Here is the story of the ARDISTAN kids (my first litter) as written in my Journal and saved e-mail messages....

Preamble...
Fraser (BISS Am/Can Ch Waterstone Meandering Fraser TT) and I (Frank van Doorn, B.A., B.Ed. 6 times National Sprint Champion - not to be outdone by his dog) went to the 2000 Mal-lenium Specialty in Halifax. We crashed at Kathleen Corkum's home for the weekend and as I was to take Moe (Ch Edgemere's Heart Of The Moment) home on our return trip, I took some time to get to know her. It was tough, as there was so much going on that any time we did have was very brief indeed and Moe too excited by all the hustle and bustle to pay much attention to me. Fraser and I had a great time, though, and he did well coming off with a BOS at the Specialty. At the end of our stay we picked up Moe from Kathleen and headed for home. At the airport we found out that Air Canada had fibbed and that there was not enough room for both dogs despite the prepaid ticket. I recalled Kathleen, Ron Pohl and Laurie Newburn, who all had just dropped me off, to return to the airport. I nearly missed the plane as I refused to leave Moe alone, in her crate, outside the airport and waited for her to be properly picked up. The flight attendent was quite upset at me as the plane was delayed for a good ten minutes; needless to say I didn't give a damn. In any case, Air Canada must have felt guilty for their mess up to have waited that long for me! So, Frase and I went home sans Moe. I was not happy.

Ron took Moe the next day and flew to Edmonton and then drove on to his home, but as I was already back in my classroom I could not go get her until the following weekend. Sure was good of him to take her for me though, as at least she was somewhat close to home. The following day I came home from school and there was Moe in my back yard! Sandy Logan had driven up to Ron's and had fetched her down for me. That Sandy, what a sweetheart! So, already, many people in my "new life" have shown me great kindnesses - Kathleen (words can't say enough), Ron (although still limping badly from his recent accident, Johnny on the spot to help), Laurie (quick with kindness, a hug and a smile) and Sandy (a kinder heart I challenge you to find anywhere).

Not two weeks later Moe was in standing heat. Fraser bred her four times in three days and on the fourth day, a Sunday, we, Fraser and I, went for a long happy walk later ending up stretched out next to each other on the lush grass in the exercise yard. The sun was shining and he seemed happy to just sit with me occasionally looking for a scratch, or pat. It had been a good day. Monday I came home from work and Fraser was not well. I called Sandy and we rushed him to the vet's. He underwent emergency surgery and at first I had hope, but the next day he crashed and when I got back after school, I had to do the unthinkable - it was September 20th. I took Fraser home and placed him in a nice spot where he can "see" all the comings and goings. I was very distraught, to say the least, but I had Moe and Daisy to think of and there was the hope that maybe, perhaps, against all odds, Moe was pregnant. It seemed highly unlikely that Moe would be pregnant - at least - everyone seemed to think so.........
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Oct. 27, 2000
This is to tell you that Moe is not preggers. I took her to see the vet and she called in an associate and both of them agreed, after serious palpation, that Moe showed no signs at all of being pregnant. I didn't think she was and so am not too wrecked that she isn't. So, I'll leave it at that.

Nov. 5,
I noticed when I boosted Moe up to the deck that my wrist had a smear of some clear goo from Moe's "privates". Well, hmmm. Sandy said that a clear mucous would appear in a bitch's vagina definitely showing pregnancy. Hmmmm. I also noticed that Moe has become voracious! She'll eat anything! Sticks, tennis balls (can't play fetch with her anymore as she just runs off with the ball and proceeds to tear it apart and eats it), ice - you name it; she eats it. On the couch I gave her hugs and rubs when I noticed that her teats are definitely larger than before and I think I detect mammary development. Hmmmm.

Nov. 6,
Yesterday, I checked Moe again and for sure there was this "egg white" coming from Moe and when I told Sandy that, she was sure that Moe was pregnant. Hmmmm. Needless to say I didn't laugh nor cry - I'm stunned - still am! FRASER PUPPIES!!!!!

Well everybody, if one is going by her burgeoning waistline and dropping belly, voracious appetite (and I MEAN voracious!), the developing nipples and mammary glands, her now gooshy behavior, her loss of speed as she runs (she's a lot slower, really noticed it today in the ex-yard), plus the "eggwhite" mucous goo that she's dripping (the absolute sure sign of pregnancy according to Sandy) then I would have to say that my Moe monster and dear Fraser have managed to pull off a miracle! They pulled a fast one on me, that's for sure.

