Freya gave birth to the seven puppies on Jan. 27, 20 to 25 minutes apart, “like clockwork,” according to Mosher.

As the mother settled in with her new litter, Mosher started cleaning Freya. Then all of a sudden Freya went into labour for the second time. This time, things turned out very different.

Unlike her brothers and sisters who were all born in translucent sacs, the puppy’s body was surrounded by a black sac. The pair assumed something was seriously wrong and that the dog had died.

They then observed she started to move and make noise.

“We noticed she was green as we attempted to towel her off. Immediately it felt like something was wrong.”

“So we googled it,” Mosher continued, “and it turns out it’s really rare. It has only happened a few times around the world.”

When light-colored puppies come in contact with a green pigment found in bile, the unusual discoloration can sometimes occur.

In an email, Dr. Bronwyn Crane, a veterinary reproduction specialist at the University of Prince Edward Island’s Atlantic Veterinary College, said the incidence is “very rare.”

“I’m not sure I could estimate a precise rate of frequency,” she said, “but I’d assume it’s one in ten thousand.” This is my first encounter with a green puppy.”

Meanwhile, Mosher considers himself fortunate to have seen the unusual discolouration.

“I’m actually rather surprised. As strange as it may appear, I consider myself fortunate to have watched and shared in it. Y you hear stories about stuff like that, but it was good to be there and witness it,” he said.

The green pigment has diminished dramatically since the puppy’s birth and will continue to do so as she gets older.

Mosher claims he posted about his green puppy on Facebook, asking for suggestions for a name for the unnamed canine.

Many people provided some quite creative responses. Wasabi, Hulkette, Fiona, and Pistachio were among them. 

The post Puppy in Nova Scotia born with green fur appeared first on littlerivertollers.com.

Sally Sanford competed in the Crufts rally event at the NEC in Birmingham with Lace, her Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever.

The duo is part of a Scotland team that will compete in the inter-regional rally against Wales, Northern Ireland, and four English teams.

The rally course required the dog and handler to work together to complete a course that included 10 to 15 separate activities.

According to Ms. Sanford, the competition was a real “step-up.”The dogs have to perform things that aren’t that difficult for them; but it’s the handlers who must be able to multi-task, focus during the event, and negotiate the course.

It’s important to have to keep your wits about you.

Lace is an experienced dog though and knows how to handle himself. He had previously finished second in his event.

It was when she had Lace as a puppy after moving to Shetland when she became interested in Rally. She wanted a context for her puppy training to help her become a well-behaved member of society. It seemed like it fitted really well with clicker training and other activities. Even better it could be done by herself in a remote rural location. They have both  continued to love it as time has passed; with new courses and new combinations of things to focus on. She plays not only against other compeitors but against the standard of excellence. Everyone involved is always really supportive of each other.

It was the first Crufts event since March 2020 and she was apprehensive about it. , The couple ended up in a respectable fifth place with the Scottish team finishing above Northern Ireland and the South and South West team. 

The post Lace will compete for the fifth time at Crufts. appeared first on littlerivertollers.com.

The crowd noise, the referee whistle that sounded a bit like her “mad sit” training whistle, and a ball that resembled a duck were all surprises however.

Pint performed admirably though, converting a one-game committment into 279 kickoffs. He has seen three separate generations of kickers over the course of 42 games; a lengthier career than any of the team’s current players or coaches.

He’s served as a reminder of the link between athletics and UC Davis’ renowned veterinary medicine programme during that time.

His name refers to the university’s and the Bannasch family’s love of beer and brewing.

His retrievals are a little slower now, and biting down on the tee has sheared off all four of his canine teeth. Pint would certainly keep going out to pick up the kickoff tee as long as he had the power though. 

Despite the fact that his “Pint the Wonder Dog” nickname hasn’t been used officially in years and Pint took all but one game off in 2019 while Bannasch was on sabbatical, a group of supporters still greeted him excitedly before a recent game.

Pint’s face was among many who made up a rooting section of cardboard spectators when the epidemic compelled the football club to play a short season without fans in the spring of 2020.

When Bannasch first saw Pint as a 5-week-old puppy, she knew he was unique. 

She knew she would have to have keep him.

Pint was born to Bannasch’s dogs and had already promised the pick of the litter to others. She had to revoke the offer and explain to her husband why they needed to keep him.

He’s still a family pet at the end of the day but it will be strange for the family to not be taking him to the games anymore. Their son, Cameron, has grown up with Pint and used his all access pass to watch the games every week. 

Cameron was playing with Pint one day when he discovered a lump on his chest. Pint had to stay at the vet hospital but luckily it just turned out to be a mast cell malignancy.

According to Danika Bannasch, hospital workers utilised a special device to locate tumour and managed to remove it. 

Pint was cleared to return to work and even appeared to make an appearance at a national dog show.

So how did he fare at the competition? Well, being Pint he did of course did brilliantly.

He holds the distinction of being the youngest of his breed to ever win the title of champion master hunter.

Pint’s grandmother, who is also owned by the Bannasch family, was previously rescued by the vet hospital after mistakenly ingesting caffeine pills. Pint also has descendants that have worked as avalanche search-and-rescue dogs, police dogs, and hunting competitors in other countries. A Norwegian litter descended all have football-related names, such as Touchdown and Kickoff.

Pint is one of the family’s four dogs, but Danika Bannasch says she will not train another to fetch kickoff tees. Working with Pint has converted Danika Bannasch into a die-hard football fan but she wouldn’t do it with another dog.

In 2022, a dog trained by Lisa Tell, a professor of medicine and epidemiology, is expected to continue the tradition. She also has a link with the School of Veterinary Medicine. She is now working on adopting Cori, a 2-year-old black lab.

Tell is looking forward to her dog taking the place of the veteran when he leaves the field.

She has said that it takes a unique kind of dog to do what Pint did but to have a  relationship with the vet school and the athletics department is fantastic.

The post Pint The Wonder Dog set to retire appeared first on littlerivertollers.com.