(sire on left, dam on right)

On March 20, 2002, beginning with contractions at 7:00pm (on March 19), two Blackburn puppies were whelped via Caesarean section out of Falling Branch Katie of Blackburn, by Wild Remain Toast (Wild Remain Treat x Wild Remain Bits), after matings on January 16, 2002 & January 19, 2002. The following are the details:

1st puppy: "Reon" whelped (via Caesarean section) approx. 12:30am; died in whelp broken/rough-coated male, with a black & tan asymmetrical face mask and no body spots.

2nd puppy: "Kira" whelped (via Caesarean section) approx. 12:30am broken/rough-coated female, with a black & tan asymmetrical face mask, one black ear, and black/tan spot at base of the tail.

Katie started having contractions around 7:00pm on March 19. Labour ramped up over the next few hours, with heavy labour beginning around 10:00pm. When she was still struggling to deliver the first pup by 12:00am, we got in contact with our vet and took her in for a Caesarean section. The first pup was monstrous, weighing approximately 8.5 ounces - much too big for a 10 1/2" JRT to whelp. Katie never would have been able to deliver this pup naturally, and might have killed herself trying. We couldn't get to the first little boy in time, though - he wasn't breathing when we got him out, and after about 15 minutes trying to revive him, his heart finally stopped. This is the first lost pup that we have experienced, and hopefully it'll be the last - we wish there was more that we could have done, but weighing the risk of a c-section against the risk of losing a pup is quite difficult. There probably isn't anything more we could have done to save him. The second pup made it, however - she weighed in at about 7.5 ounces, which also would have been a bit difficult for Katie to deliver naturally. Katie and pup are doing fine - check back here for updates.

Now information on sire & dam:
Toast is 12 1/4", tri colour (black, tan & white), rough-coated male. He's just as if not more friendly and personable than Katie - Toast will try to become your best friend as soon as you meet him. He's a game terrier, having earned the coveted JRTCA Bronze Medallion (to groundhog, opossum, raccoon) before the age of two. He's owned by Donna Rasmussen of St. Louis, and already has numerous puppies on the ground.

Katie is a 10 1/2", black & white, smooth-coated female. She's a personable, assertive, energetic terrier who is the alpha terrier amongst the Blackburn crew. She's just as content in the field sniffing out quarry (she has been awarded one JRTCA Natural Hunting Certificate, to raccoon), competing in go-to-ground or racing at a terrier trial or lounging on the couch with her humans. She is probably the most self-assured of all of our terriers - not to say our others aren't confident in themselves - and the most arrogant. You wouldn't think she'd be in charge of our crew - she's much smaller than Dutch Creek Rick O'Shea of Blackburn or Skeeter of Blackburn, and also smaller than two of her offspring, Blackburn ZZTopDog and Blackburn Windy - but there's no doubt amongst humans or terriers than she's the boss of the dogs. Interestingly, however, she rarely asserts her dominance over the other terriers - it just seems to be understood that's she in charge, and her authority is almost never challenged by the other terriers. Even given her small stature, she's quite vocal whenever she comes across a stranger - you'd think she was a 200-pound dog given how she asserts herself. After a few moments of warming up, though, she'll cuddle up with just about anyone. Her first litter - click here for information about that crossing - resulted in four very nice pups, two of whom stayed at Blackburn and two of whom went to stay with families in the St. Louis area.

To inquire about puppy availability, please e-mail jkrusel@blackburnjacks.com or webmaster@blackburnjacks.com.

Falling Branch Katie of Blackburn
Wild Remain Toast

Whelped: April 27, 1997
Reg: JRTCA Registered
Health: BAER, CERF & brucellosis clear Coat: Smooth
Colour: Black & White
Height: 10 1/2"
Whelped: March 22, 1998
Reg: JRTCA Registered
Health: BAER, CERF & brucellosis clear
Coat: Rough
Colour: Tri
Height: 12 1/4"

JRTCA Natural Hunting Certificate (raccoon)

Sire: Falling Branch Seth (Debasta's Ares x Falling Branch Celia)
Dam: Falling Branch Patch (Meynell Ringo x Falling Branch Ella)
Breeder: Falling Branch Kennel - Lynn Grimsley & Liz McKinney, Virginia
JRTCA Bronze Medallion (groundhog, opossum, raccoon)

Sire: Wild Remain Treat (Paxton Sprog x Wild Remain Ticket)
Dam: Wild Remain Bits (Foxwarren Beaufort x Edgefield Toad)
Breeder: Wild Remain Farm Kennel - Aurora Rubel, Kentucky

Puppy Photos:

March 19 - In whelp
March 20 - Newborn!
March 21 - One day old
March 24 - Four days old

Copyright © 2002 Blackburn Kennel
Send comments or questions to webmaster@blackburnjacks.com.

1st puppy: "Reon"		whelped (via Caesarean section) approx. 12:30am; died in whelp		broken/rough-coated male, with a black & tan asymmetrical face mask and no body spots.
2nd puppy: "Kira"		whelped (via Caesarean section) approx. 12:30am		broken/rough-coated female, with a black & tan asymmetrical face mask, one black ear, and black/tan spot at base of the tail.