Pups Martina 2008

Puppies from Elbe-Urstromtal

Having a litter means, having lots of work. Two litters at the same time is stress. Sometimes, it is inevitable. To breed with 2 different breeds is not always simple. Normally we have two litters of Bobtails and 2 of Bearded Collies per year. However, sometimes things (nature) do not go as planned and don’t we have a litter in 1,5 years, while on other moments they come very shortly after eachother.

Almost 99% of our puppies go abroad. Only 1% remains in Belgium. We somtimes have litters, which are divided over all of Europe. Therefore we never have come togethers with our puppybuyers. How should we, as all of them have to come from far?
This doesn’t mean that there is no contact. On a regular basis puppybuyers are informed via e-mail and during Christmas we receive lots of beautiful cards and photos of the dogs and can we see, how each and everyone of them is doing.

Now and again I am thinking a lot about the fact: “How long do I want to continue with this?” For the Bobtails counts 2021, as my kennel is than 50 years of age and if I would continue until 2023, it is even 50 years ago since I had my first litter. All depends on how I feel and my health. Our breed requires a lot of work and having had between 6 to 10 dogs for fourty years, the bones have done their work due to the brushing and combing.
For the Beardies it could take a little while longer, although in 2018 it is also 30 years ago that I started………..

Food

People are asking why I am giving raw meat of fish. Purely and simple, the dog is a meateater. All this dryfood has a big influence on our dogs health and it is not easy at all to find a dryfood which is acceptable. I have one, we feed WIKLDBORN . After my friend Lenka has changed her dogs to BARFEN, I started as well to think more about my system of feeding. I will not change totally to BARFEN, but I have changed a lot. Fresh different meat for 3 days a week and the other 4 days the dogs eating dryfook from WILDBORN. For the puppies and the adults it is a real joy to get fresh meat like half a chicken and yes with bones or even a fresh fish. They also like Cottage cheese or an egg, fresh vegetables or fruit. Sometime I just cook a boullion and mix it with veggies. This goes later on top of the dryfood.

What's a puppy?

It is that thing, that, on different times of the day, nibbles on, new shoes, new socks, gloves, house shoes, mother in law’s most beautiful hat, the children’s teddybears, the older dogs, corners of the carpet, new foodtrays and sometimes, when there is nothing else to find, his own bones.

That THING finds holes in a garden-fence that has cost a fortune on work and money. Also, it can spend hours in free nature and than just in time goes into the house to make water on the carpet.

When everybody is finished and dressed up to go out, one of course is missing! If we are in a hurry, because we have to leave, who has a dirty bottom and needs to be cleaned? I think I don’t have to give you the answer! Who is growing so fast, that we forget how long the legs have become, but we still place a homemade cake on the table to cool of? Who is hiding when we enter and find an empty cakeform with eaten bakingpaper? Who, is sick shortly after and has a stomache ache?

Who finally is the fool that bought this THING, that, whatever may happen keeps us fresh and fruity and show us what a wonderful bobtailpuppy he is? And so he is… Really!

Ann Davis, from the Yearbook for Old English Sheepdogs 1968