A Visit to the Manor of Mixed Blessings--and introducing Xita!

On Saturday, I took Macha (Musket's lesser-known sister) over to visit the Manor of Mixed Blessings, complete with Macha's big sister Zille (formerly known as Kari), doberfriends, and some excellent human company for myself. There are more pictures at the Manor blog, so click through to read more. Macha learned to play bitey face and how to empty a baby pool of water. She tasted cherry tomatoes (odd, she thought) and blueberries, which she liked, although she made faces at the tartness. She also got to play with a very small cat with a very big personality, and she walked UNDER a Doberman. It was an excellent adventure for Macha--and not too bad for me either. :)

At some point in the afternoon, I introduced Andrea to my new dog. My mom said, "ohhh, you didn't!" But yes, yes I did--I got a new girl, straight from Germany. She was too special to pass up. And so, V-Xita v Ludwigseck, KK1a, Sch1, has come to the United States. She flew in on Friday and has been adapting well, although she's not sure yet that I'm good for much more than butt scritches and nommy foods. Xita, and her bloodlines, is a bit of a change for me, a step forward, I think, introducing some excellent new lines to my current bloodlines. I hope to improve overall conformation in my dogs and introduce Xita's steadiness of temperament. She's 100% DDR lines, known for big heads and bones, medium size with strong builds, good overall conformation, and high intelligence and practical working ability. She's a beautiful girl and an incredible mover without being extreme. Even her Koer report comments on her good movement, "sehr gut Gangwerk."

Andrea was kind and patient enough to let me stack Xita in her front yard while she took an exorbitant amount of pictures (at my request! just a couple more, OK??). Xita was very good for the first 10 minutes then decided that this really sucked.

So far, she's fitting in well--she's met the cats and the terriers and Coal with no incidents and she's sniffed Nike through the gate. I'm limiting her interaction with my other dogs for now--I want her to settle in and be comfortable here. She's very alert and watchful of everything new, but very confident and calm. Just assessing and observing so far. I like her lots!

(more pictures here)

And that's good, because she's pregnant! She was bred in Germany to V Laruh v Grafental, KK1a, SchH3. This is a 100% DDR breeding, linebred on some very good DDR dogs. I've already got a lot of interest in this litter, so I'll start taking deposits in a few more weeks, as soon as I am *positive* she's pregnant.

Her litter will be born in early July, which means I'll have a plethora of puppies this summer. That's a first for me--I very rarely have more than one litter a year, much less more than one at a time!

Since Hunter will be in the office with her puppies, I think Xita's pups will be born in my bedroom. I do love the white-noise murmur of nursing newborn pups. But, I guess I'll adapt as needed. As long as both girls are comfortable and feel secure, I think the actual location matters little to them. But that is the first goal--security and comfort for the mommas and their babies.