Meet my Dud. Appropriately named Don Juan - Conformation champion, OFA Excellent, Agility titled. A shiba that has never met another dog that he did not like. The sweetest, cuddliest male shiba around. The only dog that will let my 5 year old son haul him around like a rag doll. Full dentition, no allergy, thryroid, or heart problems. He is bright, spunky, and sweet natured. Sounds perfect right?
So wouldn't you want to continue all those wonderful traits by keeping puppies from him? But as we just found out, Don Juan isn't perfect.
Everyone in his line is too old to produce. He is the last unneutered and unspayed dog from his direct line. When he was younger he did his part to produce two litters of 5 puppies. All in good homes, all now spayed and neutered. So this past year, he has been vacationing in sunny Arizona in the hopes that he would have a son or daughter to carry on the Don Juan line. But unfortunately, He has been bred 6 times in the past year plus twice a couple years ago with no puppies resulting. It's sad for all of us who would like to see more shibas just like Don Juan.
But alas, it's just not going to happen.
His breeders, John and Carold Calder, found out this week that the last female that they had bred to him is not pregnant. They had a canine fertility specialist assist with the breeding, and all the tests checked out before and during the breeding, but for whatever reason, Don Juan is not producing puppies. So some people have studs... I have a dud. But that's perfectly fine with me. I love him for all his good traits. And who knows, someday when technology allows, maybe I'll clone him (can we erase the fence climbing/crate escaping gene?).
