The Long Goodbye

It has become evident they are more than ready to bid one another good riddance. Now we are so close to them leaving I felt it I needed to put down what I wanted to remember about each of them.

Mr Black aka Rory has had ENOUGH of these hooligans. Three times I pulled him out of the fray to tell him he did not need to get so worked up. When he grumbled at me I said NO! you don’t talk to me like that. He looked contrite for a moment but I didn’t believe him. His new brother Seth will teach him a thing or two I’m sure.

Ms Maroon aka Mya is always looking for attention. Every time I lean down to do something she’s in my face. Well, they all are, but Mya in particular sits back and then, using all of her little strength, jumps up to whack me in the cheek with both paws. I’ve gotten wise and avoid the smack down but sometimes she still catches me. I try not to think about where her feet have been.

Mr Orange aka Ramsey is catching up with everyone else. He won’t match Zero or Rory by the time they leave but he’s definitely getting harder to pick out – normally I could spot him easily because of his size but now he blends. One of his favorite things to do is go under a sibling instead of around when he wants to get by. He is a little angel.

Ms LW Girl aka Karma likes to look at me. If I speak she is almost always the first to arrive. No matter what I’m doing she is usually within a couple feet of me. Apparently I am supremely fascinating. She has big eyes that gaze at you, not the kind of stare where you feel like she knows what you’re thinking, more the curious “What are you doing? It looks interesting. Can I help?” stare.

LW Boy aka Shane is a little trouble maker. He was chewing on my belt loop last night and I pushed him away at least 4 times. This morning he wanted kisses from me … Shane’s kisses start out all gentle and then after about 4 licks … CHOMP. I’ve gotten wise to his ways but he’s a naughty little monkey. His new brother Ryder is going to have a heart attack.

Ms Green aka Lulu is the watcher in the pack. She is quick to run to something interesting but it’s almost as though she’s deciding if it’s worth investigating. Waste not want not and all that. She has not lost her patience with her siblings much, I think she prefers to hang back and avoid the mayhem. Her new big brother Gibson will appreciate her thoughtful nature I think.

Mr Red aka Mungo means business. He is always looking for something to do. He doesn’t much start any altercations but he doesn’t back down if one comes to him. Often I lose track of him because he’s off somewhere being a busy boy. He certainly knows what he wants and like a little tank he elbows his way to his goal no matter who is in the way.

Ms Pale Pink aka Bella likes to do whatever the popular kids are doing. She used to be a little more independent but age (HA!) has perhaps made her wiser and a little more cautious. She is a bit of a follower now although I think it’s more that she doesn’t believe everything is a good idea and if the game doesn’t play out the way she thinks it should she moves onto other things.

Mr White aka Kona is a pretty independent boy but enjoys attention from me. He plays with the other puppies on his terms. Once he’s done, he’s done. He doesn’t really tell anyone off … he just leaves. He can be found playing by himself but if invited to a game he certainly joins in. He doesn’t demand attention but welcomes it when it comes, I think he appreciates it more that way.

Ms Dark Pink aka I Don’t Have a Name Yet is a pretty independent sort and seems to prefer my company over the other puppies. She gets right in there when its playtime but after the initial run amok fest she can often be found by herself playing with the corner of the towel or a toy. If I make noises at her she comes running and snuggles and kisses. She likes to look at me a lot and those big wide eyes are full of smarts.

Ms Yellow aka Rifka is the Biff girl. She can often be found in the middle of the pack kicking some boy butt and taking names. She’s not generally feisty or pushy … just throws her weight around. She is a very confident puppy and doesn’t generally need me to cuddle lots … I’m convenient for a good kiss and cuddle now and then but then she squirms to get back to butt kicking. Kind of like the “MOM … my friends are watching!”

Mr Blue aka Zero is a show boy who knows it. He always the very last puppy to sleep because something exciting might happen that he’d miss. He loves attention and is on the alert for any new toys or activity that comes their way. He plays very fair with his siblings and never starts a spat but will muscle in on a good wrestling match given the chance. He seems to be fearless going into new territory and welcomes adventure. A huge bonus for a potential show dog. He’s staying with me a little longer than the rest and Raimi will be thrilled.

They are all so sweet – I feel bad that I couldn’t offer each of them the attention they deserve given the number but with the help of people coming to visit they have gotten a lot of cuddles and kisses to tide them over til their new homes. To have 12 healthy, happy, well adjusted puppies heading out into the world to represent the Ridgeback is a blessing and I am very proud of them and especially their mother – despite our struggles!

