Current News
We apologize for not updating this website in the last while... life happened, and the time just got away from us! In addition, Dan has had surgeries on his left shoulder and hand, so couldn't type for some time.... he has to have the right side done next, but the good news is that the left side is much less painful.
So -to give you the short run-down, our last litter of puppies (Astor x Flora) was placed in January, 2008. We lost Astor (Draco) in April, '08 due to osteosarcoma of the hard palate of the mouth. This was a terribly fast-growing tumor.... but we understand that it is probable that his puppies will not have the same problem . He was a terrific dog, and we weren't ready to let him go.
We also tested Giana and Dixie for hip dysplasia and found, to our shock, that neither had hips that were good enough to breed. Dixie's hips could, maybe, be due to her insane habit, at a very young age, of jumping off anything, no matter how high or dangerous. Giana, however, was completely unexpected, since both her parents had good hips. This result, however, illustrates how dysplasia can come out with no warning.... since none of her grandparents, and before that, had been x-rayed, there could have been a problem as recent as 5-10 years ago, which would influence her. Needless to say, we spayed them both, and placed them in wonderful hunting homes.
In September, 2008, Dan went back to Italy to get more Braccos, since we were getting low on breedable dogs! He met Mr Luigi Forcati, and his daughter Chiara, who breed a litter every year or two. The Forcatis have a great deal of knowedge about the Bracco and its use and history, and we are so happy that they have allowed us to own 2 of their dogs! We hope to remain good friends and co-breeders in the long-term future. From the Forcatis, we were lucky enough to obtain Leila and Bionda, who Dan had to leave in Italy when at the airport, despite all prior arrangements, he was told he could only bring back 2 Braccos, rather than 3. Just recently Chiara was able to make a short visit to Colorado, and she brought Bionda back for us. Amy Fast, of Foxfire Kennels near Colorado Springs, will co-own Bionda with us, and also has Nicco, from our 2007 litter. Dan also brought back our new prince, Eros in September '08. Eros was bred by Dr. Giovanni Grecchi, the recent past president of SABI, the Italian Bracco Society, and is looking just great - masculine, but extremely sensitive and birdy as well.
We didn't want to breed Flora during 2008, since it would have been a bit soon after her 2007 litter, so In January, '09 we did an artificial insemination with Flora, using Astor's semen, but it didn't take. We also obtained Belle (Sabella) from Will Flick, of Ontario, Canada, a brown/white 1 1/2 year old female. She's extremely energetic, intelligent and has tremendous drive, That brings us up to June, 2009.
Recent Hip results:
Leila: better than 90% of all other Braccos in the US,
Eros: Better than 70%
Apollo: Better than 70%
Our plan for the short future is to have a litter in late December/early January with Flora and Belle, Leila, Eros and Apollo will all be old enough to breed in 2010. We will have no more than 2 litters during the year, since it takes so much time and effort to do it right! Please feel free to call for further info - photos will follow asap, but will also be happy to send them by request.
