CKC/AKC Black Pigeon's Calm Winter Storm OIM (Only in Myths)
Aspen
Aspen
Aspen
Aspen is just a companion now, having been spayed on December 2, 2022, and will NOT ever be bred for she has been found to have a Heart Murmur and Inherited Heart Disease (DCM and MMVD) while doing her OFA Health Testing.
Aspen
Aspen
This is why health testing is soooo important. Aspen shows NO signs at all of having heart disease and if not had the testing done, would not have known to cut her from the program as this is a genetic disease. And an absolutely DEVESTATING one at that!!!!
Aspen
Aspen came from health tested parents who both had been cleared through health testing including on their hearts. However, genetics do not just take traits from both the parents but from any relative on either side from the last 10 generations and the breeder has no say or control which trait is chosen by which developing puppy.
Aspen is all kinds of crazy. She is a puppy that is always on the move, with places to be and things to chew up. She is a very sweet girl; the classic reason Great Danes are called a "velcro breed". She has to be on my lap and in my soul. I love this crazy pup. Aspen loves to wrestle and her favourite to wrestle with is Nakomi as she also loves to wrestle.
Aspen is a bit too much for Ekho's taste. Aspen Aspen is all kinds of crazy. She is a puppy that is always on the move, with places to be and things to chew up. She is a very sweet girl; the classic reason Great Danes are called a "velcro breed". She has to be on my lap and in my soul. I love this crazy pup. Aspen loves to wrestle and her favourite to wrestle with is Nakomi as she also loves to wrestle. Aspen is a bit too much for Ekho's taste.
Aspen managed to catch a wild rabbit which is not something I would have believed if I had not seen it myself.
BP's Sweet but Psycho
Ekho
Ekho
Ekho
Ekho, the runner. Ekho lives to run! It is her favourite thing to do in the whole wide world! She is a sweet dog, but she has never been a "have to be apart of your soul" dog. She will cuddle but only on her terms and not for a long time either. Sweet but independent.
Ekho
Ekho
She is aloof of strangers and has proven to be a bit of a guard dog, protecting her home and those that she loves as well. When at the park, Ekho prefers to be admired from a far but unless you are in her circle of trust, you are no touchy.
Ekho
Ekho, although is a tough girl, she is very sensitive to those that mean the world to her and is just devastated when someone she loves is upset with her. She is a very dramatic girl when it comes to getting in trouble.
Her moments of affection are often although it is not the kind of gestures you would think. She is very subtle and only someone that knows her would know what she is doing and how she shows her love to those that mean the world to her.
Ehko is a very good mother. She is extremely gentle around her babies and moves with such calculated steps, she has not stepped on any of her puppies by mistake. She is thoughtful and very precise. Ekho dotes her time onto her puppies and spends most of her time with them including eating in the whelping box with them.
They all eat as a family and it is really cute to see. She does not mind even when any of the babies help themselves to a nibble of her dinner and she will happily eat her food with the baby. It is quite cute to see.
BP's Baby Dinosaur
Nakomi
Nakomi
Nakomi
Ahh yes, our Baby Dinosaur. She is a love bug through and through. The old soul, something she showed right from day one! Nakomi was never supposed to stay. She was supposed to find the perfect family and leave the nest with her siblings....she clearly had other plans! Nakomi would not tolerate anyone holding her as puppy.
Nakomi
Nakomi
She would sit between my feet or behind my feet and not let anyone pet her, such a determined baby. So, I would pick her up and hand her to someone...….that was a mistake, as she would scream and squirm and cause all kinds of tantrums! It was quite the event I tell you so they would quickly hand her back. And wouldn't you know she would fall promptly asleep cuddled in my arms.
Nakomi
Everyone that went through the terror of trying to hold her and meet her would all comment how it seemed I was keeping her and I gave the same answer each time. NOPE. Well, clearly she got the last laugh....because she has stayed with me and now she is never allowed to leave me. And yes, I do tell her this every single day!
Nakomi is the lover for sure! She was a little shy of strange men when she was younger but she has decided that people are great and now will happily lean up against someone to give her love and pets! She is still my old soul baby dinosaur. She got the Baby Dinosaur title at the park. Every time I took her there, everyone that commented on her looks, would say she looked like a Baby Dinosaur and so of course it just stuck!
Nakomi was an amazing mom and just loved being a mom. Everything about it was her favourite! She was so very gentle with her babies and protective of them but not to the point of it being a potential problem. She tended to her babies up until they were 6 weeks old and was still letting them nurse from her. I had to step in and have her weaned from them so she could dry up her milk and not have to worry about the many potential problems with her still having milk and the puppies being weaned.
She sadly had to be retired from our program sooner than planned and has since been spayed. She now just gets to enjoy the couch and adventures we all go on. Nakomi has stayed with me for her retirement and as stated above, she is never allowed to leave me.
BP's Asia Girl
Asia
Asia
Asia
Asia had two litters. Her fist litter was when she was 2.5 years old as she just wasn't showing signs of mental maturity when she was 2 so I decided to wait. At 2.5, she matured beautifully but that didn't have the effect on her as a mother that i had hoped for. Asia was a good mom in the sense that she looked after her babies.... for as long as she physically had to but once their teeth started coming in at 2.5 - 3 weeks old, she decided she was done, and her motherly duties were over. So, once those puppies turned 3 weeks old, she fed them milk for the last time and then she closed the milk bar. (Most mothers will nurse their puppies up until 6 weeks old, generally once a day. Just to give you some perspective.) It is not uncommon for a first-time mom to not have her motherly instinct kick in with the first litter, so we try again in hopes that will give it a kick start and she will improve as a mom......ya, no.
Asia
Asia
She was worse the second time around. She stopped nursing the puppies at 2-2.5 weeks old. This is not ideal and not a mother you want to keep trying as the next step is generally her having nothing at all to do with the puppies once they are born and then that care falls on you.... giving them milk every 2 to 3 hours. So, with that knowledge, Asia was retired and placed in a home as an only pet. She wanted all the attention on her and wanted nothing to do with other dogs, especially puppies, or other pets. She has slowed down in her Golden years, however she is a big fan of going on strolls with her dad and relaxing on the couch watching movies and just living her best life. The Queen that she is.
Asia
Not all dogs should be parents and that is ok. It is up to the breeder to know what to look for to do what is best for their dogs and that is either they stay with the breeder when they are retired or be placed in a more appropriate home which is what was needed for Asia. She is in a home with only her dad, as she isn't a fan of children due to lack of exposure, and all of his attention and doting is all on her and we could not be more happy for her.