Wishing for Puppies

When I was 11, my best friend's cat had kittens.  I loved it.  But I didn't like that they were going to grow up to be cats.  (I am a dog person.)  I wanted the same experience with dogs.  After we adopted Clover I hoped we would be able to breed her, once she was old enough.  Standard poodles aren't fully mature till they are 2 years old.

After a ton of reading and research, I had her vet, Dr. Kristi, check her hips for defects and her eyes as well as anything else that would preclude her from being a mom.  My vet not only endorsed Clover's health but her excellent disposition.  Clover is smart and sweet.  I swear she understands English.

At least I was able to snap this picture while we tried to breed her.

So when Clover was 22 months old, I tried to breed her with a stud in rural community 2 hours from home.  We drove her to see her new boyfriend on Day 7 through Day 12, but she would not stand for him.  She would flag and flirt but off she would run if he tried to mount.  I was so frustrated.  On day 14 we tried a different stud and took the two dogs to the vet for artificial insemination.  The vet then gave me the bad news that Clover was no longer in estrous. I was devastated.  I had spent hundreds of dollars on gas and vet bills and we were still no closer to our goal of parenting puppies.  So we went home and hoped for better luck on her next heat cycle 7 months away...