More Puppy Memories

Having puppies around was certainly a great experience- though not without LOTS of work. The first 4 weeks were fairly easy since Sadie did all the clean up work and the pups were too little to climb out of the box. BUT, when week 5 hit- look out! Suddenly they were shimmying themselves out of the box and finding themselves quite pleased with their newly found freedom! I bought a wire bookcase that I reconfigured into a taller pen with room for them to go potty and play. The only problem was that Sadie had a hard time getting in and out. So, we had to get creative and make a lower door for her to jump over, but that the puppies couldn't also get over!

Around this week they also started to eat some mushy food. What a funny mess! They were barely starting to walk so they kept falling over and often fell INTO the food! It didn't matter because one of the other puppies would just start licking the tasty food off the messy pup. We had a blast watching them interact.

The biggest problem was that the kids had to hold them CONSTANTLY! I found myself sounding like a broken record. "Put the puppy down while you eat. Put the puppy down and finish your schoolwork. Put the puppy down when you are in the living room. No, you cannot take the puppy with you to the bathroom." AAAHHHH!


Just when they started being able to climb out of the wire pen, I ended up in the hospital (more on that in the next post!) so my wonderful mom and mother in law got to experience the mayhem of that! They were climbing through the gate in the kitchen doorway and escaping through the house! And, since Sadie had said "Enough is enough!" we got to start cleaning up all their little "presents" throughout the kitchen! Thankfully we had an old baby corral that we kept them in while they were sleeping and eating so we could contain the messes. But, when it was wake-up and play time, the kids and I would arm ourselves with cleaning wipes and get prepared for poop-patrol!

They were so adorable that I was unsure of how I would be able to part with them! Yet, when they reached the 6-8 week stage, I was ready to send them to their families and have my kitchen back again. On January 11 they were ready to go home to their forever families and one by one our house got quieter and cleaner. But the kids got sadder and sadder. There were a few sad tears, but in a few days everyone was back to normal. I've heard back from a few families and everyone is doing well, except for Georgia-who jumped off the owner's table and broke her leg and now needs surgery.

We are glad to have a break but are happily looking forward to the next litter- whenever that is!

Puppies!!!

Last Sunday Sadie had her puppies! She had 8 cuties, but by the next day we had lost the runt. It was born with a cleft palate- no roof of it's mouth. All the rest are doing great and eating constantly.
The kids can't keep their hands off them, though! Several of them are always being held or carried around. Caitlin even came out a few minutes ago with one tucked into a little basket bed. These dogs will DEFINITELY be socialized! LOL!

Sadie

Well, we have a new addition to our family! Little Sadie the puggle. (Half beagle/half pug) We had been getting closer and closer to making the decision to add a puppy to our family when God tossed her right into our lap!

In our last small group I began keeping a prayer journal. I noticed in my journal that I had started praying last February that if it was God's will give us a puppy that he would provide a puggle for under $300. (A big deal since it is considered a "designer dog" and they run for between $700 and $1200. FOR A MUTT! Sheesh!)
Over the past few weeks I had casually checked a few websites for breeders in MD, PA, or NJ. A lady in PA had a female left but it was still $400- too high for us. Then, I just happened to check back on a Monday morning and saw that she was reduced in price to $250! She was the last to go for her litter and the lady just wanted to find her a home! Amazing! Brent was on his way to the store, so he turned around and we drove 2 hours up past Harrisburg to get her!

She is toooooooo cute. Lots of wrinkles on her face! We're all smitten! She has a wonderful cuddly personality. She loves to be held and petted and will roll over just begging to have her belly scratched.
So far, she's doing fairly well becoming house trained. Still a few accidents here and there, but she's still young. She is learning "come" and "sit" already. She loves to chew just about everything so that's been a challenge to keep our stuff "safe"! I just have to say how thankful I am for the Puppies for Dummies book! I didn't have a clue how to do dog training, so it has been very helpful.
The kids are loving every minute of play with her and are tolerating the potty time rotation schedule! LOL! Grant is having fun as the self-appointed "Pooper-scooper" of the family since he got his own cool tool to do it!
I'll try to get pictures up as soon as my dial-up co-operates!

Canine Obsession

Well, the kids' obsession over a dog is reaching deafening proportions. It seems that Brent and I are going to lose the battle. I. just. cannot. say. no. anymore.!

This past Thursday we visited the Harford County Humane Society. They didn't have any small dogs other than a beagle ( ugly ones, too) which I don't want. Since I am not, by nature, an animal lover, it is very important to me to have a dog that is going to stay pleasant to look at. I know it is shallow and heartless and cold, but it is the harsh reality. I figure I'm going to have to look at this dog's face for a long many years and I want it to be a nice view.

So far, the dog I've found to be cutest and is in our size range (small to medium) is a Puggle. This is really just a mutt, but it's an "on purpose" kind of mutt! They breed a beagle and a pug and VOILA! You get a Puggle! Aren't they cute- and they stay cute, too. Now, just to find one in our small price range! Fortunately, over the past few months, I've found a few at the shelter sites. We'll have to keep looking....