Puppy update from Aster’s family
Here is an update on Aster from his new forever family. We love getting these updates to share with you!
We are all trying to adjust to our new routine and have been very busy! : ) Aster is doing wonderful.
He was a little shy on the way home and cried a little. We stopped before we got on the expressway so he could do “his business” , he was much more interested on chewing on a piece of mulch he found…so we waited and soon enough we were on our way home. He had a busy afternoon discovering the backyard, bushes, flowerpots and especially the hanging flower pot. He thinks this is a fun thing to play with as it swings back at him and he can rip the peat moss out of it : ) too funny. We have some “puppy proofing” to do. He sure has gotten himself comfortable running through the house and knows where to go to get outside. He has even barked at the screen door. He loves to be outside and exploring. He has a lot of energy and is very curious, not the shy, quiet puppy I first met. : ) We are having so much fun with him and getting to know his personality.
He also likes when the curtains blow with the windows open…so he thought he’d catch them….and pull on them. He sure is a little stinker. He does not like his crate….he rather sleep next to it. We’re working on that. He is eating good and potty training well….we have got the schedule down pretty good.
Today he loved the rain. It must be the retriever in him. He lay down looked up at the sky and then tried to catch the raindrops. I wish I had taken a video, it was priceless! I stood there holding my umbrella, while he was just blissfully happy. He was definitely in no hurry to go inside.
Oh deer
Today as I was driving to the gym with Ryan I saw something that I almost didn’t understand on the side of the road. It was one of those moments where you see something and your brain is trying to make sense of it but somewhere you know instantly what it is. I stopped short and threw on my flashers and jumped out of the car yelling my son, “DON’T GET OUT. There’s a baby deer on the road”
A deer in the yard (not the one in this story)
It was fine. Still and as small as it could get itself. I didn’t want to touch it – to get my human scent on it so I nudged it with my foot but it stayed put. Finally, after assessing “will it bite? Naw” I gently put my hands under its belly and lifted. It was SO light! And as I watched the impossibly long legs unfurl I noticed how warm it was, how soft and clean, and how light it was and how skinny. It wobbled to its feet and started toward the brush when I heard the mama snort and stamp and run a few feet away. I shooed it into the brush until it was at least a few feet from the road and got back into the car. It was likely trying to cross our crazy busy road to get to the prairie on the other side with mama and fell down the slight embankment onto the road. It must have been less than a day old, maybe two days but definitely young!
Chloe and pups are settling in
Here are some photos and comments of Chloe and her puppy’s new homes and lives. I so appreciate everyone who has contacted me with updates – it is so helpful to my sad heart to hear how well everyone is doing. Happy new lives puppies!
Angel (formerly Violet)
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Angel (formerly Violet) did really well last night, no crying. She had a bit of whimpering when we got her home yesterday but is really doing well this morning. She is playing outside with the girls and bouncing around with a ball we bought her. She is quite precious and we really love her. Thank you again, she is a real joy for us.
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Jackson (formerly Jacob) is doing well. He’s obviously lonely and wondering where the heck he is, but he is happy. He’s played with us, and ate well, pooped & peed outside, and is doing fairly well at sleeping in the crate. We’ll see how night #1 goes.
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We are absolutely loving having the addition of Poppy to our family — she had a big day – was at a baseball game, a pitching lesson — many visits from friends and getting used to her new home — and all through this she remained as sweet as I could ever imaging a puppy being and also a bit tired — we are going to try for a more restful day at home tomorrow. We are so grateful that you helped to allow us to have her in our family — and even our cat seems to be to ok so far : )
***************Jubilee (formerly Tulip)
Hi Kristin!! The first 24hrs have been just wonderful!! About half way home she started to whimper a little, but as long as you kept petting her she was fine. The introduction to her new home was fun. Jubilee (formerly Tulip) was a little unsure at first but my pack was excited to see her and welcomed her right in. We brought her inside to show her her new stomping grounds and she had a blast playing with all her new toys and friends. Its so funny how the play hard for a little while then it’s right back to nappy time. I thought my old lab would take awhile to warm up but she has been great from the get go!! She is already playing nicely with her, I have not seen her play with a dog like that in a long time. Jubilee only woke up twice during the night to let us know she had to go out. She has only had one accident and that was my fault for not taking her right out when she woke up (oops). I will keep you up to date as we go.
***************Amber (formerly Chloe)
I just wanted to give you a quick update on Amber (formerly Chloe). We spent Sunday with her keeping her busy (as you suggested). My husband and I took her on at least 3 walks (total of 5 miles). The boys played with her in the yard. She spent quite a bit of time outside but also made it clear that she wanted to spend time inside as well. She did pace around the house for a good 20- 30 minutes before curling up at my feet in the kitchen. In the evening she paced again for about 20 minutes and then sat at our feet in the family room. She slept on the floor of my son’s bedroom – she made it quite clear to us that she had no desire to sleep in her crate. it was kept open with the blanket in it. She was very cute when we attempted to lure her into the crate. We let her smell her treat and then placed it in the crate. She kept her 2 hind legs out of the crate and stretched to reach and eat the treat and then immediately backed out of the crate. She slept well. We have her on a schedule which should help with the adjustment. I walked her at 6am and she was wonderful (did not pull on the leash). Today she is out in the yard with the boys chasing after the tennis ball (but not returning it).
Angel is getting the hang of motherhood
The pups are getting bigger and stronger. And mama is doing better. I’m not sure what to call her, Angel doesn’t really fit…she is far too fallible and young for such a name. I had thought of calling her Brittany, which would be a perfect name for her personality wise, but I suspect she will be getting more mature more quickly than her namesake.
She is getting to be a better mother. Early on the first day as she licked her pups clean she would basically send them sailing across the blanket with the force of her tongue! But now she is more gentle and the pups are stronger so they tend to hang on and only roll around a bit. Plus they seem to be nursing well and are much better at finding and lacking onto the teats. So I am feeling a little more relieved.
Watch this video on YouTube.
Video of Angel whelping her pups
About 15 minutes after Angel‘s arrival in our home, she began to deliver her puppies. This was not exactly our plan, but nature had a different agenda. Here is a short video of the whelping scene. For a few short hours on Sunday, we had – gasp – twenty dogs in our home: Chloe and 5 of her pups were adopted out that day, but Angel arrived early and gave birth to 9 puppies, plus our 4 dogs!
Watch this video on YouTube.
More on Angel’s lost puppy
Mike, who was the unfortunate one to discover the dead pup, was really affected by that incident. I don’t blame him. It was so senseless, there was absolutely nothing wrong with the pup; it was large, chubby and healthy. He found himself worried each time he took the mama out to potty that he’d find another dead one. Plus, mama was doing some strange things with the bedding, seeming to be burying some of her pups in it. This was all freaking him out and leading me to assume that this mama had no clue. But a thought hit me last night: Mike and I are not responsible for the puppies’ lives – God is. We are only responsible for providing the opportunity for life to flourish.
