7. Mouka

Ode to Earth

Mouka was from the “Ode to Earth” litter between Kiva and Ch. Iceway’s Lights Camera Action…”Cameron.”  Mouka was the brown girl puppy and I designated her the Earth girl.  She was the reason I did the breeding.  There was never any doubt in my mind that she was the puppy I would keep.

As it turned out Mouka was the brightest star in the sky as far as motherhood.  She was a very intelligent and generally willing breeder, an easy whelper – also easy to work with, and an exceptional mother.   

Mouka(l) and Zuli (r)

Once upon a time there were these little puppies…

We had 5 litters together and she whelped a total of 28 puppies, 22 of them (including two litters with 8 puppies in each litter) by Miles.  The time with Mouka and her pups will remain in my memory as an exceptional one.  We were on a roll and Mouka simply LOVED it.  In fact, she seemed to be very disappointed when her role as queen and puppy maker was over.  It took a while for her to reposition herself as another part of the pack.

If you have read the Noona (Noodle) story and my observations about dogs jumping up and twirling…Mouka adds a third dimension to the anticipatory movement regimen.  Mouka is a “vaulter”.  She runs and vaults off an end surface…such as the wire of a chain link fence or a post at the end of a chain link fence.  When waiting for her gate to open…she runs and jumps up and pushes off, much like a gymnast.  Two of her sons – Deacon and Bose – both use this same behavior when in waiting-for-the-gate-to-open mode.  It is funny to see the same behavior continued through generations.

Mouka gets the trophy for best mom.  I will watch for signs of her in generations to come.  She has been truly a treasure.  Her contributions will not be forgotten and her performance will undoubtedly not be repeated.