O'Cockaigne Estate
Just a quick update from 2025
11 January 2026 | 
Author 
The year 2025 started badly for us. After I had Brandir given a Librela injection on January 6th due to severe pain and lameness in his right front paw, there was no improvement but a deterioration. Within three weeks, his wrist had become enormously swollen and felt warm. On Thursday evening, January 30th, I walked a short distance with Brandir through our forest, and suddenly he was standing on three legs. He didn’t want to take another step and was clearly in terrible pain. Very slowly we walked home, and he lay down on his bed. He didn’t get up again until the following afternoon around 12:00 when he urgently needed to go outside. He didn’t even get up for his food, and that told me more than enough.
Our dear neighbors, who have always been crazy about the hounds, and especially Brandir, came by to say goodbye to him. They will miss him terribly as well.
Brandir was a super easygoing Deerhound, always a gentleman, he had a great sense of humor and could snuggle intensely but didn’t like the shows, and coursing wasn’t his thing either. He traveled a lot with us, visiting about 12 countries, from northern Finland to Italy.
He lives on in his daughter, granddaughter and grandson, and great-grandchildren.
Just after one o’clock, Victoire came to relieve Brandir of his pain.
Brandir was allowed to live 12 years, 8 months, and 2 weeks.
Nicky with Brandir and his great-granddaughter Cephyr.
The first puppies have now left the house, but it still took a while before they were all gone. Most of them went, either in pairs or, to somewhere where there’s another sighthound. One puppy is an only child, but he gets so much attention and has so many playmates, he lacks for nothing.
The last ones left on March 7th for Slovenia and Serbia. A very long journey, but luckily all three traveled together. On the way, Caelen James was dropped off in Slovenia and ended up with a young Borzoi, with whom he has now become best friends.
How quiet and peaceful it became here afterward!
Cephyr (on the right) and Chenea were fortunately still there for each other to play and run around with.
On March 9th, WRV ’t Haasje held its General Meeting followed by a coursing training. Here, Cephyr and Chenea took their first steps on an ‘official’ coursing field. Of course, we had already practiced a bit at home with them using the old hand-operated machine, and they were very interested in this new game. But here it was somewhat different, a different, unfamiliar environment with more distractions. However, the second time went much better.
On March 22, we had the first coursing of the year at Ronostrand. Once again, only Crumbaugh and Charlaigne were entered. Cranston was able to have a good time on Friday.
On Thursday, April 3, we departed for Alphen where the coursing of WRV ’t Haasje was held. On Friday, first the training where Cephyr and Chenea also got a chance to sniff the hare again. They both did fantastically!
This time, Augusto Frade had also entered his Deerhound female Teresa of Muma, so there would be 3 Deerhounds at the start. But unfortunately, Crumbaugh did not pass the veterinary check, so only the two girls, Teresa and Charlaigne, ran. In the second round, Charlaigne caused a mess again by cutting corners significantly. However, she ran out of position so badly that she could never catch up with the deficit.
Two weekends later, on April 19, we had the coursing in Lelystad. Here again, only Charlaigne and Teresa were at the start. They did not hold back from each other, and even though both know the terrain well, they ran almost the entire course without cutting too much. They ended with the same points, but because Charlaigne in the morning and Teresa in the afternoon, having 3 points more, Teressa became first again.
On May 29 & 30, it was Sighthound Weekend with the Championship Club Match on the 29th. Unfortunately, only 15 Deerhounds were entered, 1 absent.
BOB was Victor Prince Jr. Sense of Beauty by Ineke and Jasper de Vos, and Charlaigne became BOS.
For the Sighthound CAC Show, only 9 Deerhounds were entered. In the honor ring, Chenea was Best Puppy and Charlaigne was Best Working Dog.
On Saturday we organized a fun coursing event, and all in all we had about 50 sighthounds who wanted to let off some steam after the shows. Very impressive was a young Magyar Agar who entered the coursing field for the first time. But he quickly understood the game and showed his talents. There were also 9 Azawakhs, a unique number!
On June 4th, we set off for Tüttleben for one day of show and two days of coursing. The coursing was again organised by CC2000. For the show, only Cephyr, Chenea, and Charlaigne were entered, and for the coursing, unfortunately only Crumbaugh, Charlaigne, and Islay’s Scara Brae. The latter went home with the honor.
Chenea found the Red Kites, which constantly flew over the middle area of the racetrack and the coursing field, very interesting.
From Tüttleben we went to a campsite near Berlin, where we stayed for a few days before continuing on to Poland.
The campsite was by a lake, in an extensive forest of almost nothing but very tall pine trees so that you only looked up at the trunks.
The pitches were minimally marked and the ground was not exactly flat.
The road to get there was almost impassable, so with the caravan it took half an hour to cover one kilometer!
But still, it wasn’t a bad campsite.
In the evening, when the little beaches were empty, the hounds could really let loose, and you could go for good walks in the surrounding forests.
After the weekend, we headed to a campsite before Poznan. Here too, there was a small lake and a nice forest where the hounds could run and play.
When we arrived, we were the only ones there and thought we could enjoy the peace, but during the afternoon, a huge group of campers started to arrive, and shortly after, we were surrounded by a large group of caravans and campers who were going to celebrate a golden wedding in the evening!
Well, that was the end of the peace!!
On Friday, June 20, we packed up again and went to Gniezno, on the other side of Poznan, because Simon had to judge a two-day coursing event there. When we arrived there in the early afternoon, they were still busy harvesting the grass. Several huge machines were moving across the two enormous fields at record speed to make the grounds suitable for coursing.
Very impressive to see.
We were placed on top of a hill with our caravan, with no trees in the wide surroundings and, unfortunately, no other option but to walk the same sandy path up and down with the hounds all the time. It was scorching hot and therefore incredibly tough.
On Saturday, we still let the hounds run, as guide dogs for license runs, but Sunday it was really too hot, and we left as soon as possible after the awards ceremony. Back to the campsite just before Poznan.
The next morning we were just able to leave in time before a huge thunderstorm broke out; we were incredibly happy that we were no longer on the hill in Gniezno with the awning and everything!!
Since I got a new hip on July 3, we had a few weeks of rest and could enjoy our own little paradise.
On August 11, the caravan was packed again, and we set off for Hermannsburg to visit Sonja and Karl Heinz. It was too hot to do anything, so we just lazed around. The hounds had fun, though, because for the puppies it was a new environment which they really enjoyed.
Wednesday morning, we hit the road again because we had to go to Poland once more. This time Simon, with the help of Benny de Winter, had a field to prepare for the Polish Coursing Championship. Together with Benny and Ghilaine, we also stayed at a campsite where it was forbidden to put up a fence. So we set up the awning again to keep the hounds in check, but that didn’t go very well. They still wanted a bit more space and occasionally escaped.
On Thursday we were in Racot, near Poznan, where the championship took place. Fortunately, we could set everything up under large trees so we still had some shade because it was very hot. Especially on Friday, when Simon had to set up the course, it was scorching hot!
A beautiful sunset in Racot.
I hadn’t entered any hounds for the Championship. In hindsight, it’s a pity since there were actually four dogs from the Czech Republic competing, but fortunately Charlaigne, Crumbaugh, Cranston, Cephyr, and Chenea were still able to stretch their legs on Saturday afternoon.
Left Crumbaugh under red with Charlaigne. Under Cephyr.
Left Chenea, under Cranston.
On Monday morning we set off for Göhlsdorf where Simon was once again in charge of the coursing. We stayed together with Benny and Ghilaine on the large camping meadow and could freely use the fenced coursing field. On Thursday, the first participants began to trickle in, and by the end of Friday, the camping field was completely full. As usual, a fair number of Deerhounds were entered, a total of 9, including Crumbaugh and Charlaigne. Cephyr, Chenea, and Cranston got to try out the course on Friday.
On Sunday, there was the Landessieger Show for which only three Deerhounds were entered. Charlaigne was awarded BOB.
On Monday morning, we packed everything up again and headed towards Rijsbergen.
Crumbaugh under white.
Charlaigne under white.
On Saturday, August 30, CC2000 hosted the Barsoi Funcoursing in Baarle-Nassau. As usual, our hounds also ran the course. Cephyr was incredibly enthusiastic and stole the show with a spectacular kill.
Charlaigne walked with Crumbaugh, but she made such a mess of it that, as it unfortunately became clear much later, she had so badly gotten both her hind legs tangled up and injured herself so severely that I had to go straight to a veterinarian. Luckily, I was able to see the on-duty doctor in Hoogstraten, who, after examining it thoroughly, determined that it was only superficial. But serious enough that it had to be stitched under anesthesia.
He was stitching for over an hour, but unfortunately, the following Monday it turned out that some of them had not held. We put in a few more staples and rebandaged. Even though the wounds weren’t in a position that would be under tension when walking, the stitches didn’t hold, and by the end of the week most of everything was open again. That’s when we started blue light therapy, and it worked fantastically! Within four treatments, the wounds were closed without coarse scar tissue!
I was very happy that we have a very good type of thread that almost doesn’t cut. If, for example, it had been nylon, she would never have been able to walk again.
So if your hound ever has an injury that is slow to heal, think about blue light therapy!
Exactly one week later, on Saturday evening, September 6, Cephyr broke a toe and I drove to Hoogstraten again. It was not a complicated fracture, but the bone fragments were not neatly aligned. The only option was taping. After three weeks, we took an X-ray, but no bone growth was visible. At six weeks, there was a little, but minimal. Meanwhile, the doctors were talking about amputation, but I absolutely wasn’t willing to go for that. Finally, after 10 weeks, the bone fragments had grown together enough that Cephyr was allowed to run and play again.
Everyone was happy!!
