06.21.10
June 21st
Does anyone reading this know a good website that I can make a photo pedigree for free? Since my other site is down I can’t use that and I’ll have to find a good program that is easy and can be linked to somehow.
I added some new info yesterday to the hopeful litters pages. So I guess it’s okay to let the cat out of the bag now that we have had 4 successful matings…two for each pair over the past week or so. Hófi was mated 2 times to Kersins Prins and should if all goes as planned have her puppies on Rúnar’s birthday 14 August and Birta just had her second mating last night to Stefsstells Stefnir and fingers crossed a litter will result around August 20th. Stefnir is one of my favourite dogs in the population today for his temperament and his looks are no less impressive 
as well as his grandfather was a one in a million dog that I will always remember as one of the best tempered and beautiful dogs I’ve met in my lifetime. Of course what made Kátur special was of course that he was a grandpuppy of mine who I mated as well as delivered the litter he was out of, his mother was the first born bitch in my kennel who I always regretted not keeping myself, Töfra Stjarna. So in this combination I am getting a mix of family lines including the Thorvaldsstadir line which I have in both litters (Hófi traces back to that line as well) so I’m happy with that.
Here are a few photos of Stefnir. This guy is like a photo right out of the standard except he could use a few more centimeters to him as well as a bit more overall substance but we are very happy with him and that wonderful triangular head/muzzle. His colour, his coat and what an awesome temperament. Calm and non-barky but still a good working dog, show dog, family dog and so easily trained.
We were lucky enough last night to just finish mating them on the beach and get Birta into the car when along came a big black what appeared to a be Labrador mix male with his owner (it was midnight and they probably thought they wouldn’t see any other dogs on their walk hehe). We thought oh no he just finished mating a bitch he’s sure to be a bit “macho” with this guy (if he would have had the temperament that many ISD males have that don’t like other males then we might have had a problem on our hands because that dog was so much bigger than him). Stefnir ran over to him sniffed him and then the two of them played a little bit until the owner walked on. The whole mating he was the gentlest of suitors, no stress except on our part…hehe, we thought for a while that nothing was going to happen he was so calm. But he does LOVE to swim, run and play with a soccer ball so he can be excited and playful when he wants to be.
It’s been a nerve wracking couple of years trying to make up our minds if we should use Birta again because she does have a D and she is already 7 years old now. We had “retired” her in our minds but were still not sure we wouldn’t regret it because she’s Freyja’s only offspring. We have some good friends that are also very good breeders who convinced us that Birta is well worth having another litter, she has so many good qualities and this way we get to have her dear departed mother Freyja’s line in two different litters that will hopefully help us to preserve her line and her character in the future. The puppies out of Birta’s first litter (only one has not been exrayed) had free hips except for one that has A on one side and C on the other. They have also all had their eyes checked at least once (Klói has gone 3 times) and all have healthy eyes. We think that is an awesome result and we have our fingers crossed for this litter as well. Of course we know the risks and that we will have to keep an eye on the next generations as well however it is our opinion that the temperament of the breed is a bit more important to improve on these days than worrying solely about one issue like hips or bloodline which we have done in the past. It’s the whole picture that has to be “bred” not just one issue and from our experience lately we’ve striven this time to do our best at picking mates based on nr.1 TEMPERAMENT, then type (including dewclaws) and hips and also getting a low co-efficient or rarer bloodline. This has in no way been an easy thing to find given that we have the rules about not breeding to dogs that are not exrayed or eye tested and most dogs that have their tests done are from the same families or bloodlines. So now it’s out of our hands! We have fingers and dewclaws crossed that we may get some lovely healthy puppies from both Hófi and Birta and that we will be able to find a co-own for one puppy from each litter we are so happy with our choices.
So apart from that I’ve had a lot of dizziness and vertigo again, heart palpitations that have been a bit scary as they always are (due to stress no doubt) and I finally had an appointment and went to the doctor’s today. He says I have some nerves pinched in my neck causing the numbness and pain and the swollen muscles are the cause of me hearing “broken glass” sounds and not being able to move my head so much or getting “stuck” when I turn my head too fast. The problem with my hip is probably also a nerve that is pinched there causing the feeling of “dead areas”, sensation of burning or pain and lack of touch sensitivity and numbness, he was leaning more to a pinched nerve because I told him about the “popping” of my hip a few weeks ago (it happens regularly) and he said it may be due to tendons shifting and that may pinch a nerve when they pop back. He’s applying for a couple weeks stay for me at a rehabilitation facility (Reykjalundur it’s called) or out-patient ward, not sure what it would be called in English where I will receive massage therapy as well as some other care including sessions to help with my anxiety disorder that will hopefully better calm my nerves and lower stress, since it’s not possible in this house of mine due to all the dogs. No doubt it will be at the worst possible time, he did say if often takes a long time to be admitted but since I haven’t been there before I might go higher up on the list. I’m hoping in part that it will be while Rúnar is on holidays so that he can be at home with the dogs (which of course would be the same time we had planned on having clicker courses in town) or that it will be after the litters are gone…hopefully I’ll be well enough to care for them, the last litter was a real trial to say the least!
He also finally got around to telling me (after I ASKED!) that the blood tests that were taken months ago showed that my levels of both vitamin D and B12 are too low and I should be supplementing. Duh, that’s exactly what I had the blood tests done to figure out and why could the other doctor that did the tests not tell me this months ago or why didn’t he phone to let me know since those vitamin deficiencies can cause most of the problems I have been describing to them including my “sometimers” memory, depression and swelling of muscles. So I guess I’m going to be pigging out on vitamins and maybe I won’t even need to go for the rehabilitation after a few weeks of vitamins. Hehe Wishful thinking never hurts.