I'm in shock, to be perfectly honest, and I won't come out of it until I hear the squeaks of little puppies. I won't be 100% convinced either until I see them on the ground. Tentatively, the due date is the 19th of November!!! Two weeks! Yikes!!! I've got some work to do to get the whelping room ready.

This is way cool, isn't it?

Love to you all, and thanks for sticking by me through all this - you have no idea how much it has meant - especially when it means Fraser puppies......

Nov. 10
Thought I would keep you abreast of the "Moe Watch". I took her to the vet today to get x-rayed and 1) see if she was indeed pregnant and 2) with how many. I expected a small litter of two to four, well...

There's SEVEN for sure and perhaps NINE little Fraser's hanging out in there!!!

When I went in with Moe for her x-ray (now, I'm not a superstitious guy, but....) I was wearing the 1999 National Specialty T-shirt, over that the 2000 National Specialty Sweatshirt and over that the 1997 BOB jacket Fraser won in Winnipeg! Man, did that ever work! I was showing the vet staff what I had on and the vet, said, "Stop, stop, we don't want to see any more!" To which I replied, "Don't worry, they don't sell underwear at the Nationals!!" (Darn!)

Puppies could start coming as early as tomorrow (58th day from the first breeding) or as late as a week from Sunday (64th day from the last breeding). I'm not nearly ready for the little buggers!! I thought I had at most another week to get the whelping box finished and the whelping room put to right. That Fraser sure has left his mark! It's almost two months since he passed away (Sept. 20), but I still feel his presence and soon I will see and hear it again in his kids! I couldn't be happier!

This all kinda explains Moe's voraciousness of late as well as her expanding girth - she's starting to look like a big fat tuna!

Nov. 11,
Update....

Subject "Moe" monster

1. Moe's losing the hair on her belly.
2. Mammary glands fully exposed and growing, especially the posterior four. Anterior two show little development.
3. She's got the runs.
4. Appetite is insatiable.
5. Becoming very wide when viewed from above, seems as though rib cage is spreading out laterally. Ventral growth also very very noticeable.
6. Have contemplated spray painting "GOODYEAR" on each side and flying her at the next football game.

Temp. Normal Range ... 38.3 - 37.9 C ( as per specs in book and translation from F according to "little tiny chart" that came with electronic thermometer)
Some natural variation to be expected from Norm.

Nov. 10 - 9:00 pm 38.06 C

Nov. 11 - 9:00 am 37.65 C
- 8:00 pm 37.66 C first time followed by 37.74 C second time.

No puppies for at least the next 12 hours.

Physical Plant - Some time ago the power failed in part of the basement, but now power has been restored to the whelping room (took most of the day to find the wiring problem and repair it), Whelping box nearly completed - did the lion's share in the wood shop at school.

Tomorrow's tasks
- make bumper rail for interior of whelping box
- make wire door to whelping room
- clean out room of un-needed material and things
- close off pressure tank access from rest of room
- place sheets and towels in room
- check room for adequate heat and ventilation
- go to Niece's house to celebrate family birthdays
- start and finish marking pile
- sleep.

End of today's update.....

Moe UPDATE for Nov12

Temp

9:00 am 37.64 C
9:00 pm 37.96 C

Moe has the runs quite badly. Cut back on food intake, tomorrow will tell if it worked

To Do's:
- make bumper rail for interior of whelping box - Completed with Keith's help
- make wire door to whelping room - Completed
- clean out room of un-needed material and things - 1/2 done
- close off pressure tank access from rest of room - completed
- place sheets and towels in room - completed
- check room for adequate heat and ventilation - completed
- go to Niece's house to celebrate family birthdays - completed
- start and finish marking pile (I am, after all, a teacher in my spare hours!) - one class done the rest to do yet
- sleep - also still to do.

That's it, now to my marking!

Nov. 16
I came home today at 5:00pm and Moe wasn't doing her usual screaming. Her tail was down. She's fine. I took her temp and its 99.1 F from 100.6 this morning, a drop of one degree or so from this morning. Its getting to be time I think. She ate her dinner with the usual gusto, but went to her doghouse and has been quiet since. Very atypical. Even Daisy is quiet - now I KNOW something is up!

As I sit here at the keyboard, tears are pouring down my face. Fraser's not here to see his kids come and I'm very happy and very sad at the same time. I'll keep you all posted as to what happens.

