Bonnie and Mithril.
This litter is being brought about to replace the Skull N Roses litter. This litter will be called “Without A Net”. (The why’s and where’s of that are on the litter’s webpage)
The Mithril x Bonnie pairing should give us identical structure and coloring as we were expecting with Pearl and Auggie. Rear angulation will need to be improved in future generations, otherwise both parents are structurally perfect. Any faults in Bonnie’s “window dressing” will be countered by Mithril. My biggest concern being the inner eyelid that is prominent in Bonnie’s eyes. Her line carries two front teeth in the bottom that are out of line with the rest. These are tiny imperfections, but that’s a breeder’s responsibility is keep improving their stock. Tiny imperfections is what I’ve got. These pups will be a nice size. 80 lbs for females and males could top 100 lbs at full maturity. Some will be Mithril’s color with no black masks, some may be Tuxedo black like Uncle Otto, and some may have white spotting and badger facial markings. Any red in the coat at birth will fade to tan/white, and blacks in the coat may fade to silver/blue. All patterning will be clear sable.
The temperament is also exactly what we were hoping for with Auggie x Pearl. Mellow, intuitive and I don’t have to worry about selecting on the basis of non-vocal over all else because neither Mithril nor Bonnie have an inappropriate barking trigger. They “do” bark at appropriate-to-me threats (loose dogs that wander too close to our property, birds of prey flying too low ect. They bark at people that come close to their enclosure, and cars that pull into the driveway). I completely expect their offspring to follow the same vocal tendencies.
Both parents are a lovely blend of affectionate and aloof. Bonnie has shown the ability to gauge a person’s interest in her and follow their lead with her interactions. If they want to cuddle, she is a squishy ishy big white fuzzy teddy bear. If they want to pat her head and be done, she’s OK with that too. Mithril hasn’t been here very long, but he’s just like Otto, using his whole body to interact with you. Respectful and polite, keen observers of all things human. Bonnie can be intense, focusing on the task at hand and pondering the next right move. Mithril doesn’t take himself that seriously and lives in the moment. Our litter will have the range of both these temperaments, most being in the higher temperament ranges of 7-8. Which is…better than what we were expecting with Auggie and Pearl.
We have rehomed Pearl to her furever home. She was selected into our breeding program for Auggie. At one time I considered keeping her after her Auggie litter as her physical structure was a perfect ten all down the line. Her temperament is wonderful – to her people. At the groom shop, she showed shyness and unwillingness to be petted. For US she was a squishy ishy big white Teddy Bear. The vet reported that she growled at them when they layed her down for an x-ray. He wasn’t specific but I could tell she wasn’t well behaved for them. And then there’s the barking. You guys it was almost like Turrets Syndrome once her trigger was pulled she couldn’t stop. We used both manual and automatic bark collars on her. She’d be standing right beside us and continue to bark. I was confident Auggie’s non-vocal would counter that as it has always been tampered in his offspring. With two attempts and her still not conceiving; much thought and research went into finding her an alternate mate to Auggie. I just…..couldn’t find a male that I KNEW (not just told, or looked like a seemed like a good prospect in adulthood – I mean KNEW down deep) wasn’t vocal at all like Auggie. So….we decided to let her go. The stars were aligned perfectly – she won the doggy lottery and is now patrolling 4 safely fenced acres with a CMD partner in gorgeous southern Colorado.
Some background on Mithril and where does he fit into our puzzle –
From W2E farms he is Otto’s full brother. (King Boaz Anatolian Shepherd and Chayah) To be perfectly honest HE was the one I wanted from that litter but he was scooped up by Crack O’Noon kennels before I could gather my little pennies together. I reserved one of his pups right away as it seemed the only way to reserve the recessive color genes I so enjoy in dog color. Otto then became available, and already knowledgeable and familiar with the breeding heritage, – he has been with us since 14 weeks old and I am so in love with him. He is a trouble free, easy-to-keep guy that is always squishy ishy big black huggy bear friendly to all ages and sizes of people. He is on the lower end of vocal scores, but not unacceptable paired with the right girl. Mithril is proving to be very much like our Otto. Loveable, interested in people and a bit higher in temp score table as far as confidence and vocal tendencies. He barks when he feels we need to be notified, not as a self rewarding behavior, which is a rare and very Auggie-like trait. He is keenly observant of our body language and makes a lot of choices based on our direction. What this tells me is that he has a less independent nature than a traditional live stock guardian should. He fits the “small acreage” environment piece of CMD standard perfectly. He likes toys, but as interaction or receive mental stimulation. A low prey drive he does not chase anything and has shown little interest in the cat. He was compliant even cooperative during his first ever grooming. His down sides are: he’s very male, taking every opportunity to mark anything at all, including food dishes. Possibly because he was raised with Billy Goats, but I will assume it is not just to be safe. THIS makes a wonderful stud dog but not so great male “Pet” dog. I recommend nuetering his male pups younger than usual. I have no worries of poor bone health as a result. Just have a good diet management plan in place and keep ‘em lean for the first year or so. This ties into a manageable resource guarding habit. Mithril will guard what he feels of high value. He is easily dissuaded from following through, but he goes rigid and locks his eyes when Otto comes around during affection periods. He is a bit bossy with the girls, but not challenging. Another reason to neuter his offspring to avoid this tendency developing. Bonnie has no bully-ish behaviors, shares and eats with other dogs just fine. She manages her lower pack members with patience. Bonnie gives clear signals when she can’t tolerate what other dogs are doing. Girls from Mithril may be the “Fun-Police.” Some may be very masculine, pack leaders if given the opportunity. I recommend spaying this litters ladies a bit earlier than I usually do. Before their first heat if possible.
Bonnie was very receptive of Mithril and we got multiple ties that were lengthy. For those on the waitlist for the American Beaty II litter I believe you will not be disappointed in this new match with Mithril as the sire.
In ‘Sh’Allah and Mithril also had a liaison the week prior to Mithril and Bonnie. (I will need a full assortment of colored collars for all these pups!!) This match has been planned by CNK since Mithril was born. The inclusion into my breeding program of these dogs allows me to have a color project with the health and temperament solidly in place. Very lucky and very grateful, Crack O Noon kennels has access to information about In’Sh’Allahs lines, and even obtained some random pictures of her relatives. CNK has also performed OFA certification on In’Sh’Allah’s hips, providing our founding dogs with OFA certified lines. This litter is expected to be average size and is being split between CNK and Fennario, selection will be extremely important for Fennario and not many pups will be available for the waitlist.
