Hello SSP Followers!
It has been a wild last month for myself and our new puppy owners as the first litter went home!
Here are the highlights followed by all the details below...
We identified an ‘off-grid’ litter of English Shepherd puppies from the line we wish to preserve, and collaborated with the breeder to place pups.
8 of the 10 puppies went to SSP homes where they will will have health, hip and temperament data collected to contribute to SSP research.
Home locations included Connecticut, Ohio, Texas, Wisconsin, Florida, and Canada.
7 of 8 puppies have Embark tests now being processed.
We have a lead on a new SSP litter that will be ready the week of August 16th!
We got the ball rolling this month as our first litter from Weaver’s Shep x Sheba went to their new homes starting on Tuesday June 29th with Sage heading to CT! Sage was a pup who continuously walked up to her person and leaned into him, making the choice quite clear on who had picked who.
The SSP sent Sage (and 7 more of her siblings!) off after a swab to the cheek for a Genetic Health DNA test from Embark, that was paid for by the generosity of donors that we wish to personally thank for their contributions. For these 8 tests it cost $800, not a small amount for such a tiny project!
Without the passionate community of English Shepherd lovers who see how vital pulling these dogs off grid is, we wouldn’t be able to do this work. Jackie Graves from Edenvillage English Shepherds pulled these funds together for her PRA genome project when a large company took over the funding of the project. With permission from donors, these funds were then transferred to the SSP by directly purchasing our 8 Kits. To each and every one of you who donated, and to Jackie who so kindly offered these funds, THANK YOU!
Our Project Puppy owners were also provided a small packet that outlined this project goals and objectives, what data we wish to collect, and the milestones for 2021. Saturday July 3rd another two puppies were sent home with their new families, Kelsier to TX and Coco only twenty five minutes or so down the road!
Kelsier was chosen by his owner for being the most boisterous of the bunch, while Coco was recommended by the SSP to her family based on her incredibly sweet and laid-back disposition. Updates have started coming in and all puppies are reported to be sweet, sassy and absolutely loved by their families!
Monday July 5th, we headed back to the Weaver farm where my husband (Bryan Foley) and I (Emily Schwartz) were going to select two females to head to Canada. Consulting with cofounder (Marley Stever) we selected a splashy Tri-colored girl who through our visits we found to be the most tenacious pup, and a black and tan girl who was quiet, thoughtful and liked to observe.
Later that day the last male from the litter was picked up where he would be taken home to his family in FL! The SSP had decided this boy would be a good fit for his new life based on his more relaxed attitude and quiet mannerisms.
We also decided to bring the male home who we had second choice of in this litter. However, our owner slot was changed a few times until the very last minute to a family in WI. He wouldn’t be heading home until the 16th, but we were very excited to spend the time with the boy we had picked.
Ronin is the smallest of the males with tall socks, a white tipped tail, and endless curiosity towards humans. He was an absolute delight to work with, socialize and love on. Cousin Ridley took right to managing Ronin and his sisters during their short time here!
Fannie and Holly stayed with us until Wednesday July 7th in which we got to observe the two opposites with each other, our pack, children and one-on-one with people. If you’re ever in need of laughter, I’d recommend entertaining three English Shepherd puppies!
Holly showed us she was quick and eager to learn, and the first to charge into action with excitement. Fannie was our little snuggle bug, always watching us and taking everything in stride. After a vet visit that Wednesday morning, we drove to Buffalo and sent the girls off to their new lives in Canada!
On July 10th little Annie was picked up and went to live with a family who has her uncle (on Sheba’s side) in VA, Annie is loving life with her Uncle Leo and Grandma Sweetie!
Bringing things to a final close on July 16th, Bryan and I delivered Ronin to his new parents near the OH/IN line. We grew quite attached during our 10 days with him, and couldn’t help from falling completely in love with his sweet and inquisitive personality. While it was hard to let him go, we couldn’t be more excited to watch him grow with his family!
The two families taking the last females have expressed interest in the project. We would love to provide them with the same Embark DNA tests as the other siblings and are asking for donations to do so.
The total cost for the two kits will be $200, if you are interested in sponsoring these pups please reach out to us!
We look forward to providing you with another series of updates in August, but please be on the lookout for a litter announcement in the next couple weeks.
A litter was born June 23rd whose dam is a Weaver dog - a full sister to Weaver’s Shep named Maggie Sue. Over the last couple weeks we have researched the stud, Kenny, who is a male from Roundstone Kennels in KY.
Our 8 surveys & interviews with people who own siblings indicate that these dogs are consistently human friendly, and either dog neutral or friendly. We have tracked down one of Kenny x Maggie Sue’s pups from their last litter who is now a year old - and proving to be a stable, friendly family dog.
If you’re interested in a puppy, we highly encourage you to Contact Us. Please keep a lookout for our official announcement in the next couple weeks!
Best,
The SSP