The Wood Pile

Dad loves to chop wood and stack it up in perfect rows, all the same size. I have to admit that it's a good-looking pile of wood that he has! As with all manual labor, it's more fun to do with a little help, so when he comes home with load of wood, I usually go over for an hour or two and give him a hand with some of the lifting and carrying to the pile.

Today we worked in unseasonal weather with pockets of rain for about an hour. I took Cooter and Isabelle with me so they could run around and sniff and get out of the house for a bit. With the rain, it was cool, but it was also wet. We got through it pretty quickly, though, so overall it was still a good day!

Cooter's version:
I got to pee in new places and was recognized for my studliness and ability to strut. Yep *sniff/snort*, I'm da man!

Isabelle's version:
Oh my God, was this day EVER going to END? They just kept walking and working and bending and tossing, and there were NO laps to sit in. I couldn't even go lay in the grass because it was WET. I finally had to ask mom to open the car door so that I could sit and watch from someplace comfortable. And it interrupted my beauty sleep.

Takeover

The full story is somewhere in this blog (try key words for storytime, Isabelle, or Ellie Mae), but this page's journaling talks about when Isabelle was having a false pregnancy and tried to take over Ellie's litter! Int he end, Ellie, won, but welcomed Isabelle's help feeding and caring for the little ones.

Kangee's Story

A distant relative of Tony's called one day to say that his elderly german shepherd probably wasn't going to make it through another winter, to keep an eye out for something that might come his way. He would prefer a male puppy, if at all possible.

Enter Kangee. Two weeks later, in early January 2009, he was born and his mother immediately rejected him. The breeder, who found himself in unfavorable circumstances, contacted his friends to see if someone would be able to bottle feed him. He was born in the wee hours of the morning and by the time the breeder woke and was handling the litter, and called around, almost 12 hours had gone by. When I got to him, he was cold and practically lifeless.

I immediately stuck him in my shirt so that my body temperature would help raise his temperature on the way home. While stopped at a traffic light, I had a flash of insight, a vision of him as an adult. I was stunned at the beauty of him, at the powerful presence he possessed. Once we hit the house, he was so lifeless he could not even suckle a bottle, which he desperately needed for energy.

We pulled out all the stops and between the two of us, we alternated caring for him. Puppies require feeding every 2 hours, and he had to be tube fed until he was able to adequately bottle feed.

In the first week, I noticed scabs all over his body - where did those come from? Did the mother dislike him enough that she tried to kill him? It didn't make sense, but I couldn't figure out what else it could be. As it turns out, he was actually born with a systemic staph infection. Between tendons that didn't stretch properly, the staph infection, and corresponding signs of being premature (very tender skin), he certainly had the odds stacked against him. Due to complications with the infection, he lost the tip of his paw before he was even a week old and smelled of gangrene. I was worried we would have to amputate, but the vet encouraged me to see how it might heal up before we made that decision. Besides, we had to get his internal infection under control before considering a major surgical option (HUGE props to colloidal silver for clearing things up right away once we figured out what the problem was).

There were so many times I wondered if he would make it, or even that we were doing the right thing. What quality of life would he have? Were we playing God and fighting against nature? But then I'd remember that vision of him as an adult. He certainly seemed to have a higher purpose on this earth. Together with the encouragement of lots of other people who also sensed something very special in him, we worked our way through one scenario after another until he was truly on his feet. During that time, his prospective family did a lot of soul-searching as well. They lived in the woods, where sometimes strays are dropped off or he might meet a coyote or two. Would it be fair to put him at a disadvantage? Maybe they should wait for the next shepherd that became available? But in their hearts, they simply could not say no. So they made other arrangements to protect him in case he might prove to be at a disadvantage as an adult and they welcomed him with open arms.

At 8 weeks old, Kangee went to his new home where he is growing into a gangly, loveable adolescent, full of vim and vinegar. He has charmed the elderly shepherd to the point where they have caught the two of them together outside in the dogbox, with both heads sticking out the same hole. He never messed in the house, and has Mom so wrapped around his paw that someone would have to fight her to get him away from her. He simply could not be in a better home!

