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 Cassie came into her first season exactly one week before her 1st birthday. The early signs were swollen nipples and genitals. She then started 'spotting' so we had to put covers on all the furniture. The season lasted about three weeks, during which time Cassie was kept away (with much frustration) from any male dogs.
We'd always intended to get two dogs, but was advised that they be a year apart in age (one puppy is hard enough), so in August we started looking for another suitable breeder. With Cass being so dark, we were keen to get a bitch that would be a contrast, either a light blue or orange roan. Again we approached Jane Simmonds at Shenmore, and she got us in touch with Christine Prichard at Powerscourt. Her light blue bitch (Brambles) was due a
litter at the end of October 2001, and there was a possibiliy that some of the pups might even be orange roans.
As with Consima, the Powerscourt puppies were home reared and the parents KV/BCA certificated. Christine already had a litter that was due to go to their new homes, and invited us down for a visit.
 We visited on Cassie's 1st birthday, and thought the Powerscourt dogs were smashing. The current litter were at 7 weeks old, and the little horrors were fantastic. Cass was also allowed to see the pups and we were relieved to see how well she got on with them (and the other Powerscourt cockers).
Chris checked us out and she was happy for us to have one of her pups. Once again there was the long wait to see if Brambles would be successful. On the 25th October we had our answer as Brambles gave birth to five healthy pups, three girls and two boys.
We first visited to see the pups when they were 2 weeks old, whilst Cassie spent the day with our parents. Brambles made a fantastic mum, and was very trusting with us holding the pups. There were three bitches, of which we were to have one of two with a black dot on the head.
  The next visit was at five weeks, when it was decided that we'd have the bitch with the dot on the head and the 'cigar burn' mark on her lip. By this time the puppies were starting to get some character and our little'n was a real cutie.
We'd already decided on the name Tara, but had to choose a suitable breed name. Our preferred suggestions were: Powerscourt Perfection Personified or Powerscourt Prussian Blue. Unfortunatley the first was too long, so "Prussian Blue" it was.
 One week before Christmas, Cassie had to visit the vet for an op. We didn't want to get into breeding, so for health reasons had always intended to have Cassie
spayed. The vet had suggested doing this whilst Cass was a pup, whereas the breeders had
recommended to leave this until after the first season, so that she could develop naturally.
She was dropped off at 10:00am, and we felt so bad leaving her there. By 3.00pm we received the call that we could pick her up. She was very groggy, but the relief on her face when she saw us was obvious. Cass was restricted to lead walks only for the first week, no jumping and no running. The scar was a neat little 2.5 inch scar on the top, middle part of her belly. There were no external
stitches which meant she didn't fuss over the wound.
Neutered bitches can pile on the pounds, so we slightly reduced her food and monitored her weight. We were told that they can also quieten down. We found the opposite, and Cass is now a bundle of energy. Perhaps she was having 'womens' problems' before the op?
New Year 2002 came, and once again it was puppy proofing time. We travelled the 3 hours down to Wiltshire, signed contracts and were once again on the road with our new addition. The journey was great, no crying, no messing. Once home, Tara was given some time to settle in and then Cass was introduced to her. At first Cass didn't know what to do, but she was soon running around and playing with her sister
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