Multiplicity

There has been an explosion. There are puppies .... everywhere. It's like they suddenly multiplied by a zillion and are now just monstrous. Although - thinking about it, I do believe they are mostly ear. I mean ... their ears are HUGE. I wonder if the creators of Dumbo saw a Ridgeback puppy at this age and thought - what a ridiculous ear size. They are huge flaps of velvety softness - I defy anyone to come up with a material softer than a Ridgeback puppy ear. Ever touched something so soft you didn't think you could feel it? That soft.

However, nothing compares with the size of their poop. It seems to be proportionly two times larger than it should be for a dog this size. I have to clean it up so I have become intimately aquinted with the output of a dozen puppies. I find it's easier to actually ignore the poop and make sure I catch the pee because between cleaning up one or the other ... I prefer poop I have to say. So much tider. They also seem to actively avoid stepping in the poop but don't mind tracking pee every where. Any poop stepping is accidental at best and immediately the puppy goes "Ew".

I have basically turned a blind eye to the mayhem that ensues everytime they come out. I just cannot keep track of the destruction. This morning I slept in because I accidentally turned dow the volume on my alarm. I rushed to clean them out, threw down some paper and turned my back for two seconds. They thought that the paper floating from heaven was so much FUN. Blind eyed turned.

Small twinges of sadness grip me once in a while thinking about them going. I hope their new homes are fun and they love long lives and make their people happy. I know they have to go but I still worry. This litter was so much easier than the last and I couldn't wait for those demons to go. These little guys are so good and such easy puppies they spoiled me. Some of them are going far away ... once they're gone ... they're gone. Can anyone else take care of them as well as I do? Of course .... but moms always worry.

Fight Club

I finally managed to get some sleep. All I do is chase puppies and email. No time for much else. I slept for about 10 hours last night so I think I'm finally caught up. People who know me know two really important things. I love sleeping and I love TV. I have not had much of either lately for one reason and another so I'm suffering from withdrawal. Happy to hear the writer's strike is almost over and the puppies have one more week and are off to new and exciting things. Raimi will be SO happy except Zero who is supposed to go to Utah is staying a little longer as his new home had a parvo outbreak in it and he can't go til he's up to date on all his shots. No chances taken here. I think Raimi will actually like to have someone to play with besides his mom for a little while.

They are losing patience with each other. People always worry they will miss their siblings but consider spending 24 hours a day without any time alone. Once you are in your new home you have your own dish, bed, person, couch, walks and toys so you are not considering the siblings you left behind, all you have thought for is the new smells and things to do in the moment. You get so tired form all these new things you sleep like the dead and when you wake up there's more exciting things to explore. It only takes a few days for a puppy to forget the puppy pile and settle into a routine.

They are nattering at each other quite a bit - little snarky fights break out, there's growling during feeding time(which wouldn't occur if they didn't insist on tackling one dish at a time) and they pick on each other more than usual. It's almost time for them to go and they know it.

New things of course are a real boon to entertaining them. I put a broken box by the back door to take outside and they thought this was one of the most interesting toys ever. Babies of all species must be pre-programmed to want to play with the box ... not what' s inside.

They also got to play with the giant lion that I bought in October for Halloween - his face was partially removed by Raimi but they think he's just the best fun ever. They swarm him and climb on him and drag him around. It's a real gas. He was only $10 at Walmart so I think I'll go get another for the next litter.

This litter is so well behaved it's a complete 180 from the last. Despite their numbers they are incredibly easy going and not demanding my attention all the time. However, leaving them to their own devices even for 10 minutes can result in some spectacular messes. They smeared poop from one end of the hall to the other and to make it go further they combined it with pee. I had to wash the floor twice to make sure it was completely clean. This is my life.

Where has the time gone? It was just Christmas and now here we are 7 weeks later and they start heading to new homes in just a week. I felt a little twinge of sadness to see them go but I'm confident they are all going to really great homes and they will grow up happy and healthy and are making 12 families extremely happy.

Homeward Bound

All the puppies have homes now. I was waffling on a couple because I wanted to get a better idea who had what temperament and then place them in suitable homes. Eight puppies are staying in Alberta - with 4 in Calgary - one to the US, two to Manitoba and one to Victoria. I’d like to try and get everyone together perhaps this summer and they can all play together again. Halo will make sure to give everyone a good ticking off but I guess it’s her right.






Halo is finally back to herself again. For about 3 months she was not the dog I know. She has finally come round again to her regular self and since she’s no longer directly in with the puppies anymore we’re going to the park for the first time(for her) in about 6 weeks and for Raimi it’s been exactly a week because of weather. I want to make sure she’s completely dried up before letting her in with babies again so it will be a few more days yet til she can go in and smack some bottoms. She hasn’t eaten puppy poop in about 3 weeks ... thank gawd.

