Hannah's Big Day!!!

The blog has been slow lately, but not because Hannah hasn't been busy! We have all been working really hard to get her ready for her first Adoption Day (today! but more on that later...). Here is a bit of what she has been working on:

• November 28, 2006: Hannah returned to White Rock Veterinary Hospital for her next set of vaccinations.
• December 3, 2006: Hannah and I met with dog trainer Nancy Cusick of Nancy's Dog Training to figure out what we should be working on next with Hannah.
• December 12, 2006: Hannah got her Rabies vaccination and was spayed at Emancipet.

Hannah continues to be one of the most loyal and devoted dogs we have EVER known. She just loves to be with us so darn much! And reading over this blog, we realize just how much she has learned in the short time she has been with us:

• House Broken
• Crate Trained
• Leash Trained
• Socialized with big and small dogs
• Socialized with kids of all ages
• Socialized with cats and small animals (she rarely chases them now, and then only if they taunt her in to it)
  
• Got over fear of cars
• Learned to share food and toys with other pets
• Learned to "sit" on command
• Recovered completely from her bout with CDV
• Caught up on her vaccinations
• Spayed
  

She is such an amazing dog. The next phase of training we were thinking about was doing some Clicker training and some increased socialization to continue to increase her self-confidence. We are also going to try giving her a job (like carrying water bottles in a backpack on our walks). We have also started using a Gentle Leader head harness for our walks, and we are working on new tricks every day.

Here is some of what we know about Hannah after living with her for two and a half months:

• She LOVES chew toys, just like a puppy!
• She loves to play and be active, but she also loves to be a big couch potato.
• She feels protective of those she loves.
• She will work hard for treats and for praise.
• She is sensitive to reprimands-- it really breaks her heart not to please you!
• She learns quickly and adapts right away to new situations.

So, dear friends of Hannah and this blog, it is finally time for Hannah to begin the search for her Forever Home. Today she went to the PawMatch Adoption Day at PetsMart at Lakeline Mall and she did great!! If it weren't for the rotten weather, she might have even found a home today. We will keep her home tomorrow (again due to weather), and she will be boarding at Taurus next weekend with Luci while the rest of us go to Florida, but beginning in January she will be at Lakeline every Adoption Day until she finds a home. Please send your friends, your families, yourSELVES!-- anyone who may be a great family for Hannah-- to the blog or to the Adoption Site to meet her. Feel free to email us with questions about amazing Hannah.

Let's see if Hannah likes to watch poker on TV...

Make yourself at home...

Hannah surprised us by immediately settling in on the couch the first afternoon she had access to the house. Why rest on the floor when this comfy couch is available?! She is a total cuddle-bug and couch potato at night after a full-energy busy day.

Crate training is going without a hitch. We put a folded blanket on the bottom of her crate after we saw how much she liked a cushy resting space, and she seems quite happy with that. She also gets a treat every time she gets in there. There are no complaints at night or when we are in there now- whew!

It's so exciting to finally see all three dogs out in the yard together!

The wheel of time turns on...

We are left with lovely Hannah, and the focus of this blog will turn to her and her adventures with us from this point on, without the pups. And what a change there already is. Without the dear ones to protect, Hannah bowed down playfully behind the gate at Luci, and seemed to say "let's be friends!". We opened the gate that had separated them for the last month, and Hannah joined the regular flow of our life. We added a crate for her in our bedroom and she is just walking around the house now with our pets. She chases the cats and is a little too interested in the Guinea pigs. But otherwise, it is going well. She and Luci and ancient Jack are learning to share the house, the backyard, and even our attention. We have sent a message to PawMatch to let them know about the pups, but we are tentatively planning on fostering Hannah for a few more weeks until she has recovered fully and is ready to be spayed. I took her to White Rock Veterinary Hospital this morning where everyone fawned over her and remarked how beautiful she is. She rode in the car with me to take Ben to school today, and we started crate training at home. We plan to use these weeks to polish up her manners so that she will be all ready for a wonderful forever family. After everything she has been through, she really deserves it!