And although he lost his paw, the pad that traditionally grows behind the dew claw wrapped itself around the base of his stump so that he has a pad to walk on. When I look at him, I'm in awe of the miracle after miracle that I've witnessed. I have been so blessed to be a part of his journey; the gifts he gave me in the 8 weeks he was with us are priceless. He is an old soul, with a special purpose, and a proud heritage.

God be with you and protect you, my little friend.

This was created for another challege at www.godigitalscrapbooking.com. The challenge was journaling and I also did a scraplift (where you find a layout you like and use it as the basis of how you place your elements.

Christmas Tree Woes

The three calamities I expected with the Christmas tree this year (animals eating tinsel, ornaments breaking, tree tipping) have amazingly not occured. But in an house with dogs, cats and toddlers, the poor Christmas tree is still suffering its fair share of mishaps this year.

This past summer was one of the worst we've had for fleas in Ohio, and during the worst of it, the pugs learned that if they get underneath the decorative bushes by the deck, that they can rub their backs on the lowest branches. Oh, heaven! So when we put up the tree, they naturally thought we had installed an indoor back-scratcher just for them. It stinks when the branches pop out of the little holders and fall out. Kind of defeats the purpose. And it's even worse when the german shepherd puppy grabs said branches and takes off around the house with them, dragging streams of icicles, tinsel and ornaments behind her.

Now that the weather has turned cold, the cats have been training me to let them in and out. They enjoyed the fall weather outside so much that they don't want to return to a totally indoor experience, so they go out for a bit while the dogs use the potty, then they come back in, too. They also decided that the upstairs was too crowded with the toddlers, so they're trying to create a comfortable spot downstairs where everyone can live in peace and harmony.

Winter, the more sociable of the two, decided that any laundry pile or the master bed was good with her, and that's where she can usually be found. Luna, being more reclusive in nature, has gone through a number of hiding spots, but just hasn't found her niche. Until the tree went up. Turns out that the bottom two rows give too much (they're sagging very nicely now), but the third row from the bottom is just right. Not too weak and the branches not too far apart. It evidently makes a perfect perch and sleeping spot for a reclusive cat. To her credit, she somehow manages not to disturb the ornaments in her mount/dismount.

With the cats formerly living upstairs or outside, the dogs haven't been around either of the cats in a significant way for quite a while. So to help establish her place in the house, one day Winter hid on a chair and as unsuspecting pugs went by her, she smacked them with her paw. Didn't hurt them, but the sheer surprise of the sneak attack served its purpose and now the dogs don't know what's around the next bend of their formerly perfectly safe house.

Luna is totally black, so when she hides in the tree, there are very few dogs who know she's there. Last night, the german shepherd puppy was sleeping on the living room floor (a miracle in itself, with all that puppy energy) and the tree wiggled. Her head snapped up and it wiggled again. A threatening low growl was emitted at the same time Petunia came around the corner to find herself a cozy place to lay. When the tree wiggled a third time and more vigorously, Petunia jerked around, ran out of the living room with the german shepherd on her heels. No one wants to live with a haunted Christmas tree, you know.

September Fun - Mum Festival!

September has been a very busy month! We started off with a bang by going to the Dog Splash at the recently closed water park. At the same time, we were battling fleas. Yes, the fleas this year were horrendous. Last year we made it through our first flea season holistically with a bit of diatomaceous earth and some garlic tablets. This year, we knew by the way the summer started it was going to be harsh, so we added essential oils but ran out of garlic tablets. Right around the end of August, beginning of September, I knew we were in trouble. I located some more garlic tablets and added them to their diet. They worked wonderfully, but the problem was that the fleas were jumping off the dogs and onto me! That first night I found a flea in bed, off to the vet we went. The first vet we visited had actually sold out of Frontline (does that tell you how bad it was?) and so we got a bottle of bulk spray at the second stop. Now we've got them back under control, but it was touch and go there for a while! Bet I won't run out of garlic tablets again... Especially since Petunia had a horrible reaction to Frontline (like a chemical burn) and I only sprayed her 4 times (according to the bottle, she could have anywhere from 20 - 40 sprays per her weight). I wish they had remained with their original flea-inhibitor formula instead of going to a pesticide.



