Question of the Week

Stephanie Abraham

Scotland, Connecticut

I was delighted with five lovely Cavalier puppies born to semen approaching 20 years of age and representing precious preservation bloodlines. 

Those pups have just turned four years old and are healthy adults.

Sandy Frei

Woodinville, Washington

Our Afghan Hound BIS/SBIS Am/Can Ch. Stormhill’s Silver Star was collected back in 2005 by Carroll Platz of ICSB. Three years ago, we did a surgical implant on a bitch of ours that produced eight puppies. Four of those puppies have finished and have won groups and specialties. Another is nearly finished. Most recently a surgical implant was done on a bitch in Italy. They are now 12 weeks old and look very promising.

Cheryl Calm

Oregon City, Oregon

Bouvier semen frozen in 1989 was used earlier this year — and produced 11 puppies. Yes, we were very pleased with the 35-year-old frozen semen! The puppies reflect what this stud produced but are still growing up. 

Jenna Lea

Culpeper, Virginia 

In 2023 I used 18-year-old frozen semen to breed one of my Amstaff bitches back to her great-grandfather. I was very pleased with the consistency in type, appearance and temperament of the six puppies in the litter.  While alive, the sire had produced very consistent and versatile offspring, and I was thrilled to see his merit as a stud held true so many years later. My pick female from the litter finished her championship with limited showing at a year old with numerous breed wins and two group placements from the classes, a Best Bred-by at the 2023 STCA regional specialty in Orlando and an Award of Merit at the 2024 STCA regional specialty at Montgomery Terrier, and paired with her mother she was Group 2 in the 2024 Montgomery Terrier brace group.

Camille McArdle

Hugo, Minnesota

Six years ago, I shipped semen frozen more than 15 years before to Finland, and the puppies were healthy and beautiful. 

Donna Manha

Fremont, California

Yes! I used semen that was more than 20 years old two times. The first was a healthy litter of nine Pugs; all survived and four became champions. The second time there was a healthy litter of three, two of which became champions.

Christine Nethery

Chesterland, Ohio

Oh, yes, we bred a maiden bitch to the last frozen semen of 20 years ago! We got 11 puppies! The three we kept are turning out to be the best we have bred in quite some time!

Tuni Conti

Oxford, Connecticut

Our beautiful 10-month Whippet girl is from 31-year-old semen, and I can say she is the most beautiful dog I’ve ever owned. Hats off to her breeders …

A very grateful owner.

Penny Duffee

Bloomington, Illinois

Because our breeding goals include maintaining the quality of our breed, we wanted to reach back to some of the dogs in our line in the past. So we used 35-year-old semen (with a maiden bitch), which produced five puppies. We are extremely pleased with the quality of this litter ... which includes the current #1 Standard Schnauzer.

Julie L. Mueller

Tulsa, Oklahoma

Without a doubt successful. My first frozen-semen litter of one produced "Tyler Joe," the sire my "Karim" from 21-year-old frozen semen. This breeding was done by Nan Bodine, orchestrated by Gene, who had been on the lookout for an outstanding bitch to be bred to Karim. Not only was Tyler Joe successful as a show dog and a sire, but a Tyler Joe son bred to a Tyler Joe daughter produced the all-time top-winning Saluki in breed history, "Stewart" (MBIS MBISS GCHP Aurora's Rhythm of My Heart). Karim's 26-year-old frozen semen produced "Marlene D" (BIS GCH Aurora's Falling In Love Again), out of a Tyler Joe daughter. On the same day that Marlene D. was born, "Sammy D." produced a litter of nine from frozen semen in Japan. 

None of this success would have been possible without all the experts who had a hand in all these breedings: The late Dr. James Scott, who collected Karim and stored him until his passing. Then Dr. Robert Hutchinson received Karim and performed the breeding that produced Tyler Joe and stored him until I brought him to Oklahoma to Dr. Joel Wilson and the late Dan Bandy. Marlene D. was produced with their expertise, and they also collected Stewart and Sammy D. for me. Special recognition to the late Dan Bandy for his tireless dedication to purebred dogs and his meticulous work. 

There have been some frozen-semen breedings that did not produce any puppies and other successful frozen-semen breedings, too. I am a true believer that things happen for a reason, so I don't dwell on the negative, but look forward to another chance for a healthy, beautiful litter of Aurora Saluki babies.   

Peg Roginski

Kewanee, Illinois

I have been very pleased with the results of the collection on our male. He was seven years old when collected, and there have been three litters from that collection with seven or eight puppies in the litters. The last litter was this year, 16 years after collection. The litter was born over in England with eight pups in the litter. All the pups are healthy and of good quality at four months old.

Mike Macbeth

Uxbridge, Ontario, Canada

Absolutely! I used frozen semen from one of my best-known Dandie Dinmonts, born in 1989, and have produced several outstanding litters from semen that was more than 30 years old, including a national-specialty winner and a Crufts Best of Breed (shortlisted in the group). Some of my best dogs have come from sons and daughters and even grandkids of this dog. I currently have half a dozen other champion Dandies frozen, which is a very costly enterprise in Canada. My criteria is that to collect a dog, they must be proven, they must have produced quality, consistent type, no health issues, and of course have viable, strong semen that defrosts well. I never use frozen semen if the male is still producing, and usually wait a couple of generations before re-introducing him into the bloodline. It certainly has worked for me.