New Adventures for the Puppies

The puppies are learning lots of new tricks lately.  Molly has decided it is about time to wean them.  She doesn’t lay down now for them to nurse, they just have to stand up on their back legs and try to catch her. 

We have started feeding them a “puppy mush” of canned food mixed with milk.  They seem to like it. . .  

. . . some of them a little more than others. 

The first few feedings were pretty messy.  Here #6 is covered in his dinner.

They have also been outside for a bit of fresh air and sunshine.  The sunshine has been hard to come by here the past few weeks.  We have had lots of rain – about 13 inches so far in November.  There was a little bit of clearing though and I took them all outside. They weren’t really too happy to be out there as it was still pretty cold that day and they weren’t used to that yet.

The puppies have also had visitors.  Our neighbor Rio came to see them. 

He must have the magic touch because his puppy was asleep very soon.

His mom Cindy put her bandit puppy to sleep too.  After they have eaten, they are usually ready for a snooze.    

The little puppies are growing and getting more mobile.  The more adventuresome ones have learned to climb – right out of their box.  Here Big Boy is stranded in the middle trying to get back in. 

Since they had started climbing out, and we needed a place to feed them besides their sleeping area, we added to the puppy condo again. 

Now they have a sleeping side and an eating & playing side, all with higher walls that they (hopefully) can’t climb out of anytime soon.

Molly does not mind visitors holding and playing with the puppies, we’ve had several friends visit and hold them.  Grizzly, however, is still not allowed to get too close to them.  He is very curious about the little creatures – but he is only allowed to look at them from outside the box.  He  has tried to climb into the new area with the puppies, but Molly won’t allow it.  Apparently it will be a while longer before he gets to know his offspring up close and personal. 

This little one is starting to show the heeler markings more and more.  They tell us that the “red” heeler color is recessive.  Grizzly’s father was a red heeler and two of the puppies are showing those colors. Though they are called red, it looks more like a cinnamon brown color to me and she has a bit of the gray color also.

It is interesting to me that the dogs have so many different colorings with the same two parents.

They still sleep in a dog pile. 

When latecomers arrive, they just climb right over the top of the ones already there.

Molly hasn’t abandoned the puppies, she still checks them carefully several times a day and cleans them if they are not up to her standards. 

Some of them have become very playful, they growl, bark and pounce on each other.

They enjoy playing with each other – it’s a good thing there are lots of them to keep each other company.

What Else Is Going On

By far the most photogenic, adorable things around here are the new puppies.  It has been a lot of fun to watch them grow.  We have been spending time on a few other things though. We had a really nice garden this year.  Lots of peas, beans and tomatoes.

Our potatoes were much better than last year.  The plants were big and healthy -over waist high.

We dug at least 40 or 50 pounds of potatoes; Satina, Russet Burbank, and Yukon Golds.  All the varieties did really well.  Here are just a few of the Yukon Golds.   

We have had a lot of rain in October – almost 16 inches.  Then a freeze down to 25 degrees, so the garden was through.  Last week we had a couple of nice dry, warm days so we worked in the garden pulling out the remains of the plants, liming and fertilizing and tilling and generally getting it all ready for winter.  We let the chickens in since all the crops had already been harvested.

They quite enjoyed being out of their little yard and foraging in new territory.  After a while though, they discovered that out the garden fence is the orchard.  In the orchard are fruit trees.

At the base of the fruit trees is the nice soft dirt where I just planted tulips and daffodils.  

 

The chickens thought it was great fun to dig in the nice soft dirt – and they almost had the bulbs exposed.  So their sojurn outside their run was a brief one.  Dumb chickens.

After we took out all the old plants, we fertilized the soil a bit and Rick tilled it in.

Now we have to get it covered – if you don’t cover the soil around here the rain and snow leach out all the good stuff you just worked in – and it will be ready to plant in the spring.  We’ve had rain the past few days and yesterday the snow level dropped, so we need to get the plastic on before the snow arrives down here.

The snow level is expected to drop to 500 feet or less in the next couple of days. It is already low on the mountains all around us.