This is a 3 generation picture. Daisy, on the right with Rizzo, her daughter, on the left and Kentucky Lilly, the spoiled and headstrong granddaughter in the middle. They had tons of fun wresting every day. Lilly went to her new home two evenings ago and she is terribly missed, no matter how much trouble she caused :) She is busy trying to figure out what she can take over in her new home, I'm sure. She has lots of people there to give her undivided attention and slather lots of love on her! She and Rizzo are products of what we've been breeding for in our lines, with the combinations we've chosen and we're very, very proud of both of them, and of the rest of our crew. Not only is Lilly beautiful and strong, but she also has a strong immune system. She showed symptoms of parvo at 4 weeks old and recovered from it beautifully in very short order with the help of parvaid and colloidal silver. I will always have these products on hand for my litters now that I know exactly how effective they can be, especially when given at the onset of any symptoms.

We also got out for a day of sunshine and fun when delivering a quad runner to my friend's sister. It was a beautiful day, and we ran the quad runner up into an area where he hunts. I got to see beautiful land and dream of living out in the hills and forest. At the end of the day, a storm ripped through while we were driving back (hauling a trailer, no less). It was Hurricane Ike running into a fiercely set high pressure system. The meeting of the two caused a funnel-like reaction bringing hurricane like winds to the Miami Valley. We saw road signs bent over in half. There was actually a tree down on I-70 itself. We saw everything blow across the road in front of us except a cow. The damage was widespread. Even as it was happening, we saw a convoy of 17 Ohio Edison trucks on the highway off to try to repair the damage. In trying to get gas, we had to watch for any signs of electricity at the exits to even pull off. When I finally saw a lit sign, only 2 of the 8 gas stations were operating and they had long lines. And half their pumps were empty already. On returning home, it was shocking the amount of damage. I'm not sure there was anyone that didn't lose limbs from their trees, even if they didn't lose whole trees. In one yard alone, I counted 7 downed adult trees. The wind came through on Sunday, but the main roads in town were still without electricity till Friday and Saturday. Thanks to the help of some neighbors and Tony's ingenuity, the freezers full of meat were saved. With the cost of gas, maybe at an expense close to what was in them!! We have mostly recovered from the event, but there is still a tree in my mom's yard that needs to be cut up and removed. What we suffered was nothing in comparison to the folks in Texas. Our prayers are still with those who are battling the ravages of the hurricane!



Normally I don't post if we've had a visitor or not, but we did have the lovely miss Buzka visiting last week and she was delightful. I couldn't resist posting this picture of her (left) with Fabio. And if you're wondering, she really was giving him a dressing down. Buzka's mom was on her way to pick her up when we learned about a Mum Festival in her area, so we packed up and went there, instead.

Representing Pugville were Petunia and Ellie Mae. They had the most energy to burn that day and boy did they get their money's worth. We walked the vendor's booths for 3 hours! We had a blast. I forgot how many steps you can take between people wanting to pet the dogs. I think it's 3. Sometimes 5. But that's ok. We had fun and the dogs LOVED all the attention they were getting. They had just had baths that morning and were all spruced up and ready for a day out! And, yes, they slept very soundly that night!

Splash Day at the Dog Park

Today was one of the bestest days, ever!!! The new city pool splash park teamed up with the dog park and they had a dog splash day now that the pool has closed down for the season. Truth be told, I didn't make it to the park during its inaugural year as a human to swim, but now that I've been there, I'm very impressed.

The lucky candidates to go with me today were Isabelle, Rizzo, and Rizzo's pup, Kentucky Lilly. Lilly, being only 8 weeks old, and one of the cutest pugs EVER, stole the show. She worked the crowd, following this person, chasing that dog, getting total strangers to ensure her every need was met. She could spot a "rescuer" from across the water park and make a beeline for him/her and give them the "help me, help me" look and they would sweep her up in arms full of cuddles. If I was following her, she barely knew I was there, but if I wanted someone to watch her while I went to do something, she was right behind me with them chasing saying "I tried to pick her up!!" Goofy puppy.

