The Help

If I haven't mentioned it before I think I should mention it now: puppies are very helpful. They will help you do everything. The best part is they don't even need to be asked, they will just pitch right in with no invitation and take on the bulk of the task themselves. It doesn't matter to them that they have no thumbs, can't talk, don't see very well and are uncoordinated.

(Lime/Peggy)

They want to help and that is all that counts. They have a certain way of asking "What are you doing now? What are you doing now? What are you doing now?" ad nauseum and they never seem to get tired of it. Trust me on this: They. Never. Get. Tired. Of. It.

(Red/Tezlin)

Just the other minute I was clearing the dirty papers out of the puppy pen and I had about 3 or 4 helpers. Let me tell you, the task went a LOT faster with so many paws at the ready. Rolling that paper up, folding it and making sure nothing leaked out was 10 times easier with one puppy hanging off my sleeve, another attached to my sock, and another 2 grabbing at that silly paper while it rustled and crinkled. I wish I had this kind of volunteer work with everything I do.

(Purple/Kenzi)

They also like to help me mop which involves chasing the mop head, getting underfoot, running through what I'm trying to mop and skidding on the now wet floor I just mopped. In fact it doesn't really matter what I'm doing, however mundane and boring, they are there to help.

(Orange/Rue)

You'd think shutting the door to prevent the 'many hands makes light work' scenario but it just creates a whole other problem like: What are they doing while on the other side of a door and unsupervised? The telltale gallop of tiny feet, the drawn out moments of silence while they get into something naughty and then the consequences of their actions; be it a cat getting it's tail pulled, a curtain being yanked from the rod, a broom being dragged through the house, the toilet paper roll unravelling at light speed, an antique chair having its trim ripped off, shoes getting their soles removed, chairs sporting a new 'antiqued' finish a la puppy teeth, etc. All these things make it much simpler to just let them help. The few extra minutes it takes to do something is worth saving your possessions.

(Mini/Kota)

I have to give them credit though, they don't give up easily. It doesn't matter how many times I insist I can do something without their assistance or supervision, they just as strongly insist things would go a lot faster if they were throwing in an oar. And don't think this changes with time or experience. I can complete almost no task without having one dog or another come to investigate and see if there's anything they can do. Shutting the door on the adult dogs doesn't work either so don't think you get off that easy.

(Yellow/Vesper)

It's just a part of having a puppy, and dogs in general I suppose, and having help doing everything for the rest of their lives is something everyone has to get used to. I have to say though, accepting a helping paw is easier when your assistant looks something like these guys and your reward for letting them feel important is as many puppy kisses as you want.

Front: Lime, Pink, Purple

Middle: Blue, Mini, Light Wheaton, Orange

Back: Yellow, Red

Meet the Fockers

So far, of the families that will be getting puppies from this litter, I've met all but four of them in person and of those four one is the cousin of someone I trust implicitly, one is a referral from home I already sold a puppy to, one already has a puppy from the previous litter (and I plan to meet her in November at, what else, a dog show) and the last one is someone who has shown great interest (to the point of wanting to show) and has made the effort to contact and meet the owners of people who have my dogs living nearby (I'll also be meeting her in November too).

Some breeders insist on meeting a person before selling them a puppy but in today's market for purebred dogs that's not always possible or practical. I don't think the best homes are only ones you can personally meet, I can attest to regrets on that score as I'm sure you are aware. I think there are lots of homes out there whose only crime against getting a dog from certain breeders is distance. Sometimes where a person lives is too far to travel from to meet a breeder - I sold a puppy to someone in Yellowknife and obviously meeting them was beyond impractical but they have been a wonderful home and were delighted I even considered them for one of my dogs much less sold them one.


If you live somewhere that the population base is so high you're able to make this sort of requirement part of your puppy placement program then bully for you, but not everyone lives in a central core. Deserving, devoted and really great homes live far and wide and limiting yourself to the prerequisite of a face-to-face to place a puppy seems a little short sighted. I know in my own experience that meeting a person does not always tell you what is going on behind the curtain. I also know some of the greatest homes are people I've never met but have made great friendships with because of contact online.

