I forgot to mention yesterday, that when I got home from work, Harley greeted me at the garage door. At the time I wondered if Curtis had forgotten to crate him before he went to work. There didn't seem to be any harm/damage to the house, so I didn't worry about it too much.
This morning, when I was vacuuming up huge amounts of dog hair in the family room, I realized that Harley had broken out of his cage (yes, Curtis had crated him!). Not only had he broken out of his cage, he had destroyed a lamb's wool mat, and had chewed up the bed he loves to sleep on.
It is clear that Harley misses Holly's attention hugely. Every time she comes downstairs he gets all cute and tries to engage her in play. She just isn't interested. Holly will now let Harley in Jake's room, where the whelping box is. He slinks in, lays down next to me, and if Holly looks at him cross-eyed, he puts his tail between his legs and hoofs it out of the room.
So -- what are we going to do next week? Should I put Harley's crate in Jake's room, or just outside of Jake's room, so that he can see Holly? It seems that Holly's presence has a calming effect on him. He has not really been destructive since she joined our family. Or -- should I give it another go and see what happens? Hmmmm....
This afternoon Holly went on a short walk with Harley and me. She was so happy to be outside, moving around. She looks great, as you can see in this picture with Orange Girl:
Orange Girl is no dummy. While all the others sleep, she nurses solo. I love the sounds the puppies make while they nurse. Sometimes they sound like human infants, and other times they sound like Pikachu (think Pokemon ...). What sweet sounds!
I thought Orange Girl might remain nearly all black like Holly, but today it is obvious that she is getting markings. So -- she might be the best looking black and tan -- who knows! She is still the smallest, but is gaining on the others steadily.
Here I tried to capture Red Boy and his antics, but he was squirming around so much I missed the top of his head. He was being pretty cute. Look at his markings! On his face, under his chin, on his legs. It is amazing to me how quickly these puppies are changing.
To the left, all of the puppies are nursing. Underneath Holly's back legs, you can just make out Green Boy. Purple Girl is lying on top of Green Boy's rear end. Yellow Girl is perched on top of Blue Girl, and underneath her on the right side is Pink Girl. To the right of Pink Girl is Orange Girl, and facing Orange Girl is Red Boy. Whew -- what a crew! Holly has the patience of a saint!
Slowly, as they nurse, they begin to pass out one by one. Purple Girl sleeps on top of Red Boy to the right. Look at how light she is getting!
Once again, Pink Girl displays her need to be different. The full press is what it looks like she is practicing here. She is a character, that's for certain! Look at all of her markings. The underside of her front legs are nearly all white, just like Harley's legs. Her back is more of a charcoal color, compared to the blacker backs of her litter mates. Her face has lightened up even more too. She may not have any black left in her coloring at all!
The most changed is Blue Girl. Look at how plump she is, and all of her markings that are coming in. I think this one is going to be a beauty. And -- I was so happy today, because a couple times I found her mounded up with her litter mates. Way to go, Blue Girl!
Today, Green Boy spent most of the day nursing, as is evidenced in this picture. He really never came up for air. His markings continue to lighten, and I still think he may look the most like Harley. Also, you will note that in at least two of the pictures today, Yellow Girl comes out on top of the heap. Way to go!
One interesting thing that Holly continues to do: she thinks a puppy is "lost", and she goes berserk looking for it, when, in fact, all seven puppies are laying around her. I have found that the only way to calm her is to start placing puppies in nursing position. Very interesting behavior. I wish I understood how the mommy accounts for her pups; is it by scent? It seems that they can almost count; maybe Holly is math deficient? :) (That's okay, I have plenty of talent in that arena, and am happy to assist.)
Andrew wants to know if I plan on taking all nine dogs walking. I have explained to him that the puppies cannot leave our yard until they have received at least two immunizations -- so I don't think that will be happening. But it makes me smile to think about running through a field with all nine of them. Each and every one of them, from Harley and Holly, to all seven puppies, are beautiful animals -- and I love them all !
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