Jan. 7, Monday, 2013

Touille was wondering where the eighth little baby came from.  Looks like she's saying,"Come on, Mom.  What IS this?!!!!  Not another one!!!

They are getting ready to play with toys.  That is a new one Bonnie and I found on Saturday when we went to the pet store for dog food!  Had to look at the toys too!  I liked the orange and aqua.  I do like those GoDog toys with "Chew Guard"  They last a bit longer than most stuffed toys with these powerfully jawed dogs.  This has a squeaker and goes through the wash....

Look at these little pigallettis!!!! Trying to steal Mom's food!   They were persistent too!  Funny how things turn on all of a sudden.  Playing, not sleeping, wanting to eat BIG dog food!  They are growing up!  I'm always sad and glad at the same time.

Let me tell you, they look much larger in real life.  This is just an illusion!  And, yes, they are up on their legs walking.  I just can't seem to catch it on the camera.

Mr. Persistence Himself over there.  And, yes, Touille is very forgiving and doesn't seem to mind.  I guess she knows that they can't eat much yet!

And then there is the Sniffaholic, Pip.  I love this picture that Betty sent the other day.

Well, these little rascals are progressing fast!  Last night, as I was sitting at the table doing crafts, I saw two of them playing with each other.  Yesterday was the day that they decided they didn't need to sleep all of the time they weren't eating, so they started playing.  They also decided to start to try to steal their mother's food!  They were intent on getting some of that mushy kibble!  Smells good to them!  Of course, it was laced with some salmon and juice off an elk steak I grilled.  Maybe that is why they decided it was time, who knows?
They are a very cuddly bunch.  Bonnie, from Vancouver, BC, Canada, was here this weekend to visit and get a puppy fix.  She couldn't believe how cuddly they are even at this stage.  I'm very excited about that part. 
Snow in the forecast.  No, they are too young to go out in it.  I just hope it doesn't keep me from getting to the airport on Thursday!  Winter travel.  It can always be an adventure!
Until next time,
Ciao

Two weeks old now and ready to meet the world!

Yes, hard to believe that they are already two weeks old.  I must be having fun, because it seems like yesterday that they came into this world!
They all have their eyes open and they are starting to walk instead of pulling themselves along.  It is fun to watch.  Troopers all.

Just took these.  They are scattered all over the pen.

The one on top is the girl, Cara.  Fat little booger, isn't she?

Mr. Sunset.  A loner today only and just because he found a snuggly place!

  I'll try to get pictures of them up on their legs later today or this weekend.  It will happen that they aren't asleep at SOME point.  Of course they will be eating then, but I'll try to catch them going TO the milk!
 Already I'm falling in love with these guys.  This is a very snuggly litter.
 More later,
OC

Right on time!!!!

Beautiful heads, in my book!

Longsuffering Touille, again.  Sweet mama and sweet babies.Can you see how much bigger than some others are?!!!

Cute, cute, cute!

Eyes opening.  Last night, blue boy Mr. IQ had his left eye open.  This morning Percy has an eye open and a few slits are showing on some of the others.  I will get face pictures when I can.  Bonnie is coming for the weekend, so we should be able to get good face pictures, some with eyes OPEN!  Right now, they still mostly have their eyes shut since the sleep most of the time!

What else is there to say?  Well, it is getting to the fun time, when they open their eyes and start more to interact with the world around them.  It is amazing to watch them learn.  I love it!

I also love watching them become mush buckets.  They are already calming down when I put them on their backs and stroke their chests.  They calm immediately when mom licks their tummies, but are learning the chest trick too.  Also, if you ever want to smell puppy breath, my favorite perfume in the world, stroke the  side of their face and they will open their mouth....

Enough from the Old Curmudgeon today.

Guess who is starting baby growls!

The little rascals are pretty much on time, growling with a hint that eyes will be opening in the next day or so.  They are terriers!!!

From 0759 this AM.  Can you see growth?  They all weigh over a pound and some almost two pounds!

1:21 today.  Hot off the press!  Their favorite activities, eating and sleeping!

Patient Mama Touille.  She's a great mother.  Soon she'll be playing with them.

They are eating a lot so that they can grow up.  They are doing a good job of it.  Soon they'll start tearing up the world of the kitchen.  I don't know how many times Karl, my handy man, has remolded the moulding and painted the cabinets, etc, when puppies have gnawed off the corners and any other place they could gnaw.  It will happen again, undoubtedly.