Charlaigne with daughter Cephyr in the infirmary.
WRV ‘t Haasje held its Dommel Coursing on September 27 & 28 in Borkel & Schaft. A new and very nice location. You can go for a great walk with the hounds, and the campsite is spacious with good sanitation. Also very nice was that you could enjoy a BBQ with the whole group in the restaurant! The owner prepared the meat on a large BBQ, and along the wall there was a full buffet with various salads, sauces, and baguettes. Super tasty and well organized.
A pity that part of ‘the coursing field’ had just been sown and couldn’t be used, but Simon still managed to set up a nice course of sufficient length and with some challenges.
Since Chenea has developed the strange habit of sneaking up on the hare, we decided to let her run with another hound. This went well with sloughi Azra from Els Siebel. She had to start immediately, otherwise she wouldn’t get the chance to run. Hopefully she will continue to do well now.
Unfortunately, once again only Charlaigne and Crumbaugh had signed up. I found it nerve-wracking because Charlaigne, of course, kept cutting in, but luckily everything went fine and she came off the field safely.
On Thursday, October 2, we set off again with the caravan towards Welzheim, in the south of Germany, to participate in the Deerhound Annual Show. With one overnight stop on the way, we arrived there on Friday afternoon. At that time, it was still dry! Unfortunately, the weather gods were not on our side, and soon it turned into a big mud puddle.
So Saturday was the show. There were 34 Deerhounds entered, with 5 absentees, judged by Ali Morton from the Cotherstone kennel in Scotland. A judge after my own heart! She gave 3 Very Promising, 6 Excellent, 18 Very Good (still too many), and 2 a Good (there could have been more).
Chenea came second in the junior class and Cephyr fifth. Cytaugh was third out of the three veterans, and Charlaigne first out of the two working dogs. Then Charlaigne beat the open class and champion class bitches and became second best bitch behind the junior bitch Lady Ness of Scottish Arrows from Lidia Pitek from Poland.
Working Class.
Left: Lidia Pitek (left) and Ali Morton with Best Male Elton Pinehurst and Best Female and BOB Lady Ness of Scottish Arrows. Below: the same Deerhounds in a nice picture.
The coursing was held on Sunday, but unfortunately, of the 5 entered hounds, only 3 were present. Very disappointing. Alyesha Under Sharp Hill by Gabriele Klenk came first, Crumbaugh second, and Charlaigne third, but she still received the title “Schönheit und Leistung Jahresseigerin” because she had received an Excellent at the show, while Alyesha received a Very Good.
Charlaigne with her won challenge trophies for Best Working Dog, the Wanderpreis “Of the Scottish Highlands” from Ruth Oess (left) and the “Quodlibet Drambui Trophy” for Beauty and Performance Annual Winner from Gerd Zekert.
Of the 21 names attached to the “Of the Scottish Highlands” challenge trophy, 7 are O’Cockaigne hounds and my Terichline Thistle appears 3 times. Pretty nice!
Since everything was soaking wet, clammy, and muddy, we just drove straight home the next day.
October 25th was once again the time for a CC2000 event. Nearly 60 hounds had registered, and many stayed overnight at the campsite. Unfortunately, the weather gods did not cooperate again, and on Saturday afternoon it started raining so heavily that we couldn’t do a second round without damaging the entire area with the quad. But everyone still had a great time, and in the evening about 24 of us enjoyed a BBQ in the restaurant. Very cozy!
A few more fun little videos of what’s happening at CC2000.
Of course, this wasn’t entirely the intention!
Our last event of the year was the coursing in Ravels, Belgium on November 8. We still decided to go with the caravan because it’s the easiest way with all the hounds and it’s also a bit more enjoyable. After all, that’s what we do it for! All the hounds were able to stretch their legs and made it to the end of the coursing season without any additional injuries.
Just took the Christmas photo on December 8 and then everyone went into hibernation!
It was an eventful and busy year with many fun things but also intense sadness and a lot of worries. Hopefully this year will be a bit more even. In any case, there are plenty of fun things on the agenda again!
Posted in 2026, Abroad, Deerhound in general, Lure coursing, O'Cockaigne Estate, Show | 
Tags: Charlaigne O'Cockaigne, Chenea O'Cockaigne, Chephyr O'Cockaigne, Cockaigne Cytaugh van de Meirse Weiden, Cranston Argyll O'Cockaigne, Crumbaugh O'Cockaigne, Nimloth Brandir | 
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Puppy photos and videos.
It has been a year since the last update. As there were problems with my site and my former provider was unable to help me, I switched providers and now have someone nearby who monitors and manages my site and assists me with any problems. Ideal!
But there is quite a bit to report in the meantime. I’ll start with some puppy photos and videos that haven’t been posted yet, and then the rest will follow.
During the first difficult period, it was already clear that Charlaigne was a wonderful mother. She stayed with her puppies day and night and took excellent care of them.
As is typical for Deerhounds, the difference between the sexes was clearly visible soon after birth. The males were true males and the females true females.
The puppy cave was a great success. Three floors and a large separate bed. At first they had to clamber around, but soon they were jumping from one bed to another. They learned very quickly how to use their bodies, especially their paws!
They loved lying on the outdoor beds, and we had to bring them inside every now and then when it got really cold. Even when they were wet from the rain, they still stayed outside! They were such tough puppies!
One puppy, the smallest one, who was born weighing 270 grams, always came straight to me and snuggled up close. She had chosen me and also won a special place in my heart, because she was the one who had almost been strangled when her brother got his paw caught in her collar. She was also just like a toy dog! Our Cephyr, 9½ weeks.
The puppies love to scurry around the entire grounds.
Great-grandfather Nimloth Brandir was quite fond of the puppies, but they were not very careful with the old man. Fortunately, he was still able to keep them under control.
Sometimes a bit scary, but they learn a lot from it and become very confident!
Cwtch, Corwyn, Cygnor, Cree and Cuillin all left to go abroad. That’s why they stayed so long. Cree and Cuillin had to go all the way to Serbia, and Caelen James was able to hitch a ride to Slovenia. Cwtch went to France, and Gygnor and Corwyn went to Belgium. They all ended up in paradise.
Cuillin, also 15½ weeks young.
En dan nog wat standfoto’s van toen ze 12 weken waren.
Posted in 2025, O'Cockaigne Estate | Tags: Cephyr O'Cockaigne, Charlaigne O'Cockaigne, Chenea O'Cockaigne, Crumbaugh O'Cockaigne, Nimloth Brandir | Comments Closed
Old life – new life.
Old life.
Our Brandir is still going strong. Of course he gets older every day, but it goes so slowly that it is almost unnoticeable. He still walks well, eats well, still gets up several times a day, still jumps in the car (sometimes it doesn’t go completely smoothly anymore) and is cheerful and happy. He still goes to hydrotherapy every week with Corinne Somers in Rucphen and once every 3 weeks he gets acupuncture and various Chinese herbal mixtures of Victoire Koperberg-Weijers (Acuvet).
Here he is lying in the late afternoon sun, the beautiful colors represent his colorful life.
But life goes on, so on August 6 we left for Hermannsburg where we spent a few nice, but warm days with Sonja. Sonja really didn’t expect to see Brandir again, and had already said goodbye to him in Tüttleben. So you see, the wonders are not out of the world yet!!
On Wednesday we went for a nice walk at the lakes where Brandir had so much fun as a young Deerhound together with his sister Bernice. I don’t know if he recognized it, but miraculously he even went into the water, something he never does!
From Sonja we went on to Göhlsdorf where we have to take care of the coursing for already many years. Unfortunately there was no show this year because it was the same date as Donaueschingen. Very strange because it is about 700 kilometers apart so they don’t have much competition from each other!! Just over 80 sighthounds had been entered for the coursing, 10 of which were Deerhounds. The course was not too long because of the warm weather but luckily there was a nice breeze so it was doable for the hounds. Charlaigne didn’t run well and finished eighth, Crumbaugh was sixth and miraculously Cranston Argyll was third!
It was again a very pleasant and sporty weekend.
Friday, August 23, for the first time in I think 13 or 14 years, we left for Leek. We had reserved “Landgoedcamping Nienoord” which is just around the corner from the coursing area. The problem is that you are no longer allowed to camp on the coursing grounds, not even the employees and the board, so you have to stand or park in the parking lot or drive back and forth to a campsite on the day. So we had chosen this nearby campsite which was also within a good walking distance through the forest, so that I could walk out the hounds well after the course, back to the campsite. Ideal!
The atmosphere and overall experience of Nienoord is no longer there. Everything has changed; the environment, the people, the terrain. In the past, there were always gigantic mud puddles on the coursing field, which resulted in the most spectacular images, but now the site was drained and there was not a puddle to be found. Very boring! But the hounds had a nice walk, there was a nice track and there was good turning.
The annoying thing was that Cranston and Crumbaugh were running together and at the end of the course they were at each other’s throats. Cranston has a problem with Crumbaugh while Crumbaugh has no harm in it, but when Cranston hurts him, he does react. So from now on, Cranston will only run training sessions and test runs to avoid a fight.
Crumbaugh was, as usual, first of the three.
New life?
Shortly after Leek Charlaigne went into heat, but the male I had initially selected was no longer available so I had to go to his father. Actually not so bad, because he is already 7 years old, has beautiful offspring and is doing well in terms of longevity. He is also good in the field of Factor VII, Hart and DEPOH.
After some back and forth writing, progesterone tests, I left on Wednesday morning, September 11, for Horley in England where we had the ‘date’ with Hyndsight Endlessflight in the course of the afternoon.
After a long day I ended up back at “The Black Horse Inn” near Maidstone around seven o’clock. What a lovely, cozy pub this is! Dogs are very welcome and they are really taken into account. This time I had left Charlaigne in the room before it would get really ‘cozy’!
