Litternotes

(Oldest post at top)

12/28/10 - Pups starting to go home today!  F2/Cadence is staying here. M1 to Memphis, F1 & M4 to Knoxville.  M3 flies home later this week, and M2 will be staying a couple of extra weeks.

12/27/10 - 8 weeks, second vet visits, weights, fecals, exams.  Everyone has firm stools and has gained at least a pound this week, some almost 2#.  Mom has lost 3#, but she's letting the babies eat and waits until they are done, so I'm adding extra meals just for her.. 

12/20/10 - 7 weeks, first vet visits, puppy boosters, fecal tests, dewormed with Interceptor, exams, weights, microchips, & pics...

12/15/10 - 6 weeks, 2 days.  I have the best, most patient puppy buyers.  I'm 2 days late on pictures and I haven't gotten crying or begging, although I'm getting a lot of... anticipation.  LOL.  We've had terrible weather, complete winter socked in, didn't get above freezing except once in 7 days.... which is incredible weather for East Tennessee in December.  I am so thankful I put in propane heat last February, I'd never have gotten the house warm with the plug-in wall heaters.  Anyway, the puppies -- mom Trumpet and Grandma Storm are their fulltime "moms."  They met Papa Pax and he LOVES puppies, lies down and rolls over for them to crawl all over him.  He croons as they lick and wag for him.  We're supposed to be doing leash training this week.  And with ice on the ground, that's not gonna happen today or tomorrow.  They have eaten smoked salmon, more sushi, mushmellon, tuna, shortbread cookies, and cheddar popcorn.  They are watching the West Wing with me and like the intro music.

Last Friday Trumpet, in her enthusiasm, jumped up and landed on the gray boy.  After a complete vet exam, he had bruising on his abdomen and was on pain meds for the weekend.  Temp normal, no broken bones, good color in his gums, alert, but clearly in pain, whimpering and restless.  I left him upstairs on the futon asleep and went outside to carry water to the dogs, and when I came back in on one of my trips, he had toddled all the way down the stairs and was lying next to his siblings in their crate.  He's very affectionate to people but likes dog company as well.

12/6/10 - 5 weeks, forgot to deworm last week when I posted, but got them dosed with Pyrantal Pomoate (roundworms) the day after.  Grandma Storm is back with Mama Trumpet and the 6 Musketeers.  We work it out so I separate Strom & Trumpet from the pups during 3x/day feeding. Pups & ma & gramma are all on Eukanuba Large Breed Puppy.  Stools are perfect, everyone is muscling up -- and growing! -- and pups are propelled by their tails.  <G>  See a person and the spiral tail wags start.  They are exuberant with strangers.  Run boldly to strange dogs, grandma, papa Pax, uncle Maestro, great-uncle Tom T., great grandma Singer.... they love and lick and wag and since all these are great with puppies, they are learning to be properly puppy-subserviant to bigger, easy-going dogs.

Toenail trims with peanut butter distractions.  Pictures on tables.

11/29/10 - 4 weeks, updated pics, heads, stacks, and fronts... am not really happy with the pictures, but was trying to beat the rain and bring everyone back in before we got soaked.  Will try again soon.  Meanwhile...

Pups are eating kibble, Eukanuba Puppy Growth 29/19.  Put them down around a bowl with soaked kibble and they didn't stop till the bowl was empty.  Now feeding 2x/day.  They are still nursing.  Buddha-boy (M4) is very playful despite his soulful demeanor.  And the fuzzier girl (F2) is the last to come running.  But they all come running... or waddling...

Pups are outside in a kennel from 6a and fed breakfast. Last meal is at 6p.  Come in around 11 or midnight.  They are sleeping through the night already.

And if you sit in the floor, they all crawl into your lap... you need a bigger lap for these guys.  Of course their mom Trumpet is usually on your head.  And grandma Stormi wants to take ALL the puppies because she thinks she can do a better job....

