Missy Gives Birth

I got Missy (Canton Mystic Night) to be a key foundation bitch. She was a recommendation of my breed mentor, Basilio Yap of Canton kennel. While she may be big and not outwardly impressive, she turns out to be one a splendid choice for a foundation bitch.

She gave birth to 3 healthy pups on October 30, 2008 - the natural way. The first black male was delivered without fanfare. At around 11am, the water bag appeared and within less than 10 minutes, the male pup was out. Another 10 minutes later and the pup was already sucking milk from the mom's teats. Missy was very motherly, cleaning her pup and never wanting to let the pup go more than a foot away from her. So the pup stayed with her while she continued on her labor.

An hour later, the next pup was still not forthcoming. I worried a bit as I could feel that her tummy was still heavy with at least 2 puppies. I called up the vet and he prescribed oxytocin, 2 shots at an interval of 15-20 minutes. He also recommended that I remove the first pup despite Missy's light protest so the nursing mother could focus on giving birth to the others. The shots and the separation seemed to work. An hour after the last shot, another water bag appeared. Within minutes, the second pup was delivered. It was a big female, breathing but not squirming as the first. With her bigger size, she must have had difficulty passing through the birth canal. It took about 3 hours for her to learn how to suckle, but she surely made up for lost time by suckling heavily thereafter.

Within less than 15 minutes from the birth of the second pup, the third and last pup was delivered. Delivery was fast and smooth. It was a sable pup, male, small and active. As soon as the last pup was wiped dry and deemed healthy, the whole litter was brought back to the mom to nurse. Despite the delay in the birth of the middle pup, I deemed the whole birthing process as a good one. I do not like caesarian section and the long recovery times it requires from the mom. I want the birthing process to be as natural as possible. I try to limit my intervention to opening the water bag (especially if the prior contractions were very long) and to cutting the umbilical cord.

To Missy, congratulations for being a good, first time mom. To PH HOF Canton Harry Potter, may your kids look and do well as you. And Basilio, thanks for the recommendation and for parting with a prized bitch. I am stubborn most of the time, but I know I should listen to you.

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When Bitches Come to Heat

The year 2008 is supposed to be the year when I breed pomeranians extensively. The past two years I have been slowly collecting bitches and 2008 was supposed to be the year when they sexually mature. Of the 5 pom bitches I keep, the last heat was on Jan 2, 2008, on the bitch's first year birthday. After my first pom litter unexpectedly died in January, I was aching to pick-up the pieces and try again, but year-old bitch in heat (Princess) was simply too young to be bred at that time.

Almost every day after January I would inspect the behinds of my pom bitches anticipating that hint of blood or swelling that would signal the onset of estrus. Days and weeks will fly and I end up disappointed. I was aching to breed again, to see if I can raise a viable litter the second time around, hoping that the new litter will erase the pain of the lost one and erase self-doubts of being a failure as a pomeranian breeder. There I was aspiring to be a breeder of significance, poring over books and web pages, supposedly armed with nuggets and anecdotes of breeding wisdom, elected pomeranian board moderator and Philippine pomeranian club president, and yet my very first pom litter - while very promising, all mysteriously died within hours of each other at a supposedly safe age of 2 months.

The ache and doubt were so much that I ended up in the kennel of my breed mentor one day requesting for a bitch of breeding age with which I can finally wrestle and vanquish the demons in my head and heart. For almost two hours, I was choosing among a steady stream of bitches offered. My eyes kept hovering over the small, pretty bitches, but my mentor wisely told me that I need a big bitch for breeding. It need not be pretty, so long as it has good bloodline behind it that can produce the pretty ones I like. For two hours I was debating between pretty and big. Eventually I surrended and got the big (5.5 lbs), black bitch Missy. I swear I didn't like Missy. I find her ugly. I was already at home with her on the first night, but part of me is still contemplating on exchanging her for the small, pretty ones I left behind. I did not want Missy, but I knew I need her. I know my mentor was right.

Eight months after her first heat, Princess finally had her second heat on August 14. By this time, my heart and mind have gotten already numb from fruitless waiting. I have learned to surrender to fate. I was elated about the breeding opportunity, but I was not jumping for joy the way I would have been had it happened earlier in the year. And so I scheduled a mating with Canton kennel. I simply wanted to mate Princess with any Canton dog that can help correct her not so straight quarters.

