Good-bye my sweet and wonderful Diamond

Life has many highs and lows. Sometimes the trip from the top of the mountain into the deepest valley is extremely fast. 

Today we had to say good-bye to our Dalmatian Diamond. She just turned 16 years of age on March 25,2015.  I know it seems one should be prepared when a dog is that age but honestly, I can't get it through my head or seem to breath.  I just want to sit up all night and try to get my head around it;  to try to get my heart around it.  

In this house, in this room, I delivered Diamond  into this world in March  1999. I opened her sack and cleaned her airway, clamped and cut her cord and put her on her wonderful mother Diva for her first warm drink of milk. Into my hands she was delivered; now from my arms she has passed. 

I want the whole world to stop,  I want her back. How can the sun continue to shine and the night continue to drive the sun from the sky, and the whole of time keep passing when she is gone? I know those are the thing that will carry me from moment to moment and day to day; experience provides that proof. But now I want to stay in this early morning's glow, to feel her kisses and help her eat.  To believe she could go on forever. Time, it is sometimes a cruel master as it ages our beloved dogs and takes them from us. 

Diamond, 4 months old at the Dalmatian Club of America National Specialty, Denver, Colorado, 1999.

Happy 16th Birthday Diamond!

Happy Birthday to our wonderful Diamond, 16 years old today!

Diva, Ch. Blackbullet's Diamond Diva, delivered a litter of 12 pups on March 25, 1999. This was her only litter and our last Dalmatian litter.  Diva was the pup my daughter selected from our 1995 litter.
  Today we celebrate the 16th Birthday  of Diamond, one of the pups we kept from our 1999 litter. She is the last of her litter.  

Captured here are 3 generations of our Dalmatians. Diamond on the left a few months old, her mother Diva from our 1995 litter and CJ born 1990 and my first Dalmatian.  Photo from June 1999.

 Diamond relaxing with her mother Diva on the right. 

4 liver pups from the litter. Left to right Pegasus, Diamond, Mocha and Fudge. 3 of these pups became champions while 6 from the litter were honoured with their championship titles. 

Diamond funny face

Even at 11 years of age, Diamond could cover ground like a dog half her age. 

Today Diamond enjoyed a slow walk around the yard, sniffing the ground, following scents, wagging her tail. She ate well and had a small piece of pie for her birthday celebration. She remains a very loving and happy girl!

Happy Happy 15th Birthday to Diamond yesterday

This photo was taken yesterday when we celebrated Diamond's 15th birthday. Our wonderful and beautiful Diamond had a sunny day to enjoy walking the pasture. She even had a little run and play outside too. 

We are so blessed to share her lovely kisses and loving nature each day. She remains healthy and active, even jumping on the sofa by herself yesterday. 

Diamond is the last of our Dalmatian breedings.  I still love this breed so much. 

Thank you Diamond, and your mother Diva and your grandma CJ for your love and for putting up with all our mistakes and for  so many great memories! 

We love you so much, Diamond.

lots of photos over the last week

We have 2 visitor dogs for 13 days of January so I have been busy with the camera since their arrival.

 Jewel (2004 litter), Mystic - Lab puppy, Sydney ( 2010 litter), Merlin - Black and white male Dal,  all wait for a bit of orange.

 Mystic takes on 2 of the Vs for a grand frolic in the snow.

Jewel in the coat overlooks the play time of Merlin, Mystic, and Sydney.

Merlin poses for a moment.

 Merlin and Mystic have a play. They are house mates.

Mystic having a quiet moment with Wes

Sydney and Mystic play rough and then take up their favourite sport of bird and yard and field watching.

Merlin and Sydney have a play time too.

 Merlin and Wes enjoy the winter sun but soon Merlin is presenting his ball for a little play time.

Diamond, our Dalmatian, will be 15 in March. She really appreciated these last few days of warmer weather! 

Jewel was enjoying the winter sun from the sofa arm  so I did a head study of her. She will be 10 in February.

 Jewel also enjoyed a romp in the snow on these warmer day and with our visiting dogs.

Happy 14th Birthday Diamond Dal

Ch. Blackbullet's Stippled Sorrel, born March 25,  1999 continues with  her great zest for life with her smile, wagging tail and wonderful kisses.  She has always been a character, and an outstanding show dog who loved to hit a free stack and stand and stand and stand...so easy.

 Diamond is the last puppy from our last Dalmatian litter. She respresents the third generation of our Dalmatian breeding program.  Our love of the breed never diminishes and our love for Diamond only grows each year we are blessed to share with her.

New News

Happy 6th Birthday to our 2007 litter! Each one is doing well as are their parents Jewel  and Hudson. We are thrilled with each pup from that litter. Thank you Kathy Rust for letting us use your Hudson for this breeding. We love you pups so much. We were so impressed with it that we bred the second generation from Kati from that litter this summer. We are thrilled with those  pups too.

A new field training book...I have not read it but it may be worth picking  up since it recognizes the importance and much needed place  of positive reinforcement in field training!

'How to Help Gun Dogs Train Themselves'  by Joan Bailey. I'm looking forward to reading it.

We are really having a lot of fun with our dog visitor 6 month old Cayo. He is fitting in very well and is a love bunnie too.

Quinn from our 2012 litter is heading out to his first shows this weekend. We thank his owners so much for all the time and money they have invested in getting him ready and sending  him for this first experience. We will be there in our hearts!

Sophie from our December 15, 2010 litter is the first pup to have her OFA hip and elbow scores recorded...BLACKBULLET JEWEL'S KATEENA is OFA hip scored as Good and Elbow scored as Normal!! Thank you so much owners for having these done. The rest of the results for her littermates will be available soon.


Our wonderful  Dalmatian Diamond who was struck down with what may be either idiopathic vestibular syndrome or a stroke or perhaps cancer is fighting hard to recover if she can. She will be 14 in March. We continue to try to keep her comfortable and  meet her needs and pray for her recovery.

Diamond from our March 1999 litter

 Diamond is from our last Dalmatian breeding born March 1999. She will be 14 in March. She is the last of her litter.

She enjoys each day and is an active and loving, funny girl! One of her favourite things is pushing as hard as she can into you when she hugs you and then reaching to your face with her paw and looking you in the eyes. She also loves to chew on big carrots and green peppers !