Rizzo was the first to try the water. They have a wonderful little ramp-type area. Humans weren't supposed to be in the pool with the dogs, but several were breaking the rules, so I went in to my ankles with her. She wanted so badly to be brave, but she ended up putting her front paws up on the back of the legs and slowly we waded out together, with her on my leg the whole time. She did ok, though, and kind of swam back a few strokes till she realized she could actually walk back out. Isabelle didn't go out that far, but she did get wet. When we started off for another area, Rizzo lost me in the crowd and ran out into the water searching for me. She found herself in way too deep in a circle of women and she was on her back legs pirouetting. They thought it was cute, but I knew she was panicking. As soon as I saw her go out, I started after her, so as soon as I was within ear range, I was asking people to pick her up. They did, thank goodness. She was in no real danger since she could still stand on her back legs, but she was definitely worried, and didn't really want to go back in the water after that, even though it turns out she's a fine swimmer!! She might have gotten over it if we had been able to stay out there with them for any length of time, but I was trying to be as good as possible for the sake of the health department :)

We continued on around the complex and watched the big, brave dogs. Their owners were throwing all sorts of things as the dogs fearlessly threw themselves into the deep end and gleefully retrieved whatever object it was. They would shake off so much water that it would drench Lilly - lol. She didn't care for that...

On the backside of the pool, where it was deeper, I tried to see if they would like to walk out onto a step where it was shallow and (for the moment) no other dogs. The adults weren't very interested, but Lilly fell into the pool. I immediately reached to drag her back out, but to my surprise, she was swimming very well. She was panicked, but she was swimming. So I held my hand over her till she got to the edge (about 4 inches and 8 puppy paddle strokes) and then lifted her out. Hoping that she would realize that she can swim and that she was ok. Well, she was pretty miffed about the whole thing. First the big dogs shaking on her, then getting her feet wet, and now her whole body??? Where was a rescuer when she needed one? Obviously this isn't what the princess had in mind.

We got to see lots and lots of other dogs. Some of our favorites were the 14-month old springer spaniel siblings, an awesome cutie scottie terrier named Duncan, a 5-month old puppy dachsund who tried really hard to keep up with everyone who ran by, a gorgeous german shepherd who enlisted me to throw his ball into the water, some beautiful golden retrievers, and many others I'm forgetting at the moment. We had a really wonderful time. The girls were totally exhausted after our 2 hour excursion and they settled into deep naps on the way home. And with all the excitement, I forgot to take pictures :( But Lilly kept me very busy with her antics and her frolicking. You just never knew which direction she was going in next. A representative from the dog park asked if she could take a pic for their web page, though. If I find it later, I'll scarf it and post it here for you all!

New picture of Rizzo's pup

It's been a while since any updates. So much has been happening, not enough time to tell it all. But here is a picture of Rizzo's baby girl taken today. She is aware of the world now, and been getting some new experiences. Today she was outside going potty and a truck came by with a whoosh. It scared her, so she jumped back behind the coral bells and peeked out between two leaves. Too cute! Wish I had a camera for every cute moment with these precious pups. But here is one of her trying to sleep while I was in the mood to take pics.

Miss Jolene growing up?

Maybe it's because I was feeling under the weather this last week. Or maybe it was because I said something public about Jolene having only two speeds, on and off. But whatever the reason, Miss Jolene went out of her way this week to prove to me that she has a softer side. She snuggled up for cuddles on several occasions and was calm and polite when doing so instead of "in your face." It was so nice!

And I've put on her website that she is too fragile for a home with small kids, especially remembering back to all the dresses I put on my poor yorkshire terrier when I was young, but she has me re-thinking that, too. We have a family living with us temporarily with 3 and 1 year olds. And when they giggle the loudest, Jolene is usually involved. She's so tiny that she doesn't hurt them if she jumps on top of them. She's light on her feet and QUICK! and can bounce back out of harm's way easily when she dives in for a kiss, especially when they're laying on the couch. They LOVE playing with her and she with them. She's tireless. And the rewards of a giggle spur her on and on, she could play for hours.

An accomplished nester?

Rizzo during childbirth. Can you see the pug?

And her singleton daughter:

Hemi Sync Helpers

A few weeks ago I went to a seminar and learned about Hemi Sync products created by Dr. Monroe 40 years ago to expand the usage of our brains via sound technology. It's fascinating how they began and how far they've come with it over time.

I was attempting to listen to the first cd in the core series, but with my schedule, I had fallen asleep at least 6 times without making it through the 45 minute session.

Two evenings ago I FINALLY made it through most of the first cd. In one section of the relaxation, the person is supposed to breathe in clean, fresh air, and out with the stagnant air, a sort of clearing out the body while relaxing. The next step is to breathe in, then when you breathe out, try to match the tone of the hemi-sync sound playing in the background.

