Andrew's Home

i can't remember if Megan or i snapped this pic of Andrew reading to the kids: i think i took this one but there are two more from the day before that i think she took.

Ten Days Old

The puppies are ten days old but their eyes are still closed. We moved them all to the crate and into the dining room about a week ago. Even though the puppies are so small and still blind they're getting more adventurous. They mostly get out of the crate to find mommy when they're hungry. She is starting to leave them alone more and more but always comes back when they're want to eat. The two white ones (one is actually a very pale tan) are the loudest, and their whining wakes me repeatedly in the night. The black ones are quiet. The three in the middle, two tan and one brown, are the smart ones and the one i'll pick my puppy from. Cleopatra has never picked one up, she will only nudge them with her nose, but she'll leave the whole bunch alone waiting by the one that's lost for me to come put him back in the cage. She still doesn't like Alice to hold them but she'll come get me if i don't come help right away and doesn't mind me holding one as long as she's nearby to supervise.


tan boy and white girl

The Puppies are Here!

Eight puppies were born in the wee hours of the morning on Sunday, September 30, 2007. One puppy was stillborn and all were born without human assistance (the last one emerging unexpectedly during church). A couple of nights before their birth the mother stopped insisting on sleeping near me and instead hid behind the rocker in Alice's room. This proves problematic because Cleopatra does not want Alice anywhere near her puppies and Alice is now afraid to go near them! Even when i decided to pick one up for the first time i could tell that Cleopatra was seriously considering biting me but she considers me to be the Alpha and didn't. This is because she tried to bite me once in the car (while i was eating on the moving trip) and i grabbed her lower jaw and held on for about two or three minutes. Right now Cleopatra doesn't like to leave her puppies. The stains on the carpet are from the stillborn's meconium and caused the room to stink really badly. The puppies smell divine and are so small and soft! There are five boys and two girls and at least one of them has my name on it, but i don't know which yet!