Jill Put Me in the Dog Business

Jill had her first litter of puppies yesterday, 11. Not sure of sex count yet as just trying to keep her cool.
Adios,
Gary

Enjoyed the Arizona show, Gary.

Thanks my Friend. I am finding myself hunting more and more in the Navajo Reservation. 17.5+ million acres is a lot of dirt, even for me. If you plan to hunt there, take everything that you think you might need to get out of a bad spot. Four wheel drive, chains, shovel, axe, winch, extra food and water. You will notice that when I am hunting out there, that I am driving my Ranger 4x4 with 16 inch tires. It will simply go places that the full sized pickups cannot. On one of my trips out there lion hunting, I had to pull out Chevy 3/4 ton 4x4 pickup of a buddy who was hunting with me. I got stuck in the mud and snow for about 5 minutes on one occasion and he got stuck 15 times where we had to dig him out, jack up and put limbs under wheels. Oh yes, high lift jacks are handy as well.
Adios,
Gary

I lost two runts, one male and a female so down to 11 but all are fat, strong and doing great. Bad thing was I counted up demand for pups to hunting buddies and those out of State wanting pups and came up with 13. I hope that Lacey helps me out in the next week or so.
Adios,
Gary

I am having heck keeping Jill and the pups cool in the 100 degree plus heat. Anyone have any great ideas other than move them indoors?
Adios,
Gary

I think Kevin (CCBIRDDOGMAN) used misting fans in his kennels for his last pups.
You could pm him.

Gary , goggle up ( DIY AC from a 5 gallon bucket for under 25$ ). You can get an idea and make your own modifications.

Thanks Guys, I have decided to take the little rascals to the office and keep under air conditioning. Jill is very easy going and should adapt to the added attention.
Adios,
Gary

I have always stressed breeding for intelligence, for if a dog is not smart, I don't care what he/she looks like or how hard he/she hunts, won't make the grade.
Jill made me proud last Saturday morning when I was running a little late to move her and the pups to the house. I had been leaving the laundry basket that I use to haul the pups from the pen to the house or office. Jill had evidently gotten hot, impatient or both, and when I stepped into the pen, found her sitting and grinning by the laundry basket already loaded with all the pups and ready for the trip.
Jill is nearly four years old and has never been indoors so one would expect problems. In almost two weeks of staying indoors, there have been no accidents. A gentleman in Illinois has a littermate female to Jill that he has had since she was nine weeks old and says that she has never had an indoor accident either.
Adios,
Gary

Litter #2 hit the ground last week as Lacey blessed us with 5 males and 4 females, just like Jill. Lacey was bred to my Jack dog who is a full brother to Jill. They are my two best hounds on coons or lions.
I needed a female that was not totally related to my hounds so I purchased her from Robert and Melanie Hittson who have been raising blueticks for over 40 years. They have over 30 mature hounds in their kennels at all times. Lacey is open ticked and no doubt the reason I was able to purchase her. Robert and Melanie said that Lacey was the most athletic blue dog that they had ever seen. Her hunting style is like a big running English Pointer, she has a ton of drive for her 40 pound frame.
Adios,
Gary

I made the 100+ mile trip to check on Lacey's pups yesterday. All nine are doing well but really pulling down Lacey as she is about a 40 pound female at best. Lacey is very light colored for a bluetick and while Jack is pretty dark, Lacey really marked them. Most are open ticked and I see a lot of pink skin under the white hair, most blueticks have black to blue skin. I never was one to breed for color so it does not bother me. In fact, I like the lighter colored dogs as they seem to take the heat a little better than the really dark ones.
Adios,
Gary

How are those pups coming along, Gary? BTW, you could just tell us a story or two, every now and again. I know you got a pile of em.

I've got plenty of stories, and some are even true. Last week, I started trying to wean the pups off Jill as I really need her when I go the Navajo Reservation for lion season which opens Oct. 1. I was hunting her the other morning and they cold trailed an old track for about half a mile and fell treed. Jill is bad about climbing and I am guessing that she climbed and fell out. Anyway, next morning I noticed that she was stiff in her hind legs. I did not hunt her that day but did again the next and she could not stretch out and run. Long story short, she got worse so hauled her to the vet and we think that she pinched a nerve in her back. She is improving and I hope to get her back in the woods this week. Pearl is also a great young hound that I need for lions and she started spotting a week ago. I am having heck getting these potlickers in shape for a long tough fall of lion hunting.
Adios,
Gary

All of the pups are gone or committed. Thanks to all the great hunters across the USA who purchased pups. I pray that these pups will make dogs that will make you happy for years to come.
Adios,
Gary

Hey, Gary. Caught the first episode of the jaguar hunt in Mexico. When does #2 come out? Boy, that sounds weird.

At this point, there is not going to be a #2 as I think the vet has convinced other high ranking officials that the best way to capture the jaguars is with leg hold snares. Joe made two trips down there and captured only one jaguar. It is very expensive to go down there and work for the Mexican government to try to help with the research on this beautiful creature with zero financial assistance.
Thanks for watching. I am currently writing an article for TTHA magazine on this hunt which will give more details of the hunt and where we were hunting.
Adios,
Gary