The puppies are 5 1/2 weeks old, and Orange Girl gives us a scare

Wow, this has been quite a week.  Lots has happened, some good, some bad.  We had quite the scare.

Tuesday morning I woke up to the sound of vomiting.  I looked in the whelping box, and there was vomit all along the railings.  (Who hangs out on the railings?)  I took all of the puppies downstairs, and it soon became obvious that Orange Girl was quite ill.  The evening before she had been prancing around, playing with Lucas, Thomas and Heather.  Just a handful of hours later, she was shuddering and looking miserable.

I took Orange Girl to the vet, and he said she was quite a sick little puppy.  He did a rapid parvo test, and it was negative.  He wanted to do an ultrasound, to check for obstructions and intestinal issues.  So, I left her there for the day.  Later that afternoon the vet called me to tell me that she needed to go to Tri-Valley Emergency Animal Care for the night.  So, I transported her there, and she spent the night and next day there.

As rapidly as she took ill, she got better.  I brought her home Wednesday evening, and she was back to prancing, keeping everybody in line, and generally being enchanting.  (She just has so much personality!)  The vet wasn't sure if she had a "parvo-like" viral infection, or if it was bacterial.  She has been on antibiotics since Tuesday morning.  Personally, in my non-medicine-background opinion, it seems like she had a bacterial infection.  Twenty-four hours on antibiotics, and she bounced back.

But, at the time that I brought her home, we were in quarantine.  Harley and Holly were confined to the property, and I was scared that it was a virus that would spread through the entire litter.  How grateful I am that that didn't happen!  All our puppies are well and thriving.  And too cute for words!

Here is our Orange Girl after she came home:

Orange Girl comes home from the hospital

She had to have her belly shaved.  What a fighter this one is!

What is really interesting is the reactions of Holly and Harley.  When I put Orange Girl in the car to take her to the vet, Holly was beside herself, and Harley had his worried look.  Tuesday evening, when I came home, both Holly and Harley got in the car and sniffed all over, looking for Orange Girl.  When I finally came home with her Wednesday evening, Holly and Harley hovered over her for over 30 minutes.  Then Holly started acting weird.  She got very rough with Orange Girl, rolling her, nipping at her, trying to toss her in the air.  I had to shut her behavior down, but before I had a chance, Orange Girl bit Holly in the face, because Holly was being so nasty to her!

I continue to monitor Holly's behavior closely.  Sometimes she is loving and sweet to Orange Girl, and other times she is mean.  I just don't get it.  Heather and her boys came over on Thursday afternoon to keep an eye on things.  And, of course, they were all wanting to see Orange Girl for themselves, to make certain she was indeed all better.

In the 36 hours that Orange Girl was gone, the pack began to close ranks.  I have observed that she doesn't seem to have a place, and is constantly fighting her littermates.  Slowly, things are improving.
Wow, what a week.

Here is Orange Girl today:

Orange Girl is feeling better

Orange Girl attacks my foot

Friday evening, my good friend Beth arrived at the house.  She is going to take one of our puppies, and she spent the weekend here trying to decide which puppy she wants.  Well, she made a bit of progress in that area.  She narrowed it down to Blue Girl, Yellow Girl, Purple Girl, or Orange Girl.  When she left, she was about 90% certain that she wanted Blue Girl.

Now, I didn't get a picture of Beth with the puppies (all the pictures are on her phone), except this one.  Blue Girl is cuddling up across Beth's foot while she was helping with dinner.  Too cute!

Blue Girl cuddling up to Beth's foot

Here is a picture of Blue Girl from earlier today:

Blue Girl, July 25, 2010

While Beth was here, we weighed the puppies.  Oh my gosh, it is incredible how much weight they have gained.  Here is the line-up:

Purple Girl:   7.5 lbs

Red Boy:     10 lbs (!)

Pink Girl:       8   lbs

Green Boy:    9   lbs

Yellow Girl:  8.5 lbs

Orange Girl:  7.5 lbs

Blue Girl:      9    lbs

I can't believe how big they are!!!

Saturday evening, Jim came to dinner.  He spent some time with Beth, helping her make a decision about which puppy.  He administered a puppy personality test to about four of the puppies (everybody was very sleepy, which made it difficult.)

