November 9th 2003
Mother: Nord Uch N Uch S Uch DK CH NV-99 Töfra Frigg
Father: IS Ch Hektor
Well, 2003 is definately be a year that will be hard to forget in my kennel career. First Freyja´s difficult litter in March and now Frigg´s. The 9th of November Frigg´s water broke at 7:45 am. Difficulties set in and this I didn´t expect from Frigg who has like her mother Hófí been the textbook example of easy birthing before. After what seemed a lifetime of her pushing and panting the problem finally presented itself. Two puppies decided they both wanted to be the first born. Meaning that the first one was already dry and stuck in the pathway of the second one that had made it all the way to the opening so they were both half way out. I pulled out the dead female, a beautiful black tricolor that unfortunately could not be saved. Frigg was so exhausted and I noticed dark liquid running into the still halfway out unpunctured sac of puppy nr.2. We called the vet who we had been in steady contact with during the day and she told us to come right away. The sac broke on the way to the car and to my dismay it was filled with green fluid. The puppy was in trouble and we needed to get him out. At the vet´s office we managed to get him out manually and he was brought back to life by a drop on his tongue. We cleared his airways as best we could and thought he would be okay.
We now faced a hard decision, the vet exrayed
Frigg and two puppies were left. She had used so much oxitosin on Frigg to get
this 2nd puppy out (because she was too exhausted by now to have contractions on
her own) and said that in all likelyhood the puppies would die if we didn´t get
them out soon because of the drugs. Our choices were to do a cesarian and risk
Frigg not doing well under the anesthesia (because she was too tired) or we
could go home and wait. Hoping that if Frigg rested a bit then she would go back
into labour and they would come out on their own, although most likely dead.
Well, Frigg was going to rest and her life to us was more important at this time
since we just recently lost her mother. Frigg came back home exhausted from the
hard work of these "twins", the vet said wait till 6 o´clock and if nothing had
happened bring her back and we would definately have to go in and get them.
Frigg made us all extremely happy when she 5 minutes to 6 gave birth to her next
little boy and then finally a girl at 22:30.
Long story short; Dropi left us to be with his grandmother Hófí. After repeated
trips to the vet´s for fluids his first couple days, antibiotics for his navel
infection, a walk through death´s door and back a couple days later (had
actually took what I thought were his last breaths, his skin turned white and
cold only to greet me again a couple hours later with his little cries!), and
the final difficult couple days with what sounded to be pnemonia. He said his
goodbyes in the early hours of November 22nd. His short life was one that I will
certainly remember for the hard work and his total determination and strength
that I have never experienced to such a degree in a puppy before but also for
the way his only brother guarded him and protected. Such a heartwarming thing to
watch how he always made sure Dropi was warm, he would literally crawl all the
way across the whelping box to lay down beside Dropi anytime I put him back
after his feedings (which I was doing by hand for him because he was too weak to
suckle). I kept Dropi warm in a blanket after he started losing weight and every
time I looked little Dofri was climbing in to cuddle with him (he never does
this with his sister!). It was incredible and unbelievable unless you witnessed
it but from the moment they were born he has been a guardian angel for Dropi
which has in my mind earned him a special name. I called him Dofri because it
means someone who potters about (he made us wait so long for him). Dofri has a
special smile and so I also named him Brosi. He is such a loving soul, and they
say dogs can´t show emotion?!
From top to bottom: Dofri, Dropi and Dalla
N Uch Töfra Dofri Brosi
My little angel Dofri deserved to be in a very special home and I couldn't think of a better home for him than with Sverre Aklestad in Norway. He was the owner of Gæfudís (who died tragically) and he missed her terribly. He was also the man who gave Hófi probably the best years of retirement that any dog could ask for. Sverre missed Hófi and was so happy to be able to have one of her grandsons. I think Dofri is a lucky boy :-) in more ways than one, he already fathered a litter very young by accident with Sverre's female ISD. Dofri is exrayed and is HD-A so I'm sure he will father other litters in future. He has done well at shows and was the Best of Breed at the big NKK show in Oslo in 2005. He has double dewclaws on one side and single on the other and his characteristic smile makes him very unique.
Töfra Dalla
Dalla is a sweet little girl and such a special character like her mother. She travelled across the ocean to Canada to live with my friend Valerie at Greenstone Kennels. There she gets to do lots of fun things like tracking and herding training. She lives on a small farm with different animals to herd and play with as well as other ISD's including her own offspring. She is the mother to some beautiful puppies that are already doing well at shows. Dalla was a bit unlucky to inherit her grandmother's (Snælukku Birta) and great great grandfather's badly curled tail so although she is a beautiful girl with wonderful temperament, good structure and coat, she isn't the best show dog because of her tail. But I know she is much loved and is a very good working dog. And probably most important, her puppies are wonderful!
Töfra Dropi
Little Dropi was a sweet little spirit, he had double dewclaws and wonderful markings. He was so perfect and such a shame that he left us so soon. He definately pulled on my heartstrings all the hours that I spent trying to help him to survive. He like all my departed puppies holds a special place in my memory and heart.
Litters - 1991 - 1994a - 1994b - 1995 - 1997 - 1998 - 2001a - 2001b - 2002 - 2003a - 2003b