The Pups are doing very well.
Five Red and Whites, five tri-colored.
Add to all this that we have visiting hounds from previous litters staying a few days and the days are full to overflowing. We wouldn't have it any other way. We have one of Lilly's pups, Henry, visiting for a few days. One of Abby's, Coconut, and Pina Colada, on of Lucy's, spending the day here while their parents are at the beach. We charge for room and boarding overnight, but anyone wanting to day trip out can just drop them off and get them, same day, for free.
I still have to get pictures posted. We are awfully busy, incredibly tired, an tremendously happy.
Five Red and Whites, five tri-colored.
We had a great day yesterday, great being a bit of a relative word. The whelping went very well. Ten puppies eventually hit the floor running. There were literally no problems with anything at all except having enough time for all that was going on. In the end the only thing we didn't get done was get enough sleep. So we will take the day as a win and move on to Day Two. There are worse things than having no troubles.
Today I woke from my three hour early morning nap, the nap that must take the place of a night's sleep, and continue; having spent the entirety of yesterday moving swiftly between tasks on three hour's sleep from the night before. Ann was able to attempt sleep in her four hour window of opportunity and would have made it too had not a troupe of three young raccoons disturb the night by climbing the Oak tree outside the fence at the Northeast corner of the farm. This corner is really one of the only things our tangle of hounds can see from their palacial doghouse so, at two in the morning, we had seven hounds go completely nuts. The night wasn't as restful as it might sound, but the babies did very well.
The babies are wonderful and they do what they do with aplomb. We judge the first day of a litter a win if we can get all the puppies to eat something. This was a wildly successful day in this respect. All of the pups are quite mobile and all had no trouble finding Pixie and filling up.
This is a large litter, ten is unusual for us, and this litter is quite chatty. There have been a few tragic puppies in past litters so we are quite vigilent about listening for distress and counting noses every hour to make sure nobody is buried under a Mother that may be too tired to notice. We have always loved the sound of puppies going about their business and this litter is especially lovely to hear. I had to extract a puppy from being covered by Mom five times, which is something of a record.
It is possible to suffocate a puppy who has somehow made it under their mother for a few days so we take shifts listening for distress and counting noses. They can pretty much manage to keep themselves safe after their eyes open and they get their feet under them. Everyone made it through the first night and Pixie is a naturally good mother whenn it comes to keeping the little wrigglers out from behind and under her. She hasn't left them for a minute since yesterday, but she has allowed me to change the bedding a few times and has gone outside once today.
Today I woke from my three hour early morning nap, the nap that must take the place of a night's sleep, and continue; having spent the entirety of yesterday moving swiftly between tasks on three hour's sleep from the night before. Ann was able to attempt sleep in her four hour window of opportunity and would have made it too had not a troupe of three young raccoons disturb the night by climbing the Oak tree outside the fence at the Northeast corner of the farm. This corner is really one of the only things our tangle of hounds can see from their palacial doghouse so, at two in the morning, we had seven hounds go completely nuts. The night wasn't as restful as it might sound, but the babies did very well.
The babies are wonderful and they do what they do with aplomb. We judge the first day of a litter a win if we can get all the puppies to eat something. This was a wildly successful day in this respect. All of the pups are quite mobile and all had no trouble finding Pixie and filling up.
This is a large litter, ten is unusual for us, and this litter is quite chatty. There have been a few tragic puppies in past litters so we are quite vigilent about listening for distress and counting noses every hour to make sure nobody is buried under a Mother that may be too tired to notice. We have always loved the sound of puppies going about their business and this litter is especially lovely to hear. I had to extract a puppy from being covered by Mom five times, which is something of a record.
It is possible to suffocate a puppy who has somehow made it under their mother for a few days so we take shifts listening for distress and counting noses. They can pretty much manage to keep themselves safe after their eyes open and they get their feet under them. Everyone made it through the first night and Pixie is a naturally good mother whenn it comes to keeping the little wrigglers out from behind and under her. She hasn't left them for a minute since yesterday, but she has allowed me to change the bedding a few times and has gone outside once today.
Add to all this that we have visiting hounds from previous litters staying a few days and the days are full to overflowing. We wouldn't have it any other way. We have one of Lilly's pups, Henry, visiting for a few days. One of Abby's, Coconut, and Pina Colada, on of Lucy's, spending the day here while their parents are at the beach. We charge for room and boarding overnight, but anyone wanting to day trip out can just drop them off and get them, same day, for free.
I still have to get pictures posted. We are awfully busy, incredibly tired, an tremendously happy.
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