08/19/2025
Snakecharmer. " Charlie" This is the story on how Snakecharmer came to be. When Brain and Martha and I joined forces one of the first breedings we wanted to do was to the Snakefoot frozen semen. We delayed the breeding as we did not want to run on an entire litter of pups through the winter. So winter turned to spring and we decided the time was now. Martha ordered the s***m shipped to the reproductive clinic, Slade and the process started. Little did I know that Brian was so sick at the time. I think the decision to do this was very important to Brian and Martha. We all should take the time to consider how remarkable this process is . The s***m was collected well over 20 years ago at the time when frozen semen collection and insemination was in it's infancy. The fact that Bob Wehle had the vision to do this is amazing not to mention that Brian and Martha protected the semen all these years and paid the annual storage fee. So at this point the semen was at Slade waiting for Maddie to come in season..... WHILE THE SEMEN STORED AT SLADE BRIAN PASSED AWAY. MARTHA AND I WERE IN THE WAITING ROOM AT THE BIRTH CENTER AT SLADE AS CATHERINE, ELHEW ZETA JONES ,DELIVERED 13 pups by Champion Elhew Explorer. I kid you not this might sound spookie but the presence of Bob and Brian felt so strong as they brought CATHERINE and her thirteen Explorer pups into the recovery room I commented on how someone was looking over our shoulders to present us with such treasures. At the same time Maddie had come into season. Before we get to Charlie , the birth of Catherine and the Explorer pups deserves some elaboration. We get the 13 pups delivered by c-section. Martha packs me and the pups in the car to start the trek back to NH . It is 85 degrees, thirteen screaming pups and and July 3rd and the traffic is horrendous three hours later I arrive home all of us tired wet and hungry. Thank God for my grandchildren that holiday weekend we spent-every two hours bottle feeding those thirteen pups they all made it. I am thinking this is nuts to be doing this it is a long haul to grow these pups. The weekend passes and now through progesterone and LH testing Maddie is ready to breed. We have determined we are using 12 of the Snakefoot straws for this breeding and the Slade vets are going to do aTCI implant followed by a second one 18 hours later. The vets take care of the breeding,but feel there is very little chance for puppies as the quality of semen is very poor. The breeding gets done . I can remember thinking why am I doing this and it was a very stupid idea , lots of time and money for what ? I ask myself. The same thoughts start through my mind on the way to take Maddie for her c-section why am I doing this putting my bitch through a c-section for one puppy - it will probably be a girl orange and white I think Maddie will have no milk or worse yet she will die on the operating table this is nuts up at 4:30 a two hour drive, back in the waiting room, Martha is with me. Then they peak through the door to say he is born he I scream and what color is he? They will not say but instead bring us our liver and white Snakefoot son, Snakecharmer. Again someone is in the room watching over us. How often in life do you get your exact wish? We did.
