Farewell to PUREHEARTBUL Cotton Candy

On September 25, 2025 By pureheartbullmastiffsIn Cotton Candy, Karen's UpdateLeave a comment

21st February 2023 – 3rd February 2025 – Rest in Peace my stunning red Candy Cane.

PUREHEARTBUL Cotton Candy was my home grown yellow collar girl and sister to PUREHEARTBUL Cora The Explora. It’s with a broken heart I said farewell to my beautiful red girl way before her time.

PUREHEARTBUL Cotton Candy proir to her final visit to the vets.

On Monday the 3rd of February I took candy to see the veterarian at Wagga Veterinary Hospital to discuss the results of the blood tests that I arranged to determine what type of allergies were affecting Candy.

For almost 12 months prior to this horrible day I had started trialing the effects different types of grasses and pollens on her sensitive skin. It’s rather challenging to determine what caused the allergies. I had completed various sorts of tests to see what and how grasses would effect her in an effort to illiminate everything that I could think of to find out what was bothering Candy.

After changing up her diet, in consultation with the vets, I established that her symptoms were not food related.

Candy’s affliction mellowed during winter and I thought I’d won the battle. Then when Ava’s pups were born Angus and Candy spent time at a friend’s house who was helping me manage my dogs by taking the pressure of me to manage six breeding dogs with puppies. This properties gardens beds were a very dry and dusty and we discovered that Candy loved to sleep in the dust. Unfortunately I was back at square one however I relised that she may have an allergy to dust mites.

Swapping dogs became a thing along with medicated baths for my Cotton Candy Cane. Then I visited my friends house, drenched the garden beds, placed cardboard and sugar cane mulch over the beds and satuated them for 2 weeks.

Now back at home Candy’s condition alleviated slightly however only while she was house in the kennel on the fake grass. At her worst Candy was red raw underneath, constantly scratching herself and damaging her teats and chewing at her feet. Inbetween her paws they were bright red, her ankles and hocks were swell, her skin was loose, her teats were changing size and colour. All while her skin was tougherning and she was starting to lose her fur. To look at her from above she looked normal.

After Candy wasn’t so red I introduced her to this yard again and unfortunately all her symptoms returned. Along with her symptons, Candy’s personality started to change, she became irritable and who wouldn’t with the amount of itchiness that was going on with this for sweet girl. With the irritability came a little aggression and poor Boo and Cora copped most of it and so did the boys though they handled themselves much better than the girls.

So, in December of 2024 I decided to arrange a blood test to establish what she was allergic too. The test took a month to establish and the results were devasting. Her allergic readings to grasses, pollens and dust mite to name a few were off the chart. I was right as she was mostly allergic to dust mites and her reading was so high that I just broke down and cried. You see, I already had experience of the impact and pain of dust mites to humans and I wasn’t about to let my beautiful girl suffer nor watch her personality change.

With Cora and Boo’s litter due in March I didn’t know how I was going to manage this on top of having puppies onboard. As it turned out having 22 puppies meant they I would not have been in a position to provide her with the nursing attention she would have needed and with all these symptons I was hoping for a miracle from my veterinarian.

So there I am at the vets with my beautiful girl listening to how we could manage her condition. Monthly steriod injections that would cost a bomb. There was no guarantee that these injections would even work or worst case her body would get used to them therefore making it ineffective and most importantly these injections would change her personality even more. She would need:

daily medicated washes to keep her skin clean and fresh,
daily ear washing with medicated ear cleaner as her ears were swollen,
isolated from the others due to potential changes in her personality and to circumvent any aggressive behaviour.

To top it off, breeding from her was not an option, nor was I willing to pass her onto another beautiful family to care for, in this condition. It just would not be fair to anyone. It was then I new that I had to make one of the hardest choice I’ve ever made as a breeder. In that moment the best thing I could do for my sweet Cotton Candy Cane was to euthanise her.

Farewell to my sweet PUREHEARTBUL Cotton Candy

I’m so sorry that you went through this pain my lovely Cotton Candy girl and forgive me for making this tough decision on your life. Until we met again run free, free from the pain caused by dust and grasses.

