Barbet:French National Treasure

Looking back: a catastrophe in the making!

Was it 2011? Seems like yesterday….
A female from my line was planned to have a litter. Her first litter! How exciting!
Male was found, 59 cms a nice typed: one with a nice long, not very curly at all, brown coat which would compensate for the tight curls on little one, at 50 cms. He had never been used, had C hips also compensated by the A hips of the female. Excellent character on both sides and health but that should go without saying.

A few days before the mating was supposed to take place, I found out through the grapevine, that in pedigrees where there is Verveine on both sides (mom and dad) there was a likelihood that odd types would show up in various degrees: no hair on nose, no hair on tail and those eyes…piercing and light and not at all in the Barbet standard. On the other hand, pups could inherit that liver color coat that does not fade, which is great and . Coat texture is rather good too.BUuuuuuuuuuuuut!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There was more. This particular mating would have Verveine on both sides…
Oh no, that was a major problem since having spaniel types would not be helping the breed at all nor will contribute to genetic diversity unless proper selection is done!
General pandemonium to find another male.One was found! The objective always hopefully being to use a different line and with as little poodle in it as possible. It was going to be Ulysse di Barbochos Reiau de Prouvenco. Perfect, he was perfect. There was no poodle in his pedigree! And he was very healthy.
So, it was all accepted as he was confirmed in France for breeding and owned by yours truly.
Off they went, to the Swiss border. Why the Swiss border you ask? Because female was not vaccinated for rabies, meaning she could not go into the country. So, came Ulysse to French border and they met in a field. Visualize the scene with a so present owner soliciting her dog continuously and Ulysse trying aznd trying and little one playing and playing, but no go. Again, you always worry about the perfect day and was it too early too late? Progesterone test was done or was it? Don’t know.
I, personally have a great vet I trust with my dogs’ lives, who tells me, “ok, Thursday and 2 days after that”. I was lucky twice because THAT particular Thursday, I was not working…and IT did work. One mating and voilà. Happened in 2007 and 2008. Coccolina, 12 pups of which I kept 10. Little Coccolina all 50 cms of her was an awesome puppy producer and spread HER line all over! I thank my lucky stars.
So, back to my story…I knew nothing about a progesterone test being done or not, or when the right day was…or not. What I do know is that the next day on the Swiss border in the middle of the field, nothing happened. Why? Good question…I have an idea, but it’s only speculation. So, I shall keep it to myself.
Then, after all the commotion I only heard owner driving somewhere, screaming at me on cell phone in car, driving perhaps home to find another male who may have been a retired stud who had put on too much weight to be able to do the job. That was the end of that story and needless to say I was held 100% responsible for the failed mating after which I heard through the grapevine that there may have been a hormone problem? Strange since I had never been made aware of the situation, the rest of the world had through unprecedented media lynching which goes on to this day.
I have never had a female with a hormone problem, but then…The story just goes on and on about how awful of a person this woman is (me)…3 years later.
Club Spirit? Don’t know what you call it but if those old demons live on so will that vile club spirit of the 80’s and propaganda to continue insulting people to keep them from breeding.
I am not a professional breeder and we get no help from breed club, we never have, so when a professional breeder’s living depends on it, it takes on a whole new look.

Bottom line, after that mess there was another one even more unbelievable and I will tell you that story in due time when the time is just right.
It seemed the right time to publish this one, since I have been given a particular reputation by the Barbet French Treasure “friend” in deed and her friends in need.

Conclusion: I have never given any help to anyone after that, finding a suitable stud since when one calls himself or herself a breeder, then that means they are (or should be) able to weigh up the pros and cons and think on their feet, about what their objectives are!