The Right Choice all along!

When we had our first litter, something in me screamed that Ace would be our #1 keeper puppy. As much as I love him and still think that this is true, Pepper made it quite clear early on that she was a strong contender for that position. As she grew and her personality developed, we got to see so much of her sweet, kind-natured Mama in her, and it was hard not to fall in love. 

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While most of Charlotte's whelp went flawlessly, in the middle of the pack, we had a bit of a snag ... LITERALLY. As it were, Ruby (Stella) and Pepper had somehow become twisted together, sacks intertwined, and birthing them was a real issue for poor Charlotte. As one baby struggled to come out, it became clear she was going to need some help. With a big push, she got the pup out, but it remained stuck just outside the birth canal. As I tried to assist with some pressure, I knew that she wasn't budging without doing some damage, so I opted to break the sack and get her out, then deal with the stuck sack situation after.

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The pretty dark girl I held was smaller than the others (though not small enough to consider a "runt") and she wasn't breathing. So I began to work on her. As I was doing so (and just starting to get some sounds and movement from her), Charlotte delivered the 2nd puppy that she had been stuck to. I passed the little one in my hands off to my 15 year-old daughter with instructions to keep rubbing, and got to work getting the next one breathing as well. When I got the sack open, it was a huge surprise to see an almost identical twin baby girl come out of it. 

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These two would become Pepper (born first) and Stella (now Ruby). My daughter fell in love with tiny little Pepper, and they started bonding almost right away. She begged me to keep that puppy, but I told her that we would have to wait and see how the pups all grew up. I was almost sure, given her size, that she was not going to be the keeper pup I was looking for, but I kept an open mind.

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As Pepper grew, she gained size on her siblings. She showed confidence, spunk, tons of energy, and a heart of absolute gold. In the 6 week stack lineup, she looked VERY promising. Another breeder/show family was interested in her, so I had already considered her gone from our group and had my sights set on Ace. But when the family came to meet the puppies, they fell in love with another, and Pepper became available again.

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When the pups' genetic health testing came back, Pepper's was completely clear, while Ace was a carrier for 1 genetic disease (a carrier does not have the disease, and will not get it, but can produce puppies with it if bred to another carrier). Since all of our females at the time were also genetic carriers of the same disease, I knew that we could not breed Ace within our program in the near future.

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So the decision was made to have Ace go to a co-own guardian home, and keep Pepper back with us.

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It was one of the best decisions we could have made. Pepper fits so well into our pack, our home, and our lifestyle. She is the biggest cuddlebug of all and can always bring out a smile, even on the worst days. Her soft, feminine features are absolutely beautiful, and she has gown into a moderate to large-ish size for a female, outgrowing all siblings but her brothers. She has incredible potential to be very competitive in the show ring as she matures, easily completing her Championship title by just 7 months of age! Her movement is effortless and she is wonderfully graceful and pleasing to watch.

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We are thrilled for her future with Dakoozi and can't wait to see how her career progresses!

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** Pepper already has some spectacular pairings lined up for her future with top performing males in both Canada and the USA. We couldn't be more excited for the interest in her and willingness of these breeders to put their high ranking boys to her when she is old enough!