Planning for the future...

Seeker by Candace Lang Photography

Several months ago, I made the decision to have Seeker's semen collected. Shortly after that, he developed prostatitis and his future as a stud dog was in jeopardy. After a course of antibiotics, he recovered nicely, but I had no idea whether or not his illness had taken his fertility. I had to wait several months to have him evaluated and collected. Time to hopefully regenerate...

I had heard of Straws To Paws from Washington, NJ where we decided to ultimately take Seeker. Dr. Mary and Debbie were awesome. They know their business and Seeker had a great experience. He got the chance to flirt with a pretty little black tri Sheltie girl as a bonus. I was thrilled to see that he had plenty of swimmers on the slide that Dr. Mary showed me. My fears of him being sterile were quickly put to rest. The whole procedure was fast and efficient and we were soon on our way home to PA.

On the drive home, I received a phone call from Debbie about Seeker's samples. They did well in the freezing process, but his motility was 50%, which meant that we would need 4 straws for a breeding. His 12 straws gives us 3 potential breedings. His lower motility could be a lingering effect from his prostatitis or it could be because he hasn't been used for stud for awhile. Regardless, I will have him collected again in the very near future so that I have at least 5 or more potential breedings stocked away.

This is important to me and my breeding program. While he is not what some breeders want for a stud dog, he is my ideal... His structure, temperament, stamina, working ability, health clearances, trainability make him an excellent example of the breed in my opinion. He is looser-eyed, but has tons of power. I couldn't ask for more.

Right now, I'm not in a position to add another puppy. With Piper pushing 10, Ceilidh 8, Seeker 6 and Gem turning 2, I have my hands full. God forbid that something would happen to Seeker and his breeding potential be lost. I've seen it happen before and I didn't want it to happen to me. At some time in the future, I will find him a nice girl, that is his equal or better. Whether I have to lease or buy a girl is yet to be decided, but even if Seeker is gone, I still have a piece of him. That is tremendously important to me. I want a son from him someday. That became possible today, come what may.

Until that day comes, I have planned the best I can for carrying on Seeker's legacy... and now back to our regular programming and life. :)