All my love, Karen…

Farewell to PUREHEARTBUL Garrett

On May 13, 2025 By pureheartbullmastiffsIn Puppies, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Being a breeder certainly has it’s highs and lows. Today was a low day as I made the decision to put my beautiful red collar fawn boy PUREHEARTBUL Garrett to sleep.

This lovely second born boy came out feet first and was having difficulty breathing. After assisting him to to be born I spent the next few minutes breathing for him then realised he had mucus on his lungs. After spending time sucking out the mucus and breathing for him he gulped in a huge breath and started screaming. Wow, did he have a huge set of pipes.

He was alive and well, then checked over by the vets when the rest of his siblings were delivered via c-section that evening. All was good until I noticed that he was struggling to get up at three weeks of age. I spent many hours teaching him how to get up and making him walk. He learned quickly and was getting stronger however he started to walk sideways.

Although challenging he moved quickly and kept up with all the other pups, playing with his siblings and Cora’s kids with gusto and never let them stand over him. He was a cuddler and was first to run to the fence to get his morning cuddles from me…

Then at his 6 week health check the veterinarian heard a heart murmur. LIKE, OMG, WHY, didn’t this boy have enough on his plate already…

So today, at eight weeks old, a trip to the vets for a plan to manage him was carried out along with lots of cuddles with the vet nurses.

First up, the exray of his leg which worried me the most because I knew the heart murmur could be operated on, however, a giant dog needs his back legs to function normally.

The exray revealed that Garrett was born with a defect which resulted in not having a socket for his femur to attach/sit in so it was like it was just floating. Being such a young dog surgery is simply not possible until he is 18 months old and his bones have fully developed.

Just imagine trying to stop a 50-60kg dog from wanting to jump and play only to realise that it hurt and worst watching him in pain. My ethics have always been quality of life, not quantity. I have been blessed to have cared and watch him grow into a stunning happy boy even through the pain for the eight weeks of life I was previliged to share with him.

It turned out that the murmur was dissipating and correcting by itself as the vets could hardly hear it. Small miracles however I would take the heart murmur over the leg anyday.

Garrett was a my success story and sadly I could never predict this scenario for my handsome boy.

RIP my little man, run free and remember mumma loves you…

********

A point to note that due to PUREHEARTBUL Dainty Lady Ava’s early retirement from breeding I only breed Boo to carry on her beautiful bloodlines and PUREHEARTBUL Giselle will indeed carry on her legacy.

This has been the most challenging experience as even though I was expecting four pups she gave birth to seven and unfortunately I have lost three boys from this litter.

The first one was still born, then PUREHEARTBUL Gerard choked on his biscuits and died in my arms while I was attempting to save his life and PUREHEARTBUL Garrett with a birth defect.

Breeding strong, sound quality dogs with no issues is what I as a breeder aim for however it still sucks when you loose them because no matter what you love them all…

Karen Feldbauer

Large Bullmastiff Litters

On June 27, 2023June 28, 2023 By pureheartbullmastiffsIn Bonnie, Karen's Update, PuppiesLeave a comment

The Bullmastiff is a giant dog, and the female bitch can weigh up to 60-70 kgs during pregnancy. My experience has been that with a large litter a pup is generally born between 200g and 400grams, however a small litter means puppies can generally weigh up to 700grams. This is a big difference in the scheme of puppy development and feeding regime.

My Bonnie weighed in at 64.6 kgs at full pregnancy therefore managing 12 puppies in a whelping pen is a lot of work. It requires a backup team to assist her to manage these little ones and that team consisted of Bonnie, myself, and Graeme.

21st February 2023 was a really hot day in Wagga Wagga and extremely muggy meaning that the evaporative cooling was ineffective. Bonnie was rushed in for an emergency c-section late evening due to a green discharge from her vulva which potentially meant that one or more puppies were in trouble.

We got the call about midnight that we had 13 puppies, 7 boys and 6 girls which was fantastic news however one didn’t make it.

When she came home from the c-section she was still groggy and not capable of much, even picking herself up was hard to watch and then waking up to 12 screaming babies was not what poor Bonnie was expecting.