They are growing so fast and naughty now it’s literally day to day. Every morning they are heavier and like being picked up less and less. Especially when they have a tummy full of food … they make a sort of groaning moaning noise when you pick them up.


And the hiccups. They have begun. They don’t all get hiccups at once but after every meal at least 3 or 4 meal will get an attack. They sit and look confused because every 5 seconds or so they give a little lurch and make a popping noise. So cute! They never last more than a few minutes but they all get them quite regularly.



Most of the puppies now run into the pen to pee, I’ve started putting out a piece of newpaper for them to use because I can’t expect them to remember when they’re in the hallway that they should run all the way back to the pen. They do know to pee on newspaper tho so it’s easier for me to clean up.

My sanity remains intact so far. I am less stressed about this litter than the last – I turn a blind eye to the mess they make and just clean up the floor when they’ve all gone to bed. Keeping the madness at bay is my ultimate goal this litter. Just two weeks to go …

Please Don't Eat The Daisies

Here's how it starts. The door to the room gets opened but by then they are already up and waiting for me to make an appearance however not making any noise. Once the door is opened and I step in the noise starts. It's mostly whining and an occassional frustrated bark. If I don't get a move on they increase the volume. It changes pitch when I put the food down and they now know the moment is near. Once the food is down I uplatch the top clip and then the bpottom - if you do it the other way they push against the panel and start to squeeze out.

Once I open the gate - or rather it's wrenched out of my hands - The Flood streams out of the pen. Generally they are tumbling out over top of each other like a wave. It's remarkable. Occasionally someone gets trampled but jumps up right away to continue the short journey to the dishes. Mostly they over shoot the food and end up having to do an about face. They then scramble for position and settle in to eat.

It's the eating that is most fascinating because of how they organize themselves. For some reason they pretty well eat a dish at a time. One or two puppies will stray to another dish but the majority stay at the same dish and eat til it's clean. That done they snuffle around looking for the next dish and so the same thing there. It seems to be a competition thing that makes me wonder whether this is the reason they are such rabid eaters as adults - they grew up with someone next to them always trying to eat the same piece of food.

Once the immediate hunger is sated they then start looking for somewhere to pee. This is where I step in and once they wander a short way from the dishes with noses to the ground I pick them up and pop them into the pen and they pee almost immediately. The same applies to the pooping but I'm less obsessive about getting them into the pen to poop because it makes far less mess when they stomp through it. They can track pee for miles.

It seems to be a universal law of puppy that once you have peed every other puppy is magnetically drawn to the puddle and at least two feet must touch the pee at least once - preferably more than once - and then tracked as far away as possible.

Lastly we have a demonstration of what a horde of 12 puppies looks like when it's chasing you. It seems cute ... but can be quite alarming when you turn around to look.

Sleepy Hollow

So tired. No new pics these days - no time. I will get a bunch tonight and tomorrow and post them of the little darlings.

Currently they are yelling their heads off thinking they are going to get fed. They have about 40 minutes to go before they are actually supposed to come out to get fed. I time it so that they will sleep through the night - too early and they wake up too early and I don't get enough sleep! I'll get a picture of what they look like before they get let out and of them tidal waving their way out of the pen. It's insane.

Here's a cute little snap to tide you over til more pics come of them at 6 weeks old.

Growing Pains

Phew. Been busy getting ready for the AKC show this weekend - I haven't had much opportunity to post. Raimi's 3rd show and this time he had a chance at points, which he won and then went on to win the Hound Puppy group! Such a good boy. He is passed out cold on the couch now ...

The puppies have turned a corner. We have gone from "Ooooooh, my little babies" to "Oh! You naughty babies!" They are now running fast, pooping lots, eating buckets and have discovered the joy in wrecking things. Specifically paper because it makes a noise when you run around with it.

They actually are getting much better about pooping and peeing in the pen when they are out. They look distressed and try to find the paper and several times they have actually made it to where they need to be in order to go on the paper. This makes house-training waaaaay easier!

And now they are no longer being fed by The Momma. They haven't seemed to notice except for when LW Boy got into my room again and I could hear him crying. I went in to investigate and it broke my heart to see him in Halo's bed pullling on the blanket and crying in frustration. Poor kid.

One of the hardest parts of breeding is deciding what home a puppy goes to. This age is when they start to get temperament evaluations and I decide who has what sort of personality and try to match it to homes. With so many it's hard to keep track! With the blog of course everyone sees a puppy they really like and hope for that one. Unfortunately the pictures can't really convey what the puppy is actually like - I can describe them but they change so fast it's a really fluid process. Rest assured everyone will get a puppy that suits them best ...