A couple major events have taken shape in the Musketeer home this past week. Some of you might think I’m insane, and some of you will think I did what I felt was the right thing to do:) On Friday both Marley and Hensley were neutered. I knew Hensley would be neutered, but I wanted to let him mature a bit first, he will be a year old next month. Marley is one I’ve gone back and forth on, do I want to have him neutered, or should I keep him intact, and this has been going on for quite awhile now. The decision to have Marley neutered was NOT easy, I made the appt, and then I sat and cried for who knows how long. Everytime I thought of having him neutered I’d look at him with his big brown eyes, and was unable to go through with it, and have cancelled many appts in the past. I made the decision to have this done because in all honesty I don’t feel that Marley will go much farther in showing. His coat just isn’t coming in like it should, he has some, but it’s not enough to wow the judges, and certainly not as much as the dachsies he’s been competing against. He is a gorgeous boy, he moves beautifully in the ring, but a judge looks at the whole package, and part of this package is a coat, and I’ve been told by a couple judges until he gets more coat, he most likely won’t beat his competition. He also has the issue with the judge handling him. I have done everything in my power to get him over this hurdle, but it’s not working, he still will not stand nicely for the judge. This is important, and it’s possible in the judge’s eye he’s already not going to place first because of this behavior? I talked with both Deb, the breeder I got him from, and I’ve talked with the breeder who had his grandsire, and both agree with my decision. Now that we have Paisley, and neutering Marley had nothing to do with getting her, but it’s not fair to Marley to be around a female in heat, it would be hard on him, and hard on all of us when this time came. Before bringing him in I did a lot of crying, a lot of thinking, wondering if I’m making the right decision, but I knew I had to go through with it this time or it would never happen. Marley will be just as gorgeous as a neutered boy as he was an intact boy, and he will be much happier in the long run I believe. Now that it’s done and he’s recooperating just fine, I don’t regret my decision at all. I feared once it was done I would regret it very much, but I feel like I’ve done the right thing. I accomplished my goal with him, which was to train him and myself to show, go out in the ring and win. Marley did win his very first class at 6 months of age, he won Winners Dog, which is the best you can do in this class, and he went on to win many of the puppy classes. My goal was never to finish him, so I did accomplish what I set out to do with him, and that’s what I am so very proud of. He will always be a champion in my eyes no matter what:)))) Both boys are doing great. Marley was quite pathetic when we picked him up on Friday, it took him longer to wake up from the anesthesia, but he’s looking bright eyed today:))) Hensley woke up right away, and came home acting as if nothing had happened:)))LOL I shot a little video clip of Marley the evening we brought him home. I had my best friend come over to help because my hubby isn’t much help. So that’s my big news. The pic is a before and after shot. He is just very sleepy still in the after shot, but today he looks his normal self, which is the bottom pic:)))

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39FaWOxH3W4

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