This is going to have to be really brief because I just got home a little while ago from what seemed like an all day trip to the vet and back. Our family friend and veterinarian, Dr. Harty, lives 2 hours away from us, back in Volusia county where we used to live, and she usually comes to us when it's time to do puppy health checks, but this time her schedule would not allow her to come, so I loaded up the puppies and Cleone and went to her. My 16 year-old sister, who is almost ready to get her full driver's license, kindly agreed to dedicate her day to helping me, so she drove all the way there and all the way back for me. Unfortunately, the big crates won't fit in our car and the little crates are too small, so I bedded a couple of the pups down in a big Rubbermaid container, one with Cleone on a sheet on the back floorboard, and a couple more in a small crate on the back seat. They all handled the ride really well, though they were a bit stressed out at first, but none of them cried or had accidents in the car, so I am very thankful for that. Now, the important part: They all checked out well from Dr. Harty, except that Logan is on the thin side and Mac has an umbilical hernia. Both issues should resolve themselves with just regular good care, which I know they will receive. Cleone is healing up okay, but still has her staples and stitches. I allowed her to go without her cone collar too early and she has been licking the injured area, so it is healing more slowly. Tonight, I put the cone back on, and a little later, found her relaxing quietly in the bin which the puppies had ridden in to the vet and back. My father installs satellite internet and that cone always reminds me of a satellite dish. I guess you could say she's tuned in!
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The puppies turned 7 weeks old yesterday. They are definitely ready to have their own owners and receive training. I'm working on lining up a veterinary appointment to get their health checkups, but unfortunately my vet's schedule is full, so it looks like pickup dates might have to be slightly delayed. I will email everyone who will be affected by this possible scheduling hitch and will keep you posted on developments. Cleone is healing up well from her accident last Monday and whenever I let her out, she runs around like nothing happened. I am keeping her penned up most of the time so she doesn't get involved in herding the cows, jumping off hay bales, or doing anything else like that, and even though she doesn't like being kenneled, she is handling it quite well. She should get her stitches out on Friday, if everything goes as planned. Let's see... how to describe Ollie: He is a rascal, super smart, almost tireless, and alert to everything around him. And - how did I forget to mention it - he is curious! He has to poke his nose into everything, chew it if it fits in his mouth, and drag it off if possible. He still loves attention and is super friendly, so he is usually the first one to try to dash out the gate when I go out to the puppies. Mac is level-headed and has settled into a comfortable middle position in the pecking order. He loves attention (surprise!) and is curious, but likes to contemplate a situation sometimes before jumping into it. Logan is still the favorite with my siblings. I finally had to ask them to pay Churchill and the others more attention and not only play with Logan and Mac. He is still the smallest puppy but is fond of eating, playing with his brothers, running around the pen, and, of course, getting belly rubs. Relic is more low-key than some of the others and is not usually in the first group to mob me at the door of the pen. But he is not easily startled and loves attention, just like his brothers. They don't seem to pick on him much and he doesn't pick on them. He's just in the middle class of pups and likes to go through life without causing trouble, though he will stand up for his rights if he needs to do so. Churchill - As you can see, Churchill is hard to photograph because he's always trying to stick right next to me and my camera lens is too zoomed in to get a very good picture of him when he's sitting on my toes. In my opinion he is the most mellow puppy out of the bunch but he is always ready for attention and activity whenever possible. Hopefully, all the scheduling issues will work out okay and the puppies will be available for pickup early next week. I enjoy having them but I'll be glad for them to go to their individual homes and get the attention and training they need. The puppies are getting big and are (rather suddenly) weaned. They are becoming extremely active and slightly overwhelming when they all try to pile onto me (or anyone else who steps foot into their area!) Cleone, on the other hand, is at the vet's office as I write this. In a nutshell, she jumped the 5' kennel door yesterday afternoon, caught her leg on a projecting wire, and tore a huge, but shallow, gash on the inside of her hip. I'm not sure how many stitches/ staples it required, but she's going to be sore for awhile. By the way, she is rarely in the kennel during the day, but Pooh (see "Puppies" page) is here for breeding and Cleone, as the alpha female, kept hovering around Pooh's kennel, investigating her. Pooh was stressed enough over the new environment, so I locked up Cleone. She has never jumped that door before and I did not realize that the heavy-duty wire panel on the outside of the door had come slightly loose from the wood frame - just enough to catch her as she scrambled over. I am immensely thankful that I was still out in the yard and able to get to her before the situation became even worse. Of course, with the meds she will be on to prevent infection, and the pain of her injury, added to the fact that the puppies were already practically weaned, there will be little to no nursing for any of them, now. On to happier subjects... Ollie has been trying to work his way up to "Favorite Puppy" status. He's extremely high-drive, affectionate, and smart, like Cleone and Echo. If he's as much like them as he seems to be, I think he will be very easy to train because he will want to understand and obey commands, but he will also need extra directed activity to keep him busy, and may have an excessive tendency to herd smaller dogs, cats, etc. As you can see in the pictures, he was hard to photograph because he ran everywhere the whole time I had him out. Mac is one of my favorite puppies to photograph. He is the right mix of active and calm, friendly and adventurous, and just all around a fun puppy to play with, observe and photograph. He is doing great ad is right in the middle of all the pups on temperament and size. Logan has really come out of his shell and become much more friendly and outgoing, though he still won't scramble all over visitors and overwhelm them with kisses, like Ollie does. Logan is a favorite with my younger siblings and he is the one they usually request to be let out for playtime. (I told them a couple of weeks ago that I wanted them to spend extra time with him to help him overcome his initial timidity.) One of my brothers holds him quite frequently and has often pointed out to me that his tail doesn't stop wagging the whole time. Logan also has a great interest in toys, which is a valuable asset for training. Relic is a mellow, middle-of-the-road type pup. He is friendly but not overly so, somewhere in the middle rank in the puppy pack, and willing to explore the world around him, though not extremely bold. I would say he's handsome, but that is stating the obvious, so I'll let you decide for yourselves. :) Churchill did not want to cooperate for pictures yesterday; instead he wanted to stick right next to me for petting. I'll try to get some more pictures this morning. A quick note: He does not spend all his time chewing on pinecones, I promise; it's just much easier to photograph him when he is distracted with one instead of following me around!
