Wet paws - Puppies



Nigel cooling off. Nemo in the background chewing Lucy's bone. Dory is waiting make her entrance.



With temperatures over 100 yesterday I thought it was a perfect time to introduce the puppies to water. None were excited about the idea but a they all got wet & cooled off. Once the toys were in the water they had more incentive to get in.  Crush was the only one who laid down in it...of course he doesn't  have far to go to lie down. Like all Kodak moments, the camera's batteries died. When Lucy go in she realized she found a spot to hang out to get some peace & quite away from the piranhas.



Where there is a ball, there is Squirt





No toy is safe from Dory!



 Dory can't take the taunting. If Squirt can do it so can she! 

Puppies Rock'n Out- 5 weeks



Dory, Nigel & Peach- On the Rocks


Here in Gilory we're baking in the inception of Indian Summer. The pups have adapted by snuggling up to the cool rocks instead of each other.

 

 Peach is the 1st to claim her stone.

 

  

Bruce - 4 1/2 weeks

Bruce is mellowest of the whole litter. He isn't shy, but he isn't as quick as the others. He plays & wrestles but avoids the quicker pups. He stick to Crush & Peach. They're more his speed. He is the tallest of the litter, (Nemo take the prize for full figures). Bruce has plenty of meat on his bones but leans toward lanky. When he plays he leaps. I call him my leap frog. He is the ultimate snuggle bug & regularly falls asleep in my lap.

Pearl - 4 1/2 weeks

Pearl is the Sweet Chocolate Kiss of the litter. Many photos of her taken in the house don't do justice to her coloring. Her energy level is mid-range of the puppies, but she's 1st to find Lucy & last at the food bowl. The freckles on her nose look like little coco chips.

Peach - 4 weeks

Peach is the largest of the 3 females & next to Nemo, 2nd in size. She & Bruce are the mellowest pups, but by no means "wall-flowers"- just not 1st out of the gate. She's very playful & a snuggle bug. Her reddish markings make her stand out of the crowd.

Crush - 4 1/2 weeks

Crush is the most Basset of litter. He & Nigel are the only 2 stubby legged pups. They're the "rollie-pollie brothers". Adding to the the cuteness of stubby legs he has the droopiest eyes. He holds the most power to invoke baby talk even amongst highly refined or weathered individuals. Everything about him screams Cutesie, pudgy, lovable, squishy, yummy, ....see there I go --- instant baby talk! Even his bark is a raspy, quiet squeak! Crush & Bruce started out white but have both gradually developed lemon markings. Crush has been & still is the darker of the 2 white pups.

He has a "Lemon Drop, Thumb Print" spot between his ears

Nigel - 4 1/2 weeks

Nigel is the funniest puppy. I don't think he tries to be funny, but he makes me laugh the most. All I have to do is look at him & I crack up (I'm easily amused) Nigel & Crush are the only 2 stubby legged puppies in the litter. We call them the "rollie-pollie brothers". He gets around surprisingly quickly on those little stubs! ..but, will occasionally trip over himself - Hilarious!

Squirt - 4 1/2 weeks

The first question asked when anyone sees Squirt is " Who's his Daddy?" At a glance he looks like he doesn't belong to the litter, but after a closer look you'll see he looks a lot like Dory. He is one of the slightly smaller pups but his personality is darling. He's very playful. The dusting of black along the ridge of his back, muzzle & ears contrasting up against his white collar chest & paws makes him stand out of the crowd. Like all of his litter mates he has a white tipped tail that's constantly happily wagging.

Dory - 4 1/2 weeks

Dory is Nemo's side kick. She is the quickest, most alert puppy - nothing gets by her! She gives a lot of intense looks & sideways head lilts (so cute!) Her tri-color markings are striking. 3 of her legs have tan marking & just one is all white. Her tail curls up over her back & it's white tip whips around constantly. She is the most talkative. We jokily say she is trying to speak whale (a Finding Nemo reference for those familiar with the movie)

Nemo - 4 1/2 weeks

Nemo is "Mr. Photogenic". He looks right at the camera!! From the 1st week he has been the pace setter & the "Star"of the litter. It's as if he's 2-3 days older than the rest of the pups. I like to think he has an "old soul". While he is the biggest he is not a bully. He's no more aggressive than the others. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder & most who behold him instantly say "oh, that one is pretty!" His tri-color markings are striking. True to his reputation of being the first, he is the first to greet me each time I visit the dog park ( which much to the demise of my productivity is more often than I'd like to admit)  Here is a sampling of his 1st: Breach the whelping pool, Venture into Lucy's bowl, Open his eyes, Walk.

