In the early research and planning stages for their future breeding program, Mandie and Joanna both discovered they loved the name Olive and that it would be a perfect name for the program’s foundation mama. While on Facebook one afternoon, Joanna came across a picture of the cutest and sweetest looking Bernedoodle female she'd ever seen. She took a screenshot and texted it to Mandie, who quickly responded back with, "That's her, that's Olive!" Joanna wasted no time contacting the breeder to ask all the important questions: Where are you located? Is she still available? What is her temperament like? What health testing have her parents undergone, etc. Not only were her questions answered, but the breeder (who lived 6 hours away) agreed to a FaceTime meeting to establish credibility, allow Joanna to meet her face-to-face, and to see the puppy. 15 minutes after that call a deposit was placed and the wait for Olive began. 

Several weeks later, a tiny but healthy puppy came home! Everyone instantly fell in love with her, and she happily returned that love. The dog pack’s male Bernedoodle, Xander was smitten with Olive from their very first meeting. He was gentle, calm, attentive, and very nurturing towards her. They became inseparable and it seemed that the first perfect match for the breeding program had been established. 

Over the course of the next year Olive's health testing began to take place and her temperament continued to be nothing short of perfection. Three health tests in and everything was checking out beautifully. Then came the OFA preliminary hip and elbow x-rays. The veterinary called Joanna back to the exam room after the x-rays were performed. “Well, it’s not good,” she said. She pulled up the x-ray pictures and drew a big circle around Olive’s left hip. “See how this ball looking joint is up here?” Well, it’s supposed to be down here and fitting tightly into this concave part. There is no way her hips will get a passing score from OFA and I definitely wouldn’t breed her. Devastated, Joanna and Mandie did the only things they knew how to do, pray and dive back into research. After many conversations with each other, Olive’s amazing breeder, and some other veterinary experts, they decided that they would wait six months and redo the OFA x-rays and have Pennhip x-rays done as well. The OFA measures and scores hip conformation while Pennhip x-rays measure the laxity and tightness of the hips. They wanted to make sure they would have all the information available to make their decision regarding Olive’s place in the breeding program. 

Olive began receiving the very best in hip care. Chiropractor visits, stretches, at home massages, and gentle but intentional exercises became a part of the normal routine. Six months later the x-rays showed no change. Both the OFA and Pennhip exams reported that Olive had radiographic evidence of osteoarthritis and mild hip dysplasia in both hips. With those results in hand the decision was sad but simple. Even though the outcome was not what they thought they wanted, Mandie and Joanna’s prayers for clarity and the best path for Olive had been answered. Their perfect foundation mama would have to be spayed, removed from the breeding program, and all research and attention would turn to how to properly care for a dog with hip dysplasia and how to keep her from experiencing uncomfortable symptoms related to the condition for as long as possible.

At this point you may be wondering why a dog with a perfect personality, stunning looks, and having passed all other elements of health testing would be removed from a breeding program? For two very important reasons. The first is that although both of Olive’s parents passed their hip screenings, hip dysplasia is genetic and can be passed on to future generations of puppies. To the best of everyone’s knowledge, Olive did not sustain any major injuries leading up to her hip x-rays that would point to an environmental cause. However, there is no way of knowing with 100% certainty whether her hip dysplasia came from a gene or from an environmental event too small to have been noticed or recognized. The second reason is an agreement Mandie and Joanna made to each other when they decided to dive into the world of dog breeding. They made a promise that they would always put the health, happiness, and well-being of the dogs in their care above everything else. Not only would breeding a female dog known to have hip dysplasia be unethical, but it could put Olive’s health at risk as well. Carrying a litter of puppies and the process of labor and delivery puts pressure on the hips. Any extra pressure on Olive’s hips could intensify the severity of the already existing condition and bring on painful and unnecessary symptoms at an early age. That was a risk they were absolutely unwilling to take. 

Olive was spayed in October 2022 and will live the rest of her life with her beloved Xander and the rest of her dog pack! She will continue to be loved, spoiled, cared for, and absolutely doted on by Mandie, Joanna, their families, and their friends. In an effort to honor her and allow her story to live on, the name OlliePups was born. It is a reminder that dog breeding and loving dogs is not for the faint of heart. Hard decisions must be made, seemingly perfect dogs will have to be removed from the program at times, but that at the end of the day we will honor our dogs and their needs. As humans we will never be perfect, but we promise to do the very best that we know how and to love our dogs and their puppies unconditionally. Even though she won’t be able to physically have any puppies of her own, Olive will be able to use her gentle temperament and sweet disposition to socialize with and help raise future OlliePups for years to come!