It was after midnight at this point, I'm about 20 min into the program, and the dogs who were sleeping with me were snug in bed and sound asleep. However, when it came time to make the hemi-sync sound, Ellie Mae leaped from one end of the bed to the other and landed square on my chest with her paws on either side of my neck cocking her head. What was that sound??? When I made it again, she licked my lips till I stopped. Evidently she thought I was in some sort of distress and she had to save me.

So last night, with Ellie Mae safely crated, I tried it again. This time Mariah gave me kisses, but at least I didn't get a body tackle. Guess if my brain is going to expand, it'll have to be when the dogs aren't there to help. :)

Miss Petunia Feelin' the Luv

Gator & Storm #2

With the first huge storm of the season, Gator kept me up most of the night trying to drive back a panic attack.

Last Friday afternoon we had another good strong gust of a storm with some thunder and lightning. This time, however, Gator decided he wasn't going to take that crap. He ran upstairs and barked at the ceiling. He sure told that storm where it could go. I'd say where the sun doesn't shine, but it wasn't shining anyway.

Now we're in storm 3 and he's taking it all in stride so far. Maybe he figures he made it go away last time, so it's not so scary?

Stairs? No Problem!

I am so proud of brave little Alvin. I was proud of him when he mastered the back deck stairs, but it takes a lot longer for them to be brave enough to come down the inside narrow stairs.

Last week when Ellie went up the stairs, Alvin decided he was brave enough to go up, too. He paused a few times and looked down, but decided it was safer to keep going up than to attempt going down. And we had to carry him down because it was way too scary to do it on his own. But on his third trip up, when I was carrying Ellie down, intending to come back for Alvin, the little trooper marched right down the stairs, his nose practically touching my leg. He was a VERY brave little boy! And now he goes up and down with ease. His mother, however, still requires carrying. So occassionally she gets left up there for a while to discourage her from going up in the first place. But she eventually gives someone her pouty Ren & Stimpy face and someone carries her back down.

Thursday, January 25, 2007

Puppy Update
Category: Pets and Animals


Daisy's: Getting ready for work this morning, and the kids wanted to see the big world outside the pen. So I let them on the bed - it's their second time there. They had a blast, charging wrinkles in the bedspread, playing with the other dogs. I have to say we have the best dogs in the whole world. Isabelle has been playing nanny to Daisy's dogs and Petunia has been fiercely protecting Ellie's dogs when she's not in attendance, and helping her clean them up when necessary. Mariah has even thrown herself on her back in the task of playing gently with the puppies. Once the puppies got a good taste of the outside world, they decided they'd like to go there whenever they please and they tried to crawl out of the elevated whelping pen. One almost succeeded! They're young, but strong and determined. So I adjusted the pen and tonight they got moved to a different location, safer for them and more accessible for mom. They had a blast investigating their new surroundings. At first they barked, a little on the sassy side, then sniffed, ran, jumped, and played longer than I've ever seen them yet! Of course, then they were down for a good, hard nap.



Ellie's: Their eyes are open, but not their ears yet. Even though they've been handled and have been through the initial puppy stimulus exercises, they are still squirmy and a bit contrary. They are definitely opinionated, but we're working with them so they will settle comfortably. Now that the official whelping pen is vacated, they've been moved from the temporary location to it and they are enjoying the added space, but they're still inclined to spend most of their time in a puppy pile. Within a week, we'll be seeing a lot more activity out of this crew.

Ellie's pup's eyes are opening!

Ellie's Pups eyes are opening!
Category: Pets and Animals


Ellie's pups are just starting to open their eyes! Soon the first part of their puppy development exercises will come to an end and we'll be on to the next phase. The little black boy seems to be marching to the beat of a different drummer. He'll wake up in the middle of the night and demand attention while the others are sleeping peacefully. They're all pretty active and squirmy compared to most pug litters. I expect them to give me a run for my money when they get their legs under them!

Daisy's pups are getting more mobile. They've started peeking over the top of the whelping pen and love getting picked up and snuggled. They're starting to express their opinions and desires with little baby indignant barks, already searching for the people who will someday obey their every wish and command.