For the most part, the puppies seem well socialized, and will fit in most any home.  We need to finish testing all of them, probably later this week.

This afternoon, Jamie and her husband Jason came to play with the puppies.  Jamie must have asked me a dozen times how I ever get to work in the morning, what with them being so cute and entertaining.  She has it pegged.  Boy is it difficult!

They really enjoyed playing with the puppies.  They seem most interested in Yellow Girl, with Pink Girl being their second choice.  Jamie and Jason have a 9 year-old female dog, Ruby, and are looking for a puppy that will do well with an older dog.  

Here are some pictures of Yellow Girl from today:

Yellow Girl, July 25, 2010

Yellow Girl with Harley; no, he isn't eating her;
He is holding his mouth open for
Yellow Girl to lick the inside ...

Green Boy is such a dead wringer for Harley it is incredible.  I think this is the puppy that Andrew is taking.  Here is a picture of Green Boy:

Green Boy, 5 1/2 weeks old

And here is a picture of Harley the day we got him, at 9 weeks of age:

Harley, the day we got him, 9 weeks old

Pink Girl gets happier and happier each day.  She tends to be aggressive with her littermates, but then gets put in her place by Red Boy and Orange Girl.  She is still the prettiest puppy, and I am very pleased that her disposition is improving.  I am really interested in seeing how her markings turn out!

Pink Girl, July 25, 2010

And here is our bruiser, Red Boy.  He is huge!  And fun loving, and smart.  Red Boy is practically house broken.  The last two evenings, he has stood at the back door and whined, and when the door was opened he went out and make pee-pee and poo-poo on the lawn!!!  I am extremely grateful for this.  Today he also went on a little exploration trip.  He made the step up to the entryway, went and looked out the front door, and then went and nosed around in the living room.  His most favorite pasttime is to eat Felix's food.  If I can't find Red Boy, he has managed to get into the pantry and get to the cat chow!

Which reminds me -- the puppies have discovered Felix (they are just about his size now).  Yellow Girl went to play with Felix last night, paw up, wanting to bat at him.  Felix was fine until Orange Girl showed up on the scene and joined in.  Then he scratched them both, and took off, and left two howling puppies ....

And yes, there is Purple Girl.  Purple Girl is almost as far along in her housebreaking as Red Boy.  Last night she cried to go out, and sure enough, did her business on the lawn.  I am so proud of her!  Also, she has discovered electrical cords.  It has been very challenging this evening keeping her away from them ...

Purple Girl, July 25, 2010

The puppies discovered the side yard this afternoon.  For some reason, they like the ferns!  Here is an adorable picture of Orange Girl and Blue Girl:

Orange Girl and Blue Girl playing in the ferns

Here is an adorable Blue Girl!

Finally, this morning after breakfast, all of the puppies went to sleep in a row.  I thought this was so precious -- all lined up and asleep:

Morning naptime

Well, I am happy that I can report that the puppies are thriving.  They are fun-loving, love human interaction, and seem healthy(!) and well-balanced.  Here's to a smooth and worry-free week!

These one-month-old puppies are just too cute and too smart!

My this has been an interesting week! The puppies have grown so much.  They now range from 4.5 lbs (Orange Girl and Purple Girl) to 6.0 lbs (Red Boy).  They have solid food twice a day (morning and evening), get puppy chow to munch on during the day, and still nurse several times a day!!!  Holly is being very patient with them.  She lets them nurse, but not for too long.  She is very stoic.  Especially because all of their teeth are in, including their fangs!

Harley plays with the puppies regularly.  Purple Girl in particular seems quite attached to him.  Check out this video clip of Daddy Harley in action!

I took the puppies outside yesterday for the first time.  I had them in their pen, but they wanted to be with Holly and Harley, so, slowly, one by one, I acquiesced and let then out.  Soon, they took over the doghouse!  Harley was very gracious about sharing his doghouse with the puppies.  They eventually enjoyed being outside, and wanted to go out again after dinner.  Here is daddy Harley in the doghouse with three puppies:

I have been observing that they have developed to the point where they don't want to relieve themselves where they sleep -- they only do so when it is absolutely necessary.  So, this morning, when we got up,  I took them directly outside and placed them on the backyard lawn.  They didn't relieve themselves on the lawn, but climbed onto the patio and did so there.  I was successful in getting them to do this after their morning nap as well.  I plan to continue this, hoping that they will quickly learn that "outside is where puppies relieve themselves."

