Speaking of being all grown up...

My little Jill started Kindergarten today.
Just waiting for the bus, how exciting!
oooo, there it is. It is so big.
Such a big girl.

BitterSweet

Whaaaaaaaa nooooo, say it isn't so. Liuda called today. She is going to be quitting. She is...um....in a family way. That is so exciting and I'm thrilled for them. They are going to make wonderful parents. I feel so motherly towards her, like I watched her grow up. When she first started working for me she had only been in this country a few months. She spoke broken English and didn't know our customs or holidays. Now here she is, speaking very well, understanding and celebrating our holidays, married and starting her own family. *sniff* I'm so proud of her. ....but...but...I'm going to miss her more than I miss...oh wait, I better not finish that sentence. That wouldn't be very nice.

The puppies are flying out the door today!

Man, what an uncomfortably busy day today was. This was supposed to have been my day off, but I ended up going in to make rounds with the Psychiatrist and working with him. I didn't get home until 1:30 or so. I had to hurry home and get puppies ready to go home. Three families came one at a time and overlapped each a bit. The last one left after 9:00 pm. Corky went home. She moved in with the Late Baby JR's (AKA Riley) mom. She is going to have great fun there. Miles and Jim went to their new homes too.

Lacey and Da Vinci's puppies are 8 weeks old

Lacey's puppies are 8 weeks old today. *sniff, they are all grown up and ready to fly the coop now. Uh oh, does that mean I let one go home one day early? Oops, Sshhhh, don't tell anybody.

First Class Puppy

This morning I got up at 2:00 AM and left for the airport at 3:00 a.m. As I was checking in at the terminal I decided to go ahead and upgrade to first class for the first leg of the trip. Why not? I've never flown first class before and thought I'd treat myself. Well, did I mention that I accidentally forgot to report to anyone that I was bringing a puppy on board? I really should have waited until they called for last call to board before getting on. That way Miles (the puppy) could have some extra time running around in the bathroom (that is a pretty good place for pups to get out and get some exercise in an airport). But...what good is to fly first class if the others don't get to see me being the first on, and if I can't sit there in the big comfy seat sipping on juice while the commoners are boarding? So, silly me, I am the first one on. We ended up in the very front row. The front row is not the best spot to sit when attempting to smuggle a happy wide awake puppy. Usually I carry the pups in a special pet back pack that is pretty big. Thank goodness I bought a new pet bag that is smaller and looks more purse-like. I was sitting there with one hand discretely stuck in the bag to try to keep the pup quiet, and pretending to calmly read my book that I really I have open just to try to hide my wiggly bag. Can you imagine what my heart rate was when I heard the pilot say "I hear puppy noises. What is making those puppy noises?" Asking the stewardess: "Is there a puppy on board?" The stewardess came out, looked around, and went back in the cockpit and said "There isn't any puppy out here". I should get an Emmy for my cool performance. I was so glad once the plane started moving. Even if they figured out Miles was there, they could stop the plane and make up get out on a cloud. Just before take off I put my bag behind my legs under the seat. Believe it or not Miles settled down and was calm the rest of the way. Well, except for when he was managed to push open the bag with his nose and try to climb out. I sat most of the way sitting forward with my elbow on my knee, holding the book on my lap and discretely danging my other hand down to keep checking on the pup. Whew! We made it to DC undetected. As far as flying first class...hmmm, that was an expensive glass of orange juice. I think I'll stick with the commoners next time. The next leg we were sitting in the very back row by the window. That was a perfect spot. There was a young mom holding a 10 month baby beside me and two unaccompanied children sitting in front of us. Perfect. Miles sat part of the way on my lap and the rest of the way in the bag under the seat in front of us. He was a perfect gentleman. I do want to mention that this airline does allow small pets in the cabin. It just makes the trip ever so much more exciting to "sneak" him on.

Miles new family was so excited and thrilled that they hugged me and gave me a kiss. Aww, how nice. His new mom is also a nurse and is also planning on training him to go to work with her.

The return was delayed so they changed my flight, then they changed it back, then that flight was canceled so they changed it again. After hours of waiting, I flew to DC (was in the front row but not first class), had to run to find the shuttle that took me to the next plane, ran to the plane, and just made it before they closed the door. Whew! I was in the front row but not first class on this flight too. Finally made it home just before midnight.

