We hadn’t considered breeding Akira initially but in her second year we became interested in the idea. In her third year we agreed that we should have Akira covered and after some research considered two males, one from Niederlehme, near Berlin and another from Stadtallendorf, near Marburg. Our standards were very high and finally we decided on ‘Arko vom Hochsteinchen’ from Stadtallendorf.

    We discussed arrangements with Arko’s owners and after Akira had been in heat we calculated the correct date and made our way to Stadtallendorf on the 6th April 2001. She was, as usual, a good passenger despite the long journey and when we arrived leapt straight out to greet her new friend. It was love at first sight and they sniffed each other for some time. Luckily that’s not all they did! She was covered without difficulty.

    On the drive home she seemed already to be calmer. During her pregnancy she became a different dog, sleeping a lot and being generally quieter. We realized that she had stopped hunting as she no longer put her caught mice in front of us. (Shortly after the litter arrived the mice were under attack again as she was teaching her pups to hunt and putting the dead mice in front of them. We managed to remove the mice before the pups became too interested, much to Akira’s surprise.)

    At 2pm on a sunny 7th June 2001 Akira gave birth to six whelps within four hours, all of them healthy and as lively as only Eurasians can be. We had eight wonderful weeks with our gang of little rascals. You will find a few snapshots under IMPRESSIONS.

    At the beginning of August the new owners appeared to collect their puppies. Luckily for Akira and, of course, handing over the puppies took a week to conclude so it wasn’t one big wrench. There were mixed feelings of sadness and relief, Sadness at their leaving but a little relief that the turmoil and workload would be reduced. We had time to relax again, catch up on our sleep and to do other things than just look after little dogs.

    After more than a year of separation the former pups have grown up into strong, self-confidant and beautiful dogs and even disobey their mother occasionally.

    Fortunately we found good homes for all six pups and we have a good, social relationship with some of the owners which we hope will continue, as much so we may observe the dog’s future development.