There will be a gap in the blog from Jan. 10-24 while I visit my son, daughter-in-law, grandsons and my house in Hawaii.  I will also get to see my brother and his family including his two grandsons, Naulu and AJ.  How fun to see how those little boys are growing.  I'll get to see some Border Terrier friends there too and at least one Border Terrier.  My grandsons will show me how they have advanced in their swimming and, who knows, maybe I'll even get to see a competition?!  

I hate to miss that much of the babies upbringing, but Nancy will stay with them, and if there is anything Nancy loves, it is puppies.  She is good at sitting on the floor with them like I do and at this age.  She will provide them with the educational toys, etc. that I will give her.  That is the most important thing at this age, loving them and making them mush buckets. 

I will try to post some pictures from Hawaii when I get back.  It will be hard, I'm sure, but I'll do it!

Meanwhile, I'll post more puppy pictures until I leave.

Hasta la vista,

Curmudgeonville

One week old FAT squeakers!

I suppose that you would like some more pictures!?  Well, here they come.

This is from a few days ago.

Taken this AM, about 0841!

Believe it or not, there ARE seven fat puppies in that pile!

Touille protects them from me or the camera, who knows which?!

She also cleans them constantly.  It is a wonder they still have hair!!!

I did remove dew claws two days ago and everyone seems fine after that trauma.  It REALLY traumatizes me to do it.  I can't stand hurting them!  I lessen the hurt by injecting numbing liquid, lidocaine, each time I do it, so the injection is all they feel and that is less than the dew claw removal would have been without the lidocaine.  I figure that in the long run though, the hurt is less than making a dew claw bleed over and over when clipping nails over a lifetime.  I do nick a dew claw on one of mine that hasn't been removed once in awhile and feel horrid after doing it.  Dew claws are a pain in the neck or leg, depending on one's point of view!
Their next trauma will be when I implant their ISO microchip.  I HATE doing that too!  That is a microchip that is recognized all over the world now.  These babies will be able to go to Crufts, Canada, or Hawaii with less rigamarole than otherwise!  VBG
Well, enough blabbering.  How's that, Angus?
The Curmudgeon needs to get to work. 

Traveled babies!!!

This is their second day coming to work.  They don't mind it.  I heat up the heating pad, put it in the carrier bag, put all seven of them in on top of the warm heating pad, zip it up and wrap the bag in a warm blanket.  Then we hop in the car and come the three miles to work.  They are quiet and content, not cold.  No screaming, which is what they would do if they were cold.
They are doing well, nursing most of the time.  They are fat and their coats glisten like seal fur.  I love how their coats look at this age.  Little boogers that they are, they do wiggle lots when I pick them up.  I have already started the rubbing their chests when they are on their backs in my hands.  That calms them right down. 

Touille is a good/great mom. 

Can you tell how much fatter/bigger they are?  They are really filling out!  Again, the grizzles are kind of bunched together!  You can see their brown heads.  The blues have heads that are black and one can see their brown eyebrows.

How did that Hawaii picture get in there?!!!!!  Cute little house.  I hear that there are at least five bunches of bananas in that banana patch!

OK.  The Old Curmudgeon is being called back to work by her conscience and other things!  I'll get more onto the blog soon.  Fat babies unite at the milk bar!

Doomsday or The End of the Mayan Calendar!

Today started out with a bang, but a constructive bang instead of a destructive one!  At close to 3:00 AM Touille had her first boy.  She ended up, by about 6:10 AM, having SIX boys and one lonely girl.  She did an amazing job.  What a great little girl!

Touille and her team and cheerleader.

They seem to be healthy and eating.

There are four blue puppies, of which the girl is one.  Betty says that the boys will have to watch out for that sister, but six against one is pretty hefty odds!
Touille is always a bit protective of the babies at first.  She is even afraid I will eat them!  All the good mamas are like that.  See how her front leg is kind of shielding them?  I put the blanket over them and that makes her happy.
They came to work in a bag with a heated up heating pad in the bottom and I placed it on the heated front seat.  I ran the car for awhile and had the heater on full blast.  We are having a bit of a cold snap.  Luckily, after today, we will have about four days at home.  Yippee!!!!!
Clicking starts soon, as well as the neurological stimulation exercises.  These puppies will never get car sick because of going back and forth to work every workday.  Scientifically proven!!!!
Enjoy the pictures.  More to come!
Don't worry.  I'll kiss them LOTS.
The Happy Curmudgeon with the terrible cold (I need rest!)