They are very busy playing, running fast, fighting with one another.  They still loved to be held, and they  still "purr" when I carry them around. These puppies love to be stimulated by learning new things or having new experiences.  And just check out how beautiful they are!  It's hard to believe the huge differences one month has made!

Here is our Purple Girl.  She thrives on adventure, and is usually the first to try something new.  Here, she is the first to lay on the grass.  After I took this picture, she was very busy playing little games, looking like she was stalking imaginary things through the grass.  She looks so much like Harley these days, it is uncanny!  Purple Girl challenges her brothers and sisters on a regular basis, and usually takes them down quite readily!

Our Red Boy continues to grow more quickly than all of his siblings.  This is going to be a beautiful dog!  (Well, they are all going to be beautiful, there is no doubt about it!)  Red Boy stays busy climbing over obstructions Curtis puts up to keep him out of "no puppy" zones.  He still likes being cuddled.  He loves to play with his siblings. And, as you see here, he loves mommy Holly:

Pink Girl has made huge strides this last week.  She seems much happier, and more comfortable.  I think she was hungry, and getting her on solid food has had a large impact on her disposition.  One thing we have to keep our eyes on:  sometimes she is too rough with the other puppies. As an example, after breakfast this morning, I put down a bowl of puppy chow.  She immediately ran to it and started eating, and wouldn't share with her brothers and sisters, growling and "protecting" the bowl.  I interceded, to make certain that all puppies had access to the chow.  But she has become much more loving and playful, and, all in all, I am quite pleased with her progress.  Here is our gorgeous Pink Girl:

Next up (in birth order) is Green Boy. Green Boy is our clown.  His little belly is oh-so-round, and he is just a sweetheart.  Green Boy may have gotten the best of both Harley and Holly, both in terms of features and personality.  He is going to be light, but with longer hair like Holly.  He really looks like a little bear!  And he is very easygoing.  When other puppies are getting themselves worked up, he remains calm.  But he loves to play, both alone and with his brothers and sisters.  Here is Green Boy in a typical sleeping pose (shades of his daddy Harley):

 Earlier this week, we had a "collar" crisis.  I came home Tuesday night and found that Purple Girl and Yellow Girl were without collars (I have been loosely tying colored rickrack around their necks).  So I then checked all of the puppies, and found that Red Boy was a "girl".  The night before I had texted a number of people that Blue Girl was actually Blue Boy, and that we had four girls and three boys.  What had happened was that Red Boy and Blue Girl had lost their collars on Monday, and Curtis put the wrong collars on them.  So we are now back at five girls and two boys.

Okay -- it was easy to figure out who Red Boy was (only male without a collar).  It was easy to figure out who Purple Girl was, because she looks so different than Yellow Girl and Blue Girl.  But -- Yellow Girl and Blue Girl look quite similar, and I was quite upset that I wasn't sure which one was which!  The one difference is that one of these puppies has a lighter "black" back than the other.  I poured over pictures after I took Harley and Holly to the dog park for training with Jim.  I think I got it right.  Especially based on personality.  Yellow Girl is more devoted to Holly, and Blue Girl has the sweetest disposition of the bunch.

This weekend I bought puppy collars for Red Boy, Blue Girl, Pink Girl, Orange Girl, and Green Boy.  I don't like the color of Green Boy's collar, so I am looking for a greener one.  So far, I have been unable to find either a yellow or a purple collar, but I am hot on the trail for finding them!  With actual collars we don't have to worry about this happening again.

So -- I am 90% certain that this is Yellow Girl.  When Lucas and Thomas come over this week, I am going to check with them and see what they think.  But here is our Yellow Girl.  She has really blossomed this week, both in personality and in beauty:

Next up is our Blue Girl.  She is so loving, but definitely not a pushover.  She wrestles regularly with her littermates, and will hold her own when it comes to foodtime.  She likes to be held, is starting to show an interest in toys, and really likes to have her gums massaged.  (All of the puppies now come up to me and hold their mouths open to get their gums massaged ...)  This is going to be a great dog.  She looks so wise in this picture!