Awww so cute!! Puppies 4 weeks

Sensitive Lucy

After 4 weeks of puppies in the office they outgrew the confines of the home. They went from puppies to poopies. There was no way to keep up with the cleaning & have a life. We relocated the puppies & Lucy to the "Dog Park" Sunday afternoon. Our Dog Park is a large section of our yard that's dog proof. The fenced area is about 500 square feet. There is a 7x14 covered pad, a dog house w/bedding, a crate, a heat lamp, mature shade tree & lots of high drainage dog grass (dog proof astro turf). It's right off our bedroom so we can hear any commotion at night. Lucy's 1st night out proved to be her most difficult. Monday morning she was shaky, blue & had loose stools. I almost ran her directly to the vet. She was noticeably distressed. We tried to feed her but she turned her nose up & curled up in her bed on the patio ( just off the kitchen) I keep her close all day & she slowly began to come around. My husband's homemade meatballs helped awaken her appetite. Our conclusion has been, Lucy was sad!! We think she wanted to spend the night in the house with us like she's been doing for the past 5 weeks. Her feelings were hurt. Unfortunately the puppies are still to small to be away from her all night so until they can all come into the house & be crated she'll have to adjust. I bring her into my office throughout the day for home time & company which she enjoys. My heart goes out the this poor girl. The puppies are tearing her apart. Their sharp little nails leave her raw & bleeding. She endures it like a pro. At first she wasn't thrilled about having them in her dog dish. She's now given up & allows them to nibble freely with only an occasional snarl.

Lucy can't wait to have a bed all to herself again

Watchdog Lucy-fur

Yesterday I let Lucy out after her breakfast to do her business. I was in the house starting the first on many laundry loads. I heard Lucy go into "Lucy-fur" mode. We're having some...lots of work done on our yard. A carpenter showed up earlier than expected at our back gate. Lucy was not thrilled about our unannounced guest. There was no way  he was getting into the yard on her watch. This was the second "Lucy-fur" moment. The first was the UPS driver at the front door. I'm not sure it it's the Mama bear in her if she is just protective of her people? She is fine with company... how does she know the difference?

VIDEO - Puppies 22 Days

At 3 weeks the puppies are now very active. Their personalities are beginning to emerge. Nemo is consistently the pace setter. He was the first to open his eyes, walk, breach the whelping pool & venture into Lucy's bowl. Yesterday was their introduction to food. Poor Lucy is all scabbed up from puppy nail scratches. The whelping pool has been removed to upgrade the accommodations & allow more wrestling space.

Nemo & Dory snuck our of the pen & into Lucy's bed

Nemo, the fearless leader

Lucy - Month 1

Lucy loves her bones!!!

Payoff!!

Message from Jasmine's new family--Makes it worth the effort & heartache:  "We wanted to assure you that everything was going well here. Once we got home Jazz explored the backyard and quickly recruited Cable into some frisky play. The two dogs are doing wonderful together. They snuggle and play. The greatest thing so far is Jazz and our son are playing. Jazz always knows where he is and is alert to his every sound.  They run all around, play ball, and tug of war with a rope. The last 24 hrs have been so happy for our family. It broke my heart to know you and your husband would be missing Jazzy. Know that having her come to us calm, happy and healthy is the greatest gift. I appreciate that your hard work has made our adjustment period go smoother than I thought possible. I can't wait to take Jazzy to work tomorrow and show her off. I promise to keep you posted! Oh, all 5 of us watched Finding Nemo today! "

Jasmine's Adoption Day!

Jasmine was officially adopted .                   It was VERY hard to part with her. She was a true joy to have in our home. The sorrow of her loss is easily comforted by the knowledge that she has a GREAT new FOREVER family. At their first meeting Jasmine lit up like she had never before. She chose them as much as they did her. The introduction looked more like a reunion. I've had  my fingers crossed & mouth shut during the adoption process not to jinx it.  One foster down.....9 more to go!!!!

VIDEO - Puppies 16 days

Puppies are starting to act more like real puppies and less like worms. They're discovering each other, their voices & escape routes. Nemo, true to his name is the first to venture past the safety of the whelping pool. We helped him find his way back home to his mates.

Goopy eye experiment -Day 1

Missy went to visit Dr. Greg DMV for her exam & vaccinations. I asked him about ways to address her "goopy, stinky eyes". He reassured me this is a common symptom in bulgy eyed dogs like Shih Tzus & there are no sure fire ways to eliminate the problem. I'm not a pill popper myself so filling Missy with drugs is my last option. He informed me of an organic natural product "Naturally Tearfree Canine". It's about $20 for a 5-6 month amount. It's worth a try so here goes the "goopy Eye Experiment". Per the instruction I'm supposed to "Stop all artificial or processed foods".  I'm on my way to a real food diet for the dogs but currently will continue the diet of Nutro Small Breed Adult, yogurt & added protein via minimal table scraps. If I were to alter her food now & there was a change in her eyes how would I know if it was the food or the product? Additionally, if she has any reaction I'd like to know if it's the eye treatment or a new diet.  She takes 1/4 t. once a day for 3 days, then twice a week, then once a week, then once a week as needed. I'm adding it to her yogurt in the evenings. Dr. Greg's other suggestion is to keep the area around her eyes closely trimmed. Missy has a grooming appointment soon so I'll have Lydia shave her moustache.