Last week my daughter Rachel and her boyfriend were home for a five day layover on their drive from Pocatello, ID to Fort Myers, Florida where she started a new job this week. I’m always excited to have my baby home but it was especially nice to have her company now that my normal social activities are on hold. We cooked together, watched movies and played Pickle-ball and board games. After they left last Friday, I fell into a bit of a funk; it’s lifted and I’m up to writing again.
Meanwhile Snowflake and her puppies are doing well! The pups turned four weeks on Tuesday and are among the most confident and friendly puppies I’ve seen at this early age. They adjusted quickly to spending most of their day out in the side yard and all eight come running whenever anyone goes out to visit them. This is especially heartening as momma Snowflake is a decidedly shy, anxious dog – especially now that she is responsible for eight little lives. Before she had the puppies, she needed time before she’d approach anyone new. But she warmed up to Steve, my daughter Amanda and me within hours and became very affectionate. But after the birth, she started barking at Amanda when she came near her or the puppies and barks if any neighbors come too close to the side yard fence. And while she still loves it when I give her attention, Snowflake gets excited/alarmed if I pick up any of the puppies. When I have one in my arms, she jumps on me and pushes her muzzle between me and the puppy. Some mom dogs I’ve fostered have become alarmed when I’ve pick up their puppies in the first few weeks – something I do only when necessary – but this is the first time I’ve had a mother continue to be concerned with me handling her puppies after the three week mark. In the mornings, to avoid stressing her, I try feeding her first so she won’t notice me taking the puppies out of the whelping box. She doesn’t stay distracted for long; as soon as she hears the puppies whining she wants to get to them. This was challenging when the puppies were eating softened kibble and I wanted to feed them separately but now that they are able to eat what their mom eats – kibble straight from the bag – I don’t have to keep them apart. Although they’re actually more interested in nursing than eating kibble once she’s present.
Snowflake is much more comfortable with me engaging with the puppies when I sit down on the ground and let them come to me. As soon as I’m seated, they are all over my lap; they are such friendly puppies. Snowflake also tries to climb into my lap, she wants her share of affection too.
Snowflake has made some progress with her behavior. She’s no longer tries to move the puppies to new places in the dog area. And she’s stopped digging holes outside up against the house; something she started doing right after the puppies were born. My guess is she was trying to make a “den,” a better place to raise her puppies. Years ago, we had a porch room at the back of our house; that’s where we kept our mom dogs and puppies. On warm days, I’d leave the back door open so the mother dog could come and go. Once I found some puppies missing from the whelping box. I found them in the backyard under a big tree, where theirmother had moved them. I carried them back inside and closed the back door so she couldn’t move them again.
These first three pictures were taken by my friend Jan:
Allison
Mommy Dog Rescue 
What cute puppies! Love the names!
LikeLike