Velvet is still going to work with me every day. She is really tired today. Yesterday we worked the day shift, got off work, zipped over to pick up Corky and Phil, picked Jill up from school, ran home made the arrangements to send Miles to NH, did other puppy stuff, then went back to work and worked 10:00 pm last night until 7:30 this morning. I really thought Velvet would just sleep at the nurse station. Poor thing, she did doze a little, but she followed me around most of the time. She sure slept the rest of the day.

When we got off work, I took a nap for a couple of hours, then got up and got Miles ready to go home. I just can't ship him. It is supposed to get up to 100 degrees tomorrow. There are a couple of early morning flights that he can go on before the weather gets too hot. ...but...what if a flight is delayed...what if a cargo guy is having a bad day.... No, I just can't take that chance. I'm going to fly to NH tomorrow and take him in the cabin of the plane with me. I'll have to leave really early in the morning.

Today was Corkyand Phil'sturn to have surgery. They did really well of course.

Thinking about going home

It is time to start getting Lacey's puppies ready to go home. They will be eight weeks old this week. They need to have their pictures taken for their books and it is time to put the books together. Today I took a bunch of pictures of Kay and Murphy and talked on the phone with the family to help them decide which puppy is best for them. These puppies have such similar dispositions with each other. There isn't one that really stands out as being the definite alpha or low man on the totem pole.

Full day

Today Velvet stayed with me all day at work. She was perfect. She was on leash for about 1/2 hour then I took it off. She stayed right with me. Once when we were in a resident's room I put her (Velvet, not the resident) in a down-stay so I could run down the hall to grab something. When I came back she was right where I told her to stay. I was so proud. A couple other times I put her in a down-stay outside a resident's room so I could go in without her. I'm paying close attention to the people's verbal and nonverbal cues to know who would prefer not to have a dog get close to them. Anyway, each time Velvet stayed right where I told her to. It is so wonderful that all that training I have put in her is paying off. Really though, yes the training is essential, but her nonflappable disposition is most important. That is not something that can be trained or taught, it is just her. I love her she is the best. With Lacey's (Velvet/Koby daughter) third litter, I will probably breed her with Da Vinci again just so I can keep one of the puppies. Hmmm, maybe not. Velvet will only be 9 yrs old and still have another good 4 or 5 years. At any rate, somewhere along the line I want to keep a Velvet grandpup. One that also has DaVinci in him would be perfect.

First day at work

This morning as I was leaving for work, instead of giving Velvet a pat on the head and telling her to have fun today, I got her leash and brought her with me. I was loving it and so was she. Velvet actually got to go to work with me. How excellent is this? She did wonderfully. I kept the leash on her and she followed me everywhere. She was just as cool as a cucumber. Nothing bothered her. She sat nicely so people could pet her. I felt kind of guilty that I was getting paid for this. Isn't that the perfect job though? The kind that you love so much that it feels wrong to be getting paid for it? Combining my Velvet with my old people, love it! I took her home after three hours. Didn't want her to get too exhausted or overwhelmed on her first day.

Yet another trip to the vet

We have been to the vet everyday so far this week. Today three more pups had surgery. Today I paid $1000 toward my bill and still owe another $950.

Jill and I took Velvet to work again this evening. We went a little earlier this evening so some of the people were still up but most of employees, except the nurses and aides of course, were gone. It was a little busier and she got to meet some of the residents. One of the nursing assistants sent us in a room to see a lady that had just gone to bed. I was really surprised at this request. This lady rarely comes out of her room, and spends most of the time in bed. She doesn't talk much. When we went to the room, the nurse aide asked if we could bring in a big dog to see her. She said "yes of course, please do", then she threw back the covers and sat right up without any help. Her whole face was smiling and she looked so happy. Now, I have seen this lady everyday for the past two months and I would not have recognized her had I not known that was her. She looked so happy and was moving so well. She started feeding Velvet some Goldfish Crackers.

This lady's roommate (who tends to be crabby and has a very colorful vocabulary) sleeps with a stuffed bear. She held up her bear and called out "isn't this the prettiest bear you've ever seen?". My Jill, my five year old daughter, went over to her and visited. The resident brightened up. Sigh, I'm so proud of my girls.

Velvet got a job!

