No puppies this time.

Despite our best planning and lots of worrying and work (see previous posts) we learned last week that Lexi May is not pregnant.

I took her in to the repro vet for an ultrasound on the day recommended and no puppies were found. At this time, we don’t know if we just missed our timing (she ovulated at the start of Labor Day weekend, and we couldn’t inseminate until Wednesday, so our timing wasn’t ideal) or if something else is happening.

Needless to say this was very dispiriting, as we have been planning this litter for a while and many of us were looking forward to the puppies. I know disappointments like this happen in the dog breeding game, but I just wasn’t really mentally prepared for it.

Recommended next steps according to the repro vet are to have some tests done in early November (near her predicted due date), and some additional testing at the beginning of her next heat cycle to see if we can sort out if anything is amiss that we can treat/manage next time around. The sperm counts were good, and Grant has had other successful litters via AI, so the vet thinks the problem is at our end.

Now that I’m (mostly) over my “no puppies” funk, I’ve started to look for agility and obedience trials to enter. We might as well have some fun while we wait for the next heat cycle, and see if we can add a few more titles to Lexi May’s “resume.” We were back in agility class last week, and Lexi May seemed very happy to be there and didn’t miss a beat, despite a nearly-two-month absence; it’s great to have a dog that loves to work as much as I do!

So for now, it’s time to focus on performance events while we wait for her next heat cycle…