In principle, I would go back again on Thursday and I had planned a nice route along the ‘Hever Castle’ where coincidentally a ‘Handcraft Fair’ was also held. You could walk beautifully around the lake and in the beautiful gardens and there were very beautiful and nice objects to admire at the many stalls of craftsmen. But on the way to the castle I got a call from Hector Heathcote that he was stranded on the Isle of Wight and that it could be very late tonight before he got home. If I could tomorrow. No, that wasn’t possible because my train was booked and I had to be back home by Friday evening. So now let’s hope that everything went well and that a nice litter will be born.
A bit difficult to carry but these larger than life hares, made of chicken wire!, were a lot of fun. In the end, the right hare made of sheet metal was allowed to go home.
We spent more than 3 hours in the gardens and between the stalls at the Hever Castle, a really nice location to spend an afternoon.
The house next to The Black Horse Inn is called Turnham Friars and is largely still in its original state. Most of the windows are still stained glass and even with all kinds of images. These windows are a gem!!
On the return journey, this beautiful old-timer was parked next to me at the French customs of the Eurotunnel.
On October 5, OWRV ‘t Haasje held its club championships. Cranston ran the training and Crumbaugh and Charlaigne the competition. As usual, Crumbaugh won and was captured on camera by Alisha Frijters.
And then it was October 9, a day with two extremes.
First thing in the morning I went with Charlaigne to the clinic for an ultrasound. Soon the puppies came into view. After counting several times, the doctor came up with 9 embryos, 1 of which had a heartbeat but looked a bit strange. So we’ll have to wait and see if that turns out to be something. But at least Charlaigne is pregnant and now let’s hope that everything goes well.
I had an appointment with Victoire for the afternoon. She has been treating Brandir for years with acupuncture and since his diagnosis of cancer in his liver on June 21 (16 weeks ago!!) also with Chinese herbs.
Together with the hydrotherapy that he has also been doing with Corinne for 2 years, these therapies have kept him going. But….. Now his body is really spent. Brandir is a bit short of breath and in pain, he is occasionally nauseous and does not feel well. Victoire was also very worried and we agreed that we will give Brandir his rest in the very near future. When is not yet known, but it is a matter of days.
At the end of the afternoon we had a bottle of bubbly, on Simon’s birthday, the puppies and on Brandir.
Posted in 2024, Abroad, Lure coursing, O'Cockaigne Estate, Show | Tags: Cockaigne Cytaugh van de Meirse Weiden, Nimloth Brandir | Comments Closed
Just update.
After my last update in August, my laptop crashed and after missing it for weeks I got it back but it didn’t work then! It also turned out that there was almost nothing on the backup made!! All gone! Taken away again and after a month we were told that unfortunately it could no longer be repaired. All in all, it took several months before I got a new one and then it turned out that I couldn’t log in to my website anymore!!
This week I finally succeeded and now I could continue where I left off. Poop, poo!! But because of all the updates of my website, I have the biggest problems filling a page and it takes ages before it is to my liking. And it’s still not to my liking, but yes, I have to!
Let’s just start at the beginning of last year.
The first coursing of the year 2023 was on March 18 at the RONOstrand in Een. Since Cranston had been badly injured and Cytaugh was not in good shape at all, I only let Crumbaugh and Charlaigne run. Was actually so relaxed because you already have your hands full with this couple!
Charlaigne with her fast ears.
The following weekend, March 25th, we had our CC2000 coursing day. The weather forecast was fantastic but unfortunately they turned out not to be quite right on the day itself. The rain regularly poured down from the sky and in such quantities that everything became one big swamp. At the end of the day, when everything was cleaned up, the car, which was loaded with all coursing equipment, had to be pulled out of the mud by a tractor. He had sunk to his axles! But the people who had signed up were almost all present and had a nice day despite the weather. Hopefully they dare to come again next time!
On the 13th of April I left for Cumbernauld in Scotland to enjoy the Deerhound Breed Show. This is always a wonderful weekend with nice people and lots of Deerhounds, really enjoy!
Last year, in mid-October, Brandir started hydrotherapy. We drive weekly to Rucphen where Corinne Somers has her practice. Since there was a clear improvement in stability, and if we skipped a week a decline, we do this every week as much as possible. He now knows exactly what the order of treatments are; First massage and possibly some manipulation and then into the bath to then “swim” for 4 x 5 minutes. But… you can ask a lot of an old Deerhound as long as there is something in return, all this is not possible without pieces of cheese!
On the 10th of May we left for Sweden where I had to judge the thirteenth in Hässleholm. Then we went back to Denmark where on the 19th was the sighthound show in Vejen and on the 21st the Euro Dog Show in Herning. Charlaigne showed well, became 2nd and 3rd best bitch but didn’t get any further.
Meanwhile, Brandir celebrated his 11th birthday on May 17 at the Flyvesandet campsite in Denmark. We had hoped that we would be able to walk on the mudflats again, but because of the storm that raged exactly the days we were there, the water was too high. Very unfortunate.
I did take some pictures and a video of Brandir but unfortunately my phone was stolen in a fancy restaurant and I lost everything.
At the end of June it went back to Sweden, this time for the World Championship Coursing in Kristianstad. On Thursday, June 29, it was the turn of the CSS class, Kirjojax Harris, Cranston and Crumbaugh were entered for this. Crumbaugh emerged as the winner. He can now call himself CSS World Winner.
On Sunday, Charlaigne was allowed to run. She wasn’t in great shape after her heat and wasted too much energy beforehand so she made a mess of it and finished in 14th place out of 22.
From Kristianstad we left via Gothenburg by ferry to Frederikshaven in Denmark where we had to prepare a field for the International Coursing in Nørresundby the weekend after the World Cup. On Saturday, July 8, the sighthound show was held where Charlaigne became Danish Champion and later in the day BIS. Judge was Agneta Doverholt.
On Sunday the coursing for which only Cytaugh, Cranston, Crumbaugh and Charlaigne were registered. After the first round, Charlaigne was in first place but again she messed up the second round and ended up third! I had withdrawn Cytaugh after the first round because of the heat.
On the 18th of August we left for Arnhem where the Deerhound Clubmatch and the Sighthound Show would be held that weekend. On Saturday the clubshow with 23 Deerhounds present for judge Carina Ekwall from Sweden. Charlaigne became BOB again and also on Sunday with only 8 Deerhounds present she became BOB under judge Kay Sneath from Australia. Cytaugh became Best Working Dog both days and on Sunday she also got the Reserve CAC!
Charlaigne was both days BOB.
From Arnhem we went to Göhlsdorf, east Germany, where on Saturday a National Leistungcoursing was held (provided by CC2000) and on Sunday the Jahresausstellung of the Deerhounds.
There were 2 males and 12 females entered for coursing. For the second round there were 11 left and Charlaigne was tied for 2nd and Crumbaugh for 3rd place. But Crumbaugh made a mess of it and finished in 6th place and Charlaigne was 3rd.
For the Jahresaustellung 25 Deerhounds were entered. The judge was Pascal Thiery from France. Cytaugh got the reserve CAC from the Working Dog class and Charlaigne became BOB and later in the day BIS!
But just like her mother in 2018, she also won the ‘Quodlibet Drambui Trophy’ for the combination of beauty and performance!
At the beginning of last year, there was a call from an American writer for a photo of an old Deerhound. Well, I have plenty of those!! After editing a Christmas photo with a.o. Amy and sending it to the author, Sky Blaine, she was very enthusiastic.
At the beginning of September, Simon flew to America for work and came back with the three books! Amy’s old face is featured on the cover of the third and final book of the series.
It’s a fantastic story and you can’t stop reading, highly recommended!
At the end of September we left for Brittany where Henriëtte has a cozy, small gite. We were able to park the caravan right on the property with her and the hounds had plenty of space to run and play on the large field. It is a beautiful area and there are many nice places to walk and cozy villages to visit. Mont Saint Michel is also around the corner and is of course very nice to go to.
Just have a look at her website: www.lepetitcoincosy.com
After doing some chores at Henriëtte’s we left after a few days to Gesves in Belgium for the coursing where Simon had to judge and the hounds could course.
On the 14th of October the German Deerhound Club organized its Open Club Show in Wickrath. The judge was Natalie Heathcote and there were 38 !! Deerhounds signed up for her. Charlaigne became BOB again.
The following weekend we were back at RONOstrand. It was Cytaugh’s last official coursing. Since Cranston has not been feeling well for a long time and is therefore not allowed to do coursing, only Charlaigne, Cytaugh and Crumbaugh were entered. And what was to be expected, happened, Cytaugh had to ran alone in the second round, really didn’t like that so didn’t run. She ended her coursing career with a dismissed!!!
Charlaigne won and received the CACNL with which she is now Dutch Champion for Beauty and Performance. She is the third O’Cockaigne Deerhound (and they are the only three) to carry this beautiful title.
On Friday 24 and Sunday 26 November, the Fryslân Cup and the Winner took place in Leeuwarden. We had rented a house in Appelscha for a long weekend so that I wouldn’t have to drive up and down that long way twice. Friday we had Rob Douma as judge and he had 5 Deerhounds to judge. Charlaigne became BOB and was selected in the group but did not advance.
Sunday we had the judge Jose Miguel Doval Sanchez from Spain and he had 7 Deerhounds to judge. He also did the final judging. Charlaigne was BOB again and in the ring of honour she was finally placed 2nd!
And then the last event of the year; the Christmas show in Gorinchem. André van den Broek judged the 4 entered Deerhounds and made Charlaigne BOB and in the mainring he placed her second!!