The nursing home where I work is very pet-friendly. They have had several failed attempts at having a facility dog. One dog they had was a little hyper and didn't get let outside consistantly. Another one they had specially trained just didn't have the right disposition for the job once there. Another one was there for a few days and started growling. They (the people in charge) didn't do a good job at all of selecting the right type of dog. One dog they found as a stray, another they picked up at a shelter, and another was given to them. I completely understand wanting to rescue a dog, however, being a nursing home dog takes just the right type of dog. At my nursing home there are 80 residents right now. On the day shift during the week there are 39 employees (that includes dietary, housekeeping, office people, and all the others) plus always visitors. It is loud and very hectic. The right dog for the job needs to be totally unfazed by yelling, smells, and occassionally getting her tail run over by a wheelchair. Velvet is the girl for the job. She is bomb-proof.

Velvet went to the vet for her annual exam and immunizations. She is healthy and ready to go to work.

This evening, about 9:30 p.m., Jill and I took Velvet to the nursing home. We went this late on purpose to get there after everybody was in bed and most of the employees were gone. I wanted Velvet's first trip there to be a nice quiet calm visit to just make a quick walk through so she can see it, smell it, and meet just a couple of people. It went well.

Buttons, one of Bessie's pups, went home today. He is so absolutely adorable that I can't believe he is only just now getting a home.

Let the altering begin

The first of Lacey and Da Vinci's puppies was neutered today. They seem so little but they are six weeks old now. Just one, Miles, went from that litter. The last one from Bessie and Bear's went with him and was also neutered.

Speaking of Bessie and Bear's litter, that was kind of a wash-out. Out of eight puppies: the four girls were born dead, two of the boys are funny looking and shed, one I traded/gave away, one I am able to sell. That is a $5976.00 litter, not including food, toys, what I pay Liuda, and all the other expenses. That is what I paid for Bessie and Bear, minus what I'm getting for Bear (he is going to a new home), and what I'm paying for the neutering and microchips. I'm getting $1500 for the one puppy. We win some we lose some. Now that I am on my own I can't afford to lose like this. Have I said lately how much I hate it when people look at me like I crawled out from under a rock when they find out how much my puppies are? I'd like to ask them how much they make and tell them they are insane for that.

A cat day

It was so odd going to the vet with a pride of cats instead of a pack of dogs. The four babies were in the litter puppy stroller. Cloud and Axle (the two big boys) were in a crate balanced on top of the stroller; and Zac the cat was in a smaller crate that I carried. Here is the results:

Zac The Cat: Feline Leukemia negative, physical exam normal, healthy boy, received his annual immunizations including Leukemia since he goes outside.

Cloud and Axle are not littermates. The shelter guy had just guessed they were.

Axle: Feline Leukemia negative, teeth in bad shape and two need to be removed. He is approximately nine years old. He weighs 19 pounds and has likely been fed a junky diet. Between his mouth hurting and him being so overweight, he is not doing a good job grooming himself. He needs to be brushed everyday. He also needs to be fed a high quality diet (of course). He received his annual vaccinations. He needs a follow in six month, after having stability in my house and eating a good diet, so he can have a geriatic blood profile drawn. The vet thinks Axle is healthy, the follow bloodwork is at my request.

Cloud: Feline Leukemia test was negative. Cloud is approximately seven years old and weighs 19 1/2 pounds (I had weighed them at home. I don't like my dogs/cats to use a community scale at the vet). His teeth are in good shape but his body is not in as good a shape. He has fatty-type masses under his arms and in his abdomen. He also has a thin haircoat. He received annual vaccinations. The vet is somewhat concerned about Clouds health status and wants him in for follow up blood work after stabilizing at my house and eating good food in a few months.

Baby Kittens:
Calli is the biggest and healthiest and weighs 13.5 ounces.
Midnight is also big and healthy weighing 12.1 ounces.
Pumkin Face is active like the other two, but is small and starting to
lose weight, 9.5 ounces. He needs help and there is a chance he might
not make it.
Kitty JR is the littlest, scrawniest one. He is not very active at all 7.8
ounces. He need a bunch of help and still might not make it.
The vet said the formula I'm making is good and said to add some of the canned high cal diet tube feeding food I have left from Ellie the Cleft Palate Puppy. I need to continue syringe feeding Kitty JR and Pumkin Face, and give them injections of normal saline with vitamins twice a day. They all are to get a squirt of liquid vitamins twice a day. These kitties are 4 or 5 weeks old. That means they were taken away from their mom and put in the shelter when they were 3 or 4 weeks old. She said kittens should not be weaned until they are at least 6 weeks. She cautioned me that sometimes once a kitten starts to fail, no matter what we do or how hard we try, they will die. She said not to feel guilty. She was holding Kitty JR and I think she was very gently telling me that kitty was probably not going to make it.

