Doing our due diligence with genetic testing…

Another month and the Chonks are doing really well. Bonny's first season is coming to an end and the clock starts to tick towards the intended first littler for 12 months from now.

We have just sent off DNA testing (just swabs, nothing too scary for them!) to check for Degenerative Myelopathy (DM) to ensure that they are a good match for each other. If not then Bonny may need to borrow boyfriends for life (scandalous)! This process ensures that we are doing our due diligence to breed only safe pups - when one parent is a DM carrier but the other is not, this makes for safe breeding as it's a recessive condition - we only run into trouble when both dogs are carriers, whereby we would not be able to breed them together. We should have results by next month.

Either way our mentor recommended that we outsource for the first litter so that we can not only obtain a second bitch from that litter, but also we are hoping for a Merle Cardigan for some more variety in the look of our pups. There is a stud she recommended who is already confirmed to not be a DM carrier so Bonny can definitely get cosy with him safely.

We are also more seriously starting to prepare to move semi-rural. This will make for an exciting change - not only will all the dogs have more room to run around in, but we will be able to set up proper dedicated areas for when the litters are born. We are very excited for what the coming year will bring!

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