Well, folks, I'm afraid I have to start this blog post off with an apology. I think this is the first time I have missed doing a one week puppy update. Thanksgiving, family staying with us for a couple of weeks, and the orders which have poured in from my Etsy shop have all united to keep me from posting. The good news is that I have still been able to give the puppies quite a bit of attention - I just haven't had time to blog about it. Hopefully from now on things will be smoother. The puppies started opening their eyes around 11 days of age and now they are all open. They can't see much yet, but their vision is improving by the day. They are much more mobile and are standing up and wobbling around, instead of only "swimming" on their bellies. One of my younger sisters reported that they were growling at each other and trying to wrestle this morning. I will try to catch that on video and share here and on the SandSpur Ranch Facebook page. Willow has not been the greatest mother, but she is getting her act together and her puppies are strong and growing. One good point about Willow is that she has been an extremely clean mother. As you can see in the pictures, the puppies are very clean and in good condition. I did not clean them up at all before taking the pictures; Willow keeps them that way. In some other areas, she still needs more experience to be a stellar mother. Here are some individual pictures. Gracie (was Ainslie) This little girl has been strong right from the start. She has gained weight almost as fast as Lennox (the chub of the group) and she is pretty good at taking care of Number 1 when it is time for lunch. Her colors are gorgeous. She has this interesting reddish tinge to her coat, but her darker spots are black, which tells me that she is a blue merle, not a red. (She does carry red, though she is blue.) It is too early to know much about her temperament, but so far she has been very level. She likes to be held, but she is also fine to be down on the floor of the whelping box with her brothers. All around she has been a happy, low-maintenance puppy. "Dalziel" This little rascal reminds me a lot of his mother in build. He has long legs, his mama's markings, and a loud voice. He was the smallest of the pups and so I have tried to make sure that he gets a little extra nursing time, but he hasn't let his size slow him down. He would always yell whenever I picked him up, and it was not until yesterday that he started letting me hold him without trying to escape. Yesterday his new owners, Bill and Ellen, came out for a visit, and to my surprise, he settled right down with both of them and went to sleep in their hands. The other puppies would always do this, but he usually wanted to be put down. Not while they held him, though! He had a good long nap while they were here. When they put him back into the whelping box, he woke up and started to complain. It was neat to see how he enjoyed them handling him! (Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. K. for providing him with such a great home!) "Auchinleck" Auchinleck is the special puppy of this litter. Poor Willow fooled me into thinking that she wasn't going to have her puppies for another day or so, and I missed the first few births. Apparently while she was cleaning them up, she bit off his right hind leg. It has taken quite some time to heal up, but it's finally looking pretty good (under the circumstances) and he is gaining weight. Because he has only three legs, the other pups can shove him out of the way at the milk bar a little more easily, so it has been harder to put weight on him, but he weighs about 1 1/2 pounds now, comparable to his siblings, so I'm happy. When I start supplementing with raw goat's milk formula, I expect him to have a growth spurt. His colors are gorgeous, at least, I think so. He has the most interesting light reddish blue coat. Auchinleck has the sweetest temperament. Of course, it's still early to be seeing much of his personality, but he is the kind of puppy to just melt the heart. I think he will have a special bond with people since he has gotten extra care since birth. He is a determined pup, too! Even though he only has three legs, he can scoot around almost as fast as his brothers and sister. All around, this little guy is a special pup! "Lennox"
So far, Lennox has been the gentle giant of the litter. He is quiet and peaceable - unless you get in his way at lunchtime! This puppy LOVES to eat, and it shows. When he's not eating, he is usually asleep with his brothers and sister. He is very level-headed so far and seems to enjoy being held. While it is early to see much personality yet, I think that he is going to continue to be level-headed, friendly, and big. He's just all around a sweet, teddy bear sort of pup.
2 Comments
Mark
12/10/2019 01:33:52 pm
I sure do love that Lennox! They are all so cute.
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Alayna May
12/11/2019 05:46:29 am
They sure are!
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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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