That said, meeting the homes who will add one of my babies into their family is pretty awesome. I have recently met some really great people who are excited and delighted to be able to give these puppies the care and love they deserve. I wouldn't have them go to people I didn't feel comfortable with and I definitely make sure the adult dogs check them out closely! If anyone feels uncomfortable being mauled by The Boy then perhaps this isn't the breed for them. So far anyone who's come through my front door has been greeted by his big burly head poking through the window frame and some have even been welcomed by a big friendly WOOF. The resounding consensus is "Ooooh! He's so big and handsome!" Once I open that door and the dogs rush in it's pretty obvious Boy is a big ol' marshmallow and if someone isn't totally sold on him at first sight, that clinches the deal.

Not everyone can have a dog like The Boy, and if I could clone him I'd make a mint. The homes who get a puppy from me will just have to satisfy themselves with their own version of what he was able to create with lovely Leeloo. I'm glad to have met the families I have been able to meet, I'm also glad to know that the homes I haven't met are willing and able to stay in touch and keep me updated on how their puppy is doing. I don't want to be in anyone's back pocket, I want the puppies to be integrated into their family's lives and although I am an extension of that puppy, I am not here to pry. I'm here for support and occasional advice ... the most often being "Take some weight off that dog"! For now though they are mine to adore and bank kisses from ...

Beaches

While the majority of my focus these days is the puppies, I do have to remember that I have 4 adult dogs who need attention and fussing. They have been very patient with me and my inconsistent walks, strange feeding times, being shut in various rooms, and watching me cuddle with little ankle biters. It can't be easy being relegated to the back row and thinking "But ... that's *my* Mommy." As a treat I took them yesterday to the beach. It wasn't warm, the wind was coming directly off the ocean and Winter has yet to leave the atmosphere. We made the most of our time at this protected beach on Caribou Island, good thing too because the road to get to it was atrocious!

Once there the dogs went crazy! This is the sand dune that leads up and over to the beach. It's a crescent shaped beach that is rarely used, even in the summer, and is more of a local favorite than a tourist spot. Up until about the end of June I can take the dogs here with little worry I'll run into other people.

Leeloo is now coming on walks with us, she's only a few short days away from weaning the puppies and I'm sure she is pretty excited about the prospect.

Cora is excited too, she spent most of her time on the sand kicking it up into the other dog's faces although they did a fair bit of kicking of their own. It's nice to see Leeloo getting in on the action a little, she's lost a lot of tone over the past several weeks but I know she'll have it back in no time.

Esme's time spent on the beach is a little different than anyone else's. She is the one who ends up with most of the sand in and on her. If you can't tell she paused to have a shake to get rid of some of the sand - you can even see the grains flying off her!

This is what happens to a Puli nose when it buries itself in the sand - it results in a happy Puli. I really love so many things about this photo.

Cora caught the scent or sight of something out on the ocean, perhaps there was a boat in the distance. Thankfully she is not a water dog and had no inclination to go and get it!

Boy also caught the scent of something and his method was a little more focused. He spent several moments standing and sniffing into the wind. I love his concentration and nostril flare ... and those little flecks of sand!

Leeloo is obviously happy to get out after being cooped up with the babies for so long. She is not going to miss them when they're gone ... she still can't believe Cora never left!

Cora, on the other hand, is delighted to have her playmate back. She probably doesn't remember having the snot beaten out of her by her much faster, more agile and bigger mother of yester-year. Still, she is making up for all that by showing off and returning the favour to a slower, more laden down Leeloo. Watch yourself Cora, once Leeloo is back in shape she is going to school you.

The Mask

It's clear to me, if not everyone else, that the puppies have lost that sort of stoned look that young puppies have just after their eyes have opened. They can now focus a little better and see several feet. The mischievous glint in a puppy's eye that most people associate with young dogs is now apparent and they are conscientiously backing up that glint with matching behaviour. Miss Orange here, who is now Rue, will soon be pulling out electrical cables and chasing cats in someone else's house.

Zeke, Mr Blue as was, looks all innocent and adorable and doesn't know what you're talking about when you ask who pooped on the bathroom mat. He's perfecting the innocent look to make sure that instead of reaching out to throttle him, you hug him instead.

Emma will have a Ridgeback named Zoey to torture so she may be a little more occupied and/or distracted than the puppies who are not going to homes with resident dogs. That or the two of them will conspire to be extra naughty and work as a team. I have no doubt Miss Emma here will be the one plotting since Zoey is a good girl and I'm not sure she's ever done anything naughty in her life.