4 Weeks Old: Helo

We only had one puppy make it to 4 weeks old. We called him Helo (previously known as #7/ Mr. Teal). This photo was taken at 10 AM on Wednesday, November 8, 2006. He was so spunky and walking around then, and he was already gaining weight for the day. We really felt very hopeful about him, against all odds, I suppose. But 18 hours later (at 4:30 AM) he was so desperately ill that Jason took him to the Emergency Animal Hospital, unable to leave him suffering even until our 8 AM appointment at White Rock.

And so the puppies are all gone. Mr. Purple and Miss Navy (dear White Tips) both failed very quickly-- a matter of hours from the start of neuro symptoms until the end-- only a day apart. For White Tips and Helo we pulled out all the stops--even trying some experimental steroid therapy Jason read about on the Internet. But nothing could stop this terrible disease.

Of course we are so sad. We truly loved those darling pups. And we will never forget our experience with them-- what an incredible month! But as Ben told his teacher this morning, "We tried our best". And really, that is all anyone can ever do for another creature. And we don't regret trying-- Hannah is a beautiful, wonderful dog who will be completely devoted to some lucky family-- and she wouldn't be here if we hadn't been willing to try.

Fresh Start

We lost 5 puppies this past week. It was heartbreaking if not unexpected. But we are ready to regroup and move on with the three big, healthy, pups we have left and their strong mama.

Our life is much different today. These three pups are good nursers and not so dependent on the supplement bottles. They don't need tube feedings or eye treatments or other time consuming interventions. They are strong enough to get up and walk around, so we reconfigured their area so that they have a little penned yard coming off of their pool/bed. They enjoy walking out there to pee and play, and then walk back into the bed to nurse. They can see us moving about now, and they can watch Hannah when she gets up to take a drink or get something to eat. We put away all of the IV fluids and syringes and medicines except their antibiotics, so there is less of a hospital atmosphere going. They have started to play with their puppy toys and they like to get attention from their human family.

We feel we still have a chance of pulling these last pups through with Hannah, and we are savoring these hard-earned, precious puppy moments.

The surviving pups are:

• Miss Navy/#8 (aka White Tips)
• Mr. Purple/ #4 (aka Big Guy or Rottweiler)
  
• Mr. Teal/ #7 (aka Chocolate or Brownie)

Goodbye, Littlest Loves

We lost Mr. White & Mr. Green on Saturday. Mr. Green had been ill since the wee hours of Thursday morning but fought hard for over 48 hours. Mr. White became suddenly very ill on Saturday afternoon, with seizures and a pained cry that even large doses of Valium couldn't calm. I took them to Banfield early Saturday evening. You might think it would be getting easier to do, having done it three other times this week, but it actually gets harder each time. We loved little Mr. White and Mr. Green so much, and we all really, really wanted them to be OK. But they were both so pitiful at the end, there was no question that they were suffering and it was time to let them go. Hannah was frantic and whining, getting in the bed with them, then getting out and coming to me, silently pleading with me to help them. Even Ben said "I don't think they can make it, Mom." And so we let the "teeny tiniest" and his small brother (who had lost so much weight, they looked like twins again) go together.

Three Weeks Old!

What a whirlwind these last three weeks have been. It definitely isn't what we imagined it would be, but it has been even more in some ways. Tonight we had some puppy playtime, and it was so fun for all of us just to sit and enjoy some puppy love. They are walking more and starting to bat at things and play a bit. 4 of the 5 grew well today, and Mr. White has stubbornly not grown well since the beginning, so it may not be an ominous sign. Everyone's eyes look great today too- whew!

And HANNAH is feeling SO good today. She absolutely insisted on multiple walks in the brisk fall weather, and she was ready to run. She is back to being a REALLY strong dog. She has so much love and gratitude in her eyes, and she is doing so well-- it makes it worth while for sure.

The pups that are left are a lively bunch. On the occasion of their three week birthday, we decided to share some more photos of each one.

Mr. Teal/ #7 aka Chocolate

I can't believe that this is my first post about Mr. Teal, who is one of our very favorite puppies. He is nearly all brown, with just a few dabs of white on him. He is very, very soft. And he is in the midst of a tremendous growth spurt-- yay! Jason thinks he resembles a wolf pup, I think he looks like a cattle dog. His eyes have not yet been goopy-- and they are gorgeous!