We have had some rain – about five inches so far in November – which  has given us some incredible cloud formations and sunsets we have really enjoyed.  

  

So there you have it – we have been doing something besides playing with the puppies.

Thank You Veterans

Happy Veterans Day to all those who have served our country.

To those who are serving currently.

And especially to those who are in harm’s way for our protection. 

Thank You. 

 

 We remember that Freedom Isn’t Free.

Puppy Update

The puppies have learned to sit up and are starting to walk on all fours rather than crawl.  Their eyes are open and they are much more alert.

Their heeler markings are becoming more distinct.  Gray (or blue they call it, but it doesn’t look blue to me) is starting to show through the white in their fur.

 

The one yawning here is the largest pup.  A male who has pronounced heeler markings.  #6 – the runt – is right next to him.  You can see that the little place on his head is healing nicely and now has fur. 

Though they are more awake and alert, they still spend a lot of time sleeping all in a pile.

Grizzly has been very curious about those little creatures, and Molly has let him a bit closer. 

He only got to meet one nose to nose though when Molly was outside.  She would not have approved.

They are all much more alert and mobile.  They have also started growling and barking – which is really hilarious.  This little one reminds me of Molly.

 

It seems there is always at least one asleep on its back with the paws in the air.

Since they are getting so much more mobile, Rick built them a little better box to keep them corraled in.  I wonder if the Craftsman people know their tool boxes are multi-purpose and can be used as puppy crates?  The whole gang slept through the remodel. 

Eye patch (there is also an ear patch) licking his sibling  – they have just started doing that too.  

So that is the latest on the puppies.  Three are now spoken for, so if you want a puppy for Christmas you need to get on the list!

Eleven Days Old

The puppies are a eleven days old today.  It is amazing how much they have changed in just that short time. 

They spend about 99% of their time eating and sleeping.  

Considering their eyes are closed and they don’t maueuver too well yet, I am surprised at how well they find Molly to nurse.

Molly is getting out more each day.  She loves to be able to run around outside, then she darts back into the shed to check on the puppies. 

They seem most content when they are cuddled together.

They have grown a lot in the past eleven days, they are very plump little things.  

Just in the past two days they have started to be a little more adventuresome.  Now they are trying to climb the sides of their little pen.

They have also learned to hang on pretty well.  When Molly is done nursing she sits up, usually the puppies roll over and go back to sleep.  Now sometimes they hang on like this little one.  

Though Grizzly is the dad, he has not been allowed near the puppies.  At first Molly wouldn’t even allow him inside the shed.  Now she lets him come in, but makes him stay far on the other side of the room from her and the little ones.  Probably wise of her.  Grizz would not intentionally hurt anything, but he would try to play too rough with the puppies.  It will be interesting to see when Molly decides it is safe for him to be around them.  

Here is little Patch – now their eyes are opening a bit.

Molly has been really good with her litter.  She cleans them thoroughly – licks them up one side and down the other. 

The runt of the litter, little #6 is doing well.  The spot on his head is healing up and growing hair.  He is still the smallest of the bunch, but not by much.  He is very aggressive about getting into the pile to nurse, and his little belly is full when I check on him. 

They are just adorable.

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween!  When we were in California a week ago, my two nieces Abby and Sara modeled their costumes. 

Abby is ready for a safari and Sara is a gangster.  I think she is enjoying her gun.

Abby with her monkey and pumpkin.

We don’t get Trick or Treaters around here, but enjoy the holiday anyway.

Puppies – The Story Continues

As Nick reminded me, we didn’t announce that Molly might be having puppies.  Actually we didn’t know for sure until we got back from California very late on Thursday night.  So, here is a little more information about the whole situation to bring everyone up to date – and more puppy pictures of course.

                          Molly just before the puppies were born. 

We  thought Molly might have been in heat around the time Larry and Karla and then Megan and Brandon visited in August, but were not sure.  Around the first of October, Molly started to look like she was pregnant, so we took both dogs to the vet and had them checked.  The vet told us she certainly looked pregnant, but often in young dogs it is a “false pregnancy” where they exhibit all the signs but no puppies.  “Time will tell” he said.  We had Grizzly neutered then, but it was a case of shutting the barn door after the horse was already out it seems. 