Congratulations Ellie Mae!

Congratulations Ellie Mae 1-9-07
Category: Pets and Animals


On the 3rd of January, Daisy's puppies went in for their first vet check (passed with flying colors) and their dew claw removal. They are growing SO FAST! They seem like they came out of the womb jumping and are ahead of schedule on every measure. Daisy is doing a wonderful job keeping up with them and making sure they stay plump and happy.

In the meantime, Ellie went in for her x-rays on the 9th. We wanted an evaluation to see if she would be able to deliver naturally and to find out how many puppies. She was so small, that can mean a smaller litter and larger puppies. The x-rays showed for, and the heads looked like they would pass through just fine. But in the back of my head I was wondering if they would grow too large by her due date on the 13th.

Well, Providence, always being well-prepared, made sure that the delivery went just fine. It started by rescheduling the delivery to the 9th, then bumping me out of work early for lunch, then by making the fast food drive thru line sooooo long that I decided I could certainly scrounge up something for lunch at home. Any delays that day would have certainly lost one of her puppies. As I got home for lunch, the dogs were more interested in the bedroom than going outside and there was blood on the living room floor. Ellie Mae had knocked out one of the sofa cushions and was hiding behind it.

When it finally hit me what was going on, I discovered she had been in the bedroom, had made a nest of the clean sheets and bed coverings I had laid out the day before to make the bed, and had delivered her first puppy there. It was still in the sac with the afterbirth intact, and 5 other dogs standing in a circle looking at it wondering what to do while Ellie Mae hid in the sofa cushions. The puppy was still warm, I went into action and got it breathing and Daisy took care of the rest. She was a wonderful surrogate to the newborn until it finally sunk into Ellie Mae what that blob really was. Then her maternal instincts kicked in and she took great care of it.

I called into work to let them know I'd be an hour late (how long can it take to deliver 4 puppies? And Tony was on his way home, so he'd be there with them). Two hours later, nothing, just occassional contractions, so we put a call into the vet. They suggested we stop by and pick up some oxytocin and try that, and if it didn't do the trick, to bring her in for a c-section. At exactly 3 hours after the first puppy, I went into the room with the oxytocin and needle, and she took one look at me and went into serious contractions for #2. Next time I'm going to show her an empty needle and save myself the trip. But it wasn't until I sat on the one clean corner of the bed for her to get into my lap and deliver that she felt safe enough to actually pop out #2. Number 3 was soon to follow and #4 not too much later. In fact, all together it took less time for her to deliver than it did for me to wash all the bedclothes and clean up the mess she left behind. For those of you courious enough to know, we actually have a waterproof mattress pad on the bed. You just never know what's going to happen around here, and I've found it's best to be prepared.

Ellie's pups went this morning for their vet check and dew claw removal. Again, thumbs up all the way around. They are thriving and Ellie is doing great. Maybe it's because there are only 4, but they have rarely required rescuing (from her sitting on them). The only real problem we're having is that Ellie Mae wants to find bones (nylabones, rawhides, etc.) and bring them back to the whelping pen where she gets so enthusiastic about chewing them that she will elbow her puppies unintentionally. So I've had to take them away from her or she's only allowed to chew on them outside of the pen.

In the meantime, Ellie is protective of Daisy's pups (gets nervous when I pick one up) and vice versa. The two moms both have whelping pens in my bedroom and they really look out for each others puppies. Out of the other dogs, Isabelle is making the best nanny, occassionally helping with cleaning duties, and just checking in on everything overall to ensure all is well. Izzy doesn't like Mariah getting close to the puppies, so she chases her and the others away if they get too close, an arrangement that seems very suitable to the mommas.

The truth about Daisy's Delivery

Monday, January 08, 2007

The truth about Daisy's delivery
Category: Pets and Animals


You know, in reviewing the earlier post, saying that she had lovely puppies does nothing to paint a true picture of that day. So here's how it really went.

To work in the morning with the dog in tow, spent significant time unloading the car. Dad, who works in the same office, wanted to be sure that we had adequate facilities, so he hunted down a really big box and cut it down to size. After going from the office and moving the whole entourage to the kitchen, without getting any work at all done, it was close enough to lunchtime that it was best to just move her home to her whelping pen.