I was so proud of my little girl! The hard work on her confidence in the show ring has paid off. She now likes to go to the show which makes it so much fun. For next year there are already a few exciting, big things on the program such as Crufts, the Breed Show in England and the World Championship Coursing in Poland and a lot of fun smaller events. We won’t get bored!
Posted in 2024, Abroad, Deerhound in general, Lure coursing, O'Cockaigne Estate, Show | Tags: Charlaigne O'Cockaigne, Cockaigne Cytaugh van de Meirse Weiden, Cranston Argyll O'Cockaigne, Crumbaugh O'Cockaigne, Nimloth Brandir | Comments Closed
The wonders are not over yet!
From 1979 to 1981 we had Irish Wolfhounds. I don’t remember how I got to it, but they got Taurine and L-Carnitine every day through their food. That should be good for the heart.
In 1996, when some of our Deerhounds developed heart problems and were treated by Dr. Andrea Vollmar, they were able to participate in Vetmedin’s development project. This drug is said to counteract the weakening of the heart muscle. Luckily my hounds got the real Pimobendan (the active substance) and no placebos and lived on it very well for a number of years. Vetmedin is now THE medicine for DCM.
In 2018, a mild form of DCM was diagnosed at Brandir and as my experience with Vetmedin (Pimobendan) was very positive, I had no hesitation in giving him this as standard. His heart did not deteriorate further.
Two years ago Sonja had Bernice, Brandir’s sister, checked on her heart and she was diagnosed with a very slight abnormality but she did not need any medication. After checking last year, Dr. Tobias (the cardiologist in Hannover) advised to add Taurine to Bernice’s diet. After half a year, Sonja had Bernice checked again and her heart had improved!
I also started adding Taurine to my hounds’ meals last year. After a few months another heart check took place at Brandir and it turned out ….. his heart had improved! A few months ago I also started adding Acetyl L-Carnitine and Omega 3 to the diet after reading some articles about this. Very interesting! Here are the links to the articles;
Nutritional therapy in the treatment of heart disease in dogs – http://www.o-cockaigne.eu/?page_id=19621&preview=true
Taurine, dog food, and heart disease in dogs – http://www.o-cockaigne.eu/?page_id=19619
Last Friday it was time again for a check of Brandir’s heart and it turned out ….. Brandir’s heart had improved even further !!! This trend continues despite Brandir’s fairly advanced age, he will turn 9 years old on May 17! The combination of Vetmedin, Taurine and Acetyl L-Carnitine really works wonders. Brandir is still very active, just like Bernice, doesn’t skip any walk and occasionally plays with his daughter or grandchildren.
I therefore urgently recommend adding Taurine and Carnitine to the diet not only in case of existing heart defects, but also preventively. 1 gram per day of both is sufficient. But … it is of course also very important that you regularly check the heart and/or have it checked to prevent (more) serious problems !!!
Posted in 2021, Deerhound in general, O'Cockaigne Estate | Tags: Nimloth Bernice, Nimloth Brandir | Comments Closed
Finally …..
Finally I can manage to write something again. The lust and inspiration simply lacked after the death of Cearrean and because of the bustle of the puppies.
It was a busy couple but what fun they had together! They grew well, ate well and everything, were neatly on the leash, driving was no problem and they learned a lot from the older hounds. It all went very well.
But to be honest, I was also looking forward to see three out of six going to their new owners around February 9 (Holly would not leave for Germany until the beginning of March) but it was not to be. After the puppies had their last vaccination on February 9, they all got sick in the evening. At first I thought it was a reaction to the vaccination but because they all were not feeling well and later also vomited 
and got diarrhea, I soon came to the conclusion that it must be something more serious. I had brought Calum to Annelies in the afternoon and he also turned out to be unwell later on. This is of course the worst thing that can happen to you as a new owner and we had more than regular contact.
It turned out to be a gastrointestinal virus that was all around and because the puppies regularly went along for socialization, they had picked it up somewhere. After a week with ups and downs, high fever, not eating and drinking and therefore losing more than a kilo, after stool research showed that Giardia now also played a role! What a drama!!
It is of course very easy if you keep your dogs in kennels; a few times a day empty the high-pressure cleaner with disinfectant and you’re done, but that’s not how it works when you have them all in your house and they run over your entire 5000 square meter site. So the only thing that helped was cleaning & disinfecting and constant poopcleaning & disinfection every day. Liters of Dettol went through and the washing machine was running day and night. I can tell you that this was really not fun and it took away my fun. No more puppies at O’Cockaigne for the time being!
But in the meantime we are several weeks further and the puppies are doing well. The owners are all very happy with them and what I see in the photos and the videos and read in the emails, the puppies also with their servants. Crumbaugh and Charlaigne are very happy with each other and are shaking things up here, digging holes in which they can disappear and especially during the news in the evening on TV. they can argue wonderfully on the couch. They look good and have wonderful characters!
Posted in 2021, O'Cockaigne Estate | Tags: Charlaigne O'Cockaigne, Cockaigne Cytaugh van de Meirse Weiden, Cranston Argyll O'Cockaigne, Crumbaugh O'Cockaigne, Nimloth Brandir | Comments Closed
8 weeks young
We are now a week further after saying goodbye to Cearrean. The grief is still there, but there is also relief and resignation. Luckily Cranston has the puppies that he likes to spend a few hours a day with and that keeps me busy. After all, he is still a puppy himself, almost 8 months old, and regularly forgets that he is a bit bigger and stronger than the 8 week old puppies and that has to be managed every now and then. But it regularly delivers very laughable moments!
Cranston loves to take toys and then make sure they come after him to get it back. But of course you can also just pull them along!
The tent has been up for over a week now, but it won’t last as long as the tent that Cranston and Callaghan played with! Cranston thinks it all fits but the seams think differently! And the tunnel is also having a hard time.
The puppies had their liver shunt test the day before yesterday and luckily they were all nice and low with their ammonia value. Next week they will receive their second vaccination. 
Walking on a leash gets better every day, just like riding in the car. They are already used to the vacuum cleaner and chainsaw and a clattering pan or clattering garbage bag doesn’t do much to them either.
Now that Cearrean is gone, we have decided that Crumbaugh should also stay, so nice and good for Charlaigne, they can then enjoy themselves together. And it’s a lot easier for me!
Posted in O'Cockaigne Estate | Tags: Cearrean Argyll O'Cockaigne, Charlaigne O'Cockaigne, Cranston Argyll O'Cockaigne, Crumbaugh O'Cockaigne | Comments Closed
Cearrean Argyll
19-12-2018 Cearrean Argyll O’Cockaigne 7-1-2021
Thursday, January 7, 2021, a pitch black day for O’Cockaigne. This day we put Cearrean Argyll to sleep.
Since the beginning of August we have known, after a visit to the naturopath Judith Adriaansens, that Cearrean had terrible headaches. After several acupuncture sessions, osteopathic treatments, natural remedies, regular medicines, the MRI scan that showed that there is a cyst in his head, special medication including Gabapentin, Tramadol and prednisolone, all of which helped little or nothing, we had to make the incredibly tough decision to give Cearrean his rest.
The past few days it went downhill very fast. You could see in Cearrean’s eyes that he had constantly terrible headaches and he was no longer enjoying life. He growled all day and night at everything that came close, didn’t want to play with Cranston anymore, often lay out on a bed until late at night and ate badly the last few days. He regularly act ugly to one of the other hounds and he didn’t like the puppies anymore. In the house we had to keep him separate from the puppies to avoid annoyance, but the days before it went well outside and he still liked them.
After consulting again with the people who were treating Cearrean, we made the decision on Wednesday and I asked Victoire Weijers-Koperberg, the acupuncturist who is also a regular vet, if she was willing to come here and to free Cearrean from his headache. Fortunately she wanted to do this and we agreed for Thursday afternoon.
It became clear that it was the right decision when we walked the puppies through the garden on Thursday afternoon and Cearrean followed. The puppies of course walked to him but Cearrean did not like it and grabbed a puppy. Loudly screaming all the puppies ran back home and Cranston also was totally upset. Fortunately, the puppy had no injuries and recovered very quickly.
But we no longer had to doubt.
The grief is immense but we are also relieved; there is peace and tranquility in the house again. We also notice it immediately with Brandir, Cytaugh and Cranston, they are much more relaxed and free; they don’t have to fear getting caught anymore. I am glad we are leaving this horrible time behind us, it is in and in sad that this had to happen to Cearrean and that there was no other solution available. He was such a bon vivant!
They are a noisy bunch!
Christmas. How fun can it be! Standing out in the cold in your pajamas at night to ensure that the puppies do not do their business in the house but outside. Of course they don’t all go out at the same time and they don’t do everything at the same time. After this they have to eat and play extensively. All in all, it will take you almost 2 hours before you can go back to bed! But rarely do they put anything in the whelping box, so things are going in the right direction. Hopefully they will be completely housetrained in two to three weeks. But the door has to be left ajar so that they can go out, and we have made several adjustments to this. Fortunately, they understand the small crack through which to go outside, even at night, but they also feel how cold it is there and for 
some that is the signal to turn around and to relieve themselves on the corrugated cardboard inside. So there is no other option than to persist to go out in my pajamas in the middle of the night!
Then that litter of 2 puppies in May was a lot easier!
Just a few more days and then they are already 6 weeks. In the meantime, they make the whole house their playground and they know where to find Cytaugh when they feel like a sip of milk. They are doing well, the largest is still the largest and the smallest the smallest. There is more than a kilo difference between the two, but not in their brains! The two smallest females, Caira and Chasslynn, are the two smart ones and the most enterprising. Charlaigne and Caoimhe are a bit calmer and the males, Calum and Crumbaugh are real males; occasionally playing the boss but mostly lazy.