Miss Navy/ #8 (aka White Tips)

White Tips is a source of joy for all of us. She is so soft and so lively, and we have felt a special bond with her since the beginning. She is now our only girl, and that makes her extra-special too! Plus she is the very best eater every day.

Mr. Purple/ #4

Mr. Purple is now the BMOC of our puppy crew and he's got the strut to show it. We didn't find a scale to our liking, so he made his 2nd trip to the post office to get weighed in tonight!

Mr. Green/ #1

Mr. Green has developed a bit of a belly recently. He is still one of the little ones, but he is definitely gaining on the big kids.

Mr. White/ #3

Mr. White is the "teeny tiniest" and the special favorite of Ben these days. Tonight he said, "I am giving Mr. White all of my best hopes and the most love I have so that he can make it." We are all pulling for you, dear Mr. White!

Little Boy Blue

Well, I am heartbroken to write that our "Big Boy", Mr. Blue/#5 woke us up with pitiful cries at 5:00 AM this morning. He seemed fine at 12:00 AM when we went to bed, but was already a shadow of himself by morning. He was very disoriented and inconsolably crying. He was unable to nurse or take the supplement very well, and his plaintive bleating progressed to seizures by 7 AM. I rushed him to the peaceful goodbye with Dr. Gregard to minimize his suffering. His passing was swift, and I honestly felt relief for him when I felt his little body finally relax.

Canine Distemper Virus is a cruel disease. But as poor, crying Dr. G said this morning, there is still a chance for the others, and if even one makes it, it will be worth it. Unfortunately, it is hard to say for sure when they have "made it", because neurological signs can present weeks after the initial respiratory and digestive problems. Even strong Hannah, who seems quite depressed but less physically afflicted, is still not completely out of the woods.

Mostly Tricks This Year

We came up a little short on the treats in the puppy department this Halloween. I ended up with both morning and afternoon vet appointments (in the morning with poor Miss Pink and in the afternoon with Mr. Blue, Mr. White, & Mr. Green, who all have yucky eye drainage). But there were some treats along the way. Mr. Purple became the first puppy to officially outgrow the scale. Jason had to take him to the post office to get his weight tonight! We will get a new scale tomorrow. And everyone is responding well to the eye antibiotics. And even though we are really feeling the absence of Miss Orange and Miss Pink, the remaining puppies seem strong, at least today. And Hannah is convalescing well, and the respite she's received with the supplemental bottle feedings and two fewer pups to feed has helped her keep her strength up. We are so glad that these six have made it through their first three weeks!

Who's left, by the numbers

As expected, this has been a hard week for the pups. But we still have six strong puppies left, and each day that goes by we get closer to the place where some of them have made it through this. So, who are the survivors?

• 1- Mama (Hannah)
• 1- Female pup (Miss Navy, aka White Tips)
• 5- Male pups (Mr. Green, Mr. White, Mr. Teal, Mr. Purple, & Mr. Blue)
• 2- Runts (Mr. Green & Mr. White)
• 2- Dogs over 2 lbs. (Mr. Purple & Mr. Blue)
• 7- Dogs with clear nasal drainage
• 5- Dogs with crusty eye drainage (Mr. Green, Mr. White, Miss Navy, Mr. Purple, & Mr. Blue)
• 3- Dogs who gained over 1.5 ounces today (Mr. Green, Mr. Teal, & Mr. Purple)
• 3- Dogs who gained less than 0.5 ounces today (Miss Navy, Mr. Blue, & Mr. White)
  
• 0- Dogs who are showing obvious neuro symptoms associated with the Distemper as of tonight
  

Farewell, Miss Pink

Sweet, super-soft Miss Pink started having seizures again at around 10 PM Monday evening after about 30 hours without them. She had continued to lose weight in spite of all of the interventions, and by this morning she began to have a pitiful cry between seizures. We knew it was time to let her go. I cried some tears over the beautiful puppy, and so did Dr. Gregard. She was held and loved until the very end, and I brought the tiny pink collar home to remember her by.

