Week Three Update

Isabelle is still holding strong.  As part of her master plan, she has been begging for double the meat, then eating part of it in her pen and when I walk away, burying the other part of it in creative places.  No wonder she won't let other dogs in the room.  I didn't notice the special spot in the bottom of the wardrobe till the other dogs gave it away.  And today she had the nerve to drag the meat out of the pen and onto the sofa and try to bury it in the laundry basket of fresh clothes I brought upstairs right in front of me.  What is this child thinking??  As I said, it takes a special kind of love....

I told you all that around the 3 week point, we were prepping to go ahead and start the initial weaning process, by introducing ground food to the pups to see how they'll take to it.  When I woke up this morning, I was stirring and as I rolled over and opened my eyes, Isabelle was intensely staring at me from her whelping pen with 7 voraciously feeding, lip-smacking puppies at her teats and she asked me, "So, is it 3 weeks yet?"  I laughed and said, yes, it's 3 weeks.  I promise we'll make some puppy food today.  Was going to make it earlier in the week, but I haven't gotten my grinder back yet from our neighbors. 

I bet you're ready to hear about the pups!  Well, let's see... they've had their nails trimmed for the second time now.  They're all getting their legs underneath them better and are much quicker/more mobile.  They are eliminating easily now and are starting to congregate on one end of the whelping pen to sleep and the other end to eliminate.  Amazing at how naturally this and peeing on towels on the floor comes to pug puppies.  Their ears are open, so when Isabelle jumps anywhere near the pen, you see little heads bobbing up and down in anticipation of their momma coming to see them.  The one little guy last week, Asher, kept waiting and waiting and waiting for Isabelle to jump in the pen and when she didn't, he stretched his chin up and gave a respectable "woo-woo" of frustration.  I told you all.. don't mess with his food.  I was so proud of the little guy for this landmark behavior! 

Gable is the only one that I have a concern about right now.  He is smaller than the others, and I think the situation is purely his stature is going to be smaller, but I have been pulling him out for individual feedings with Isabelle just to be sure.  If a pup falls behind, and they are not as strong as the others, then it's a Catch-22, not being strong enough to get to the milk to get stronger.  So you always have to keep your eye out for those so they don't lose out at the milk bar. 

Pictures?  Why yes, I have pictures here somewhere....

See them chowing on Isabelle's meat??  Or trying, anyway.  Kind of hard to do without teeth!  That's Gable on the north side of the meat.

Wow, that recessive fawn gene sure shows up with the flash of the camera! The difference is not that obvious in natural light!

Well, guess it's time for me to get away from the camera and the babies and go make them some food!  Thanks for sharing my pups with me.  From our little family to yours, we hope you have a very blessed and happy Merry Christmas!  May your days be touched by the special kind of love that Christmas brings :)