I posted something yesterday that (in my mind) was about how I’ve realised this process of breeding dogs is full of decisions. I think about this because my day job is about how people make decisions under uncertainty and how they evaluate risk. Some are big and significant, like the choice of male, health testing,ContinueContinue reading “The risks of openness”
Author Archives: Elina Halonen
Self-care for Mama Dog
It seems like Mama Dog also needs her self-care and… I support that. We let her choose how and where she spends her time without any constraints – it’s her home and her children, after all. I’ve been happy to see that she does her job diligently and conscientiously like the Good Girl she is,ContinueContinue reading “Self-care for Mama Dog”
First days with the A-team
It’s taken me a few days to edit this, but here’s a snapshot of our Saturday night. It was quite nerve-wracking to be a part of the whelping process, and you feel a little bit helpless because the mother dog needs to do most of the work. Grace did well though, and we just hadContinueContinue reading “First days with the A-team”
They’re not puppies, they’re small dogs
This is probably going to sound weird, but I don’t actually look at these little nuggets as “puppies” – meaning a category that is usually associated with “cute and adorable”. Before you think I’m Cruella de Vil, let me explain… When I look at them, I see early blueprints of adult dogs. I knew itContinueContinue reading “They’re not puppies, they’re small dogs”
Virtuous circles of trust in breeding dogs
Grace has been incredibly trusting with us throughout the process. She’s not very insecure about the puppies – she’s left them a few times, and we’re allowed to handle them all the time. She also allowed us to help her extensively during the whelping process. These might seem like obvious things, but after reading aContinueContinue reading “Virtuous circles of trust in breeding dogs”
Introducing… Zeta Centauri Litter A!
I know there will be people waiting for the news… we are now in charge of these little hamsters! Everyone is feeling well, Lady Grace included – although she is exhausted, of course. Several have already attempted “prison break” from the nest even though they are less than a day old, so I think we’llContinueContinue reading “Introducing… Zeta Centauri Litter A!”
Why you should think twice before breeding your pet dog
I originally wrote a draft this post two years ago after responding to someone in a Facebook discussion. When I recently strumbled across it in my drafts, I thought it might be a good time to revisit it – this is a lightly edited version to make it more like a coherent blog post. JustContinueContinue reading “Why you should think twice before breeding your pet dog”
We have news!
Sometime in the next week, we will welcome the first “constellation” of puppies of Kennel de Zeta Centauri into the world! I’ve been very disorganised getting everything done for this formal announcement, but I wanted to wait until we have the logo and my procrastination led to more delays. We are expecting 4 or moreContinueContinue reading “We have news!”
The legacy of Zeta Centauri
It’s almost been a full year since our furry North Star left us – I recently had to send my phone to be repaired and temporarily switched to using my old one – coincidentally I got the new phone almost a year ago, so discovering the last pictures here was quite emotional. I can nowContinueContinue reading “The legacy of Zeta Centauri”
Why structure matters for working spaniels
A lot of people, especially in the working spaniel world, look down on dog shows – they’re seen as being about appearance and, as such, an unnecessary vanity. It’s all about PERFORMANCE for working cockers, so appearance doesn’t matter! The implicit subtext is that this focus on performance is somehow morally and ethically superior – and in all honesty, once upon a time, I embraced this attitude as well.
BusyDoggie 