As Sorcha is now four and this would be her first litter it was obvious I had to make the decision and make it quickly whether or not I was to have a litter from her. She has been a very succesful bitch with a fantastic temperament and all her health checks have been good. Everything said she was of sufficient merit and I would love a pup of hers to work and hopefully show so the decision was made.
Finding a husband for Sorcha was not easy, eventually it became obvious that I had to look overseas. The breed originates in Italy so where better to look for new blood lines, working ability and most importantly as far as Sorcha was concerned a handsome male!
Much searching of web sites, googling of names and asking questions of my friends in Italy ensued. Eventually one name kept coming back to me, he was handsome, a working dog and had new lines to bring into the UK. An added bonus his Grandfather is a dog I have long admired.
A planned trip to Italy in January was extended so I, along with my good friend Jean, could visit the kennel and have a look at him in the flesh. Well the best layed plans..... he was off with his owner hunting in Sardinia! But we did get to see a litter sired by him and several relations. The dogs and the kennels were incredibly well cared for and we were made to feel very welcome by Rino who was looking after the dogs and Monia a young lady who was to prove invaluable to us all as our kindly translater. It was very hard to leave behind the gorgeous puppies but fortunately head managed to rule over heart.
Back home again and more soul searching, this would be quite an undertaking with no guarantee of puppies at the end of it. Finally I made the decision and mustered up the courage to ask Mr Nerviani if I could use Adelchi on Sorcha. He very kindly said yes!
All we had to do now was wait for Sorcha to come in season, easier than it sounds as Sorcha has irregular and infrequent seasons. Typically of bitches she caught us on the hop and 3 days after Crufts she surprised us and then surprised us again by being 'ready' on day 10. Tentative plans had been put in place to travel down on day 11 arriving for day 12 but Sorcha had other ideas so panic set in...... An email to Mr Nerviani and I was informed Adelchi was off to an important competition which could not be missed, he was leaving at lunchtime the next day!! Well...... you know who your friends are when at a moments notice they spring into action and leave what they are doing to help you achieve your hopes and dreams. Sue became the dogsitter, Dorne my travelling companion and four hours later we were on our way to Italy!
I met Dorne at Jan's as she is on the way to the tunnel and our adventure began. We grabbed a quick cup of tea a cuddle with Esta's beautiful pups and left for Italy! The gods were on our side and we got on the very next train through the tunnel, only waiting for 10 minutes. Serenaded by a handsome scandinavian on our journey we arrived very quickly in Calais. If anyone had told me I could drive from Dorset to just north of Milan in twenty one hours I wouldn't have believed them, its amazing what adrenalin and a dream can do. Most of the journey was in heavy rain but because we travelled through the night the roads were clear, only the odd lorry to pass. Arriving at the beginning of the Alps at dawn was spectacular. As we drove through more and more of the snow capped mountains became visible with the arrival of the day and eventually we were in the snow. I imagine Dorne is still having nightmares about the towering viaducts we sped across! Then suddenly all the road signs were in Italian, we had arrived in Italy.
Finding a husband for Sorcha was not easy, eventually it became obvious that I had to look overseas. The breed originates in Italy so where better to look for new blood lines, working ability and most importantly as far as Sorcha was concerned a handsome male!
Much searching of web sites, googling of names and asking questions of my friends in Italy ensued. Eventually one name kept coming back to me, he was handsome, a working dog and had new lines to bring into the UK. An added bonus his Grandfather is a dog I have long admired.
A planned trip to Italy in January was extended so I, along with my good friend Jean, could visit the kennel and have a look at him in the flesh. Well the best layed plans..... he was off with his owner hunting in Sardinia! But we did get to see a litter sired by him and several relations. The dogs and the kennels were incredibly well cared for and we were made to feel very welcome by Rino who was looking after the dogs and Monia a young lady who was to prove invaluable to us all as our kindly translater. It was very hard to leave behind the gorgeous puppies but fortunately head managed to rule over heart.
Back home again and more soul searching, this would be quite an undertaking with no guarantee of puppies at the end of it. Finally I made the decision and mustered up the courage to ask Mr Nerviani if I could use Adelchi on Sorcha. He very kindly said yes!
