Blaze's surgery

I've been spending a little extra time with Blaze as we take her in to be spayed Monday morning.  I can't help but think what could have been, but obviously it wasn't meant for her to have puppies.  We always thought it was in the cards ever since she came back to us.  It's a little sad to lose a dream.

For six years we left the option open for Blaze to have puppies and it was a difficult choice.  Twice a year we went through the heat cycles, which actually follow a year round pattern.  There is a constant flow that follows up and down that the whole pack moved by, especially Brut.  I wonder if he will notice the when that cycle doesn't start up.  When Blaze would go into heat the flow and rhythm would escalate in frantic proportions.  There is part of me that will miss the love that flows when a female was in heat, but I won't miss the whining and pacing of Brut and his heighten aggression.  The drive and strength to reproduce is awesome and powerful and something we never took lightly.  It has been an awesome and beautiful experience to learn and grow from.
  
After Blaze's procedure it will be the first time in 10 years, since getting Silver, that we won't have an intact female in our house.  And now that the decision has been made and we are going to follow through with it, there is relief, peace of mind and some sadness.  We know we are doing the right thing and that is a good feeling.   

I don't know what the future holds, but for now it means the 24 Paws of Love will be just that, 24 Paws of Love.  

Please say a prayer and send your good thoughts for Blaze and us and she has her surgery tomorrow morning.

Thank you and God bless. 

Back Dog/Front Dog Observations

For new readers we have two packs of dogs, the Front pack and the Back pack.  The Front Dogs consist of Chance and Blaze.  The Back Dogs are Brut, Silver, Fiona and Zappa.  We separated them when Chance and Blaze were returned to us (two pups from Brut and  Silver's litter) as the Back Dogs wouldn't accept them into their pack.  You can read more on the Two Packs HERE.

I had a little incident with Brut.  It was totally my fault and don't worry, nobody even made contact with each other.  It was over food (of course) and I watched how leery Brut got when I got the treats out.  He became so edgy and ready to strike which got me thinking later how the Front Dogs (Chance and Blaze) give me an opportunity to see what life is like without a dominant leader hovering over their every presence.  While there is only two of them, male and female, they are the leaders of their pack I don't know how they would act with a third or fourth dog 'underneath' them.

 

Between the Front Dogs there is only a slice of food aggression.  It does happen on occasion that there is a fight, but it is very rare.  Maybe once a year.  Chance has been known to push Blaze's buttons many a time during play and again on a rare occasion he pushes too far. 

Since they are only two dogs and only have each other, I really wonder how they would act with another dog added to their pack once they got past the accepting stage.  I don't know.  Hard to answer. 

Because one thing the Front Dogs don't have is Brut.  They don't have him controlling them to keep in his line.  Chance and Blaze don't have to worry or watch every step they make, like the Back Dogs.  The Front Dogs are constantly able to come and go with each other, with only each other to answer to.  They essentially have more freedom and less demand, which I think gives them their playfulness with each other.  Chance and Blaze are nothing short of playing chase games and bantering with each other.  While the Back Dogs under Brut's guise are more conservative and reserved.  It is like all the stars have to be aligned to have a game of chase.  Or maybe they have just grown out of it.  Or maybe there is something else I don't know going on.  Since I never had more than three dogs at a time, I've never experienced such a degree of pack mentality like I do with the Back Dogs.  It blows my mind sometimes how the Back Dogs can be so relaxed just exploring the backyard or sit and listening to the sounds.  There is an air of experience among them and in many ways they have outgrown the Front Dogs mentally.  It's something I can't really explain, there's just something different that is collective as they have learned to work together under Brut's throne.  Like pulling all the directions of the wind together and upwards.  Powerful.

One of the best things that happened was when the tarps blew down on the double fence that was blocking the two sets of dogs.  My biggest concern was when Blaze went into heat this past summer.  I was afraid there would be more fighting between the boys and there wasn't.  In fact it went almost unnoticed.  Which has help to create a bond between the two packs on a more physical level, seeing each other and interacting together.  When Chance and Blaze were playing one time in front of the fence, I saw Fiona do a playbow to them!  It was so cool.  This past year there has been less threatening barks and more of excitement, play and curiosity.  They have never howled outside, but it would be such a joy to see if that ever happened.

Slowly we are moving along and moving together.  And while I didn't plan it that way, nor did I think we were going to move along so slowly, I wouldn't have it any other way.  Each step is a step closer to something I'm still not sure will ever really happen.  Merging the two packs.  And even as I say that, I still see signs of hope that it will.  One paw at time, things will happen in their own time the way they were meant to be.  And that is just right with me.

Blaze and this round of False Pregnancy

Ever since Blaze came back and we discovered she was the only girl out of the litter who could have puppies, we knew that we wanted to breed her.  We like the make and model of our dogs and wanted to carry on the 24 Paws of Love line.  And hopefully create a sled team with the litter.  But after the false pregnancy that Blaze is going through, I'm beginning to think twice.

A false pregnancy is when after the heat (ovulation) is over, the body and mind act like their is a pregnancy even when there isn't one.   It can be psychologically difficult on females depending on the severity of symptoms.  Physically females can have large and swollen teats, sometimes so much that they produce milk.  Physiologically the dogs believe they are pregnant and may eat little or not at all, begin nesting behaviors and horde toys with a sense that these are their puppies.  They may also become depressed, lack energy, become moody and some may go the extreme of becoming aggressive   It is still up for debate whether false pregnancies are hereditary or if they are a natural part of the cycle of a female dog and some don't even believe it exist.

Blaze goes into heat twice and year and follows with a false pregnancy that last about as long as a normal gestation period of about nine weeks.  Her mood will become low and depressed like.  She will also become more affectionate and clinging during this time as though she would rather cuddle than go out to play.  And in the last few weeks of those nine weeks, she has a toy or two that she casually carries, guards and keeps around.  She has no problem leaving the toy inside or out and doesn't need to keep it close while she she plays, eat and does her business.  Her mood begins to lighten during this time period and she is a happy girl pretending to be a mom as the last of her symptoms will finally lift.