Finally, there is our Orange Girl.  She remains a bit smaller than all of the other puppies, but makes up for it in personality.  She is not afraid of anything!  She works on taking down her littermates on a regular basis.  She prances just like Harley! Just like Purple Girl, her face looks most like Harley's, but with somewhat darker markings.  Orange Girl is the puppy that makes me laugh the most with her antics and goings-on.  She is smart, and is going to provide alot of giggles for her owner.  What a personality!

The one thing that is difficult to catch here is how quickly the puppies are moving.  They love to run, lunge, and jump.  I have been trying to catch a little video clip of the puppies in motion, but by the time I grab my camera, they are out of range!

I love all of these puppies so much.  I am determined to find only the best homes I can for each and every one of them.  So far, the people interested in taking puppies fall into that category.  I just need to keep it up!

The puppies get solid food!

The puppies are 3 1/2 weeks old!  On Wednesday, when they were exactly 3 weeks old, Lucas and I weighed them in.  They all weighed 3.5 lbs, except Orange Girl, who weighed 3 lbs.  They are hungry little puppies, and want to constantly nurse.  As you can see below, Holly needs relief!

But she has been doing a great job.  Look at how healthy and beautiful these puppies are:

The puppies have been interacting quite a bit more with Harley.  Now
that they are mobile, he is quite interested in their antics.  Here, Harley takes care of the puppies:

Friday evening, Heather came over with Lucas and Thomas.  Andrew and Tanya were here too.  I made the puppies their first solid food:  1/3 browned, drained and rinsed hamburger; 1/3 small curd cottage cheese; 1/3 baby rice cereal.  Check out these videos, and see if you think they like solid food!

Check out how much these puppies enjoy their meal!

I didn't realize it would be so easy to introduce them to solid food.  Since Friday, I have been feeding them twice a day -- they are quite hungry!  And after two days, they manage to keep their paws out of the food, and just put their faces in.  In about a week, I will start substituting water-soaked puppy chow and a "premium" puppy food, of about the same consistency.  Here are a couple more video clips of their first chow-down:

Heather did a great job taking pictures of puppies gobbling away:

Look at how content all of the puppies are now that their tummies are very full:

Thomas was very busy giving Blue Girl love and affection:

On Saturday, bolstered by their solid food meals, Red Boy and Green Boy decide to play:

Although they are getting solid food, twice a day, whenever Holly gets near a puppy, that puppy tries to latch on and nurse.  She has just about had it, and is now reprimanding the puppies when they overdo it. I think she is weaning them.  She still cleans them up, which is surprising to me, now that they are eating solid food.  But she is doing it less and less of the time.

This morning, the puppies ganged up on Harley.  Andrew caught this video clip:

Well, as you can see, the puppies are healthy, vigorous, beautiful, playful, and mischievous.  They are starting to run, they play with one another frequently, they love humans, like cuddling, and are just about perfect!

I have decided I am going to start housebreaking the puppies.  I see their elimination trends, and am going to use it to my benefit.  Wouldn't it be awesome if I just about had them house trained by the time they go to their new homes?

That's all for now.  The puppies have really grown up this week!

My how our puppies have changed!

Here's to hoping that everybody had a great Fourth of July!  We had a fantastic day -- good food, families, friends ... and ... of course, puppies!

My sister Heather, her husband Steve, and their boys Lucas and Thomas came over in the afternoon.  Jim came later in the day, and Inge joined us just before dinner. Andrew and Tanya showed up after Anj got through lifeguarding.  My how Lucas and Thomas love the puppies!  They were absolutely entranced with them, as you can see from these pictures!

And of course, Holly and Heather aren't the only one with babies -- here's a picture of my baby boy.  I like how he did up his sunglasses in such a patriotic manner!

As you can see, the puppies (and Holly) got lots of attention.  Don't worry about Harley, though -- he was in heaven because Andrew and his gang were here for the evening.  Harley and Holly both had a rough time with the fireworks, but love from Tanya seems to have made up for that!