Miss Pink's Plight

We awoke Sunday morning to find Miss Pink seizing. "Oh No! Here we go again!"... or so we thought. It appears that we have a fighter on our hands. Although she lost a lot of weight yesterday (due to not nursing and not swallowing her supplement), she only had about three seizures total-- very different from poor Miss Orange who couldn't stop seizing. I took Miss Pink to the vet this morning (sweet Dr. Gregard!), and after evaluation we have decided to start giving her subcutaneous fluids and tube feedings here at home. If she keeps seizure free she might perk up with the fluids and food. Her prognosis is obviously not good, but she is a really darling and spunky pup, and still walking around and trying her best. By mid-morning today she was swallowing her antibiotics, wormer, and more formula from a fast-flow bottle. Last night we put tiny collars on the other black puppies so that we can tell them apart without picking them up, but we didn't put the pink the one on, so sure that she would need to be put down today with the onset of the seizures. But at the last feeding I put it securely around her neck-- a vote of confidence and faith that she is going to be around for a while.

Meanwhile, Mr. Purple (now sporting a pink & blue pawprint collar) and Mr. Blue (with a dog bone collar) are walking around their pool and making little play barks with their eyes and ears wide open. "I am a Rottweiler!" Jason thinks they are saying. Our camera is having some severe problems or else I would have photos today. We will resolve that issue ASAP!

Thanks for all the support this weekend, faithful blog readers. It means a lot! We will be posting links to the medical treatments each dog is getting later today or tomorrow to help us keep track of who is getting what.

Some Sad News

Today we had to say goodbye to one of the puppies, and it was quite a shock and so very sad. Our "Big Girl", sweet Miss Orange/#2, started suffering terrible seizures this morning after having a great day yesterday and no evidence of a problem at bedtime last night. This morning she was racked with tonic-clonic seizures and foaming at the mouth. Dr. Gregard at White Rock Veterinary Hospital prescribed some valium to administer during the seizures, but told us that her prognosis was "very poor". When we returned home and she was seizing again, we realized that it was time to let her go. I stayed with her and held her all afternoon at the animal hospital until it was time, and her last hours were peaceful and warm.

Hannah and everyone else had a good day. After the painful ordeal with Miss Orange ("if she could go downhill so suddenly, any of them could!"), we were heartened to see that the other pups grew well today. They are all on antibiotics now in addition to their milk supplement, and they all really like the sweet, fruity-smelling stuff. We are looking forward to just relaxing with the dogs tomorrow and giving lots of TLC to the whole crew. I promise some cute puppy photos tomorrow.

TGIF

Wow. We are baffled by the pups today. #1/Mr. Green struggled all day, but with each supplemental feeding he got stronger and a bit more animated until he was drinking from a saucer tonight. However he still seems unable to nurse for some reason, and he still lost half an ounce, which is discouraging. #4/Mr. Purple, whose weight loss yesterday seemed an aberration since he has been one of the heartiest & feistiest puppies all along, stunned us today by weighing in with a significant loss today. He has lost 2 ounces in 48 hours and we don't know why. He is noticeably thinner and less substantial today. Two days ago, he was the biggest puppy of all, tonight he is 4th. Obviously, I didn't take it seriously enough yesterday, and he is on the "NICU" plan with Mr. Green and Mr. White now. (Tiny Mr. White remains the smallest, and also suffered a small loss today, though he still seems plenty spunky and is taking his supplement like a champ.) We will consult with the vet by phone tomorrow to get some advice. Luckily, since it is the weekend, we can keep an extra close eye and give them extra TLC while we are all three here. We also need to get them wormed this weekend if they are healthy enough.

Hannah did OK today, very soft stools but no diarrhea and less nasal drainage. She ate fairly well-- not as good as the good days, but not refusing like she does on the bad. Maybe this is canine influenza? I've heard it is going around too...

And, since we hate to have only discouraging news on here, when there is SO MUCH darling puppy love going on all day that doesn't get reported, I thought we would share this photo of little Miss Pink/#6 sound asleep in the weighing bowl. If only more of them were this easy to weigh! We are going to need to invest in a bigger scale this weekend.

Mr. Green's Bad Day

I am seeing a pattern: on the tough days, we don't blog on time.

The last 24 hours were tough for Hannah and one of her babies. Hannah had a lot of nasal discharge again, was reluctant to walk this morning, and the diarrhea returned by this afternoon. But her appetite rallied again by this evening and she seems better all around tonight, so hopefully it was only a temporary set-back.

