Eleven, or “El” as we call her, is our extra special girl for many reasons. Diagnosed at 18 days old with a congenital defect called Persistent Right Aortic Arch, the odds were stacked against her. We were given 2 options, euthanasia or an extremely expensive operation. Unfortunately dogs can not survive long term without surgery. Because of the kind of breeder I am, it was a no brainer, surgery it was! Even though that in itself was extremely risky; and a high level of dedication & care was needed to keep her alive & healthy until 12 weeks of age for surgery. It was honestly the most hands on, exhausting & emotional experience in my 18 years as breeder, but so worth it in the end! Hell and High Water wasn’t going to stop this girl, or I for that matter, and here we are, she survived, she thrived, beat the odds & is otherwise a completely normal puppy now. Being such an intense journey, my constant companion literally 24/7, our family couldn’t bear to part with her, so Eleven has stayed where she belongs. She will of course be desexed once she’s fully grown. After a few outings at shows with “El” purely attending as support crew, I thought “what the hell” & entered her for an extra socialisation experience. Imagine my complete elation when she won “Best Baby Puppy in Group”!! Even with all the incredible accolades I’ve achieved with dogs before her; this just hit different. Given the extent of her surgery & the rehabilitation that followed, I never thought she’d step into the show ring, let alone win a class in group! It was a certainly pretty cool milestone to add to her life story. El will continue to come along with me to shows as we continue our journey together with no expectations other than a fun day out. All the while hoping to educate as many people as possible that this defect doesn’t always have to be a death sentence or hidden away like a dirty secret. Sometimes things just happen, no breeder produces it intentionally. My heartfelt thanks to the very generous & passionate Dr Robert Zammit & his team at Vineyard Vets, without him, our beloved El wouldn’t be here today. I literally owe her life to him. Keep your eye out on TV too, as Bondi Vet came on board to film her surgery & share her story. <3 Also couldn’t have done this without the unwavering support of the breeder of El’s Dad, Paula, thank you for being there through all the tears & triumphs xx