(Warning: Possibly R-rated and maybe a bit more than you ever wanted to know.) First and foremost in breeding a rare breed of dogs is to know as much as possible about the genetic background on both the bitch and stud. Breeders used to just examine of pedigree for close relatives to avoid. The Chinook breed has a wonderfully, giving, genetic geek, Karen Hinchy, with a huge genetic and health database. We have drawn multiple DNA samples which Karen uses to guide to the best possible match. Mountain Thunder Tyee was picked as the best potential match for BrownStone Iditarod Koyuk over 3 years ago but I have put off breeding for various reasons not related to the dogs. Mountain Thunder Chinooks and BrownStone Chinooks have talked for years about wanting to combine our genetic lines and fortunately Tyee was still intact and waiting in Seattle.
Dogs are only fertile three days each cycle. You can only tell if she is ovulating with a (very expensive) lab draw. Previously Koyuk had been bred day 11. Day 10, I had her lab drawn and it showed she was at 2ng/ml which meant she was getting ready - you breed after they reach 5. Last time she went from 2 to 9 in one day. I made an appointment with a Seattle repo-vet for Monday morning and booked a room in the Seattle area - who knew that Mother's Day the hotels would be full. The extended stay hotel I ended up in actually worked out quite well as far as location. Sunday afternoon I packed up Koyuk and headed north - who knew that DOT would choose Mother's Day to paint and pave major freeway bridges? The first hour was just getting out of Eugene. Before Salem, I was parked on the freeway. All of the I-5 traffic had been rerouted around Portland. Traveling at a top speed of 35mph I finally made it to Washington 4 hours later. At that point the speed slowed to around 20mph. I didn't know that U2 was holding a concert in Seattle that evening. Seemed all of Portland knew and they were parked on the freeway with me as they headed North. Going slow wasn't too bad since it was also raining hard and even hailing.
We got to the hotel after 9 and tried to get some sleep. Unused to anything but quite woods noises we were not prepared for a hotel full of people and dogs and traffic noise at the confluence of I-5, I-405, R 9 and HWY 522.
The hotel dog potty yard.
Monday morning we found our way to the vet (not easy - Tom-Tom told us our destination was in the middle of a field in the middle of nowhere). Six hours later we got her lab results: 1.8. So much for a Monday-Wednesday then home breeding.
Hanging in the hotel.
We killed our time on Tuesday getting to know Tyee and his human mom. As a neutral location, we met at the Seattle Canine Academy where Cedar's breeder, Carie, works. We all got along fabulously. Worn-out Koyuk came home and crashed. She no longer alerted to every traffic and hotel noise.
Koyuk with her best "come hither" eyes.
Hormone drool.
Wednesday's morning lab showed 4.8 so that evening we met at Tyee's beautiful yard for the first try at breeding. While they had no success, they did have a great time and she again came home covered with his drool and exhausted.
"Hey Handsome"
Home for a nap.
That afternoon we went back to the Seattle Canine Academy for Carie's able assistance.
Close but...
As the sun was setting, we called it a day.
And back to the hotel for more waiting.
The next morning we went to the vet for his assistance. It was determined that the breeding needed to be done with artificial insemination. Both dogs performed well and Koyuk then patiently stood on her front legs for 1/2 hour to get the swimmers headed the right direction. She then spent the remainder of the day and night assisting the migration by not moving even to eat.
Saturday morning we checked out of our hotel and headed to the vet for another artificial insemination. Except for an interesting detour through rural NE Seattle to avoid a wreck on I-405, it was smooth driving in sunshine all the way back to Eugene.
Now you know more than you may have wanted about breeding. Tomorrow all about what it is like to have a very excited Trask around his fertile mother. No human sleep continues.
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