RIP Ana, 3/22/2011-12/6/2017

And just like that, heaven gained another angel. Our sweet "Little Mother" Ana crossed over the rainbow bridge at 4:20 yesterday afternoon. She was surrounded by our family, encircled in love. We are heartbroken. Ana was a blessing and a joy. DCM and cancer may have won the day, but it can never truly take Ana from us. She's a member of our family and always will be. We learned so much from her. She was a lover and a giver. She felt deeply and knew your heart. Her eyes looked right into your soul. Run free, Ana! Go find Mack and continue your adventures. We'll see you again! RIP Ana, 3/22/2011-12/6/2017

Rey in BH Training

Our sweet and spunky little Rey of Hope has started training to take her BH trials in 2018.  She has had 7 lessons so far and is really picking up the skills quickly.  She is smart and loves the work!  We couldn't be more pleased with this girl!  Here is a short video of her showing off some of her skills.

Health Update on Ana

Ana is the sweetest little doggie and we are so happy that she is in our family/pack! She has had a rough year and we thought it was time to share her news with our Snow Springs Dobes friends. As many of you know, last May she was diagnosed with DCM (dilated cardiomyopathy). It is a heart problem which plagues dobermans worldwide. It is elusive and very difficult to eradicate, even with the most dedicated efforts to careful breeding and selection of genetic longevity. Among other things, DCM can cause sudden death. Luckily for Ana, we caught the DCM very early and she has been taking medication to help her heart function more efficiently. To date, she is not suffering any ill effects from the disease, which we continue to monitor with our vet. The other challenge is that Ana was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. We noticed a small lump in one of her nipples and had it checked out by the vet. He told us it was a mammary cyst but to keep an eye on it and bring her back in if anything about it changed. Last month we noticed that the small lump was changing rapidly, so we took her back to the vet. Sadly, we were told that she has a fast growing breast cancer. The vet felt that putting her under anesthesia for surgery is very risky. Because of her heart condition she could die on the operating table. He was willing to attempt the surgery, but only with our express understanding that it carries high risks for her. Even then, the vet said the cancer would most likely come back. He also said that chemo for dogs is not very effective and usually just prolongs their life only a little, but adds to their suffering quite a lot. My husband and I talked and prayed and consulted another vet for a second opinion. We didn't want to make a rash decision. Right now, Ana is not suffering any noticeable effects of the cancer or the DCM, but continues to be a happy, energetic, and sweet little lady. Her appetite is great, she loves to play, and she gives the best snuggles around. She is a nurturer and highly sensitive to the feelings and needs of her people. She is in a really great place emotionally, and just exudes happiness and contentment all day long. She is a joy to be around! Honestly, if you didn't know she had these 2 health conditions you would never guess by how she acts. Taking all this into consideration, as well as the advice of 2 vets, we have decided at this time not to take action on the cancer. We will continue to treat her DCM with medication, however, as that definitely helps her feel better. For now, we will allow her to live a happy and pampered life as our beloved pet and family member. We will cherish every moment we get to have with this little lady, for however long we are blessed to have her. Our sweet Ana is a blessing in our lives!

RIP Mack

Our hearts are breaking! Our gentle giant Mack passed away suddenly and crossed the rainbow bridge. At age 9.5 years he was still a happy, fun loving, adventurous, compassionate, active guy. We thought we'd have more time with him. He has had occasional seizures in the last 6 months and a grand mal seizure is what took his life. My husband and I were both by his side as the light left his eyes and he took his last breath. We were NOT expecting it nor were we even close to being ready for this day to come. It has been so hard! Mack was everything we could ever want in a dog, and more! There's no way to possibly sum up what he's meant to us. His passing leaves a huge hole in our hearts. We will never forget the lessons he taught nor the important role he has played in our family. We love our Big Mack! Run free over the rainbow bridge, buddy! Find Kita and Anya and continue your adventures together. We'll see you again!  RIP Mack--06/27/2007-11/13/2016

2nd Birthday, Litter B

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to our fun-loving litter B!  These kids are teenagers and are keeping their families on their toes.  But, they are also doing great things and having lots of adventures.

Update

Due to unforeseen circumstances, all upcoming planned litters are postponed until further notice.  We apologize for the inconvenience.

Birthday Time!

ONE YEAR OLD!!! How can it be that these sweet babies are now a year old?!?! They are growing into such handsome/beautiful doggies and their families are doing such great things with them! We love seeing updates about them and it is rewarding to know how cherished and well cared for they are. Happy birthday to our Vivaro X Ivana litter!!!! Here are some updated pictures of most of them.

Rocco Reddington Bunker Von Snow Springs: REDD

Regulus Maximus Van Leeuwen Von Snow Springs: GUS

Natasha Mae Von Snow Springs: NATASHA

Kona Von Snow Springs: KONA

Black Bartholomew Von Snow Springs: BART

Anya Rose Von Snow Springs: ANYA

Knolly Von Snow Springs: KNOLLY 

Breeding Update #2

We had a follow-up ultrasound for Ivana last Thursday. The 2nd ultrasound unfortunately also showed no puppies present. :o( We are very disappointed at this news, but will try again with her next heat cycle in January.  15% of all breeding attempts result in no pregnancy.  We are sad that this time around we are in the 15% instead of the 85% which are successful.  But on the bright side... spring born puppies are far more enjoyable to potty train when the weather is nice than in the winter when it is cold and yucky!  Also, we know both Ivana and Bismarck are fertile, so their future chances are still great for a successful breeding.  Gotta look at all the positives we can.  :o)

We'll keep facebook and the site updated as things develop down the road.  Thanks for being patient and we are sad to have to share this disappointing news.

Breeding Update

We took Ivana to the reproductive vet this morning for an ultrasound.  The vet was unable to confirm pregnancy at this time.  We did the ultrasound a few days early, due to the vet's office being closed tomorrow and over the weekend for a state holiday.  We have scheduled another ultrasound for next Thursday, July 30.  We are disappointed but will continue to keep our fingers crossed that the puppies were just a tad early for detection at this stage. We'll keep everyone posted.

Breeding & Stud Announcement

Our pretty girl Ivana, "Ana," is in heat about 4 weeks earlier than anticipated!!!!  We came home from 10 days of vacation to that joyful surprise!  We are excited and pleased.  She has been tired and a little mopey, which is typical for her when she's in heat, but she's doing well. Luckily, we already had everything arranged with the stud owner for the breeding.  Whew!  So, I guess it is time to share with everyone which stud we have decided on for this litter!

His name is INT CH Bismarck Von Pressilla--BH, ZTP, V1, IPO1, IPO2, HD-A, CACIB, WSCH, Junior Winner. 

Visit our STUDS page for more information on this handsome guy!

Puppy Family Reunion

We had a really fun litter family reunion last month!  Not everyone could come, but we had a wonderful time with the ones who were there.  We also had one of the puppies there from the litter prior to this recent one.  It was a wonderful day filled with lots of chasing, playing, and reconnecting.  All the puppies were especially excited to see their mom.  We look forward to having another one in the future.  Here are some pictures from our fun day for you to enjoy.

6 Months Old

Our Litter B puppies celebrated their half birthday on Sunday.  6 months old already, how can this be? They are all turning out to be such great little doggies! We love the updates we've gotten from their families. Sounds like they are all intelligent, happy, fun-loving, very affectionate, playful babies. Here are a few recent pics of each of them.  Happy half birthday, babies!