Lucy and Luca sittin' in a tree...

Okay, they're not really sittin' in a tree, but they are having puppies together. This makes me happy.

Lucy is really milking her pregnancy.
She is lazing on the couch for hours at a time. (That is Rod lazing with her.)

She doesn't run any more. She meanders.
There is no end to her hunger. (Mine either, but that's another story.)
She still wants me to lift her back end up on to our bed. Let me tell you, she is getting heavy.

And, rather than just using me as a leg up, she settles back into me as I heave. Which makes me grunt and groan as I heft her up. Which makes me make the sounds she makes when she gets off the chair, couch or bed.

But this post is to tell you about Luca, the bullmastiff male we bred her to for this litter of pups. Look at that head! Gorgeous!!

Luca, at 16 months old won 4 Majors, Multi Best of Breed titles, 8 Best of Winners titles, 9 Winners, 11 R. Winners and

29 First placements!

American Kennel Club Champion Aristocrat's Luca Brahma-

Bull, CGC, TDI, AKC, DNA, proven stud

DOB: Sept. 15, 2007

In talking to Suzan, Luca's owner, I found someone who is dedicated to making sure the bullmastiff breed is enhanced my any breeding she does. She is a canine behaviorist and her website is a wealth of information about this incredible breed.

Luca is an AKC champion as well as a certified therapy dog. This says so much about his demeanor. He has to be calm, intelligent, loving and gentle. Oh, and he is 175 lbs, which is super LARGE for a bullie. But his build is superb and we will be offering a 1 year health guarantee against genetic conditions. I saw that Suzan offers a 7 (SEVEN) year guarantee for temperament. This is fantastical and awesome, and I think that would be really hard to do, but speaks volumes as to how much confidence she has in Luca.
Here are the results of his temperment testing from Suzan's website:

"Results of temperament testing- Luca has tested with the highest score possible in overall temperament, handles new situations easily & loves any social setting including other dogs of any breed, kids and adult humans, he's even been tested with horses, cats, birds and a guinea pig! He's a very sweet & happy dog, his tail is always wagging, he does not guard food or toys and allows other dogs to eat out of the same bowl with him, he will allow even the highest value item such as a Bully stick to be taken out of his mouth without any issues whatsoever. A overall fantastic temperament, as does his sire and dam and being a canine behaviorist I find good (or bad) temperament is highly heritable.

Training levels achieved- Luca started training at 8 weeks old since I do my own training, he is extremely well socialized which is the most important training for a puppy. He has easily achieved levels of obedience up to Advanced Obedience & will be working towards his titles in AKC Rally Obedience this summer.

AKC Championship achieved 5/09 with 4 major wins

AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy achieved 4/08

AKC Canine Good Citizen certification achieved 7/08

Luca achieves TDI Therapy Dog certification 10/08 with 100% pass on testing!!!-He visits Sebasticook Valley Hospital, primarily children's wing, Sebasticook Nursing Home & District 53 Schools for TDI reading program and AKC Canine Ambassador program teaching AKC Safety Around Dogs, Care of Dogs."

Here is a link to her site so you can read more about Luca, bullmastiffs and all kinds of other stuff. Enjoy, but don't get lost; it is a massive site.

http://www.aristocratfrenchbulldogsandbullmastiffs.com/4studservavailable.htm

Please let me know if you have any questions or would just like to make a general observation as to how adorable you think this litter of puppies will be. :-)

In the meantime, Lucy will be eating, sleeping, hiking, playing,and basically just enjoying the life of a pregnant mama as she waits for her pups.