After the meals of steak tartare and puppy milk, they now mostly rely on meat and they like it the best. Very soon they will have their first day-old chicks, sprats and little chicken necks. Line training has started and the car is no longer strange to them. Next Monday they will be chipped and on Tuesday they will receive their first vaccination.
Cranston absolutely loves them and loves to be with them all the time. In his way he is very gentle with them but now and then a puppy flies through the air! Fortunately, they are still made of ‘rubber’ and can withstand a lot. Especially Caira is his favorite and she really lies down to be chapped! Brandir and Cearrean think they are still a bit too small, although Cearrean is very interested, but he thinks it is a bit much, 6 puppies.
Yes, Cearrean, a chapter on its own. After a period when things went reasonably well, things are going in the wrong direction again. You can clearly see that he has a lot of headaches and he takes it out on his housemates. Two and a half weeks ago I had an MRI scan of his head after Judith Adriaansens, the naturopath which is treating him, said there was ‘a’ process going on in his head. She was right! There appears to be a cyst between his large and small brains. This presses on the cerebellum and causes pain. It is also known that the cerebellum is not only responsible for motor skills but also for emotion, aggression, empathy and so on. So Cearrean’s behavior is very explainable, but also almost no longer tenable in recent weeks. He can very unexpectedly attack one of his housemates and especially Brandir does not accept this anymore. Cearrean’s behavior causes a lot of stress and tension and we had hoped that the medication he is now on would change this. Unfortunately this is very disappointing.
And when this was the only problem, but he also has problems with his right knee and his back very regularly. The pain relief that he receives is not sufficient for all these things and it especially occurs in the evening. Everything that comes within a radius of 4 meters is grunted. Really not fun. We still have to look at it, his behavior is very variable at the moment, but all in all I see it gloomy for him.
And Cranston, he is a very beautiful puppy but … his lower jaw remains too short. After having his lower puppycanines removed at a very young age in the hope that these would not hinder the growth of the lower jaw, I unfortunately had to decide to have the lower canines shortened. This happened 2 weeks ago.
All in all, not such a good time. Fortunately the puppies make us laugh regularly and we enjoy them a lot.
It is now Tuesday December 29th. The storm last weekend was not conducive to housetraining! How they hate that dirty weather! And annoying that they are! It was also a short night. After they went to sleep with a full belly at 11:30, I only at 12:30, the first one woke up again at 1:30! Then it took until after three o’clock before they decided to go back to sleep. But at 7 am the alarm went off again because my car had to go to the garage (Simon was allowed to do that). After the puppies had eaten and had a mini nap, it started again. They really went out of their way to drive me crazy and squeaked, screamed and screeched the loudest. Even after they ate a pound of meat and had dessert at Cytaugh! And while I was trying to sort things out, they immediately reorganized it into a mess! If someone had said that puppies are FUN at the time, I would have strangled that person!
Yesterday the chipper came and they all have their number and their DNA has been taken. This all went very well.
This afternoon they will receive their first vaccination and will therefore have to make a longer drive than they are used to so far. The times they were in the car it went well, but those were only a few laps around our roundabout.
And then they have to be pricked for the liver shunt test next week. I don’t expect there to be a liver shunt, but you never know!
Until now they are growing well. They prefer to eat pure meat without puppy milk and still like to drink at Cytaugh. Cytaugh is not so happy with it anymore because those teeth are quite sharp. So drinking with mom will soon be over!
Posted in 2020, O'Cockaigne Estate | Tags: Cearrean Argyll O'Cockaigne, Cockaigne Cytaugh van de Meirse Weiden, Cranston Argyll O'Cockaigne, Nimloth Brandir | Comments Closed
It is a nice bunch of puppies
The puppies are now two weeks old. They grow well and look fantastic. Cytaugh keeps them clean and because of this they shine like a mirror. Caira was the first to open her eyes a bit and was immediately waving to the world! Chasslynn was the first to carefully take several steps and now runs like a spider through the whelpingbox. She is a real racing monster!
In the meantime, all have their eyes open and respond to sound. Now minimal, but in a few days you will no longer be able to open the slide of the whelping box without them hearing it.
They also display playing behavior. Now they usually bite in each other’s ears and legs lying down and floundering , but it will soon be during walking and falling over.
The differences in character are getting bigger, the males are real males; calmer and less impulsive. But Calum can demand a lot of attention. Chasslynn is a small busy thing, she beeps loud and clear and is usually the first with everything. Caira is clever, smart but not loud, Caoimhe is calm but can grow quite a throat if she wants something, Charlaigne is the quietest of all.
What they all love is a ‘group hug’, preferably all at the same time getting a hug. Even if one is screeching, he or she often becomes silent when you pick him or her up. They really enjoy being cuddled.
Well, we take the time for that!
Every day it gets a little better
Saterday, November 21
After I returned from the vet with Cytaugh and the deceased puppy around 6pm on Wednesday (Nov.18), I didn’t feel like burying it anymore. I did this on Thursday after I first weighed him; it weighed a whopping 618 grams, the heaviest of all. And what a beautiful puppy it was!
The first days after the caesarean section Cytaugh had a significant increase, even up to 39.9 Cº, fortunately it is now dropping but it is going slowly. She feels okay and eats and drinks well. She is a loving mother and keeps her offspring clean.
Fortunately, Cytaugh lies still in the whelpingbox and does not get up to turn around so I don’t have to worry (not yet) about that but she likes to stretch her legs regularly, every 2 to 3 hours, and to pee. Of course, this also continues at night! And of course she doesn’t pee right away, she prefers to walk halfway through the forest! You are immediately wide awake again. Of the first 5 days (180 hours) I slept for a total of 16 hours. The annoying thing is that when the puppies are in their little box because Cytaugh has to get out, they are sleeping well and you don’t hear them. But when they are in Cytaugh’s whelping box, you constantly hear one squeak, suck or moan, it is hardly silent for a moment. Cytaugh is also panting a lot, it is too hot for her, especially now that she is also raised.
Sunday afternoon I saw a wound besides Cytaugh’s tail. When I examined it more closely, a lot of thickened anal fluid came out! So it turned out to be a burst, inflamed anal gland. Very strange that it did not smell at all and that Cytaugh was not bothered by it.
Fortunately, Cytaugh’s temperature is going in the right direction, at the beginning of the evening it had finally dropped below 39. Let’s hope this trend continues.
Monday, November 23
It was a very restless night. Cytaugh wanted to get out at 3:00 am and before she finally had a pee I was half an hour further. Since it is quite dark in our forest, I bring a flashlight. We then act as quietly as possible otherwise a dog in the neighbourhood will bark. You really feel like a thief in the dark and wonder when someone calls the police. Fortunately that hasn’t happened yet! The puppies also kept busy and never slept for a moment, so neither did I.
I went to the vet with Cytaugh to have the anal gland treated with an antibiotic ointment. The vet also checked the stitches. At least that all looked good.
The puppies didn’t like the fact that mothers were not there. When she was not in the whelping box within half an hour, they jointly put up a huge throat. Simon was pretty sweet with it!
The only puppy that has doubled its birth weight after a week is the turquoise male. The red female, the smallest of the bunch, doubled her weight the next day and the rest the day after. They grow steadily, but they all sometimes have an outlier or have gained a lot less weight a day. But they shine towards you and are vibrant.
Thursday, November 26
In the meantime we have already trimmed the nails of the puppies with the nail grinder twice. They grow very fast and the brackets that arise are razor-sharp.
Cytaugh now and then jumps out of the box, but as soon as the puppies start to squeak too much, she also goes back. Now it is still feasible to keep the six aside for a while when she steps in, but when the puppies get faster, it becomes a lot of tricks again. Fortunately, she stays in the whelping box all night long.
In the meantime I also have to deal with the other hounds. Now and then they also need to be brushed and their nails trimmed. And especially Cearrean needs regular special attention in the form of search games. He likes this and uses his nose well. He spends a lot of time outside with Cranston and together they “clean up” the grounds.
Cranston continues to grow considerably, he is almost the same size as Brandir! It is a wonderful puppy who enjoys life to the full.
My Croton is also admired every day at the moment, it has such nice flowers!
Friday, November 27.
This afternoon we went to the vet for a check-up with Cytaugh. Everything was fine and I can let the wound close. One less worry. The nights also get a bit quieter. Usually I “sleep” until 5:00 or 6:00 and then wake up Simon, then I actually go to bed and sleep for a few hours, Simon then stays with the pups.
Most puppies are already over a kilo, only the red female is not quite yet but she is growing fastest in proportion! Who knows, she might catch up with her pink sister! The eyes start to open slowly, with several you can already see a small crack. I wonder how blue they become, light eyes are in the bloodline so it can just pop out, I hope not!
And there they are!
Monday, November 16. 03.00 am. After noticing that Cytaugh’s temperature was dropping around noon, I watched this closely. For a long time it stuck at 37.2 before dropping to 37.1 around 7 p.m. and by 9 p.m. it had already risen to 37.3. Since the delivery will not take long anymore, and there are always exceptions, I took it for granted and did not go to bed. 
Cytaugh did, she had almost all the beds in the house before she got up at half past three and was escorted by me to the whelping box. Here she lay down quietly and finally wanted to drink a few sips of milk. I saw the puppies moving in her belly. At 4 o’clock she started to pant a little but a little later she calmed down and drank a little again.
And so it went on until half past ten in the morning.
