The fun thing about breeding is that nothing is ever certain. When we started breeding, learning from my aunt, we accepted this.
You never know if your bitch will take.
You never know how many puppies she will have, and further, how many males/females there will be.
You never know if she will be a good mum, or if this will be a litter you hand rear. Further on that, you often do not know if there will be complications during delivery.
You never know which one you yourself will keep, until you do.
And finally, you never know which of the previously "excited" and "anxiously interested" buyers will change their mind or have a change of circumstance.
This has happened twice so far with this litter, and to be honest (contrary to instinct by some) this is why we don't take deposits until we are without a doubt positive that we have a puppy for you AND that you want that puppy. We are not the type of people who take "non refundable" deposits for mere interest. That's not why we breed - if we breed, it is because we are going to breed to further our line, not because there is sufficient "interest". We will have puppies regardless of "interest".
We do not hold a grudge against those who sometimes realize that maybe they can't handle a puppy, or a large dog, at this time in their life. In fact, we respect them for preventing, perhaps, a bad situation.
We have maintained our belief that the right people will come. We are never in a rush to send our puppies to new homes - and we do not believe that as they grow they develop a "best by" date for purchase. A Pyrenees is a puppy until it is pretty much two for heaven's sake! People come to us for a "brand new" puppy, just leaving the mother as that is "better"; rubbish! But, that is a post for another day...
