Whizzie and family

[whizzie]

Having lurked and admired everyone's photos I thought it might be time to share some of mine.



Whizzie with her 14 day old puppies in September 2003.




feeding time... there are nine of them somewhere..!



Three weeks old and getting more active by the minute.


home.btconnect.com/The-Pheasant/clarencepups1373.JPG[/img]

17 month old Clarence with seven week old pups. Clarence was brain damaged at birth and is the biggest puppy in the world! He cannot see properly, hence his name... from Daktari... but he has the sweetest nature and is stunningly beautiful. I don't know what the future holds for him, but he will be cherished all the while he has quality of life. He LOVES puppies, he plays with them and looks after them, and gently reminds them of their manners.

These photos have all come from my (amateur) webpages.....

home.btconnect.com/The-Pheasant/

[Chadsmom]

Great photo's! Love the one with Clarence and the puppies, he looks so handsome

[JanisN]

What beautiful pictures and what beautiful dogs!

JanisN

[freundhund]

Hi Whizzie

I have kept up with your puppies right from the start as I found your link via Videx. I loved they way you gave us wddkly puppy up dates.

Let us know how the puppies are going.

Regards

Freundhund

[Dianne]

Whizzie..what a wonderful family..and Clarence what a stunner....so sad..we had a puupy that was 'damaged" during the birth process..had a slight "tilt" to her head all the time..she later became deaf..and her little Jack Russell mate became her ears..she went to a 'forever" home and is greatly loved, they chose her above other puppies because she went and curled up with their newborn baby, she was 7 weeks, the baby the same.. ..good on you for your dedication to Clarence.. :-*I bet he repays you more in kind..

[Jezzi]

Lovely, lovely photos of some gorgeous dogs!!! Thanks for sharing!

Laurie

[Kerry]

Ohhhh, Whizzie is beautiful, and so are those sleek little seal pups! I adore Clarence! How wonderful to have a male role model to socialize the babies. Say more about what you know about damage at Clarence's birth!

[whizzie]

Say more about what you know about damage at Clarence's birth!

At the risk of boring you all... We love him dearly......

His problems are consistent with a lack of oxygen at some point. The delivery of the puppies was fairly rapid, nine pups between 5pm and 9pm. I left them at 1am and returned at 6am to find another puppy. At 7am she delivered a stillborn.... so her full cargo was 11! Number five was a teensy weeny boy; he survived for a week with lots of TLC, but with hindsight he was never going to make it.

Clarence's problems became apparent as the pups started to move around and explore; he would bump into things and often sit and "stare" at a wall or something large. He would appear to be concentrating really hard and one eye would roll as he tried to focus, hence the name. ("The boss-eyed lion!") At about 9 weeks the last two pups started to pick on him and he would get himself into a small corner that he could defend. It was a relief to see them go! Although we had several offers for him, I felt it would be really cruel to uproot him; his mum and Auntie Sapph took good care of him, and one of the Springers played with him really well. As he outgrew the Springer she got fed up with him, but that's all part of growing up!

Only one eye has any reaction to light, he appears to have some tunnel vision and reacts to things that move. It is fascinating to watch him play with a ball; he drops it and follows it but often loses it when it is still, even right under his nose! He has learnt to drop it really gently and catch it on the bounce, and can chase it if it is rolling (not too fast). I use brightly coloured things that smell, or make a noise, and he plays for ages.

When we go out he is fine off the lead as long as there are no obstacles; a walk in the woods is a bit tricky but in an open field he can have a really good run around. He is good around the horses and manages to work out where they are most of the time. Sometimes the foal sneaks up on him and he gets a surprise, but that is all part of him learning how to deal with his life.
His mum plays with him; she only has to lie down flat about 10 yards away to "hide" and he will stand and concentrate until she moves and he spots her. Then they have a good chase, but not so fast that he loses her. He loves the puppies, but they can be a bit cheeky. His tail is always a good target because if they sneak up he doesn't always spot them.

He is the most gentle dog I have ever come across, and has that wonderful regal look that is so much a part of the breed. At the moment I am watching him closely because at nearly 18 months old he is still growing and is already 27 inches tall. He had mild "Pano" until he was about a year old, but it never really worried him, just some lameness in front. He is cuddley and loving, has a good appetite and no other visible problems; good skin and beautiful coat, excellent digestion etc..

Such a crying shame, but then, he wouldn't be the dog he is if he hadn't been damaged... would he?

[LisaH]

What a story. :'(Sounds like he was heaven sent.Enjoy him.

[GSDS4MEx3]

Gorgeous GSD's (Clarence is STUNNING!), adorable puppers, great pictures!! Thanks for sharing!

Sounds like Clarence is one awesome boy. How lucky for him to have you and your family and you and your family to have him!