Born early, Bonnie’s milk didn’t drop, meant we had to improvise. As inexperienced bottle feeders, a steep learning curve was upon us and if we didn’t get if right, we were looking at losing 12 puppies. We had to understand how these teats worked because as we learnt if the hole was not the right size, they were sucking nothing and if too big I was potentially drowning them.

ARRGGHHHH!!! Who would have thought it would be challenging to feed twelve puppies from a bottle. So, after we got the combination right and Bonnie’s milk came in, we were swapping from bottle to teat constantly. Finally, the puppies were thriving, whew I could relax, so I thought.

Now, Bonnie was not a natural at motherhood. She was clumsy and I constantly feared she would step on or squash her babies. So, to get some sleep we set the alarm on a 2-3 hourly roster, feed the puppies during this night on mum’s teats, took them away from her and commenced supplementing with the bottle throughout the day. It worked!!

As they got older Bonnie was doing everything right in relation to cleaning them up, however, I always had to watch her and after loosing another three boys over a two-week period, one which she asphyxiated at two weeks old, I was very mindful of not leaving her with them unattended.

The puppies adapted and while I did most of the cleaning and bottle feeding during each feed we got into a rhythm. At three weeks the puppies were ready for food and loving it. Feeding time became more about solids and at four weeks they were lapping milk and water.

Having a large litter requires a lot of work, resilience, patience, and love and even though Bonnie was not a natural mum it didn’t mean I loved her any less. I just needed to adjust my expectations and pick up the slack.

Until next time… Karen out for now…

TO Share or NOT to Share

On June 27, 2023June 27, 2023 By pureheartbullmastiffsIn Karen's UpdateLeave a comment

That is the question!!

In the era of social media and constant connectivity, it can be hard to draw a line between what to keep to myself and what is appropriate to share. On one hand, it’s important to keep some things close to my chest and be aware of the potential risks of oversharing. On the other hand, it can feel liberating to share, find understanding, and express my experiences no matter how good or bad they may be.

So, what to do? How much as a breeder do I share in the journey of having and producing puppies?

It’s important to be thoughtful and self-aware before deciding what to share. Do I feel comfortable with the idea that this information may be stored and accessible for the long haul? Will this post provoke meaningful dialogue, or could it potentially be misinterpreted in a negative light?

Most importantly, it’s important to be true to myself and my values.

So, I choose to share my stories so that clients have an understanding on what a dog breeder goes through to produce these wonderful bundles of joy that they get to share with new families. The excitement on people’s faces when they receive their new puppy is gold. It is, what, I as a breeder lives for and why I do this.

Karen

Our First Litter

On July 22, 2022July 22, 2022 By pureheartbullmastiffsIn PuppiesLeave a comment

*Pureheartbul Wiggle It Argos and Pureheartbul Danity Lady Ava*

I have been planning this, our first litter since Locki came into our lives three years ago. Locki was going to be my stud and my intention was to mate him with Bella and the next bitches (Bonnie and Boo) who supassed her. All that changed when Bella was diagnosed with cancer and within a few weeks of diagnosis she visited doggie heaven.

Our first season with Bonnie was a huge disappointment when we learnt that Locki just didn’t have any semen, so my BIG stunning placid, gentle giant boy became my teddy bear.

Then armed with frozen semen from quality breeders we tried again and again without any luck so on the fifth attempt between the two girls we finally had success and with three little one’s onboard we were excited to welcome them into our world with Boo as their adoring mum.

The challenges of listening to your heart and betterment of what you think is right for your bitch as opposed to the many years of experience of your peers and veterinarians opinions can be somewhat overwhelming. You see, many breeders with years of experience, believe that as I used frozen semen, then I should arrange a c-section on my girl for the delivery of my pups. It was my belief that they should be born naturally.

My dilemma was that Boo already had no understanding that she was made pregnant and waking up to three puppies after a caesarean could be very confusing which might end in Boo rejecting her puppies. So I made the decision with the experienced veterinarian on board to try naturally and then arrange a c-section if required.

On 10th July 2022 we welcomed two little brindle boys born naturally and one fawn girl born by caesarean and unfortunately the biggest brindle male was still born and crossed over the doggy bridge to heaven… bless this little boy.