Churchill has a mellow, jolly temperament. He is back to being the heaviest puppy (by just a few ounces), weighing in at 8 lbs, 10 oz. He is not very outgoing and prefers to sit in a corner and observe strangers before coming out to be petted, so I'll try to make sure he gets extra attention this week, but he is not overly timid. He likes to relax with a chew toy or close to me and (of course) is one of the first ones at the food dish when it's mealtime. Just two weeks until pickup day! Their paper still have not come back from the ABCA, but I expect them anytime. In the unlikely even that they do not arrive by the time the puppies are picked up, I will simply mail them out. Have you ever been blessed to experience (and I mean truly experience!) five energetically wriggling, enthusiastically licking, enchantingly adorable, and enticingly cuddly, five week old puppies - all at the same time? Well, let me tell you a little bit about it. Morning begins around here when I get up, usually about 4:00. Almost the first thing I do is let the dogs out of the kennels. The adult and young adult dogs get to run loose during the day, unless we will be gone, but puppies are kept strictly locked up unless I am playing with them outside, so when I let out Cleone, I usually just tell the puppies good morning and leave them in the kennel. Later in the morning, usually around 9:30, I go back out with breakfast: fresh raw milk, straight from the cow (who usually gets milked around 9), an egg yolk, and homemade yogurt. I soak a little bit of kibble (Sport Dog Food, K9 Hero) in water and grab the hose, drag it into the kennel, open the back door to let out the pups, and start rinsing the floor. The puppies still have not all figured out to go outside when I start hosing the floor down, so usually a couple of them huddle in the corner and moan about how wet they are getting until I take pity on them and set them outside. Then the more curious ones slip back inside to stare at the water - until it splashes them, when they back up in alarm and sometimes decide to stay outside. When I'm done with the kennel, I pour off the water from the softened kibble, set the dish down in the kennel, and pour on the milk mixture (formula.) The puppies come back in and start gobbling it up - especially Mac. If it's a day for dewormer, I weigh and dose them, pet them all, and head back inside. On picture days life can become quite lively. Now that the puppies are pretty steady on their feet and their sight, hearing, and speed have improved, they are much harder to photograph. This is because they all want to come climb in my lap while I'm trying to take pictures, and because the lens of my camera is pretty zoomed-in, it is hard for me to take a good picture if they are closer than four feet. To take good pictures of puppies, one must get down to their level and the level of these pups is approximately six inches above the ground. The puppies love this, as it puts me in a very vulnerable position for face licking, etc. One of their favorite tricks is to climb over my left arm (which is usually resting on the ground to support the camera) and wriggle up under my neck. The problem is that they get stuck in the camera strap. So there I am, aiming the camera at one puppy, with at least one other puppy stuck in the strap under my chin, enthusiastically licking wherever he can reach his little tongue. Of course, yours truly dutifully snaps the pictures first, then disentangles the puppy. Sorry for the long digression. In case you wondered what goes on behind the scenes, now you have some idea. The pups are doing great. They are beginning to explore the 2,000 sq. ft. run behind the kennels and have met all the older dogs except for Kep and Inez. They are pretty good about not biting, but will become more mouthy as they grow. Enjoy the pictures! Ollie, the high-drive one of the bunch. Ollie reminds me a lot of Echo - friendly, smart, curious, etc. He will be a handful, but has the makings of a great dog. Mac has become a star at eating and has even been trying out some unsoftened kibble. He is still a bit more reserved than some of the others and doesn't feel the need to come lick me to death, but once he does come over, he really enjoys petting and attention. Logan has made great progress this week, both in growth and in overcoming his timidity. He is much more outgoing than he was, though he is still a bit more easily startled than his brothers. He has been enjoying the opportunities for weight gain afforded by the big food dish and absolutely loves to get his belly rubbed. Relic is big - big head, big feet, with a big appetite (especially for attention!) He is kind of jolly and laid back, but always happy to see visitors. Churchill is a happy, friendly pup - outgoing, but not overwhelming. He is usually one of the first to meet me at the kennel door and, like his brothers, can never get too much attention. And to finish up, here is a picture from New Year's Day. We had several families over and Glori and Julia loved playing with the puppies and asked me to take a picture of them with Cleone and her family. Pop quiz: Can you identify all the puppies from left to right? Post a comment below with your answers! |
AuthorMy name is Alayna Feldman. I have been greatly blessed and am thankful, first and foremost, to the Lord Jesus Christ, Who has saved me. I am also deeply thankful to my parents, who have raised me in a stable, safe, loving home and taught me about what is most important in life. Archives
February 2022
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