B Litter

The second Vitality Project litter arrived on October 26, 2017. There are 6 males (Balou, Basket, Bastien, Bear, Bodi, and Brewster), and 5 females (Bailey, Bella, Bekka, Bisu, and Brooke). The mother is a three year old dog from the sporting group and the father was a seven year old Bernese Mountain Dog. Both parents OFA clear hip and elbows. All puppies are SOD1A DM carriers.

All 11 pups were naturally whelped starting at 12 noon and ending at 6:30 pm with a 2.75 hour break half way through. All were pups born alive, vigorous and healthy with weights between 15 and 17 oz. Their mother was able to supply enough milk to feed all pups without any supplemental feedings.

DNA (Via Mars Veterinary/Optimal Selection) to determine genetic diversity was run on each parent prior to breeding. On this scale, anything above 40 is excellent genetic diversity and what we strive for. Bernese Mountain Dogs as a breed have an average of 28. The Father of the B Litter has a 28.4 genetic diversity rating; mother has a 43.3 genetic diversity rating.

Via DNA testing, we know the mother carries tan pointing. But we also knew she was a double dominant black, meaning that she can only produce black with white puppies. DNA on pups will determine which pups can produce tri color in the future. Pups are all black with varying amount of BMD white markings.