Our 6-year-old whippet Stella gave birth to a litter of nine puppies by C-section at Rose City in Pasadena just over a week ago, on May 2nd. Two of the pups were non-viable. Everyone else is healthy and thriving. I'ma just post a buttload of pix here random-like, for the time being.
We thought because she's 6+ it was too late, but we ran into her east coast breeder at a show and she said to go for it! Stella came into heat a little earlier than expected, and luckily our friend Debra's Dash (who was on our stud shortlist) was available and already in Stella’s good graces. We tried a live breeding but Stella’s anatomy was unusually inaccessible, and we wound up doing a non-transcervical side-by-side.
We took her in for her X-ray on May 1, and were looking at Monday the 5th for the procedure, but Stella told us otherwise that night, with restless nesting and a temperature drop. We took her in the next morning for a progesterone test, and it was Go Time!
In spite of her physical challenges and horror of clinical environments, Stella was a trooper and is a great Mom. Here’s the breakdown: 4 girls and 3 boys. 4 B&W (3F 1M), 3 indeterminate - one’s red & white M, one’s maybe blue brindle F, one M maybe fawn/sable w white?
They are named after characters from a TV show called The Mighty Boosh! Here's some shots by D. Hawkins from their first day home:
