don’t try to find a way to make it ok. Allow yourself to grieve. Grieving is important. Don’t try to ignore it and move on with your life. Grieve in any way you know how. Some people cry, some go for long walks, some watch mindless TV.

But please remember what you are grieving for. You are grieving for the life that is no longer with you. For the fact that you will miss the pitter patter of little feet that would greet you when you walked through the door every day. You are grieving for the life that you will miss. You are grieving for yourself. For the silence that you have to now deal with.

One of the things that we as doggie people tend to forget is that our dogs will never live as long as us. It is one of those things that we choose not to think about. But it will happen. The day will come when you have to let go. And it is a shocker when it does come. Sometimes sooner than expected. And it does not always come the way we expect or hope. Losing your dog to an illness can be quite a traumatic experience.

I have been there. Too many times. As someone who has thirteen dogs (now. Lost Rufee, Gina, Gypsy, Sheba, Scarlet, Jeanne, Emily, Chinu, Tiger, Tasha, Sweety, Boss and Laiya over the years) I have had to deal with the morbid specter of death many a time. Some lived to old age, some didn’t. Some went easy, others didn’t. And as a breeder I have had to deal with the tragedy of losing little puppies that should have got a fair shot at life.

Some pointers to help deal with it:

• Don’t try to forget. Remember. But remember the good things. Let go the bad. Try to remember the life that lived. Not the death it had.
• Grieve. But don’t lose yourself in the grief. Keep yourself busy. Like I said, cut vegetables, watch movies, go for walks, clean your house. And take my word for it – in a few days you will be able to let go the bad stuff and focus on the good memories.
• Open a new chapter in your life. I always recommend getting a puppy and starting over. Remember that you are not trying to replace the one you lost but starting over.
• Don’t name the puppy the same name as the one you lost. Start afresh. A new name, a new life to enjoy and a whole new set of experiences to go though.
• And don’t blame yourself. Let go the guilt that maybe you could have done more. Maybe things could have been different. It isn’t your fault. It was what was meant to happen.

I like to think that all my dogs and all my puppies that are no longer with me still watch over me. I live for the joy and experiences that each new life brings. For the love that each will give me and I will give them. And I choose to discard the pain of each loss.

As I write this, I think of all that I have lost. But then I remind myself of all that I gained. I am crying. But through the tears there is a smile as I remember Sheba tearing up my appointment letter for my first job. Gypsy chewing up all the toothbrushes. Scarlet crawling into my lap when thunder and lightning struck. Tiger trying to perpetually chew up my earring (while on my ear, if you please!). Emily sitting at the top of the stairs and scolding me because she wants to sleep and I am not coming to bed! Rufee watching over me while I slept the sleep of a child.

Ask me if I would change a moment of it. And I would tell you – NO. Each one of them has enriched my life in unimaginable ways. And I thank the lord that I was given the opportunity to share in theirs.

We all know about human blood banks and the need to donate blood, right? So, how come when it comes to our pets we forget that the same is required for them too?

While this is something that all of us as educated individuals are aware of I don’t think it has ever occurred to really think about it and do something about it.

There have been a number of times in the last few months working at Cessna Lifeline that we had patients come in with an urgent need for a blood transfusion. And each time we have made a flurry of calls to pet owner after pet owner practically begging them to let us use their dog as a blood donor!

Unfortunately when we call owners with possible donor dogs very often people say no. The standard responses are ‘My dog will fall sick’ and ‘I am not comfortable with it’. Again as educated individuals I do believe it is high time we got past our prejudices and fears and lent a helping hand! I always wonder what these very same owners would do if it was their dog lying on the table in desperate need of a blood transfusion?

Facts:

• Blood donation is not going to cause any illness in your pet!
• Blood donation is not going to cause your pet to become too weak to do anything! (Vets are experienced professionals who are obviously going to take only as much blood as is appropriate for the dog based on his weight, age, etc.
• Blood donation WILL SAVE A LIFE!

With a view to increase awareness of blood donation, at Cessna Lifeline we have created a donor program. The program entitles details the requirements for a dog or cat to become a donor and entitles them to certain benefits at the clinic.

Me and my dog are proud members of the Cessna Lifeline Blood Donation Program!

It is time you became a member too. Call me and I will sign you up for the program NOW!

Having said many times just how important socialization of your puppy is, I guess it is time for me to put my money where my mouth is and share a bit of info on ‘what is socialization’.

The first few months of a pup’s life are a defining time in his life. The behavior and habits that he learns at this time will stay with him for ever. While some of these can be changed or worked on at later stages it requires serious effort and time. So why go there. Let’s just ensure that in the first year of the puppy’s life we put in as much effort as possible to ensure that he has the ‘right’ attitudes and habits that will stand him in good stead for the rest of his life.

Socialization is really quite simple. It is just about ensuring that your puppy gets as much exposure as possible. Exposure to other dogs, different kinds of people (kids, older people, people scared of dogs, overly affectionate people, you get the drift!), different sounds, places, etc.

The catch in socialization is to ensure that it is done in a way that is pleasurable to the dog. So either accompanied by treats or anything that is fun for the puppy. For e.g. maybe you could play ball with the vacuum cleaner running in the background. The puppy gets desensitized to the loud sound.

Once your puppy has settled into your home start by introducing him to different sounds – different types of music, TV, vacuum cleaner, hair driers and the like. You can even make sudden loud sounds like a loud clap out of the blue. This will help you when you want to desensitize him to Diwali cracker noises. Crackers can be quite a pain for us in India. Any festival or cricket match seems to be accompanied by crackers!

Introduction to other dogs is extremely important. Firstly they are canines. And the best play mates for them are other canines. If your dog is not good with other dogs he is going to miss out on some seriously fun stuff in life. Secondly, there are always likely to be times when your dog is going to come into contact with other dogs. Maybe at the vet, on his walks or at a boarding kennel when you have to travel. If he is uncomfortable around dogs all these situations are just going to be more stressful for him and therefore for you. Start introducing your puppy to other dogs as soon as he is done with his vaccinations. As puppies these interactions are playful and fun filled for the puppies. And that will stay with him forever.

Dogs that are well socialized are also able to adapt to changes in their environment without getting stressed. They are more able to take things in their stride.

Remember though. Having socialized your dog as a puppy, keep those lessons active throughout his life. So socializing him as puppy and never introducing him to a dog again is not good enough. Unless it is something that is a part of his regular life he is going to forget these lessons.

I could go on forever on this topic. But don’t worry, I won’t!

It is always a good idea to speak to an expert in this regard. They can give you advice best suited to your breed of puppy and your set of circumstances. A lot of the times socialization is more about advising the owner rather that the dog!

But a well socialized dog is an absolute joy. Easy to handle, stress free and peaceful. One couldn’t ask for more.