Pesca has been bred to the very handsome Barbelo.  We will check progress in 3 weeks to see if the breeding was a success.  If so, we should have a litter about the third week in February!  It has been over 2 years since we had a litter of puppies, so we are very excited.

More good news!  Pesca has completed all her pre-breeding tests.  She has passed her elbow and patella tests, aced her hip test and now has been tested for eye issues.  The opthamologist found a couple hairs near the eye rim but states that this is not a problem.  Eyes are clear.  Now we will wait for her to come into season in the next month or so.  Today is her 2nd birthday.

Last night we attended a meeting of Parents of Murdered Children with EMM team Suzie and the Radloffs.  The dogs can be such a blessing and a loving way to share the love of Jesus with everyone we meet.  Nothing needs to be said, the comfort is just there.  Thanks Vando, for being such a blessing.

Great News!  We got our pre-lim score on Pesca's hips and they are rated "Excellent".  She has now been tested for patella, hips, elbows, all DNA, and the only thing left is her CERF eye exam.

Pesca went in for her pre-lim Xrays for hips and elbows.  The vet has sent them to OFA, and thinks the hips look great.  Elbows are normal.  Only pre-breeding test left to perform are her CERF (eye tests).  She will be 2 years old in about 3 weeks and we hope to breed her in a few months.  We have chosen Angelus mei Barbelo for her sire.  He has nice proportions and we are hoping for him to bring his fabulous head to this litter.  You can see his photo on the opening page of our website:
http://www.lagottoaz.com

Today at the Prescott area dog show, Pesca won Best of Opposite Sex for 1 point.  She came after Terzo who won Best of Breed and went on to win Best in Miscellaneous.

Ginna liked it so well at Candy and Jeff's house, she has decided to stay.  She came over for me to groom her and said she is treated like a queen in their house and only made it to princess at our house.

Today we had 6 Lagotti and 1 Lagotto wannabe at our house.  We had Michelle who brought Aida and Zennie to our house for some grooming lessons.  Curly is a Lagotto wannabe but today he looked more like a poodle.  We also had Candy and Jeff from Prescott, who came to visit Ginevra.  They took her home for a sleep over.  We miss her!

Pesca cooling herself in front of the fan on a warm summer day.

Pesca was entered for one day at the Flagstaff show on Saturday, June 7.  She did a great job and was awarded Best of Breed from Bred By Exhibitor Class.  She went on to beat some very nice dogs to win Best in Miscellaneous Class.  She gets 2 AKC points toward her Certificate of Merit Title.  In the second photo, we also have Angelus Mei Barbelo who was Best of Opposite Sex (BOS).

We received our results from DNA testing for Lysomal Storage Disease: 
Kan Trace Adrina at Shivaree is Carrier
Cry Out VID Orvando at Shivaree is clear/normal 
IL GRANAIO DEI MALATESTA Ginevra is clear/normal 
Shivaree mia piccola Pesca is clear/normal

We also have results from Faith Robb that Angelus mei Apollon is clear/normal

This means our Vando X Ginna litter is clear by parentage and our Apollon X Ginna litter is clear by parentage.

Here is a link to a video that demonstrates Lysomal Storage Disease in a Lagotto.  We have recently been given the opportunity to test for this rare but devastating disease.  I have sent blood (as with the other AZ breeders) of all my dogs and am awaiting results from Helsinki, Finland where the gene was discovered.

Lysomal Storage video

Our much anticipated puppy made his arrival late in the afternoon on Saturday.  He was stillborn in spite of the best efforts of 2 vets, Whelpwise and myself.  He was beautifully formed and simply could not survive the birth process.  We are heartbroken.

Countdown to Ginna's litter is less than a week!

Our dogs are so funny.  When it is time for them to eat they go and wait in their crates.  They know that is the only place that dinner will be served so they hope if they are in their crates, we will eventually feed them.  Smart doggies!

We are approaching our whelp date and are getting excited.  We will do an Xray to get a count on Tuesday the 29th.  Ginna is still a busy active girl and is just now starting to be more careful with jumping up on things.

Here is the ultrasound image of a puppy fetus.  We could see the heart beating.  This is so exciting!  Check back to learn of the progress of our litter which is due in the first week in May.  We will do an Xray at the end of April to get a head count.

Ultrasound shows Ginna is going to have puppies!  Expected due date is early May.

I haven't posted much for a while with the Christmas holiday and also waiting for Ginevra to come into season.  Our Lagotto Club hosted an Open Show during the Fiesta Cluster in Scottsdale and I took Pesca by herself in our motor home.  We had horrible rains on Saturday and mud on Sunday.  We are waiting for photos from the event and will post as soon as we can.

In the meantime, we have had a breeding finally with Ginna and Angelus Mei Barbelo.  He is a wonderful boy with outstanding head and expression.  He also sired two of Adrina's litters and we were so pleased with the result.  We are excited about this litter and will test with ultrasound in a couple weeks to confirm the pregnancy.  You can see Barbelo's photo on my website under the photos tab.  www.lagottoaz.com