Six of the puppies gained well today. #4/Mr. Purple, was one of the puppies who lost weight, but he only lost a tiny bit and had a banner day yesterday. Also, I came home and found that he had climbed out of the pool and couldn't get back in-- our very first escapee!-- so he may have missed out on some nursing time today. I feel confident that he is going to be just fine, and we are going to move the puppies out of the pool and into a newspapered pen as soon as they are all walking.

We are pretty worried about the other puppy who lost weight tonight, though. #1/Mr. Green is the puppy who was sleepy yesterday and had flat weight gain. He is the only puppy who has not rebounded from Hannah's illness last weekend, and today he had a big weight drop on top of very little-to-no gain this past week. By tonight he was too weak to nurse, even when it was only he and Hannah, and she and I both tried to help him. He is too weak for a bottle or the saucer, but he did take some milk replacement from a dropper. We will continue to keep a very close eye on him. He is very sleepy and weak, but such a sweet little guy... send out a good thought for him!

Two Weeks Old!

On Wednesday, the pups were two weeks old. Our good friends (and fellow dog rescuers!) Dani, Becca, Nathan, & Rowan came to see them for a little while in the afternoon and brought them some darling puppy gifts-- thank you!!!

Unfortunately, it wasn't all good news on Wednesday. Dani noticed that one of the puppies was pretty lethargic during their visit, and later that night that pup, sweet little #1/Mr. Green, showed flat growth. He did, however, take some supplement, and we felt good about that.

Mama Hannah also seemed tired again on Wednesday and didn't eat. She wasn't interested in walking. We babied her all evening, gave her some extra milk supplement, and tucked everyone in early.

Odd Couple

Next to White Tips, the next two puppies we could easily distinguish from the beginning were #5/Mr. Blue and #3/Mr. White because they have always been the largest and the smallest. Mr. Blue was MUCH bigger than anyone else when he arrived, but a few others are catching up. Mr. White, on the other hand, was one of three small pups at the beginning, but the other two have started catching up with the other pups now, leaving Mr. White as the "teeny tiniest".

Mr. Blue, aka "the Biggie" or "Tank", has consistently been almost exactly twice as big as Mr. White. He is a great nurser, wedging himself in and displacing the other puppies easily anytime he is awake. He also loves the supplemental milk, and even though he hasn't missed many meals with mom, he never turns down any extra. He is so big now that we probably won't be able to fit him in the weight bowl much longer. He is also the loudest so far, making cute little muffled barks. He is a very content puppy... eating, then sleeping, then eating... then sleeping some more.

Mr. White may be small, but he is not weak or lagging developmentally at all. In fact, he is quite precocious. He was one of the first to have his eyes open and is doing the most beginning walking. He caught on quickly to lapping the supplements from the dish. He spends a lot of time nursing, but sometimes he gets bumped off by the jostling of the bigger pups. He comes back again and again, though, and just has so much heart. He is so sweet, and nuzzles our necks when we hold him. A foster mother tries not to have favorites, but this tiny fellow is the one I search out each time I come to their den...

Taking a Chance

I started this post last night, but it got too long and seemed rather grim, so I decided to sleep on it and try again today, and I am so glad I did.

Yesterday's vet appointment revealed that Hannah may be in real trouble. The tentative diagnosis was possible Canine Distemper Virus (CDV). It isn't easy/possible for us to get a definitive diagnosis, but her history (there have been cases at the shelter she presented at, though they made an effort to isolate her), and symptoms (diarrhea, nasal drainage, staggering/weak gait Sunday night) seem to point to it. A second opinion was obtained from our dear and trusted family vet, and an honest look at the potential course and prognosis (for both Hannah & the pups) was reviewed with him as well. And then we talked to Andy at PawMatch for some "spot on" observations and support.

Our little family then sat down and talked about what this could mean, including that if it is CDV one or more (or even all) of the dogs could heartbreakingly die or need to be put down. And we voted unanimously that we are all in: we promised them a chance, and they will get their full chance from us. They pay us back every day, Hannah with her touching loyalty and the pups with the joyful experience of getting to be near puppies and watch them grow. We decided that no matter what, they will have known love every day of their lives with us, however long that is.