Two days after Princess' first mating, Missy showed hints of blood. Apparently, older Missy would not allow Princess to have babies way ahead of her. In animals, there is a pecking order on who is supposed to reproduce. The larger and stronger bitch ought to reproduce first to ensure greater success in perpetuating the species. By coming into heat, Missy is asserting this biological fact. As Missy is a valuable Canton bitch, the choice of stud took more careful study. I eventually chose a Hall of Famer whose face and luxurious, harsh coat I adore so much.

Two days after Missy's first sign of heat, little miss Peggy followed suit. Peggy is a few days shy of her first birthday, but this assertive female with voracious appetite seemed to be announcing to the world that she also has the right to reproduce herself. She is not to be left behind, her age notwithstanding. I faced a dilemma with Peggy. My normal breeding dictum is to breed on second heat (just like in the case of Princess) and not to breed a bitch younger than one year. And so I ignored Peggy.

A few day's after Peggy's first sign of heat, yet another bitch is coming to heat. It was Blossom, mother of my first litter that died. Blossom actually came into heat sometime in March but I skipped that because she had caesarian section the last time. Now she is ready again. I planned to breed her again to Pumpkin Prince, with the hope that this time the Supreme Breeder will bless me with the same beautiful litter that will grow into adulthood. And so I called Canton again for a mating appointment - the third dog in a span of 2 weeks! I should get frequent flyer miles for visiting that kennel :-) All I got were eyebags for having to wake up early for those morning matings. My bitches' business have to be done before I go to work.

The night before I sent Blossom for mating, I examined her vulva. The size, color and smell did not seem to scream "I am already ready!" I put her back into her pen and picked up instead Peggy who has been demanding my attention more since she came into heat. So what is domineering Peggy up to this time? I examined her casually and I was surprised with what I saw. Her vulva was so swollen and so big that it was actually larger than that of the bigger Missy. Peggy is a compact but sturdy 4.5 lb dog at close to a year old. Another interesting fact is the way her vulva was angled - it was tilted outward as if teasing any male who would give her the humping she deserved. I have not seen that before in my bitches in heat. She was also tilting her tail to the side whenever tough near the rump - this is a text book sign of readiness to mate. I have read about this but I have not seen it yet on my dogs, and certainly not as obvious as the way Peggy does it. This bitch is screaming for sex! I was certainly intrigued. Should I mate her? She turns a year old in a matter of days but it is her first heat. Is her body ready to carry and nurse a litter? I kept asking myself this last question. Is she ready? Having had mated two bitches earlier, I do not have to breed Peggy to get the litter I want. Is she ready? A voracious eater, she is a full-bodied dog of sturdy frame all tucked in a compact, vigorous body. Her wide vaginal opening is conducive to birthing and her voracious appetite promises sturdy milk supply. In all honesty, I think she is ready. I made the exception to my breeding rule and mated her to a very promising show dog.

Eventually, I also had Blossom mated. I now have 4 pom bitches mated. My fifth and last pom bitch actually also joined the fray. Basha was the last to come to hit. I felt Basha's body is still slight so I opted not to breed her. I want her to bulk up first for the rigors of pregnancy. Basha just turned a year old.

After months of waiting, all my pom bitches are now in heat, and they have to do it almost in unison. Have I mentioned that my year old beagle also joined the fray? No I did not breed her - she is way too young and I certainly have my hands full with four mated poms. I have heard anecdotes of synchronized menstrual periods in all-women dorms, and have learned about synchronized estrus in pigs in high school, but God must be smiling and teasing me in heaven when he finally granted my wish. When it rains, it does pour :-)

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When Pomeranian Lovers Congregate

Despite the inclement weather, last Sunday morning (July 27, 9-12am) was a glorious time for Philippine pomeranian lovers. Fifty people braved the strong winds and rain to make the trip to PCCI Activity center in Marikina, hear top pomeranian breeder Basilio Yap discuss show grooming and watch international handler Faustino Farro do his magic on the show carpet.