We were scheduled to be in California for two weeks, starting October 15th.  Neither of us were comfortable being away for that long if she was having puppies, so we cut our trip down to seven days.   Our friend Collin took care of the dogs (and chickens) while we were away, and we returned very late Thursday night.  Friday I could tell Molly was definitely going to have puppies; I could feel them squiriming around in her belly.  Also on Friday a very cold front blew through and we lost power about 9 pm and it stayed out all night. 

On Saturday, the power finally came back on and Molly began acting like she was going to have the puppies very soon.  I made her a little bed in our shed.  She started having the puppies about 10 pm and had the first seven by 2 am.  She surprised us with the last three sometime after that. 

I’m glad she waited until we got back and that the shed is mostly done so she had a dry (it has rained almost three inches in the past two days), warm place to give birth.  And that she didn’t have them Friday night when it was really cold with no power – though I guess we could have fed the little wood cookstove all night.  

We have looked closer at the puppies, and in my inexpert opinion we have six boys and four girls.  Of the three black ones, two are boys.  The ones that are mostly white now,  but will take on the heeler markings later,  are four boys and three girls. 

There are two of these little “bandit” looking ones; one boy and one girl.

 The runt of the litter is #6.  We kept track of them (at least the first seven) as they were born, and he is the one who had the most difficulty.  We had to really work on him to even get him to breath and we didn’t think he would live through the night.  He has surprised us by making it this far, so hopefully he will continue to do well.  He also is the one with a little red birthmark on his head – closest to Molly’s front leg in the photo. 

Molly is a sweet dog with a gentle, calm spirit and she has kept that same temperment throughout.  Grizzly – who always thinks he should be the center of attention – doesn’t seem to understand why he is not welcome in the shed with the puppies.  He will have plenty of time to get better aquainted with his offspring when they are a bit older. 

So, there you have it – the rest of the puppy story.  Molly is 3/4 heeler and 1/4 lab, while Grizzly is full blooded heeler, so by my calculations the puppies are 7/8 heeler and 1/8 lab.  Luckily, though Grizzly’s mom raised Molly from the age of two weeks, they are not related. 

 

One is already spoken for, so there are only nine left for you to choose from.  They would make perfect little Christmas Stocking Stuffers!

More Puppies!

When we went to bed around 2 am we thought Molly was all done having puppies.  She had seven very regularly about a half hour apart, then nothing for well over an hour.  We put down fresh bedding, made sure everyone was dry and warm and came in the house. 

   

When Rick went out to check on her this morning – surprise! Three more puppies for a total of ten.  

Molly handled giving birth to the other three pups just fine without us.  She’s been amazingly calm and collected and seems to know exactly how to take care of her babies.

The puppies of course are adorable.  Seven white ones with heeler markings and three black ones that look like Molly.  We haven’t discovered yet how many males and females.  Any guesses?

Puppies!

We are happy to announce the safe delivery of seven puppies late on the 24th and into the early morning on the 25th.   

Mama Molly is doing well and she was a real trooper.  She was cool and collected and very calmly went about her business.  

More details to follow soon.  For now, it’s been a long evening for everyone and we are all going to bed. 

Any guesses on how many boys and girls?

P.S. To Alex:  Molly really appreciates the use of your old sleeping bag.  I don’t think you are going to want it back

That’s a Birdbath!

While I was waiting for Rick one day, I caught this robin in action – very enthusiastically splashing around and enjoying the water.    

 

After her bath she seemed a little damp, but very pleased with herself.

The most entertaining part of this was her choice of bathing facility.  Can you guess what it is?

Here is a clue.

A bit more of the picture.    

Here is the rest of the story.  It had rained the night before, and we were at our friends house.  John’s old – and not very recently registered – dump truck had accumulated quite a puddle from the rain.  A robin hopped right in and made good use of the ”birdbath.”  

I think the truck is a little large to fit in most yards, but it did attract the bird, and it made a great bath.