Show dogs have at least three names during their lives: names they are called when they are puppies, names they are called around the house when they go to their permanent homes, and the official AKC names.

SeQueL (her permanent home name), for example, had a fine puppy name of Katrina.  And, her formal AKC name is Ch. Lilliput’s Royal Munchkin of Wagsmore (The “Ch” for Champion is a title she acquired.)

We have decided on the puppy names for our two girls.  They are named Janice and Jill (left to right), in honor of the veterinarians who helped them into this world.  Jill has a darker black stripe down her back and was 32.5 grams heavier than Janice at yesterday’s weighing.

Ladies and Gentlemen, we  give you Janice and Jill!

There are more photos at SmugMug, and two new videos have been posted:

• Rubbing the Puppies (Scenes when the girls were just born)
• Janice and Jill Team Up (Scenes from today’s lunch)

SeQueL gave birth by Caesarian Section to two healthy girls between 1:10 and 1:20 pm May 1, 2013.

Geoffrey and I have posted/will continue to post many pictures on Facebook and, in higher quality, on SmugMug.  Here are some of the basics about our girls.

SeQueL was inseminated on February 28th and again on March 1st.  The stud, Ehren, lives in Texas, and FedEx assisted in the pregancy.  An ultrasound on March 26 showed three puppies were growing, and the reproductive vet, Dr. Janice Cain, gave her the due date of April 29 or 30.

By May 1st, SeQueL was huge and started mild contractions.  Our regular vet, Dr. Jill Chase, came over because the labor was progressing slowly.  She took us to get X-rays where we discovered that only two puppies remained, and they were huge.  The vets said we should go to Dr. Cain’s ASAP, and so we drove to Bishop Ranch Veterinary Center where we we got to watch the surgery that gave us the puppies.  (Copies of the ultrasound, X-ray, and surgery are all in the SmugMug gallery, btw.)

Since Wednesday, one of us has been in the spare bedroom with the puppies in a whelping box more or less continuously.  Absolutely continuously at first, and now we’re mostly there.  Our watch is to make sure that SeQueL continues to be a good mother and doesn’t accidentally squish or ignore a puppy in distress.

Puppies are supposed to gain 10% of their weight every day at this time in their lives.  They have a nice, new, Williams Sonoma food scale to measure their progress on.  So far, they’re thriving.

All the pictures, videos, X-rays, and an ultrasound are on SmugMug.

Saturday and Sunday the Golden Gate Kennel Club holds its annual dog show at the San Francisco Cow Palace.  Come on down to find a responsible breeder for a healthy dog, or simply gawk at the variety of canines… there will be over 1,000 to stare at!

This show is special.  At most dog shows the exhibitors show up just before their dog is judged.  They do last-minute fluffing, go into the ring, get their ribbons, and go home.

At the Cow Palace the dogs have to be on a bench by 10 am and they cannot go home until 4:30.  The only time the dog (and owner) aren’t on the bench is when they are in the ring to be judged.

The time on the bench is the perfect moment for you to talk to the owners and learn more about the breed.  Owners are always happy to chat about their show girl or boy, and they know the special characteristics of their breed.

Some… but not all, of the exhibitors are also breeders.  So, if you’re considering a pure-bred dog, you can meet the person responsible for a litter.  You can find about the parent’s health and temperament.  Here are some hints at worked for us when we were looking for a breeder of long hair miniature dachshunds:

• The breeder should ask you more questions about your fitness to parent than you ask about the dog.
• The breeder probably should tell you that they have no puppies now but may have some in the future… even if they have 8-week-old puppies all over their home.  Saying “Not now, but…” takes the pressure off and it’s a great segue to a conversation about your lifestyle and ability to take care of a dog.
• If a breeder has puppy picture books and grabs you as you go by the bench, smile at them, but do not stop. 

If you know what breed you’re interested in, the show is a good place to meet breeders and to get an introduction to the local owners.  If you’re shopping for the best breed for your apartment, family, or elderly relative, the Cow Palace show lets you do your breed comparisons by walking from row to row.

If you’re interested in seeing dogs judged (a la Westminster) you can also visit the rings in the center of the building where judging starts at 8:30 and Best in Show comes about 4 (I think).  You can look up the ring time for a breed you’re interested in online.

We have loved our time on the bench at the Cow Palace shows.  We’ve met little old German women coming by on walkers who teared up when they saw Sequel and remembered a dachshund from their youth.  We’ve been assaulted by exuberant five-year-olds pointing at her shouting, “What kind of dog is THAT?”  We’ve heard many stories of dogs gone by who enriched the lives of the people who stopped by our spot on the bench.

Come on down… and stop by the dachshund area in the South Hall (out back).