Winding down with Chloe and her pups
Well, this puppy group is finally ready to move on. I know it as I see them play more and more with each other and less with Chloe. They still try to nurse but their attempts are half hearted and easily redirected. For her part Chloe is continuing to show herself to be a sweet, loving mother. I will miss watching her mother these little guys. She is so gentle as she tells them to stop nursing, carefully biting their muzzles away growling under her breath. They respond by climbing on all over her, chewing her ears and tail and nuzzling up to her and drifting off to sleep. It is a wonderful, heartwarming thing to see.
calling in the puppies
They come to me now as I call them into the puppy room in the afternoon. I clap and say in a high pitched voice “Pup pup pup pup pup” and they come running. Last night after I walked into the puppy room and woke everyone up I put them outside to potty. Usually after dark I just let them pee in the room on the newspaper covered floor but I’m trying to get them ready to be house trained by their new families. They did great! First they were a bit disoriented but after a bit they all spread out to do their business. The adoptive families will have an easy time of training them I think.
Chloe shows her pups how to play
In possibly our best video yet, we see mama dog Chloe showing her pups how to play! I think there is a subtext to her play as well, that she is about ready to be done nursing. Enjoy this video – Mike laughed each time he saw it in the editing process.
Watch this video on YouTube.
Puppy Play Time video
Here is some video shot last weekend of Chloe and her 7 pups at play in the yard. Warning: some mighty cute stuff here, so prepare yourself!
Watch this video on YouTube..
Muddy puppies will grow into dogs
Yesterday was a rainy, humid, day. But puppies don’t care about muddy feet, floors or food bowls – they just want to play! And so, against my wishes but in line with my instincts I let them out when the rain had let up a bit. They had a blast! They were rolling around with Chloe and chasing each other and basically getting into the best kind of puppy trouble – the dirty kind. And I noticed something, how much Chloe seems to really enjoy being a mama.
Now we’ve had a series of mamas and each has been different; Bella, our first, was a strict mama, her tag line would be “now cut it out all of you and behave!”. Sweetie, our mama from last year would have the tag line, “Here’s how to be in submission, and here, and here and here…now get me out of here!”. And Annie‘s would be, “Where’s my KONG? Where is it? Oh, you want to nurse – FINE, hurry up I have to find my KONG!!” But Chloe’s would be “Hi you guys! How are you? Wanna wrestle? OK! I love you all.” It is heartwarming and so sweet to watch. I can’t wait for a warm sunny day to get some video on it to share with all of you.
Puppy adoption interviews are going well. I’ve met some wonderful families full of love and eager to share it with a puppy. Watching them choose a puppy makes me wonder what is it exactly that we respond to in a puppy? Mostly I think it is looks and what those looks tell us about the kind of dog we hope it will be. But what most people don’t realize is that the description of the kind of dog the puppy will be is really just a story – an invention made up of what that puppy represents, how it reminds them of a past pet, or is the opposite of a past pet, that sort of thing. Most people don’t really chose based on temperament (though, with this group you can’t go wrong – with a mama like Chloe) or energy level match – though some do go into the process with those ideas in mind. But I tell you, I can tell a family that given their set of criteria one puppy would be better than another but most don’t listen once they have gotten their eyes on a pup – they just fall in love and the story line begins.
These pups are chill and happy
The puppies are loving being outside. They are such a subdued group, very chill and happy. They love cuddling and are getting used to many different people as we’ve had a lot of visitors with their children. This is great help to me, so thank you everyone who has visited so far and if you’d like to visit drop me a line! Also, we’re taking applications now for the puppies so if you’re interested contact H.E.L.P. (Homes for Endangered and Lost Pets) at HelpingAnimals.org or by calling at 877-364-2286.
It is amazing how relaxed I am this time around. I think it is a combination of this group being quieter than the past groups, the mama, Chloe being healthy (no parasites, no illness, not overly skinny) and me hitting my stride. I will hit harder times shortly, as the pups turn 6 weeks they will get busier, but for now I keep thinking, “this is a breeze!” Yeah.
Mama dog Chloe nurses her pups
Here is a short video shot outside last weekend. Mama Chloe is nursing her puppies in the yard.
Watch this video on YouTube!