Tuesday, November 17, 3.25 am. Simon woke up at 7 and went for a walk with the other hounds. After everyone had breakfast and Cytaugh was sleeping peacefully in the whelping box, I could also go to sleep for a few hours. It only became two hours because at 10.30 am Simon called me that Cytaugh was contracting. It ended here. In the course of the afternoon she had a contraction now and then, but she didn’t really push through. It didn’t get a bit more serious until 3:30 am and after a few contractions a bladder appeared. But it did not continue and the bladder disappeared. I took Cytaugh on a leash and went out. There the bladder appeared again! Back home soon because Simon was out walking with the other hounds and I didn’t want to take in a puppy outside while Cytaugh was half panicked. Hop in the whelping box and then the bladder turned out to be an empty ball of about 7 centimeters in diameter, there was no puppy in it, only moisture!
After about fifteen minutes, Cytaugh went into labor again and started straining. Once again a bladder appeared and disappeared because Cytaugh was not pushing properly. So back on the leash and outside. After a good 50 meters, the bladder appeared and Cytaugh started to push. I collected the pup with afterbirth in a warm towel, quickly shed its membranes and ran home as quickly as possible. Cytaugh in the whelping box, rub the puppy dry, get it started and with mothers. This was a 520 gram male, was born at approximately 4.25 pm and got the turquoise band.
Fortunately, Cytaugh was already giving milk so that went well right away. She was so busy with her firstborn that I didn’t get the chance to take a proper picture of him and in the meantime the contractions started again and at 5.15 pm a second male of 572 grams was born with some difficulty. This one got the dark blue strap.
Three quarters of an hour later, at 6.00 pm, a female was born. I was already afraid that only males would come and that I would again have to disappoint the long-waiting. Fortunately, this lady weighed about 492 grams and got the orange band.
But I didn’t get time to weigh her and put on the band because 7 minutes later another bitch was born. She weighed 450 grams and got the pink ribbon.
Now we had some time to clean the whelping box and to put down a clean fat bed, fresh mats and towels, to give Cytaugh something to eat and to relax ourselves.
While I was busy in the kitchen Simon called me that another puppy was on the way. When I got to Cytaugh the two back legs and the tail were sticking out of her vulva. Fortunately, with the next contraction the whole puppy came out but completely out of the membranes and she had swollowed a lot of fluid. It took quite a bit of effort to get her empty and going but she made it! She weighed only 360 grams and got the red band.
Wednesday, November 18. It has now been 7 o’clock, the puppies 
are all doing well. Cytaugh shows herself as an exemplary mother, eats and drinks well and gives good milk. She is still quite restless and pants a lot.
10.47 am. It was some work again! A quiet breakfast was not an option. At 8 minutes before 8 another bitch was born! She weighed 494 grams and now wears the green strap. In the photo below she is on the left, without any color.
Noon, Cytaugh is panting again and she has the occasional contraction. So it looks like another puppy is on the way. Over time, the number of contractions diminish and walking outside does not bring anything either. I call the vet and say I’m coming with Cytaugh. After having made an ultrasound it appears that there is indeed a puppy in it and it is decided to first administer oxytocin and see if Cytaugh can manage to give birth to the puppy herself. But that does not work, the few contractions she still gets is not strong enough to expel the puppy. Then it is decided to have a Caesarean section. Unfortunately it turns out that the male has become completely full of moisture and whatever they do, he will not survive. In and in sad, it was such a lovely puppy.
When we got home, we spent hours reuniting Cytaugh with her children. After that affair with Cearrean two years ago, we were really afraid things were going to go wrong. At first Cytaugh really didn’t like her puppies, but after laying them with her one by one and then two at a time, things got better and better and last night they mostly lay with her. It was even the case that after walking for a while at 5.00 am she insisted on having her puppies with her.
It is going in the right direction, please let it continue like this, this was enough stress for the next 10 years!
Just one little week to go!
It’s getting exciting! The whelping box is ready and Cytaugh has approved it, but she does not stay in it for long. Her belly is growing well, she is getting bigger every day and you can feel the puppies move. She eats smaller portions more often and likes something different every time.
She doesn’t like to walk anymore and she just lugs behind you a bit. What she likes to do is dive into the garden in the evening and dig a hole somewhere under a bush or pine. We will not allow that!
In the meantime, Cranston continues to grow well. It is a very cheerful puppy with a wonderful character. He is already becoming quite a guy and things are also getting faster in the game with Cearrean. They are intensely close friends and can play and scratch around together for hours.
Fortunately, Cearrean is now doing a lot better. After a very bad period, in which he regularly acted ugly to his housemates, I sought help from a naturopath. She discovered several blockages in his spine and it turned out that he has enormous trauma from his birth and the first weeks after. Well, that may add up! After several acupuncture and osteopathy treatments, we have now ended up with a behavioral therapist who teaches us to use exercises to ensure that Cearrean relaxes a little more and calms his head. In the meantime, he is regularly examined by the naturopath so that we can make timely adjustments. All in all, we clearly see improvement and I am glad I took this step.
Posted in 2020, O'Cockaigne Estate | Tags: Cearrean Argyll O'Cockaigne, Cockaigne Cytaugh van de Meirse Weiden, Cranston Argyll O'Cockaigne | Comments Closed
Puppies are on the way!
After having had the feeling that Cytaugh could be pregnant for more than a week; she doesn’t want to eat any more fish, is lazy as a pig and is occasionally nauseous, I had an ultrasound made of Cytaugh’s stomach yesterday, October 14.
And yes, there were several embryos on display! The doctor did not count extensively but looked like this already 4. Now we hope that enough females will be born so that I can make long-waiting happy.
We expect a lot from this combination. If the right genes are mixed properly, beautiful, strong puppies will be born. Uther largely represents the type of Deerhound that I prefer; strong and powerful with a super sweet character and a good hunting instinct.
A Deerhound capable for what it was once bred for!
Uther is the great-grandchild of Rosslyn Magi Among Shagied. In 2011 Sonja and I went to this male for a mating with Cheytah. Unfortunately no puppies were born then, it would be nice if his great-great-grandchildren look like him!
If all goes well, the puppies will be born around November 17.
And that was our holiday.
While we were busy on Sunday August 25 to pack the caravan and the car for a 25-day trip, one of the young Faverolles chickens turned out to have major problems laying her first egg. This came out with cloaca and all. I removed the egg and tried to fix it but unfortunately to no avail so Simon could take her to the vet on Monday morning, before we left, to put her to sleep. Very sad, it was such a nice chicken. This was a bad start to the holiday and the weather forecast was also not so good for the first days.
In the meantime I had further packed up the caravan and filled the two freezers, which were at the back of the car, with about 40 kilos of meat for the hounds. Not enough for 25 days, but we would supplement it at Sonja if we would descend towards Tüttleben.
After Simon returned from the vet, we hung the caravan behind the car and we could leave. But when we get through the gate, we have to uncouple the caravan and take the next corner with the mover. Unfortunately the reels didn’t respond to the remote so we couldn’t turn the corner. First replace the batteries, this to no avail. Bought new batteries and tried, this did not help either. Then we asked the neighbour to help push and yes, with united forces the caravan got around the corner and we could finally continue our way towards camping “De Paardenbloem” in Deurningen.
We would stay here for two nights. We decided to only put the awning on but when Simon put some tension on it, an attachment eye broke off. We were convinced that there should be something like this in the caravan but unfortunately…. so Simon had to go because without this eye we could not set up the awning.
We were now close to Lemele where Callaghan lives, so that was a great opportunity to hand over the pedigree and let the two brothers play together again. Well they did!
On Wednesday we left for Camping-Paradies “Grüner Jäger” in Everinghausen, just past Bremen. The name of the campsite suggests something and indeed there was a large meadow with a fair number of fallow deer. In the meantime it was pouring out of the air and I tried to let the hounds out in between the showers, but Cranston and Cearrean could not be
lieve their eyes and were no longer able to do another step. Too interesting all those deer!
The next day the journey went by ferry from Puttgarden to Rødby to Maribo in Denmark. This was a beautiful spacious campsite where you could walk extremely well with the hounds and where we could finally enjoy the sun.
But not for long, because after we had done some shopping in Maribo on Friday morning, we continued towards Vordingborg, where Simon would give a seminar on “building a good coursing parcourse”. This would take up all of Saturday and Sunday. It was organized by Frank Plith in collaboration with the Danish running and coursing committee and it took place with Bille and Freddy who provided a nice large field of several hectares.
Fortunately we were able to build up our things in a nice sheltered spot because it was very windy. In the night from Friday to Saturday it started to rain and thunder terribly at one point, really huge showers passed over us and I did not sleep a wink because I know that Brandir is / was terribly afraid of thunderstorms. He has been on Chinese herbs (Geria) for a few months because he started to show symptoms of dementia, and I had already noticed that he was much better. Only now it turned out how good! He just slept through !! No anxiety or panic, he just stayed calm on his bed. Unbelievable!
The seminar was a great success. About 15 people participated and were very enthusiastic, they later said that they had learned a lot and now understand why a good parcourse is so important. Several parcourses were also explained and laid out, then commented on and discussed why it didn’t work. All in all very educational and it should happen in all countries because what you usually see in courses… ..!
Monday morning we broke up our things again and left for Flyvesandet. A campsite in the north of the island of Fun, where we have been regularly since 2001. Just before we got to the campsite, a herd of fallow deer crossed the road. Cearrean just hung his head out of the window and would have popped out if he had been a little smaller. That was promising because once Cearrean knows that there is game running, he can no longer run free. 
After arrival we first walked around the campsite to find a nice place where we could drop off a large part so that Cearrean and Cranston had enough space to play. Halfway through the “quest” a large hare jumped up. Well that could get exciting! Fortunately, he didn’t show himself that often anymore for the rest of the week and he also stayed a bit away from our camp, so sensible!
