By Cindy,
Sometimes, as a Leonberger kennel owner, events happen that are not “on the books” or advertised. Some good and some not so good. Yes, it’s easy to tell everyone when you have a litter planned and then when it arrives, or when a new puppy comes from an outside source – you know – all the happy stuff! But sometimes, things happen that you do not plan for. And sometimes, you need to start all over again – from scratch.
Me – at our place on B.C.’s Sunshine Coast with Sunna (on left), Lexi (on right) and Summer (in the rear). Photo by Ulrike Koleszar
This past year has been one of those years for us. We lost 2 of our breeding girls in the space of a few months. Pica ‘left’ us last fall and then Summer we had to let ‘go’ just a few weeks ago. Here’s Pica on left……… and Summer on right. This second shot was taken a few weeks before she died.
Photo by Ulrike.
Summer and Cello in the fall of 2013
Summer had a breeding planned for the past fall/winter and all was ready in preparation for her last litter. But then she had an old, ( unknown to us) injury reoccur on her elbow. Instead of healing, it had manifested into a tumour. Over the weeks it got worse and even with pain med’s, we were unable to make her comfortable. So it was time……Then all of a sudden we were left with only one dog in the house, after years of breeding and raising leos. It was very strange indeed. That one dog is Cello – now only 7 months old and totally confused as to where her buddies went. Here is Cello…..
Cello 16 weeks
Our shared/co-owned leo Lexi, lives down the road and she is wonderful, but we had no other dog living at home here full time to share life with Cello.
Here is Lexi at one year old. She is co-owned by Ulrike Koleszar and myself.
So begun the search for a new puppy – not so much for me, but for Cello. Long story short, – after hours and hours of re-searching, phone calls, checking and re-checking sources, photographs and pedigrees, I had to let go. All the breedings that I was interested in, were many months away. Such a long time to wait. So wait we did……… Then from left field, on very short notice from Poland – comes “Kiwi”.
Kiwi came to us, not from all my hard work, but because my great Leonberger breeder friends were looking out for me. A few of them especially, helped me look at loads of planned breedings and litters and dogs from all over the world. This little girl came to us from a place we weren’t looking (of course) and she is a delight. Truly a gift – Of course now she & Cello are inseparable and play away most of the day in sweet oblivion.
So yes, now we have very little left from the blood lines we had only a few short years ago, with the exception of a couple of excellent intact males here and there across the continent. This is just the way it turned out. I hope to see one or 2 of those beautiful boys father their own litters one day. This is something else we have no control over. Life is a funny mixed bag of sweet and sour but it’s all what we make of it though. Even though the last year has been very tough for us, we still choose to focus on the good things in life and know we are blessed in spite of our seemingly, & at times sad, circumstances.
So I say again – Cheers y’all, Life is still good!! Cindy
