Katey and Dodge Litter 2/26/2009

The litter came earlier than I expected, but everyone arrived safely and Katey has proven to be a brilliant Mum to her puppies.

Four girls and three boys were born in good health.

Please enjoy my notes and pictures.

Puppies grow so fast. At three weeks, I am not so afraid for them. They are not as fragile and their crying has turned to communicating. There are new concerns though. Katey is not spending as much time with them any more. This means, when they wake up, it is up to ME to get them to go potty in their litter box. I need to check to see if they need milk or water. They are not quite ready for solid food yet.

It is also time for me to hang some toys in their pen for stimulation. They do like being up high where they can look at the world around them.

I can’t believe it is 6 weeks already, the puppies are like little tiny dogs compared to what they looked like when they were born. At birth, a puppy’s breed is not apparent, they actually look a bit more like rats. Now however, they have those Cavalier faces that just melt your heart. They walk, growl playfully and bark. They come running when they hear my voice and beg to play.

Katey still goes to feed them but spends little time in there other than that. However, I found that if I will take one out at a time, she delights in playing with her puppies. She nuzzles them and rolls over and paws them gently enticing them to play with her. Even the sire, Dodge is playing with his puppies now. He loves to get them to chase him. Bringing them out one at a time or in small groups gives them a wider view of the world and new textures, sights and sounds to explore. They will soon take a trip out to the side yard where no other dogs go to play in grass for the first time.

They know when I am coming with the dinner bowls now, clever pups, but I have seen that they have definite likes and dislikes. They will play with the puppy kibble, sniff and cry when I give them Wheatabix and milk, and devour raw ground beef, chicken or turkey thinned with goat’s milk. They did not care for cooked chicken at all.

Well, we have made it to 8 weeks! Many of you have waited to see these photos, at last I have converted them to jpeg format and can load them. I hope you enjoy the slide show.