Welcome to the Diary of Kaylan's 
May 2001 Litter

Introduction
This portion of my website is a labor of love.   It began as a way to learn Microsoft Front Page Software and create my own website.   It then became a means for updating friends, family and prospective puppy buyers.   When I took a hiatus from teaching to stay home with the puppies for the first few weeks of their lives, this Diary gave students, friends, family and many people across the country a closer look at the realties of breeding dogs.   

I have had numerous people tell me that, after following the breeding, whelping and rearing of Keeper's puppies, they have decided NOT to breed their dogs.  They didn't realize all the time, effort, hard work, money, blood, sweat and tears involved.   They didn't think about all the things that could go wrong, everything from puppies getting sick to mom or puppies dying.  

The internet has allowed me to share my experiences with the rest of the world.   When I bred my last litter -- thirteen years ago -- the internet didn't exist (at least not in today's form).   Immerse yourself in the breeding process -- at least as I approach it -- and you'll see why it took me 13 years to decide to do it again!

People have asked me when I'm going to breed again.   Give me a few years to recover and I might be willing to discuss it!   I'm experienced enough to know that luck was on my side with this litter, and it will be a while before I'm ready to tempt fate once again.

How this Diary is Organized
Use the links below, to learn about:

Months 5-6:       How quickly they grow!
Months 3-4:       Continued puppy development, photos and observations 
Months 1-2:       The first eight weeks of the puppies' lives
Growth Chart:   See how quickly puppies grow and gain weight
Pregnancy:       Track Keeper's heat cycle, the breeding and the pregnancy
Puppy Pages:    See individual photos of each puppy

For More Information
If you who are interested in further reading about the whelping & rearing of puppies, here are some of my favorite books, available through dog show vendors or www.dogwise.com.

Canine Reproduction, the Breeder's Guide  by Phillis A. Holst, MS, DVM

Successful Dog Breeding  by Chris Walkowicz, and Bonnie Wilcox, DVM

Breeding Better Dogs  by Carmelo Battaglia, PhD

Dog Behavior, the Genetic Basis  by John Paul Scott & John L. Fuller

Online Resources for Potential Breeders

http://www.bluegrace.com/virtualbreeding.html   Virtual Breeding Website

http://www.faqs.org/faqs/dogs-faq/medical-info/whelping/    Listing of Articles on Breeding

http://vet.purdue.edu/~yshen/cerf.html   Canine Eye Registration Foundation

http://www.offa.org/index.html    Orthopedic Foundation of America

http://www.peteducation.com/   Drs. Foster & Smith Educational Articles on a variety of subjects

http://www.akc.org/   American Kennel Club's website contains lots of valuable info

http://www.akc.org/registration/dna/dna_faqs.cfm  DNA Testing Information via the American Kennel Club website