All we had to do now was wait for Sorcha to come in season, easier than it sounds as Sorcha has irregular and infrequent seasons. Typically of bitches she caught us on the hop and 3 days after Crufts she surprised us and then surprised us again by being 'ready' on day 10. Tentative plans had been put in place to travel down on day 11 arriving for day 12 but Sorcha had other ideas so panic set in...... An email to Mr Nerviani and I was informed Adelchi was off to an important competition which could not be missed, he was leaving at lunchtime the next day!! Well...... you know who your friends are when at a moments notice they spring into action and leave what they are doing to help you achieve your hopes and dreams. Sue became the dogsitter, Dorne my travelling companion and four hours later we were on our way to Italy!
I met Dorne at Jan's as she is on the way to the tunnel and our adventure began. We grabbed a quick cup of tea a cuddle with Esta's beautiful pups and left for Italy! The gods were on our side and we got on the very next train through the tunnel, only waiting for 10 minutes. Serenaded by a handsome scandinavian on our journey we arrived very quickly in Calais. If anyone had told me I could drive from Dorset to just north of Milan in twenty one hours I wouldn't have believed them, its amazing what adrenalin and a dream can do. Most of the journey was in heavy rain but because we travelled through the night the roads were clear, only the odd lorry to pass. Arriving at the beginning of the Alps at dawn was spectacular. As we drove through more and more of the snow capped mountains became visible with the arrival of the day and eventually we were in the snow. I imagine Dorne is still having nightmares about the towering viaducts we sped across! Then suddenly all the road signs were in Italian, we had arrived in Italy.
We arrived in Pombia two hours before Mauro and Adelchi were due to leave! Brief hello's were said the quiet but efficient Rino took over and Adelchi was produced from his kennel. Fortunately it was love at first sight for Sorcha and a mating was achieved with very little assistance.
Dorne and I now barely compos mentis were given much welcome coffee and croissants in Mauros beautiful boardroom, filled in the necessary paperwork and arranged to meet again on his return.
We could now retire to a small local hotel and collapse. We all slept like logs only rousing sufficiently to give Sorcha a quick walk and have some dinner before going straight back to bed 'til the following morning.
The next day we , with the help of two kind gentlemen on reception, sought out a local Vet and arranged to return that evening and get Sorcha wormed and treated for ticks and fleas so that she would fulfill the pet passport requirements and be able to return to the UK. We now had two days to relax and recover so a little exploring of Lombardia was possible. Sorcha needed to relax and have some gentle exercise so we drove into the local town and had a walk around looking at the lovely old buildings then had a brief drive into the countryside.
On Sunday we drove up to Lake Maggiore which was absolutely stunning, the weather was glorious so the day was spent wandering along the shore line and taking in the magnificent views before returning to Pombia for the second mating. The photo above is of Dorne and Sorcha by the lake with the Alps in the background.
The journey home was a little less urgent, we managed four hours sleep this time, but I was still very aware of the 24/48 hour window allowed by the pet passport scheme. We could not be too relaxed any hold ups could mean we were too late and a delay of 24 hours in Calais. Fortunately we made it with 4 hours to spare and sailed through the Vet check with out a problem. A quick journey through the tunnel and we were home.
We could now retire to a small local hotel and collapse. We all slept like logs only rousing sufficiently to give Sorcha a quick walk and have some dinner before going straight back to bed 'til the following morning.
The next day we , with the help of two kind gentlemen on reception, sought out a local Vet and arranged to return that evening and get Sorcha wormed and treated for ticks and fleas so that she would fulfill the pet passport requirements and be able to return to the UK. We now had two days to relax and recover so a little exploring of Lombardia was possible. Sorcha needed to relax and have some gentle exercise so we drove into the local town and had a walk around looking at the lovely old buildings then had a brief drive into the countryside.
On Sunday we drove up to Lake Maggiore which was absolutely stunning, the weather was glorious so the day was spent wandering along the shore line and taking in the magnificent views before returning to Pombia for the second mating. The photo above is of Dorne and Sorcha by the lake with the Alps in the background.
The journey home was a little less urgent, we managed four hours sleep this time, but I was still very aware of the 24/48 hour window allowed by the pet passport scheme. We could not be too relaxed any hold ups could mean we were too late and a delay of 24 hours in Calais. Fortunately we made it with 4 hours to spare and sailed through the Vet check with out a problem. A quick journey through the tunnel and we were home.
