04/23/2026
Being a breeder isn't for the faint of heart. There are a lot of highs. But there can also be a lot of lows. This week has been one of the lows. Almost a year to the day that Hazel miscarried (and birthed) a litter of puppies, she miscarried again. I hadn't even announced that she was pregnant because I was very hesitant to get excited about her pregnancy this time around given her history. My vet and I tried to be proactive and tested her progesterone level in the later stage of her pregnancy. We even started her on synthetic progesterone after her level was found to be low. Despite our efforts, it just wasn't meant to be. What I thought would be a puppy count Xray on Monday, turned into the vet telling me that they couldn't see the puppies (calcification hadn't occurred) and there were no heartbeats. I was also told she needed a c-section to remove the puppies ASAP. My thoughts were all over the place about this decision, and when the surgery should take place. What if there was a live puppy hiding in there?? If there was, opening her up now would be too early, and any live puppies wouldn't survive. What if we waited and she turned septic? Would Hazel even survive The struggle was real folks, and I was just a puddle of tears. I put my heart and soul into my dogs and program and the thought of losing Hazel outweighed my irrational thought that a puppy could still be alive in there. So here I am, picking up Hazel from her c-section. I made the decision to have Hazel spayed while they had her in surgery ... I can't put her (or me) through this ordeal again. I'm so sorry to the families who were looking forward to bringing home a chocolate chunk this summer. If Mother Nature allows, we'll have some in the fall.