If the moon phase is good, and therefore not a full moon like this week, you can walk for miles here. There is then about 5 centimetres of water on a mirror-smooth seabed. Ideal to let the hounds race. But unfortunately the water did not drop more than about a foot now and that is a bit too high for Cranston. The first time Simon walked into the 
water and the hounds followed him, Cranston followed, but soon almost went under. After this he preferred to stay on the shore, wet feet could then just but he did not go further into the sea. But he still had a lot of fun and enjoyed it to the fullest.
For Cearrean we brought the throwing stick and a tennis ball, he was completely fed up and couldn’t get enough! In any case, he is not afraid of water!
But unfortunately …. Cytaugh had decided to come into season on the Monday we arrived in Flyvesandet and since she was supposed to be mated, the plans had to be overhauled. This meant; not going to Sonja the following week to then go to Tüttleben where Simon would provide a coursing training, but leave for home on Saturday.
In the meantime we had already heard that Tüttleben would probably not continue due to too few registrations. Should it still go ahead, Simon could always go there with his tent and take care of the training.
With an overnight stay in Everinghausen, we came home on Sunday afternoon. Fortunately, the heart examination that was planned for Wednesday, September 16, could be brought forward for a week so that it was still done in time. To make ‘sure’ that Cytaugh would be on about the same schedule as two years ago, I made an appointment on Tuesday, the ninth day of her season, to have a progesterone test. Fortunately, this was still very low, as hoped, and the heart examination the day after, also had a very positive result.
I also consulted with two cardiologists regarding breeding with Cytaugh because Chidish, her brother, passed away last year after a coursing. He had mild DCM. But both believe that if the heart is so good at the age of 5.5 that you should not pass up the opportunity. It is very difficult to find lines without a hereditary condition and if there is a problem on one side and this problem has not yet manifested itself in the other line, you could risk it. Hopefully it will work out well too!
The chosen male is Beardswood Uther. A still young male with a nice spring of rib, strong bone and a fantastic character. The I.C. is 1.85 over 7 and 5.74 over 10 generations. If you look at the pedigree, there are many beautiful hounds behind the lines of which I have known several. Also quite a lot made it into double digits or near to it. We expect a lot from this combination!
The bad thing is that I couldn’t go to England for a natural mating and that is why fresh, chilled semen came to the Netherlands. We hope it all goes as expected and that we can welcome a few beautiful, healthy puppies in mid-November.
Posted in 2020, Abroad, O'Cockaigne Estate | Tags: Callaghan Argyll O'Cockaigne, Cearrean Argyll O'Cockaigne, Cockaigne Cytaugh van de Meirse Weiden, Cranston Argyll O'Cockaigne, Nimloth Brandir | Comments Closed
One day left …..
Cranston and Callaghan are doing well, they are growing steadily, are standing nicely on their legs, have both testicles in the right place, are shiny, playing, digging, listening to their name and of course they are totally house-trained.
It is unbelievable as fast as time goes by. Next Friday they are already 12 weeks old and on Saturday Callaghan will go to his new home. He is going to live in Lemele, with Henny and Betsie. They have had Irish Wolfhounds for many years and now want something sportier. Well, that will work with Callaghan!
They have already been through a lot and driving is no problem. The weekends away with the caravan did not cause any problems, they adapted immediately.
Two weekends ago we had our CC2000 party at the racecourse in Lelystad. More than 80 hounds were present to enjoy themselves again with lure-coursing. Cearrean was allowed to explore the course on Friday with his muzzle and blanket for the first time. This went fine. On Saturday he was allowed to run the first round with Troy, the Greyhound of Hervé Blaakenburg. Troy went straight and Cearrean thought he was smart by turning left, but here Troy was running and this resulted in a big collision with a header for Cearrean. For a moment he was disoriented but then went after the hare again. In the afternoon Cearrean was allowed to walk with a Saluki from Henriëtte. Here again things went wrong when Geer, the Saluki, wanted to follow the hare neatly behind the hedge, Cearrean ran a little too far, turned around and rammed Geer in his side. A huge dive of both resulted, and Geer then stood on three legs. Then we gave it up.
For Vision it was the first time after the puppies were born that she could stretch her legs again. She was quite fanatic but her condition was not yet optimal. Cytaugh was not allowed yet, her feet were not yet completely healed from very strange injuries. It was going in the right direction, but I thought the risk of her feet hurting again was too great.
The following week she was entered with Vision for the coursing of ‘t Haasje in Werkendam and luckily her feet were completely healed and remained intact! The bike training had done its job and Vision’s condition was clearly better. Cytaugh, on the other hand, who had not run free and played for weeks, was far too fat and in absolutely no condition. But she enjoyed it very much and came off the field with a big smile. Cearrean would actually go for his coursinglicense this weekend, but due to the diving and an earlier fall on his back, the osteopath, by whom he is under treatment, did not think it wise to let him run. She also had quite a bit of work to get Cearrean back into shape. Let’s just hope that he stays ‘whole’ and will soon be able to run again.
Cearrean is quite a bit difficult. Occasionally he may suddenly snap to another hound, without us being able to pinpoint a reason. Usually he is tired or suffers from his knee. But he is still very fond of the puppies and can play with them for tens of minutes. He does this extremely carefully and lovingly!
Saturday is the day, Callaghan is going to leave us, the puppy that I spent minutes trying to get life into. He has grown into a strong, beautiful puppy with his own personality; strong and sweet with a ‘will to please’. I am curious how he will develop further, I wish him a long, healthy, sporty, nice and loving life!
Posted in 2020, O'Cockaigne Estate | Tags: Callaghan Argyll O'Cockaigne, Cearrean Argyll O'Cockaigne, Cranston Argyll O'Cockaigne, Pyefleet Vision | Comments Closed
7 Weeks young
Last Friday, Callaghan and Cranston were 7 weeks young. How fast that time goes!
The week before they were already chipped, DNA was taken and the day after they were inoculated. This all went very smoothly and without a single beep. Driving was also fine. We had of course built this up slowly and done it more often, but not even a 20-minute ride. Fortunately no problem.
They grow well, they are more or less the same as the tables I still have from my previous litters. They mainly eat one-day-old chicks, sprats and all kinds of ground meat with vegetables, elderberries and seaweed. Meanwhile, Callaghan is almost as big as Cranston and last week the weight difference was only 450 grams. Callaghan weighed 5.65 kilo’s and Cranston 6.10. They are certainly not fat, it could be a little more but they seem to get enough because they would like to eat more. And it is actually better that they do not grow too fast, let them take it easy.
Their favourite place in the house is the large basket where Brandir usually lies. He always looks very upset when the puppies have taken his bed again. Poor grandpa Brandir!
They are 99.99% house trained. It is very rare that there is still a pee in the house. And because we consistently clean up their feces directly behind their asses, they haven’t become shit-eaters either.
We have already had exciting moments with them. Two weeks ago, Callaghan was very interested in looking at something right in front of him. When I went to look it turned out to be four oak processionary caterpillars! I was startled and snatched Callaghan from the bed. Fortunately, it turned out that he hadn’t sniffed it because he showed no strange behaviour after it that could indicate that. I did immediately wash the cover of the bed and searched the area for caterpillars. Later that afternoon we found two more caterpillars on the grass. Dead scary! But yes, there are about twenty oaks with us, many of which are very large and therefore with inaccessible caterpillar nests. It cannot be prevented.
Vision starts to play with them a bit, but would rather leave that to Cearrean. However, she regularly lies cosy with her sons on a bed and you can see that Callaghan and Cranston really enjoy themselves here. The men are allowed to drink a little with her every now and then, but I think it is minimal what comes out because they are done with it soon.
Both puppies are already beginning to wear their ears well, the fold is in it and occasionally they can already fold forward. They are also high set. Cranston will most likely have very dark eyes, Callaghan, on the other hand, will get his mother’s eye colour; quite light. This was quickly seen as he had very light blue eyes while Cranston’s eyes were several shades darker. Even now the difference is clear.
Walking on leash is also no problem. They have already been to the shopping center, the dog run-off forest (where we unfortunately did not encounter any strange dogs) and to the horses that are in our neighbourhood. To get here we have to pass a bunch of terrible barking dogs and this was of course terrifying. They also didn’t really like the horses yet. So it was a stressful walk, but once at home the tent made sure that everything was quickly forgotten.
Tomorrow Cranston will undergo a little surgery. He has a slight upper bite and his lower teeth prick his palate. These are therefore removed so that the lower jaw has free rein to grow. I am confident that it will come all right.
Posted in 2020, O'Cockaigne Estate | Tags: Callaghan Argyll O'Cockaigne, Cearrean Argyll O'Cockaigne, Cranston Argyll O'Cockaigne, Nimloth Brandir, Pyefleet Vision | Comments Closed
29 days young
Yesterday the puppies were 4 weeks young, how fast it goes! It is also very easy, 2 puppies. A week and a half ago they suddenly dipped into Vision’s food bowl, delicious… Rinti, tripe, milk and sheep fat! Since then, they regularly get 
some puppy milk with steak tartare from a bowl, but also regularly eat small balls of tartare. This is fun to do, they sit next to each other and take turns to get a ball. When they have enough, Callaghan usually before Cranston, they get up and start playing.
They are now almost house-trained. Callaghan is smart, he quickly realized how to get out of the whelpingbox and that you have to pee outside. He also does not mind wet grass and wind. Cranston, on the other hand, is a bit easier and sometimes pees in the whelping box. He also does not like cold and wind! And that despite its bacon layer.
Cearrean, the big half-brother, absolutely loves them! He can hardly wait to play with them but so far he is extremely careful and barely touches them. He keeps a close eye on them and shows himself as an extremely good babysitter.
And even though Cearrean is challenged by Cranston, he won’t be tempted! However, he was challenged by grandpa Brandir and the little ones find that very interesting.
