Week 4 - Bring it On!
5/8/09
7:10 a.m: The news updates have been slow to non-existent this week because these guys now require nearly round the clock attention. I thought I'd be able to sit back and relax now that I'm no longer bottle feeding, but quite the opposite has occurred. Instead, I'm now running around cleaning up poo from the moment I get up at 6 a.m. until I'm finally able to put my head to the pillow at half-past midnight. Trust me -- nine 4-week old puppies know how to do one thing really well -- POOP! And they do a LOT of pooping! No sooner do I have them all cleaned up with fresh piddle pads down, than they have to either 1. Chew on the piddle pads or 2. Use the piddle pads. I'd much prefer they do No. 2, however, they do their share of No. 1. For some reason they think the piddle pads are a great toy to wrestle around in - whether they've been used or not.
Pooping aside, they're also playing a lot too and require more and more time away from the whelping box (which is coming down today and the play pen is going up in its place). If the weather holds this weekend, they may get their first taste/feeling of real grass too. They're growing fast and it's so much fun to watch them run around trying to keep their little legs under control.
I thought Bobbi had lost all interest in her babies, but I was wrong. Her milk is totally dried up, yet she still gets in with them to let them suckle several times per day. I call her the portable pacifier and we've learned to work as a team. Bobbi goes in and the puppies all gravitate to her while I clean up their mess and put fresh pads down and prepare their meal. Bobbi comes out, food goes down, puppies eat and poop. Bobbi goes back in and puppies suckle while she cleans up any left over food and I clean up their mess and put fresh pads down. We perform this routine four times each day. She's also still very protective of her babies and doesn't like to be away from them. Even when they're safe in the play pen or whelping box, Bobbi's never far away. If they cry too loud, she gets worried. If they play too rough with each other, she's there to break up the fights. This morning I put them in the play pen after their morning meal and she really wanted to be in with them. She can't get into the play pen right now, so I caught her play bowing and "talking" to them. That really made me smile. I think she's enjoying these puppies more now that they're interactive. I haven't seen any corrections from her as they chew her ears and get in her face - she's being an absolute model mom!
4/30/09
Breakout: Four Escape Local Lock Up
ELKTON, MD -- Four inmates from the Rapscallion Holding Facility in Elkton escaped this afternoon after an impromptu mutiny.
The four, two males and two females, stormed the entrance to their pen after loudly protesting the lateness of their lunch. The breakout ocurrred at about 12:15 p.m., and the suspects are identified only by their colors, Purple, Teal, Green and Nude... err... make that Naked.
"I was in the kitchen preparing the afternoon meal when I heard a commotion that resulted in about half the puppy population making a dash for freedom," said the holding facility manager and apparent chef. "Then I heard this flopping and scratching sound behind me, I turned and saw Green heading for the dog door trying to make his escape."
Apparently the uprising occurred as anger over a meal served late spread throughout the pen population. Teal and Green, known rabble-rousers, started the fracas and were quickly joined by Purple and Naked. A fifth suspect, identified as Red, was caught before actually breaching the entrance.
"This isn't the first time I've caught this group trying to escape, but I've always managed to get them back in line before," the manager said.
"We take breakouts seriously around here, I'm just glad no one got hurt in the uprising, and I'll figure out how to deal with the troublemakers later. I might have to install a better gate.
Though the inmates have been sequestered behind closed doors, a close relative of theirs indicated they were just expressing themselves in a way that would bring attention to their cause.
"They just want their meals served on time," the relative said speaking on condition of anonymity. "Is that too much to ask? I mean, it's not like they can go out hunting or shopping on their own! They've been promised four or more squares per day, and they need those meals!"
The relative also expressed interest in the left overs.
"You know, they're just little guys and they can't eat all that food by themselves. I'd be willing to help out around the joint if I could get my mouth on those leftovers.
With the mutiny over for now and the inmates comfortably resting on full tummies, the puppy warden promised to do a better job of getting those meals prepared and delivered on time.
"We try very hard to keep everyone happy around here," she said. "The last thing we need is another Rapscallion Uprising. Who knows, next time they might bring in the heavy-weights. If they do that, we could have some real problems on our hands."
4/26/09
8 a.m: Yesterday was a huge success in the weaning department. They tasted their first real high calorie puppy food mush made with formula, California Natural lamb and rice puppy kibble and a little infant rice cereal to thicken it up. They LOVED it (see photo in Puppies section). They're a little behind in their development because Bobbi just wasn't able to produce enough milk for them all, but now that they're getting the calories, I expect them to take off and grow in leaps and bounds.
I've been talking to several of my fellow breeders about my experiences with this litter, and it seems I've been put through more tests with just this one litter than most breeders experience over several litters. I'm not saying they haven't had problems, I know several people who have lost entire litters for one reason or another, but I've been told it's normal to have a problem here or there, but never in the quantity and range that I've experienced (i.e. a mother who doesn't produce milk, might be a single issue, but a mother who doesn't produce milk, and who doesn't want to take much responsibilty for her get, and the faders, and the squished puppy, etc. is rare). That being said, I consider this a test of my mettle, and I've learned a few things about myself and what I'm capable of doing. This has been a crash course in puppy care, and I think I've passed the test. I've got nine healthy, active, playful, content puppies. Sure, they're a little behind in weight, but they'll catch up!