9-13-99

Great People Breed Great Danes! | CANINECRYOBANK.COM Update
In Honor of the Last Great Dane National of the Millenium! Oct. 18-22, Oxnard, CA
Frozen semen Great Danes
Cooled Semen: Great Danes NONSURGICAL INSEMINATION
Progesterone Story: Great Danes MISSED BEFORE TESTING
Clone Story: Who will be First?
Great People own Great Danes!!!


Eighteen years ago, the Great Dane community of Southern California was an early supporter of a new futuristic concept: frozen semen. Use of canine frozen semen was hotly debated in the Great Dane world. Some breeders predicted that certain bloodlines would become too popular. Others argued that the ability to use sperm worldwide would enhance breeding goals. Everyone agreed the danger of shipping would be avoided by shipping the semen. Some conservatives believed: If the dogs can't do it naturally, they shouldn't breed! Many Great Dane breeders told me fresh artificial insemination didn't work! Anne Toomey decided frozen semen was going to work in Great Danes. So with the great frozen semen debates continuing all around her, Anne charged forward and had the FIRST FROZEN SEMEN GREAT DANE LITTER with Ch. Warwick's Grumman semen we sent to Texas. In the Los Angeles area where the first Canine Cryobank labs operated, I remember Jill Ferrara telling me as I was in the process of inseminating fresh semen into a Great Dane bitch that artificial insemination didn't work in Great Danes! Sixty days later she was excitedly telling me the bitch was whelping. Jill subsequently froze semen on her black beauty, Ch. Wildwind Rampage v Hillhaus and had frozen semen litters. Early in the 80's, San Diego area breeders Carol Ann Chaney, Karen Lindsay, Bev and Treasure Hauer had many of the best the Southern California Great Danes. They froze great dogs of the decade and still now are producing litters with that frozen sperm. Karen and Carol Ann would drive 2 1/2 hours to freeze Ch. Hauerdanes War Bonnet and Ch. Brier's Dusenberg V Hauer. Due to ridiculous regulations, exporting semen to Australia in the 80's and early 90's was an exercise in patience. Kathy Varian (Ch. Rika-Brier Indian Up Rising) and Carol Ann Chaney (Ch. Chaney-Brier Maserati Mistrl) were early exporters whose semen produced "down under". I wonder if some of that semen is still available over there? Even after producing litters by frozen semen, we had to "prove" that Great Danes could be bred by shipped cooled semen. Brucie Mitchell's cooled semen litter (Ch.Von Raseac's French Dandy) was highlighted in an issue of the Great Dane Reporter. Claire Lincoln in Washington also had an early cooled litter, I remember. In the last millenium, we shared great puppy moments with : Milan Bayan, Marilyn Draper (Ch. Chaney Brier Maserati Mistral frozen pups, Jeanette Copeland (Ch Longo's Primo Aquino frozen pups), Lora Thill, Dale Tarbox (Ch. Maserati Mistrl frozen pups), Alice Bonne (Ch Bonneville Jackson, frozen pups and Ch. Somwins Dr Caro v Mountdana, frozen pups), Jill Swedlow, Donna Hirtriter, Jack Godwin (Ch. Patchwork's Ashly Wilks, cooled semen) Jody Keim, Bob Edison and Bev Johnston (Ch. Brierdanes Pi in the Sky), Phyllis/Sheldon Zarlin, Sharon Rendell (Ch. Sheleea's Country Boy von Raseac), Joan Wolke cooled pups, Annette Brill, Greg Louganis, Bev Dermody, Karen Jones Wanhoff, Joe Glaser, Sue Wells, Sharon/Sandy Johns, Terri Dillistin, Marsha Banks (frozen pups Ch. Windfall's Bet Twice V. Warwick) Denise Scahill, Carole Horton, Kevin Cutting.

Cooled Semen: Great Danes NONSurgical!!
Joan Wolke's Great Dane bitch Magical Noel whelped 5/3/99 five pups from 2 NONSURGICAL INTERVAGINAL inseminations . We progesterone tested Noel and had the semen collected by Dr. Ross Burd in Overland Park, Kansas. No sperm count was sent with the semen, which unfortunately happens 99% of the shipments we receive. However, the semen had the best motility I have ever received in an ICG kit in 15 years!! I decided not to even use the laprascope for intracervical placement which is usually required due to the quality of ICG collection/processings. Two inseminations were performed. We Federal Expressed overnight Brucie Mitchell's Ch. Von Raseac's Squire of Rosha cooled semen to Seattle and had 10 pups, which is to be expected when the sperm count is in the billions! Congrats..

Progesterone Story: Great Dane bitch missed last time.
Carla Akamini's Great Dane bitch missed last time even though she was bred naturally several times during her season. This time two days after she stood and bred, Carla brought her in for a progesterone test. Her progesterone was only 2.5 ng/ml, two days after the breeding! If Carla had stopped breeding, the sperm would need to last SIX DAYS OR MORE! Carla bred her again when the progesterone was 9.9ng/ml. Carla reported bitch whelped pups last week! Please note, even this bitch with a history of missing her last season, only had three progesterone tests.

Cloning: Who will be the First Great Dane Clone?
History will be made in the next millenium. Which dogs and bitches should we clone? I can hear the debates starting again!! Remember, check out the webpage and start putting up cells for future clones now. Exciting!

To all our Great Dane clients, have a marvelous
Millenial National!

Carol Scott Bardwick