On the way home, she moved around in circles, pawed at the blanket under her and stood and groaned a few times. Me, with one hand on her, one on the steering wheel, and a heavy foot on the accelerator, seriously considered calling in a police escort.

At the home base, she pawed at the mats in the whelping pen, moaned a bit, and her water sac emerged. It hung there FOREVER. You really can't do much to help a water sac. And the homeopathic remedies that help ease delivery weren't with me because they had been on loan to another person and we kept missing each other trying to get them back. We worked and worked at getting that sac out. Finally it busted and another sac emerged. Where is the puppy? Why was there only about an inch of sac coming out and I couldn't see a puppy? She stayed like that for too long for comfort, again, making lots of noises and starting to really scare me. She looked miserable in her crate, so I thought maybe if she were beside me in bed, she'd do better. So I laid out blankets and let her out with me there. The little snot immediately jumped off the bed onto the floor and hunched like she was going to defacate. I grabbed a blanket and stuck it under her just in time to catch the first puppy. Then the little stinker RAN UNDER THE BED. Yeh, the queen sized bed in a twin-sized room with no space for me to maneuver it to get her out.

So she's under the bed grunting, I'm trying to get the first puppy to breathe. I get it breathing but it won't wail. Figuring that if it were to wail, she would come running, I kept stimulating it and holding it at the edge of the bed, but she wasn't taking the bait. Hearing some commotion under the bed, I put the puppy in the whelping pen and grabbed a flashlight. She had #2 under the bed and appeared to be somewhat stuck. Putting my back into it, I managed to move the bed 6 inches or so away from the wall and reached down behind to grab the puppy.

All this time, I've been calling her, bribing her, and even threatening her, but she won't come out from her sanctuary under the bed. I get puppy #2 breathing. Scared to death I wouldn't be able to reach puppy #3 under the bed, my adrenaline really kicked in and I hoisted the mattress off the bed and into the hall. Yeh, I know you're supposed to keep a level head and a calm attitude, but I have to admit some curses slid her way in those moments.

Of course, once I tilted the box springs up and she knew she didn't have a choice, she sauntered out as easy as you please like "what's all the excitement??" Once she got back into the whelping pen and started cleaning her babies, the rest of the delivery went just fine.

After all the puppies were safe and nursing, we both took a nap. After we woke, it was toward supper time. She had been shaking during delivery, but that was nothing new for her. However, after waking up from the nap, whenever she would stand up or walk, she would start shivering again.

A call to the on-call emergency vet was placed and he said it shouldn't be calcium - it was too early for that. But then again, he didn't know without examining her. I'm sure he thought I was being overly concerned, but he met me at his office around 7:30 pm that evening. I'm soooo thankful for his time and his expertise. He gave her the calcium shot at my request and also a few other shots and after that her shaking ceased and didn't come back - it was a calcium issue after all!

Now that she's back in good shape, I need either an alignment or a massage. Or maybe I'll treat myself to both ;) So why did it take me a week to write the real story? Finally am getting enough sleep at night to be able to write whole sentences ;)

On an interesting note, while doing tonight's puppy development exercises, one of the puppies has just opened its eyes! That's very early! They are happy, healthy and plump little cuties.

Storytime - Fabio

Fabio is a doll. He's one of those who is so cute that they turn out to be terrorists because whenever softies like me try to discipline them, they just turn on the charm and get away with murder.

Like most pugs, Fabio likes toys. He likes a variety and has fun when there is something new and different to play with. However, his absolute most favorite toys are from the dryer. We have one of those doors that opens down instead of to the side, and when I'm folding laundry, Fabio sneaks up, jumps onto the dryer door, sticks his head in, and usually grabs a sock and goes running. Nevermind that there is a whole pile of socks that have holes in them and have been relegated to the dog toy pile. No, those aren't good enough. Only socks fresh from the dryer are good enough to steal and laud over the others. And evidently he's on to something because the others will flock over and try to take it from him and the chase is on!

Congratulations Daisy!

Daisy had beautiful puppies on 12-29-06. There are 4 male, 2 female, 3 apricot fawn, and 3 regular fawn. They are healthy, plump, and delightfully wiggly! They have been to the vet and had their dew claws removed and passed their first vet check with flying colors! This picture was taken when Daisy finished delivering - it was a long afternoon for her!