Posted in 2020, O'Cockaigne Estate | Tags: Callaghan Argyll O'Cockaigne, Cearrean Argyll O'Cockaigne, Cranston Argyll O'Cockaigne, Nimloth Brandir, Pyefleet Vision | Comments Closed
Doubly unbelievable
Finally time to tell the big news; both males have Argyll Bryan from the Market Garden as father !! We really never thought this, partly because the quality of the frozen semen was not very good. So I really couldn’t believe it at first and have been looking at the DNA results for a long time. But yes, if the numbers of the DNA markers match, it will be!
I think it is wonderful and hope that both males get both their testicles so that they can mean something for the breed in the future.
Their I.C. for the first 8 generations is 0.00%, for the ninth generation 2.69% and for the tenth 5.31%. So quite interesting to do something with.
Last Friday we also decided to rename Conaughey in Cranston. There were some problems with the pronunciation and Simon had come up with the name Colossimus for the little boy. I didn’t think it was such a nice name. Cranston also suits him well and since the ears are only just open he can get used to it right away. So they are now called Callaghan Argyll O’Cockaigne and Cranston Argyll O’Cockaigne.
Weighing is slowly becoming a problem!
The resemblance of Cranston and Cearrean is striking. Cranston has a large white left frontfoot and Cearrean had that on his right hindfoot, the chest spot is almost the same, Cranston’s is slightly wider but of the same shape. Also in terms of head shape and physique, they are not inferior to each other.
Callaghan will most likely become more like Vision.
Meanwhile, the eyes are open, they start to play, both with each other and with toys.
From now on it will all get a bit busier, of course they will play more and soon they will waddle out of the whelping box. Mother Vision is also taking things a bit easier with them, so we will soon be messing with porridge!
Brandir and Bernice, 8 years young.
Yesterday Brandir and Bernice turned 8 years old and despite Brandir’s Cystinuria and mild Cardiomyopathy, he is still doing wonderfully! Every day he plays with Cearrean and is still in charge of him. He does not miss a walk and still fully enjoys life. Bernice is also still very fit and active.
Up to 9 years, must succeed.
Today the puppies are 10 days young and Callaghan has tripled his birth weight + 51 grams, he weighed 1086 grams this morning. Conaughey has been taking it a bit easier in recent days and now weighs 1390 grams. He can no longer be picked up with one hand. The colour difference is becoming increasingly clear, I wonder what this will be. Vision was very light as a puppy so maybe Callaghan will be like that, I don’t know. I have not yet had this colour in one of my litters.
In the meantime they occasionally show a bit of playing behaviour, the eyes almost open and the standing is also getting better, but they are too thick to walk, top heavy, they roll over immediately.
Vision takes good care of them, they shine that it is a sweet treat and only once a day a fat bed goes into the wash. Something different as back then with 11 puppies, the washing machine kept running!
Posted in 2020, O'Cockaigne Estate | Tags: Nimloth Bernice, Nimloth Brandir, Pyefleet Vision | Comments Closed
Seven day’s young
Today has been a week since we were surprised with the birth of Conaughey and Callaghan. Surprised in this sense that we had not expected them yet. Meanwhile, both have doubled their weight since yesterday, Conaughey in the morning and Callaghan in the evening.
This morning Conaughey weighed 1073 grams and our little Callaghan 766. They are really fat! But despite that, they are already starting to stand on their feet and try to walk, which of course does not work.
Yesterday I took DNA and sent it to investigate if there might be one from Argyll. I hope to get the results next week.
Mother Vision meanwhile goes out of the whelping box without coercion and occasionally goes to my bed next to the box or to lie outside in the sun. She usually only keeps this for 10 minutes, then she wants to go to her puppies again but at least she is relaxed and tries to enjoy everything.
A few more days and the ears and eyes will open, how fast it goes!
In the meantime, personal care has also started; the nails started to get pretty sharp so they have been updated with the Pecute. A kind of dremel especially for dog nails. With cutting you always have sharp edges and with this handy, small device you can file these mini nails nicely around. Of course Conaughey was struggling and since he can no longer be held with one hand it was a difficult job. Callaghan, on the other hand, had finished the pedicure in a curse and a sigh.
They are quit different, those two.
3 days young
They were born three days ago; Callaghan (… ..) and Conaughey (… ..). I have not yet decided which name, but when I look at the characters I think that ‘the little’ Callaghan and ‘the big’ will be called Conaughey. Yes, and whether something will be added in the brackets remains to be seen. In the very near future, I’m going to take DNA to see if either has Argyll Bryan from the Market Garden as a father. I hope so!! ‘The little’ has a good chance, he has the same chest spot and amount of white on the feet, he is not so coarse and heavy and not very dark in color, but … all this says nothing. So wait and see!
The size difference was big and it still is. ‘The little’ is doing his best, but ‘the big ‘ is doing better and drinks twice as much! So they do go about the same and gain weight in proportion. ‘The big’ weighed 626 grams this morning and ‘the small’ weighed 427 grams, I wonder what they weigh tonight.
In the meantime we also have to enjoy the beautiful rhododendrons that growing in our backyard. Usually we are away during this period and we miss the best moments, not now !!
The walks with the hounds was also enjoying the past week; a large pool has been excavated in the future horse meadow, the hounds love it and with the nice weather there are many doggy-friends to run around with!
Time for the game “fishing candy”. Cearrean had some problems with it, but people learn by doing and in the end it went perfectly.
Simon is just doing odd jobs in between and is helped by Cearrean. Cearrean finds everything interesting and exciting and wants to be around all the time.
And meanwhile I sleep, hang and sit around the whelping box. Vision is a fantastic mother and keeps the puppies clean, they shine that it is a sweet treat. She is also very careful, she does not just get up and turns around on command. Fortunately, that all goes perfectly!
In short, …. everything is very enjoyable!!!
Posted in 2020, O'Cockaigne Estate | Tags: Cearrean Argyll O'Cockaigne, Pyefleet Vision | Comments Closed
Wait a while longer … or not!!
It is quite a busy time at estate O’Cockaigne. Young life is sprouting everywhere! The trees are green again, the plants are in full bloom and three young Faverolles were added last week. It takes some getting used to for them, we still have to help them in and out, but they learn that quickly.
The tits are also busy with their nests and the blue tits that nest in a wine box are already feeding.
In the meantime, we are doing the last chores. The whelping box is standing and Sonja came last Sunday with Vision, Bernice and Lita. Cearrean loves it and regularly tries to play with Bernice, which occasionally succeeds. Lita is his stepmother, he sleeps with her as a puppy, now he often follows Lita like a shadow.
And Vision… she is in the whelping box. It takes some getting used to for everyone, especially if she is also fed there.
You can feel the puppies moving and they will probably be born today or tomorrow. Even more young life! An exciting time, I will keep you informed!
And while I have almost finished translating this post, we hear Vision beeping. We jump up and go to her. To our surprise, there is a puppy without any pressure or panic, with a minimal temperature drop!
A sturdy boy of 480 grams who immediately crawls to a nipple and starts drinking.Exactly one and a half hour later, at 1.20 pm, the second puppy is born. A small fruit of 345 grams, also a male! After a little struggle, a lot of rubbing and often putting on, the boy starts to get stronger and the nipple does not let go. The difference between the brothers is big, but the smallest does everything to catch up with his big brother! Whether it works…. ?
It is going well for the time being, Vision is also doing well and cleaning her children. She is, so far, a calm, loving mother. To be continued!
Posted in 2020, O'Cockaigne Estate | Tags: Cearrean Argyll O'Cockaigne, Nimloth Bernice, Pyefleet Vision | Comments Closed
All disadvantages have their advantages!
Now that Simon is more at home because of the Corona virus, all kinds of jobs are being tackled, from small to large. It started with cleaning our terrace around the house. A big job as it takes up quite a few square meters. I also raised some potholes in the pavement and the gaps between the tiles had to be filled again after the cleaning. We spent quite a few days with it.
For Cearrean we put out the “outdoor bed” after we gave it a new coat of paint. At first he pretended that he didn’t like it at all, but when I went to see where he was after fifteen minutes, he was lying princely on “his” bed.
In between jobs, you can enjoy the freshly flowering plants. And every year there are more and more wild violets and forget-me-nots, delicious!
Between the nose and lips I also made some new ceramic pieces. The intention was to take it to Tüttleben and Donaueschingen but due to the C virus these shows are canceled. Now the hounds stay in their boxes until next year.
I also plunged into my “Kennel nameplate”. The old board with the letters and head on it was completely rotten so I made a branch of a birch that we recently cut down into plank, covered the letters and the head with a lick of paint and hung it up. It looks great again !!
In recent days, Simon has cleaned and repainted two walls of our house and of course you have to clean the windows! Also such a job that takes some hours because a small 80 m² glass is not cleaned in fifteen minutes. But it is really improving!
It is nice that everything will be ready before the puppies are born, the whelping box is up for grabs and will be put together this weekend. All supplies are in house and Sonja will come on Sunday so that Vision has a few days to get used to it.
Meanwhile it has rained a bit, delicious! This afternoon I took a long walk in the drizzling rain in a free-range area. The hounds have had a great time and have been rinsed clean again.
Our “estate” also looks fresh and fruity again !!
Yippie!!!
After Sonja had an ultrasound on Vision last week and only one puppy was seen, we could not be very happy about this. I saw the drama of a C-section and the growing up of only one puppy, all over again.
But… .. this afternoon another ultrasound was made on Vision and then two embryos appeared! That is already 100% better!
It was very difficult to see anything very high in the belly, so maybe another puppy will turn up in due course. Let’s hope that but it is certainly very nice that two puppies are coming. They are expected around May 7.