About 75 people registered for the event through club officers and the PCCI. Invitation was made in online fora as well as traditional mail. Fifty people came while several expressed regret via text messages that they cannot make it, mostly because of the weather.The weather on the seminar site was cooperative enough. The skies held back the rain from registration hours until the end of the seminar. And then the rain came down in torrents. My party left with less than a handful of people left waiting for the rain to abate; I hope everyone reached their homes or destinations safely.

The idea for the seminar was simple enough: we want to encourage more people to try the show ring. We want to demonstrate to fellow pomeranian lovers that showing is a fun activity with their dogs and that they themselves can easily try it. We want to ease real or perceived barriers to show entry. Two of these perceived barriers to entry are knowledge of grooming and handling. The third perceived barrier is the quality of dog that one has. The Philippine Pomeranian Club earlier addressed this through a seminar on pomeranian standards held last January 26, 2008. The third seminar in 2008, which is about breeding and pomeranian bloodlines, will hopefully encourage and enable new exhibitors to breed a specimen they can show, if outright purchase of a show prospect is initially beyond one's means.

The seminar started with Mr. Basilio Yap talking about general pomeranian grooming. One by one, Mr. Yap demonstrated to the participants the proper ways of brushing (tapping versus stroking). A demo dog (Canton Versace) was placed on table. Versace was shown as a baby puppy but was temporarily taken out of the show circuit while awaiting coat growth. The pup has grown tremendous adult (1.5 years old) coat but is not as accustomed to show grooming as the regular show dogs of Canton. The proper way of trimming was demonstrated: from the hair growing out the ear tips, the chest frill, the hair at the back of the forequarters as well as that of the hindquarters, the hair at the base of the tail, the hair growth on the behind of the dog, the coat underneath the body, and finally the stray hairs sticking out of the round silhouette for poms.

The next part was fun as owners who brought their dogs were asked to line up with their poms and individually walk and place their dogs on the judging table. Tino Farro emphasized the importance of making the dog at ease on top of the table and near the edge. Once the dog becomes comfortable, the legs can then be individually placed for proper stacking. The liver sausage Tino brought surely made the hungry dogs comfortable on the table.

Among the dogs brought in for the seminar, one is a clear show prospect with strong possibility of bagging a championship. They are about a handful more that can also be shown with enough assistance on grooming and training. I hope people become more comfortable with the idea of showing. See you guys on the show ring!

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Pet Photography

Capturing the essence of my dogs in photos has always been a fascination of mine. I have a clear picture in my head of how the shot should look like, but unfortunately, I do not have the equipment and four hands to hold the dog while clicking the camera. So I did the next best thing and requested a friend to help me in this endeavor.

I asked my friend Dino Ordonez to use some of my dogs as model subjects with the request that the following shots be made: side view profile of the dog showing the body proportions and stance, close-up face shots, and candid photos exhibiting the individual antics and quirkiness of my dogs. And so I waked up early Saturday morning for this photo shoot. The shoot started off well with nice photos of my sheltie Sofia under the after rain, sunless but clear morning sky. And then it drizzled. It took the quickness and inventiveness of my friend Dino to capture on memory card five other dogs within the erratic moments that the sun pierces through the clouds and rain.

Despite the uncooperative, challenging weather and the short time period, we were able to get some nice pictures. Obviously, the new pictures where a lot better in quality and composition to the stolen shots I took of my dogs. I particularly like the face of Bart in the profile photo. The fire in the eyes and the naughty but nice facial expression I love so much about this Philippine champion was captured splendidly in the photo. I also like the the profile and head shot of my Sheltie Sofia, particularly the lighting, the play of colors and the whimsy of the white flowers in the background.

So Dino, the job has begun. I have other dogs awaiting better photographs, and I want more shots of the first batch of dogs. I know you will hate me for this, but I give credit where it is due. My friend's multiply site is dinotante.multiply.com. Hey, my dogs deserve space in your multiply site. Update it man.

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Bart Becomes a Champion!

In December 2006, I started showing 5-month old Canton Latin King in the baby puppy class. He just came from heavy puppy shed and an unfortunate accident where he broke both major bones (radius and ulna) in one leg. A very active dog, Bart was already walking without a splint four days after the accident. There was initial calcification of bones around the fractures, but it disappeared a month after the incident and he trotted as if he never had fractures.