Storm and Trumpet (mother & daughter) are still going out to potty together, and Storm really wants to visit the puppies... so I tried putting her in the puppy kennel without Trumpet...  She sniffed them all over, then licked their faces, and sat in a sprawl... just as she did for her puppies.  They nosed all over her looking for milk.  Put Trumpet in the kennel and they were fine while I cleaned the other kennel...  Then the Grump!  I look over and Trumpet is sitting in the corner, the puppies are all around Storm.  One of the puppies starts towards Trumpet and Storm GRUMPS at the puppy who scurries back to grandma Storm.  Trumpet gets up to go to her puppies and Storm GRUMPS at her, and she scurries back to sit in the corner.

When I quit laughing and wiped the tears I dragged Storm out of the  kennel.  Trumpet and puppies reunited and Storm and I watched TV...

11/21/10 - 3 week pics up, and we had some fun this morning -- yawns everywhere... <LOL>  Will start gruel this week, since they keep sucking on fingers and licking chins when you hold them.  And they are fascinated with pizza smells on hands.  These are Singer's great-grand puppies and she turned 11yo today -- took pictures of her and brother Tom T. doing their favorite thing... running in harness.  It's been a good morning already.  I see Singer in several of these puppies, and there's a boy who reminds me of the magnificent Tom T. - wouldn't that be a blessing.

11/15/10 - 2 week pics up, as well as Heads & Fronts.  Added Papa Pax & Mama Trumpet's baby pics to the bottom for comparison.  Deworming went well, they sucked it down and licked it off each other.  Mama Trumpet thought it was so great she grabbed the open bottle and ran around spilling it everywhere.  Pyrantal isn't gonna hurt her, but I hosed out the kennel -- again -- just in case.  Moved them outside Sunday in the pretty weather.  It's more mild outside than in the kitchen -- don't have the heat turned on yet except an hour at a time.  And they have the puppy palace and plenty of cedar.  The thermometer says it is warmer in the palace than it is in the kitchen... I might have to sleep with them <G> Will do toenail trims this week, they are getting LONGER.  And a couple of them are really getting chunky, you can see in the pics.  Trumpet's mom Storm wants to help... Trumpet said, No thanks, ma.  So Storm settled for grooming Trumpet all over.... HA!  Mamas have their ways... 2w pics, heads, fronts.

11/8/10 - 1 week old and they are fat monsters.  Mama Trumpet goes out to pee ever 6-8 hours and first she has to go tell her mama Storm all about it, and Storm has to sniff her all over.  Daddy Pax is in with Storm and they both sniff her head to toe while Trumpet  leans up against the kennel fence.  Then she does her business and rushes back into the house to see what happened to the puppies in the last minute and a half.  1week pics. 

11/3/10 - Puppy pics 2do.

11/2/10 - Papa Pax is busy while mama Trumpet tends to the kids.  He is preparing for his WTD in December, his RN in January, his UWP in February, and his return to the AKC show ring in March.  Puppy pics 1do.

10/30/10 - Trumpet and her mama Storm are inseparable.  Here are pictures taken of the two of them.... Trumpet's first due date is tomorrow... Pics Malamutes in Waiting...

8/29/10 - Pax & Trumpet tied!  He handled it better than she, but then he's done this before with Seranade.  Trumpet yelled bloody murder, but thinking she probably would, I was there to tell her it was OK.  So while holding her, she still managed to spin like a Marlin on the line.  Pax being a good boy, just stood there with an expression on his face like he was reading the sports section.  Those boys are so BLAH after the tie.  Whatever, pass the toast.  Due 10/31 = Storm's 8th birthday, and 8week go-home will be 12/26 - or later.  9-10 weeks is better for the puppies because MOM can socialize a puppy better than any human can.  Storm was a great mother, expect her daughter Trumpet to be the same.

8/20/10 - Time to take Storm out of the group.  She's about to be spayed and no reason to stress everyone out by leaving her in.