This morning I woke up, and the puppies were all busy playing with one another.  I cannot believe how much they have changed in the last five days. They can see and hear; they are walking and sitting down; they have teeth; and now that they can see, they are very busy playing with one another!  Here is a video I took of Purple Girl playing with Pink Girl.  I missed the best part of the action, but this is still so cute, I just have to share:

Andrew had to get his puppy fix for the morning as well.  Here he is with Green Boy.  I went downstairs to feed Harley and Holly, and to make coffee, and he decided all of the puppies needed to get snuggled in on my bed.  So, he added them little by little, taking pictures as he went:

We just all so entranced with puppies and how cute they are, that I couldn't stop taking pictures.  Here is Purple Girl and Green Boy, playing together:

And here is Pink Girl, snoozing off her morning snack:

Okay, I went a little berserk with movies today.  But they are so cute!!!!  There is a railing that goes around the side of the whelping box.  Orange Girl has been on a mission to walk that railing, now that she can see.  I am unable to upload the movie here, so I will put it on Facebook.

And here is Purple Girl and Blue Girl playing with one another.  This has been the big thing the past couple days -- they bite at each other's faces.  How cute is this?

And finally, here is a video clip of Holly tending to her pups.  She is still staying on top of things!

At two weeks of age, the puppies eyes are open!

Wednesday morning, I woke up, and I was so tired -- I had been up very late the night before (no, not partying, working ...).  I decided it would be nice to snuggle with a puppy for a few minutes.  So I reached into the whelping box to pick out a puppy, and ended up with Green Boy.  I was petting him, and all of a sudden I realized his eyes were open!  So then I picked up all of the puppies and had them snuggling in bed with me -- and all of their eyes were open.  Wow -- at two weeks of age.  I thought they would be three weeks old before their eyes opened!

Here is Purple Girl:  She was motoring around so much that I was having a hard time catching her with her eyes looking up.  But --if you look closely you will see that her eyes are indeed open!

Purple Girl is definitely our adventurer.  Now that she can see, she crawls out of the whelping box to get to her mommy.  (This is not a good thing.)  She is also fast, and if you turn your back for a brief moment, she will be out of sight!

Check out Red Boy.  He is definitely of the male persuasion.  He is very busy working on his gross motor skills, like walking.  He practices walking on a regular basis!  (Actually they all do, but Red Boy is the most adept at it.)

Red Boy is the fun-loving puppy. I predict he will be the mischief-maker of the bunch.  Just now, as I was working on this blog, I heard a bunch of squawking from Jake's room, where the whelping box is.  Then Holly started whining.  I went in to see what was going on.  Red Boy had climbed out of the whelping box, was off the bed, and was heading for the door!



Here is Pink Girl.  She is not exactly crawling, not exactly walking.  Pink Girl is our high maintenance girl.  Not only does she have to look perfect, she has to feel perfect.  That's okay, because we all love her bunches, and she is way too beautiful for her own good!

And take a look at Green Boy!  My heart melts over this puppy.  Green Boy is his daddy's boy.  I think he is going to look like Harley, and he seems to have Harley's demeanor as well.  Can you see how beige his markings are becoming?

I pick Green Boy up, cuddle him in my arms, scratch his belly, and he melts. This is like Harley too.  Of course, we didn't see Harley at this age.  He was nine weeks old when we got him.  But still, I see bunches of Harley in this puppy.

Yellow Girl is still her mommy's favorite.  It is quite interesting to me that Holly is fixated on one particular puppy.  She tries to carries Yellow Girl wherever she goes, she cleans her more frequently, and she and Yellow Girl can often be found head-to-head, nose-to-nose.  There is quite a bond there!

Here is Orange Girl.  Isn't she beautiful.  Orange Girl is the sweetest puppy of the bunch.  She is very easygoing, loves her littermates, loves her mommy.  She is the easiest to keep content.  This is going to be a great dog!  (Of course, all of these puppies will be great dogs, without a doubt.  :) )

And look at Blue Girl!  She is a beautiful puppy.  Here she is trying to walk.  Blue Girl is a lovebug.  She just can't get enough affection, whether it is from Holly or from me.

Harley has been awesome with the puppies.  He worries about them, watches over them, and would love to hang out with them if Holly would let him.  I hold the puppies up to him, and he washes their faces.  If Holly leaves the pups, he stands outside Jake's room, making certain that all is okay.

I finally managed to upload the video from last week.  The editor for blogspot was finally fixed!

This movie shows up better on facebook, but check out the feeding frenzy!