As a baby puppy exhibit, Bart already showed the promise of the standard double coat - very harsh top coat and soft undercoat. His eyes beamed with vitality matched only by his vigorous gait. The only thing to work on was his stubborn refusal to let others examine his mouth. He did not have competition in his lone show as baby puppy, but I was happy to see that he loves the show ring.

Bart came back into the show ring as a 9-month old puppy in March 2007. He won reserve winners dog in his first foray into the regular class. His first pair of single points came during a PCCI and AKU show where Japanese judges / pomeranian specialists put him ahead of a related dog which eventually become a champion. His pointed wins are listed below:

June 24, 2007: Bart won Winner's Dog under Japanese judges Mr. Hideo Tateyama and Mr. Sadao Kobayashi, both pomeranian specialists, during the June AKU and PCCI shows held in the PCCI Activity Center, Marikina. Bart got a point each from the 2 judges.

July 28, 2007: Bart won Winner's Dog, Best of Winners, Best Philippine-bred and Runner-up Best of Breed under Filipino judge Dr. Jose Mendiola during the all-breed show sponsored by the Beagle Fanciers Club Inc in Tiendesitas, Pasig. Bart got 5-points, his first major win, bringing up his championship tally to 7 points.

November 24, 2007: Bart won Winner's Dog and Best of Winners under Korean judge and prominent pomeranian breeder Jung-Hoon Choi during the all-breed show sponsored by the Chihuahua Federation of the Philippines in Tiendesitas. Bart got 3 points, his second major win, bringing his championship points total to 10 points.

April 5, 2008: Bart was the lone male regular entry but he won Best of Winners to get the same 5 point win as the Winners Bitch. He won under judge Michael Hollobone during the show sponsored by the Philippine Siberian Husky Owners.

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When Monopoly is Better

As former student and teacher of economics, I am a strong advocate of competition and the power of competitive markets to advance societal welfare. However, I also understand that in the real world, there are cases where competitive markets fail and that some form of monopoly is inevitable and even the better alternative. One instance where competitive market fails is when economies of scale exist in an industry, i.e. a firm actually becomes more cost-efficient the bigger they become. In such an industry, it makes economic sense to have just one player. I believe scale economies exist in the canine pedigree registry and the championship titling system “industries”.

A duopoly in the registry and titling system only implies waste of scarce societal resources – two sets of overhead costs for essentially the same services demanded. If two clubs are offering the same services, both sets of players can actually gain more if they band together, share administrative costs and revenues, and provide a single set of services. The reality is that there are two clubs now – a result more of difference in vision rather than the pursuit of the optimal set-up. Personally, I would rather see competition in the election of officers of a single club. This is how this natural monopoly is supposed to be regulated. Since there are 2 clubs now in existence, I simply watch with keen interest the on-going developments.

There are 3 simple scenarios how this game will play out. One, PCCI remains the dominant club. Two, both clubs become equals. Three, AKCUPI replaces PCCI as the dominant club. In all scenarios, society loses because significant resources are channeled into club promotional activities. Customers bear this additional cost. Costs escalate as both clubs reach equal status. Aside from promotional costs, customers may end up with the sad state of maintaining two sets of pedigrees and titles. As a customer, I dread this scenario. The returns to the club itself will depend on who becomes dominant.

In my opinion, the likely scenario is that a single dominant club will ultimately prevail in the market for legitimate pedigree and valued championship titles. The only way a second club can continue to exist is for it to segment the market and differentiate its product. Mostly likely, market will be segmented between pedigree purists and cost-conscious commercial breeders. Product differentiation will manifest itself as battle between first class and second-class pedigrees and titles. In a perfect world where pet buyers are knowledgeable, there is no room for commercial breeders and second-class papers and titles. Since this is an imperfect world, there will be one esteemed club and a lesser club. There will be an AKC and a UKC. It will be a fierce battle, with few winners, bitter losers, and customers as unwitting victims. Our only consolation is that we customers can influence the outcome with our wise patronage.

Part of me still dreams of the day we shall all realise that our common interests are best served by one club only. May that be the club that we all deserve.

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