Not too many parents would give a Jack Russell puppy to their children as a wedding present.........but that's how Mike & Rose acquired North Country Bailey. Naturally she was going to be just a pet for them, as I was the only one really interested in her for her bloodlines.  And initially she was just that........their cherished pet.  But little by little, Mike & Rose started attending trials, having a lot of fun with Bailey, watching her do well in conformation classes.   Little did I know back then that this wedding "gift" would grow up to be an incredibly capable brood bitch, giving even Revlon a run for her money!

Well, you know how it goes..........Bailey was bred to Bear for her first litter.  It was a bit of a rocky start, as we were all on vacation together in California;  Mike & Rose were only 2 days away from returning home when Bailey whelped much earlier than expected.   It was a big litter, and we did lose a couple of very tiny puppies, but the worst part for them was having to go back home without Bailey, as I felt that the airplane ride back home would be too much for newborn puppies.  So I assumed the responsibility of sneaking Bailey and her kids back home about 10 days later.  What an ordeal!!   But we made it, and they ended up with four beautiful bitch pups: Cally, Gabby, Sadie and Sybil.

Cally was the one they chose to keep, and next to Bailey, has to be one of the sweetest dogs ever.   She has matured into a lovely bitch; she most likely will never have a show ring career due to her breaking a rear leg so badly it required pinning, but that certainly won't hinder her abilities as a brood bitch.  Cally was bred to her half-brother, Sow's Ear Captain Morgan for her first litter, producing MillMountain Napoleon, who went to Singapore and is doing extremely well for his owner, Louis Woo.  The girls from that litter stayed here; MillMountain Fancy is owned by Brooke Hollow Terriers, and MillMountain Daisy lives with the Kings of Catawba Mountain.  

And, just like her mother did when she was born, Cally chose to whelp her puppies out in the very same suitcase Bailey used for both of her litters!  Works pretty well, from what Mike tells me!   The results of the first litter were so nice that we've repeated the breeding to Morgan twice, with the same level of success.   Cally's second  litter produced Mill Mountain Masquerade, who was such an awesome little bitch pup that she stayed right here with me.   Masquerade had a phenomenal puppy career in the show ring, and was every bit as good in the field, earning her NHC in fine style at 13 months.   She has just produced her first litter by Sow's Ear Phoenix, and they do look like a promising bunch at this point.   I'm looking forward to showing her in the working classes in 2005.   Hopefully she'll do as well as an adult as she did as a puppy.  The most recent Cally-Morgan cross has yielded yet two more bitch pups who look to be every bit as nice as Masquerade.   Mill Mountain Tsunami is living in Northern California, and Mill Mountain Mischief is here with me.  Mischief made her ring debut at the Florida FoxCry trial in January, 2005, and perhaps ironically, ended up with the exact same placings as Masquerade did her first weekend out: 3rd on Saturday and Reserve Best 4-6 Month Pup on Sunday!!!

Being primarily family pets, Mike & Rose have chosen not to hunt their bitches, but that certainly doesn't stop them from terrorizing the groundhog population in Roanoke!!   Fortunately, most of these encounters have been above ground, and the two girls have quite a few to their credit, and Mike has had some pretty pricey vet bills to show for it!  So while they don't have their "official" NHC's, there certainly is no doubt as to the hunting abilities of these two bitches.  It's a personal decision to make as to whether to hunt them or not, and Mike & Rose have opted not to take that chance with their girls; it's their decision to make and I respect it.

So,the beginning for MillMountain has been a good one.......I would imagine things will remain on a smaller scale for a while, as Mike & Rose certainly have their hands full with their sons Shane, now 3 1/2, and Conner,  9 months, their careers, the Jack Russells and an Amazon parrot!  In addition to my grandmother duties, I also take on the canine "grandchildren" as soon as they're weaned!  So far things are going pretty smoothly, and the future indeed looks bright for the first Mill Mountain terriers.