With that decision firmly made, we went on with the business of caring for Hannah and the pups. We did an extra good job disinfecting their whole area of the kitchen. The puppies were cuter than ever-- several of them attempting to stand and walk around now, and several with their eyes at least partially open. They moved around on their towel in the middle of the kitchen while I worked on their den. And with the help of the supplementation, they all managed to gain some weight. They all seem very healthy.

Hannah was started on antibiotics and metoclopramide, to both help with her tummy troubles and her milk supply issues. She is also now getting some of the puppies' milk supplement, which she really enjoys.

This morning, Hannah greeted me at the gate, ready to walk. It was the first time in days she hasn't had to be coaxed or even carried out of bed. She ate very well, skipping the wet food she had eaten bites of from her bed over the weekend, and moved straight over to the large bowl of dry food, which she finished. She also drank plenty of water, and lapped up her milk supplement. We took a short walk with no problems: there was no sign of weakness or staggering. She doesn't have a runny nose. When we got back to the house she started fussing over and cleaning the puppies like the attentive and wonderful mother she had been before she got sick. In short, if Hannah is still sick, someone forgot to tell her! We feel cautiously optimistic today about her recovery!

If Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy...

Sorry for the lack of updates this weekend, we have had our hands full because Hannah is sick. She did not eat well on Friday (which we attributed to the stress & disruption of the vet visit), Saturday, or most of the day today. She seemed extra tired and returned to being reluctant to get out of the pool, and her stools got progressively looser until she was having lots of diarrhea last night and today. By tonight she also had a nasal discharge, and when we weighed the puppies we discovered that they had all lost weight in the last 24 hours. Hannah will go back to the vet in the morning, though gratefully her appetite returned very strong tonight and we are hopeful that she is turning a corner. The pups were not complaining, but we started supplementing them anyway due to their poor growth over the weekend. We tried three different replacement milks before we found the one they would take, and a few different feeding methods. Only White Tips (Miss Navy/#8) was willing to take it from a bottle, but eventually 6 of them were coaxed to drink it from little bowls and saucers.

On the bright side, the puppies all seem fine-- no evidence of any illness. This weekend a few of them started making hobbly starts at getting up on their feet and walking-- we will try to get some video of that. And White Tips has one eye a tiny bit open! This should be a very exciting week!

At the Vet

 

Big Day

Today was the first morning that the sound of complaining puppies woke me up. Since this was also the first cold morning we've had (in the 50s at morning walk time!), we went to double check they were all warm enough (though we had adjusted the temperature in the house to compensate). But it was just that Hannah had stood up and was ready to go walking!

This afternoon Ben and our neighbor, Joe, and I took Hannah & the babies back to see the vet at Banfield. Everyone had an exam and Hannah had a vaccination. Mom and pups are looking good so far. Barring any problems, we return in 3 weeks. The trip took about two hours total and wore everyone out, so it has been a mellow evening. The two littlest pups suffered in the weigh-in tonight, so we will make sure they get extra mom-time tomorrow.

One of these things is not like the others...

The puppy who has most consistently gained the most weight at the daily weigh-ins is a Very Special puppy around here. She is #8/Miss Navy on paper, but at our house she has been known since day one as "Fingertips" (by Ben) or "White Tips" (by Jason). In the giant pile of black puppies, she has always stood out, with her white feet and darling white-tipped tail. Since she has been the easiest by far to tell apart, and she has been the subject of the most conversation (e.g. "How's Fingertips doing today?"), and early on Jason predicted that IF a puppy ends up staying around permanently, then Ben and I will choose her. (I predict that is not true... check back at Christmastime to find out!)

Today she also had the distinction of being the first puppy to get a head and leg over in an attempt to climb out of the plastic pan they lie in after they get weighed (before they get back in the pool). This wasn't a big surprise to us, she has been a very spunky pup all along. Brains and beauty, what a gal.

Long Day

Hannah hopped right up to go on our walk this morning. She did very well, but we learned that she is a little afraid of cars and traffic.

Everyone is tired around here, so we are calling it a night. Hannah and little Mr. Purple have a head start... you can't tell from this shot, but #4/Mr. Purple is one feisty little puppy! Every night he is one of the toughest to weigh because he is so wriggly and wiggly in the bowl on the scale, grousing the whole time. When he eats, he throws his whole body into it-- banging his little paws against his mama and bumping into his siblings. LOTS of personality already in this cute little guy!

