Come inside my world just a touch to have a peek into the background here. Now I won’t give away all my secrets...(really just saving you from the not so rosies that are involved) but mainly to be part of my joys and ok, part of my 'not so rosy' moments as well. So many layers make up my days but make up my story as well.
From the squeaks and singing babes, fat growing tummies, sweet smelling pup smell that lures the most hesitant to sink their noses into this fuzz. All this create a joyous day but then I turn my head and a brother just pooped on his sisters head and another brother sits right on top of that and proudly smashes it deeper as if executed with the fullest intention. Really little buddy?! Gotta love brothers. sigh We'll see if a wipe down will fix this one, if not a bath is in order. I'll save this photo for my 'secret' file!
The pups are testing out their voices recently and trying their best to stay on key just like a youngster first entering band class and trying to get that instrument just right. I grin from ear to ear as I roll up yet another towel from a box for my laundry bin. My washing machine doesn’t know what just hit it.
My mamas give some kisses and then lean over to me to try to give me kisses and then I quickly remember what their job is with these babies that is making all this laundry. I love you too sweet girls as I redirect their kisses back to the babes.
Tonka and his eager beaver girl peek in the side window, their ‘drive through’ window as they have trained me to feed them snacks on the fly. Do you want fries with that? They tear off and Neema goes and inspects her most recent hole she has dug right next to a stump where of course there is no grid beneath the sand to stop this action. Thank you Neema for the inspection, I will try to improve in this area.
Arai hands me a pile of clean towels from the house and I replenish the cabinet that I just emptied. She kindly declines the soiled pile with a teenager bat of her eyelashes.
Meiko’s pups all got De-worming meds this past week and Isla’s Pups also got a different med on board to keep everyone healthy and on track. Oooh the flushing of systems is ‘great’! Healthy and strong is our goal as yet another brother tries to tag a near by sibling. Caught red handed this time little buddy.
The mama care is extensive after birth, from recovering from their actual birthing to the onset of milk overload. We dodged antibiotics on Leia’s milk production with adding in Sunflower Lecithin, total life saver. Thank you Kelli! Next door buddies also saved the day. Isla also borrowed a buddy here and there to keep her production level. I’ll keep my other mama care ‘secrets’ to myself as they go into the not so rosy category. All the mamas are doing terrific and are happy as smiling clams on a bright and beautiful morning. They simply adore being mamas and it shines all over their faces every day.
I hear a pup inside the nursery crying like the world is coming to an end only to peek in and discover little 'Joe' has ventured a foot away from his sibling pile and can’t find his way back. Figure it out sweet boy, you’ve got this. The other pups blink upwards and their heads bob like bobble head dolls testing out their new big kid skills. Their wobbly legs get under them and their fat bellies are finally off the floor. Pogo helps Joe out by extending her nose forward and he gratefully follows it back until he’s planted right on top of the whole pile.
Instantly poops on his other sisters head. Come one! What is with this game you guys! Potty boxes are very much on the upcoming schedule to be added to their areas. Meiko’s pups turn 3 wks old tomorrow so solid food is on their agenda. Potty boxes will be in place a few days first though so once that solid food gets introduced, they understand the assignment. They catch on quickly and my laundry load diminishes somewhat. Onto a new method of cleaning.
Isla’s darling ‘Toy’ babies have Tonka written all over their faces and it’s obviously shining through their genetics as well which was exactly the plan I had hoped for! I put them through my ENS and handling protocols to teach them stress and recovery. I turn them on their backs and I get nothing. I turn them upside down and again .. nothing. So much for stressing them out! I am thrilled. I put them in the stroller and for these pups I’ll have to go over a few extra roots and pick up my pace to find a stressor that makes them wiggle. Their Teddy and Axolotl Warm buddies are toasty companions. Everyone has gotten a chance to be out for a walk in the stroller with 2 or 3 of the wee Luxury babes tucked down deep in my snuggle sack. Not a peep out of these pups either. Maybe a bit too cozy.
Water introduction took place this week with a lot of the babies. We start with only a brief dunking of their toes into cold water so to try to create that stress and recover response. I broke the ‘Toy’ pups event into 2 sessions to honor Isla as she got a bit nervous when I finally reached their stress point and a whimper escaped. Nothing that a quick snuggle and coo didn’t fix and just like magic their confidence starts to build when they realize they are perfectly fine. Yes, you did it sweet babe. The water will get deeper and by 5 – 6 wks old they will be swimming all on their own. It’s definitely a highlight moment.
A mama nudges me back to reality as I get wrapped up in these tasks but only really because of the squishy squashy snuggles that are irresistible. More food please is the gentle reminder. Right, mamas that eat like horses lately. They get a full bowl of food just about every time they go outside for a break. The balance between keeping up on caloric needs and over feeding to disrupt their digestive system is a fine line. Not to mention their job of keeping their babies clean. Oh, the not so rosy details surface once again. Probiotics and dehydrated carrots are stacked on my shelf in mass quantities right beside my sky-high pile of food bags. My raw beef wheat germ meatballs are long gone down the hatch. More time in the kitchen for the mamas, check, I’ll get on that.
All my families on board have been fantastic and are prepping behind their scenes getting ready for what … they think… is coming ahead. Christmas this year is going to be extra special for sure. For 3 families, this extra focus that raising a new pup takes, hit them with full reality. The realization and honesty I appreciate immensely as raising a pup is no joke. Time off around the holidays is great but for some the extra focus was just too much so they bumped their puppy dream out to spring. So as stated on the front of my website, I do now have 3 extra pups looking for new homes. So spread the word, consider a 2nd or filling a void you weren’t sure you wanted to fill quite yet. These pups are spectacular in every way shape and form. All their sweetness, yes even their not so rosy pooped on fur at times.
It all blurs into the background as towels get rolled up, floors get washed, pups get wiped down, air gets moved and energy settles once again. The singing pups, the squish of wee tummies, the lean of a mama and yes even the full blown eager beaver maneuver of slamming into my legs for love always wins. How can it not as that golden gaze looks up at you asking you ‘what now?’ ‘what’s your deepest darkest secrets?’ ‘Can I help calm that?’ ‘Can I get a scratch, just one? It’ll be enough’ ‘a smile to make you laugh’ ‘can we go on just one more romp around the yard? I promise just one’ ‘Can we practice our skills for you again?’ It’s all what makes this breed as close to perfection as it gets.
So after all, the not so rosy, in the background ‘secrets’ lose their weight. The power of mindset and the magic of puppies is extraordinary. Yes, pups bring challenges of all sorts, a lot of energy, things you wish they simply would not do (my digging eager beaver) and they will test your patience as you raise them up into this magnificent magic buddy that you always dreamed of. This will win over everything. You take a breath and remember your steps, you remind yourself that the air settles and the energy balances at the end of the day. You slow down, move half speed and transfer this energy into your new baby and they will give it back to you… just like this.
My days will be getting busier as the darkness surrounding us gets longer (thank you daylight savings). Patio lights strung from trees always makes this morning darkness just a touch happier and brighter. My silent party at 6am as the dogs rush around the yard stretching their legs or just taking in the peace of the morning air.
SO looking forward to sharing these pups next weekend with families!!! Being in the center of this joy is one thing but sharing this joy with others makes it 10x better.
Everyone here sends their love your way! From all the priceless babies, my dear sweet mamas, my bestest boy Tonka and my little goofy love of an eager beaver, Neema Zae.
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