This is how I like them best most of the time. Asleep. Rue ran herself into exhaustion and turned into a Seedling. Not to worry, she's busy dreaming up all the things she can do to  my house in the next 2 and a half weeks. They all are.

Big Bully

It's been 5 weeks now since the puppies made their way into the world. Hard for me to comprehend how fast time has gone by and how soon they will all be leaving. It's really amazing the development of a dog compared to people - actually, anything compared to people. When life seems designed to ensure you don't survive it's best to grow as fast as you can and show the world you are one tough cookie. Miss Purple is teaching this particular lesson to Raylan.

And Raylan then teaches the lesson to Miss Lime - who is now Peggy. She got her own back shortly after this - no one likes to have their face pinched by those little needle teeth!

Raylan and Miss Purple (name still pending) played a bit of round-a-bout with each other's tails. Raylan's aim was less accurate than Purple's so his tail took the brunt of the attack.

Miss Purple is the largest puppy and appears to be a force of nature. Eat or be eaten is the code and Purple is making sure she is never on the receiving end. There is a food chain of sorts in the puppy pen and it goes Purple, then Miss Red, then the little lion toy. Above Miss Purple of course is her mother and then me.

Miss Red turned the tables for a bit and had Miss Purple's spine in her teeth for a few brief moments. It didn't last long but at least there was some kind of retribution for the underdog ... however fleeting it may be. These days there is a lot more running, tackling and general mayhem so learning to stand up for yourself and not get creamed by the larger puppies is a good life lesson. At least I know that once they leave this house they are well set up for being good canine citizens - bullies need not apply.

A Wrinkle in Time

Today Blogger decided that these photos were post worthy-after all. I should say so! Miss Lime certainly didn't appreciate not being allowed to show off her pretty profile  yesterday. Her skin is growing at twice the rate of anything else and unlike people, Lime is proud to show off those laugh lines.

Mr Blue/Zeke doesn't have the crazy wrinkles but he will! All of the puppies have more skin than they know what to do with and it only gets better. Their skin grows to allow for growth spurts so that there isn't any tightening or stretching as there is with people. Not that stretch marks would be apparent on a dog!

Miss Orange has an expression like she doesn't believe me but it's true. You can almost time a puppy's growth spurt by how much more their skin has grown. Not all breeds have this happen but when you are currently 5 or 6 pounds and you need to get to 15 or 17 pounds in just 3 weeks, it's best to have a little extra skin to allow for that kind of expansion!

The puppy whose wrinkles are the cutest are Mini/Kota's because she has an extra obvious eyebrow fold that are too cute to be legal. Then again, she is much too busy playing and wrestling to worry about things like wrinkles and how fast she grows.  

Miss Yellow who is now Vesper, took a moment to play by herself with this cat tube thing. The last litter played with it too and it's a very popular item among the puppy set. It crinkles and rolls and is also apparently quite good to chew on. It's been put to way more use by puppies than cats. You can see her body wrinkles in this photo so it's not just on their heads!

And there she is - Mini/Kota with her sinfully adorable eyebrow wrinkles and her little pink tongue. I bet that foot tastes delicious - it must because she spent several moments investigating its flavour.

Justified

I took a bunch of photos of the puppies yesterday afternoon but for some reason blogger doesn't want to load them so I'll try again tomorrow. It did let me load two which probably isn't enough for the masses but it will have to do for today. I don't want to say the other photos are better, just that they are equally adorable and beautiful. Raylan here, who was Mr Light Wheaton, is named after the TV show Justified and if you've ever seen it you will love it as much as Raylan's owner Sandra and I do! When she suggested Bowen as his name I was sort of 'meh' about it (although it's not my puppy so it was her decision). Her husband Donnie suggested Raylan and it was an instant hit. Justified is about US Deputy Marshal Raylan Givens and his little namesake is all about laying down the law with his siblings! Good thing too ... he has Archer and Tyson to keep in line at his new home.

The other photo that Blogger arbitrarily allowed to load was this curious one of Miss Pink. Initially I couldn't figure out what she was doing, her sister had done the same thing only seconds before. The sun was shining behind them and casting their shadow on the floor in front of them. They could see their shadow moving and both puppies leaned in for a closer inspection. Miss Pink/Emma was the only one I could catch quick enough because as soon as they got close the shadow detail disappeared and they lost interest. Doesn't take much!

Hopefully I can get the other photos to load tomorrow, perhaps Blogger is suffering from a cuteness overload and needs a break!