We were immediately smitten with our two bundles of joy and pertinently called them Pureheartbul Wiggle It Argos and Pureheartbul Dainty Lady Ava. The names were brought about by their characters as Argos just wiggled right on out and hasn’t stopped wiggling since. Ava was first called Apricot however we were watching the movie Ava which was about a strong female character and well this just fit and she is called Dainty Lady Ava, as she is a bull dozer because that’s how her life began.

With nine teats to choose from this dynamic duo, from day one, scramble for the same teat. It is so funny to watch these little gems swabbling over the same nipple.

I am keeping these two as I can breed Ava with Angus and Argos with Bonnie which will give me my next generation of breeding stock. So with a mix of fawns, red and brindle bullmastiffs I am looking forward to seeing what comes next.

Until next time… Karen out and grateful for what lies ahead at Pure Heart Bullmastiffs.

Breeding, High’s, Low’s and Challenges

On August 3, 2021December 31, 2022 By pureheartbullmastiffsIn Karen's UpdateLeave a comment

Dogs on my couch — *In order from left to right: Boo, Bonnie and Locki*

Becoming a Bullmastiff Breeder has been the most exciting and joyous journey that I have done in my working life. For the second time in my life I have a J.O.B. that I love. It is rewarding and challenging in many and various ways and I get to work from home.

Most people, me included, thought that you could get two registered dogs and breed them. Huh! Hmmm!! Well there’s a lot more to it. One has to know, follow and be accountable to the governing state dog regulations. They must become experts in breeding high quality registered dogs and be an effective communicator to dogs and humans alike.

My first challenge came in April 2021 when we attempted to mate Locki with Bonnie and he couldn’t seem to get it sorted. After various testing we missed mating Bonnie and discovered that my boy at two years old had a urinary tract infection and is now most likely sterile. So what do I do with a dog I cannot use as a stud dog, do I keep him or do I re-home him… the emotions are sometimes overwhelming as he is my boy.

As Boo was scheduled to come into season in late June 2021, my next challenge was to find a stud dog to put over her. Knowing Bonnie is very competitive I started to also research for a stud dog for her as well. So, after finding a stud boy for Boo where I would drive to Victoria and do a live AI, COVID-19 started to rear its ugly head again.

I learnt from the first failed mating attempt that I needed a Plan B which was to purchase and arrange transportation of frozen semen to store at my local AI Veterinarian Specialists. Now armed with semen I’m ready for both my girls.

I’m so excited that Boo is now in season with expectations of doing a TCI (AI) next week with puppies in 63 days after impregnation. Bonnie may not be too far away however she in not due until November 2021.

While all this is happening I have been looking to getting a new stud dog, which after some research I have found a beautiful red boy from the same lineage as my Bella. To say I’m excited is an understatement, however COVID-19 has also impacted when he can travel from QLD to NSW. Well today I got the good news and little Angus in on his way.

In the meantime I’ve been introducing Angus to Locki, Bonnie and Boo by placing an extra bowl out at meal times, regularly using his name and letting them know, he is on the way.

More information to follow when he arrives safe and sound.

A bit about me…

On January 15, 2020January 16, 2020 By pureheartbullmastiffsIn Karen's UpdateLeave a comment

My name is Karen and I have a passion for my beloved dogs. I am 159 cm tall and of course the dogs I love just happen to be one of the largest breeds, the Bullmastiff which of course means that they are almost bigger than me.

I’m new to blogging and about to start a new venture of breeding my Bullmastiff dogs. Over the coming months I will be sharing my experiences in showing my two puppies Locki and Bonnie.

Locki turned 10 months today and well I think Bonnie is about 4 1/2 to 5 months. Unfortunately I am still waiting on receiving her papers.

Once I have Bonnie’s papers I will be able to show her as well as each dog has a registration number which you need to add to the NSW Show Dogs registration database.

I will be writing about the adventures of showing and breeding my dogs as an informative way to allow other to experience what it is like to have a large dog in your life. You see, Bullmastiffs are gentle giants who can be just as scared of us as some of us are of them.

They are easy dogs to train and are very obedient. They really don’t like to disappoint us even when they know that they are in trouble for chewing our favourite shoe or plant.

“The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”
Nelson Mandela