Nov. 17,
Have stayed up with Moe in the whelping room all night. I'm beat, but not doing too badly. She's uncomfortable and fidgety, really screams when I'm not there with her.

Any time now.

Sandy has now come over to help me. I'm feeling like the expectant father in the waiting room.

Nov. 18,
Sorry for the delay in getting to you - I got home from the vet's with Moe and the kids to find that my keyboard had been puked on by one of the cats and caused some real difficulties. Even now it is not behaving very well, new keyboard coming, I guess - I hope one cat pelt will pay for it.

ANYWAY, There are eight Fraser and Moe puppies on the ground! Moe is doing well, as are the little duffers. The seventh puppy we had to induce at the vet's office! I handled that one all on my own, made me feel quite proud of myself to remain composed and deal with the situation. The last one we had to retrieve by C-section, glad we did as he has the closest markings to Fraser. Moe worked very hard indeed, the first pup came at 10:41 Friday evening, the last on her own at 10:30 Saturday morning, the last puppy at 2:00 pm by C-section.

5 females, 3 males
6 greys and 2 seals (black and white)

The litter is very uniform in size and weight (each one about 13 oz). Its gonna be real fun watching them grow!

I'm whipped, but better than I was yesterday. I had been awake for 3 days straight. Poor Moe had a long hard time of it. I stayed with her through it all. Sandy was invaluable! It was quite something. I was afraid that when puppies started coming I would fall apart in tears, but, much to my amazement, it all went relatively well. When they started coming, I was looking for a Fraser to appear. I was very happy with the pups, but was hoping for a Fraser look-alike. Funny that he should be the one trapped inside and had to be delivered by C-section; we had to go get him. I was walking around while the vet was doing the procedure, hoping beyond hope that the last one would be alive and look like Fraser - sure enough when I came back, I looked in the incubator and there he was! I was too tired to cry though I sure felt like it. We all got home at around 4:00 -pm yesterday. Moe was asleep, the kids feeding and I was too tired to sleep. I watched some TV after I cleaned up my keyboard(!) and around 10 I finally collapsed. I managed to pull out my sleeping bag, put a foamy on the floor beside the whelping box, bag on top of it and I crashed. Woke up at five, did a tentative e-mail, as I did not know what to expect from my keyboard after the cat puke dried, then went back to the bag and slept 3 more hours and so here I am.

The little kids are so cute, I just melt when I see them and hear them squeaking. They sure are motoring around - they literally hit the ground runnin' !!

Nov. 21,
Lost a puppy this morning.... buried her with her Dad. I'm pretty bummed out. Gonna start feeding with the bottle to help supplement Moe. Hope those goats are producing! Moe should produce enough to feed the pups when I'm at school and at night.

Nov. 27,
The pups are doing wonderfully well at this point. They know me by smell - soon their little eyes will open up and they'll see me too! This is so cool - I love them all! Don't know if I'll be able to sell any of them! Oh, boy, what have I gotten myself into??

My schedule is murderous! Up at 5 AM, feed and ex Moe and Daisy, get bottles ready, bottle feed puppies, shower, get dressed and drive an hour to school, teach my classes, drive back, prep bottles, change into grubs, clean up after Moe, feed and ex Moe and Daisy, bottle feed puppies. Play with Daisy, do some homework, prep bottles, bottle feed puppies, clean up, sit with the little gang for awhile, go to bed at 11 or 12 PM.

Dec. 1,
Here's the latest as of last night! 3 of the seven are over 32 ounces now and all the boys and one of the girls have their eyes open! So cool to have them looking at me - don't know what they see, but it's neat, none-the less! They were 12 days old yesterday - everyone's doing fine - EVEN ME!

Dec. 3,
The pups are looking very nice indeed! This is gonna be murder to my heart deciding who stays and who goes. I can't, in all fairness to the dogs, keep them all. I really do want to keep all the males and one female. Then I could put a boy with Daisy, one with Moe, and a pair together. Make sense? I've never been down this road before and am quite unsure as to what I'm going to do. Time will tell there, too, I suppose. Its too early to really judge anything about the puppies. Sentimentality sure gets in the way though! I love them all so much......

I talked to Dorothy Hood about the system for naming dogs. I may have to change a few things from my original intentions - we'll see. Putting other kennel names together with mine is a problem, I guess, as far as the CKC goes. I want to somehow pay tribute to the people, their kennels and the dogs involved in this miracle. Well, I'll get it figured out and let you know.