Moonlight MNO

Hannah has been the most devoted of mothers for 5 solid days now-- we can hardly get her to leave the pups for even a few minutes a day to take care of her most basic needs-- including pottying and eating. She has visibly lost weight during this heavy nursing time and is clearly tired and resting much of the time. But according to the books, a little exercise would do her some good, both in terms of energy and milk supply. So tonight we ventured out of the back yard (where the kitchen-bound puppies were so very close that Hannah couldn't even bear to leave the porch) and on to the sidewalk. And once she and I were there alone under the moonlight, there was no stopping her! We walked and walked and walked-- and really she would have liked to run I think!-- before I turned us around to come home. It was a great break for both of us. I guess Diane (my neighbor/friend/daily walking buddy) and I have a new walking partner starting tomorrow morning!

Hannah is a very powerful dog. Jason guesses she weighs 55-60 pounds. Her back comes to our mid-thigh, and she is extremely muscular. She reminds us of a Rhodesian Ridgeback or a Boxer in that way-- very short fur covering a very strong body. But she is more like a Lab in personality: absolutely a bundle of love and adoration. I sit next to her nursery pool for a while each day, and she rests her head in my arms or on my lap while I stroke her back and side. I know she is grateful for this respite in our home, and we are so very grateful to have her here as well.

The Boys

#1/ Mr. Green

#3/ Mr. White

#4/ Mr. Purple

#5/ Mr. Blue

#7/ Mr. Teal

The Girls

#2/ Miss Orange

#6/ Miss Pink

#8/ Miss Navy

I know, I know, where are the puppies?!

We are finally ready to post photos of the pups and those of you have have wondered can finally see that, no, they are not all black as the "family portrait" from Saturday would have you believe. At a mere 5 days old they already have distinct personalities and widely varying sizes. We have started a growth chart for those who are interested.

We identify the puppies by colors in the logs and charts we keep for them, and we still need the colors to tell a few of them apart sometimes (those pups are marked with a tiny dab of appropriately colored nail polish on a back toe nail to help us!). But the majority we can ID easily by sight now, a big change in only a few days.

Most of the pups are doing very well now. There were three we were a bit worried about yesterday, but today Hannah and the pups really seem to have fallen into a good rhythm and everyone did some decent growing. Nonetheless, #3/Mr. White remains tinier than the others and we attempted to supplement him today. He was having NONE of that, however, and aggressively nursed the rest of the day to show us just how wrong we were about him. Some of the big pups inadvertently knock him out of the way in their jubilant and full-bodied nursing sessions. But little #3 crawls back time after time, and is hanging in there. We give him a hand (moving him to the "good" nipples) every time we come in the kitchen. We will keep you posted on his progress-- but he has stolen our hearts already.

"A mama needs your help..."

Our family agreed to be the foster family for an unnamed "brown dog" and her 8 one-day old puppies who were rescued by PawMatch from an outlying animal control shelter. We got the call from Holly on Thursday evening, October 12, and we picked them up on the morning of Friday the 13th!

The mama was checked out by the vet and staff at Banfield Pet Hospital in Cedar Park and found to have a slightly elevated temperature but otherwise OK. She was very friendly and sweet with all of us, and had no problems with us being near her pups.

We loaded them all in the car and brought them home to the area we had set up for her. We decided to just let them all rest for that day. She and the pups had a lot of fleas, so we gave her a Capstar (prescribed by our wonderful vet, Dr. Todd Riggan, at White Rock Veterinary Hospital) and decided to give them a bath the next day.

The first order of business was a name. We all agreed rather quickly on the name Hannah for our sweet & lucky mother with the soulful eyes. Tomorrow we will tackle identifying and naming the pups.

Hannah is very, very gentle with us, allowing us humans free access to the pups. But she is ferociously protective of them when other animals come near-- a true mother lioness in action! Even our old cats Link and Chloe are run from the kitchen if they wander curiously in. And dogs Luci and Jack are absolutely NOT welcome. We have a gate set-up across the kitchen to separate everyone, and another gate fencing off her area of the kitchen for extra security.