James and the Giant Peach

Whenever I take photos of the puppies it's usually a lot so I have a stock pile to get through over the course of a few days. Unfortunately they grow so fast by the time I've posted as many photos as I want they don't even really look like the puppies in the photos. Leeloo is starting to think they can't grow fast enough, the sooner they do the sooner she doesn't have to feed them anymore!

Already with the naughty exploration. That is a bag hanging on a doorknob and it clearly held all kind of delight and curiosity for these two, nothing is so fun as pulling something down and running away with it.

Mr Green. Oh this little man is going to be some kind of handsome. He is destined, as long as everything else besides his head checks out, for a show home. He is certainly well on his way to being some kind of wonderful.

Ahem. Mr Blue? Jealous much? Now, for some reason, although Mr Green is handsome, I am very drawn to Mr Blue. I'm not sure if it's his coloring or his attitude but he catches my eye something fierce. He is insanely attractive and his color is out of this world. Part of me thinks I like him because he is such a bad boy.

There's that attitude again. I can't honestly say I know who the other puppy is because I didn't catch the ribbon in the photo. Black? Yellow? White? Hard to tell, either way there is definitely a conversation here.

Miss Purple. It's looking more and more like Miss Purple will be Coraline. She is utterly feminine and totally knows she is the bomb. She 100% Leeloo but that little bit of Boy I wanted is there too - only time will tell but I am liking what I see.  Preliminary decisions are being made about home placements for the girls at this point but for the boys we will have to wait a little longer. I want to see how they weigh out structurally before making firm decisions - so far everyone looks marvelous!



Bend It Like Beckham

I'd forgotten in the last 2 years since my previous litter just how fast the puppies grow once you start them on 'real' dog food. Everyday I see spurts and development and I am amazed at how quickly they are learning things, exploring, and how fast they can now run! They are not incredibly steady on their feet but they sure try hard. They are also playing a lot so when a new toy is presented it's an object of fascination and chewing. Miss Orange was the first to make the ball move and it was as though a light went off ... this was a toy to be reckoned with.

Mr Red soon got into the act and used his feet to grab and push the ball around. They are still very clumsy but I think it adds to the insanely cute quotient.

Mr Maroon pushed it around a little bit but wasn't really that sure he knew what to do with it. This particular ball is one their mother played with when she was a puppy, it's held up well considering it gets food put inside it as a treat ball.

Miss Purple and Miss Yellow had a debate about which was more important: wrestling or playing with a ball. Miss Yellow was in the ball's court, so to speak, but Purple was loudly shouting that argument down. In the end Purple lost interest and wandered off to chew something else ... likely a high dollar possession that I value more than a rubber soccer ball.

Once Purple was out of her way Yellow went to town on that ball and kicked its butt. She seems to be a take no prisoners kind of gal - often wandering into uncharted territory or back into their pen to pee on her own. She'll be a great one for adventure that Yellow.

And just exactly how many ways from adorable is this? Yellow and her ball (and Esme's most recent shaving cream lid) and a whole lot of ridiculously cute. What more is there in life?

The Lion's Share

Leeloo is nothing if not predictable. She understands that when the dish comes out to feed the puppies my intention is to feed them all that lovely food and not let her have any until they are done. Leeloo's no fool. She knows if they get their puppy mouths on it there will hardly be any left for her. This is distressing to say the least. So, while they power through the dish she lies in wait for the moment I say she can have the dredges of the mash. Until then though she implements Plan B wherein she licks the food off their faces as they wander from her to the dish and back again.

Isn't it sweet? Momma licking her babies just like she's giving them sweet kisses of love. Hardly. She can't lick the mash off their faces fast enough. Every time one walks past she checks and double checks to see if it's been cleaned yet. The puppies appreciate the attention and think she's being the doting mother that every puppy deserves. They don't realize that if I let her she'd not only eat all the food out from under them, she's also decided that since they have teeth she shouldn't have to feed them anymore anyway. Leeloo never really was one for sharing.

Sit Tight

Very quick blog tonight, I'm exhausted and I need to sleep. Leeloo still hasn't figured out that if she sits it will be easier and more comfortable for the puppies to eat. She still insists on lying down on her side which is very crowded now and makes it hard for everyone to get to a boobie. To get her to do the below I have to get her to sit and then prop her up with my hand but eventually she leans on my arm and sinks onto the puppies. This, obviously, isn't so good for their health since they get squashed. So I just let her lie down and the puppies figure it out. Poor sad face Leeloo, she's still compelled to feed them because of the full boobies and the call of nature but I can tell she's getting a little tired of the teeth. Only a couple more weeks my darling Boobles and you can kick the Baby Boobles out of the nest - here on out she'll feed them less and I'll feed them more. Yay me.  

Batman

At the risk of making everyone want Mr Green, here he is enjoying a belly rub by Tara who came to visit today. She has her own packs of Ridgebacks at home but, just in case, Leeloo was checking pockets before Tara left.

Mr Green was awake when Tara picked him up for a cuddle but ever so slowly, as she rubbed his chest, his head flexed backward and ended up resting on her knees. He stayed that way for some time, clearly fast asleep.

You can see their ears are starting to grow, in fact I can see the difference every day. By the time they are 8 weeks old their ears will be the same size as their heads - so silken soft that when you touch them it's like you're not touching anything at all.

Obviously there was also a lot of playing and fussing when visitors are in the house, it's the best time to show off since Mommy has seen all their old tricks. White and Pink are learning to chew on each other, better them than me with those little needle teeth!

Dora Lee came with Tara up from the Halifax area, she has her own two Ridgebacks at home but said if there were any of these guys left she'd be in danger of getting another. At this age they are pretty darling - they did pee and poop an awful lot though! I don't mind, it simply means they are getting what they need and all systems are working properly ... the sleep system gets a lot of practice too!

Zookeeper

More exploration means the puppies can seek out and find Leeloo wherever she may be hiding, unless it's on a couch or bed. So when Leeloo took herself off into the kitchen to get away from their sharp little jaws they hunted her down and pinned her to the dog bed there. Poor long suffering Leeloo - fortunately weaning isn't a long way off.

Miss Purple sat very nicely for her photo. She looks like a bit of a snob but that's just not who she is at all. It's uncanny how much she reminds me of Leeloo and for me, that can only mean good things.

Esme finally gets to play with the puppies. She has been dying to get them to interact with her since they were born. Now they walk toward her, waving paws and tails, and she play bows, pokes them and waves her feet back. She really shouldn't encourage them, they are going to takes her up on her offer in spades ... and how.

Miss Orange is the sweetest little wallflower; she never makes a fuss and is the easiest puppy ever. She is so sweet and was gifted with her Mom's soft eye (in fact most of them will have Leeloo's eye and I am delighted - not that I don't love The Boy, but Leeloo's expression is what I was aiming at - as they age it will become more clear what I mean).

And who doesn't love The Boy? He's such a gentle giant. He was curious about the puppies but if they got too close he leapt away in horror. Here he is inspecting the fruit of his loins, Mr Red who momentarily mistook The Boy for his Mommy. An easy mistake when your depth perception isn't developed and you can only see a few inches in front of your face.

Plan 9 From Outer Space

The puppies have become expert eaters. Not surprising considering their breed - I don't know a single Ridgeback who doesn't love food. With Leeloo's genes firmly ensconced in their DNA I think they'll love to eat as much as she does.

This is their flying saucer puppy dish, it's designed with a raised centre so they can't walk through the food but they do manage to find a way to stand sideways in it while they eat. And no, your eyes do not deceive you, there are not eleven puppies, that little statue is holding the door open because it tends to swing partially shut and the puppies don't need another place to get stuck in a corner. Don't ask me how many times that damn thing has caught my eye and I've thought it was a puppy ... too many to count.