Today started and ended much like yesterday. Nobody came to see puppies, but I did spend much time on the phone after work talking to 6 different people about puppies.

I am sooo frustrated with my website host people. I can't get in to the administration area to update because of issues they are having...again. This is happening more often than not.

Bear is moving out of the country in a few weeks. He is excited because he will have lots of girlfriends.

The big cat-boys are doing very well. They are huge, each weighs 19 pounds. The kittens are not doing as well. One has lost over one ounce. I finally started force feeding him some formula I made yesterday.

Ahhh, somebody just now came up behind me and started licking my neck! It was Bear.

What a long day

This morning I got up bright and early and:
-let Velvet and Bear out
-cleaned the baby kitty area
-weighed and fed baby kitties
-brought Velvet and Bear back in
-let out both litters of puppies
-unloaded the dishwasher
-did a load of puppy laundry
-got ready for work
-checked my email
-made it to work by 9:00 a.m. (my sister come over several times today to sit with the kitties and doodles, let everybody in and out, and play with everybody).
-got home from work at 6pm
-Mother called as soon as I got home and told me to go check on my sister (lives 3 houses down).
-did a load of puppy laundry
-checked on, weighed, and fed baby kitties. One is losing weight.
-checked on all the puppies
-One of pup's (Corky, a Lacey/DaVinci girl) new mom came for a visit.
-Another family came to get BB (Bessie/Bear). We went over all the usual stuff that takes awhile. The phone kept ringing.
-When that family left, Corky's mom helped me get pictures. Then she left.
-That was 9:00 pm
-Called the first person who called when the families were here. I had said I would call her when they left. We talked for 45 minutes. They are getting one of Lacey/DaVinci's chocolate boys. Their neighbor/friends has a Bridegroom (Noodles)/Leather (Zion) puppy.
-It was 9:45pm by this time and too late to call the other people back who had called when the families were here. I had promised them I would call them back. I emailed them in the hopes they were online.
-uploaded the pictures and sent to the family who I couldn't call because it was too late.
-ate some supper (fresh cherries, raw broccoli califlower (Jill calls them chicken flowers) carrots, and a banana)
-tried to update the website but had to live chat with tech support instead. I have been having lots of problems with the website host. More often than not I can't get in to the administration area of the website.
-It is 11:50 p.m. and although I still have lots to do, I'm going to bed now.

Oopsie, I forgot

All the kitties, including my sister's Zac the cat (whom I also rescued from the shelter three years ago. He was also too tiny and sickly and wasn't doing well. I fixed him up and he has been happily living with my sister ever since), had appointments with the vet today. At 10:30 I double checked my date book to see if the appointment was for 11 or 11:30. Oops, it was for 10:00. I called and rescheduled for Monday. I really hate that. The babies are so tiny and one is losing weight.
Zac the cat right before moving to my sister's house three years ago. Velvet is such a good girl.

On a happier note, BB went to his new family today. We are using the bartering system. Somebody called about a puppy, submitted an application, and we emailed back and forth several times. I happened to notice on her email tag line is the name of the company she works for. I am in the market for the product that company deals with. We are trading.

Oh My Gosh What did I do?

Sorry, can you stand one more cat sob story from me?

So, yesterday when I got those two big 7 yr old cats from the local kill shelter I noticed these tiny baby kittens that looked like they weren't even 3 weeks old. I was so upset because they don't look old enough to be away from their mom and because they might not be able to keep the kennel crud at bay. However, they did have teeth, and just kept telling myself they would be adopted since they were so cute and tiny.

Last night I tossed and turned and lost sleep over worry about those babies. This afternoon I went to the pet supply store and got some baby cat food to take to them. I thought if nothing else I could go in each morning and feed them proper kitten food. I went but couldn't leave them there. They seemed a bit thinner and one had eye crud. They were flea infested too. They guy working there said they would not survive there and said I could just take them if I promise not to bring them back. What could I do?

They are so incredibly tiny ranging from 9 to 11 ounces. The vet says the general rule of thumb is kittens are 1 pound per month old. Smaller than a $$ bill

Velvet just can't resist a baby bum

She says "Ewww, that doesn't smell like any baby of mine"


Anybody want a cat?

Kitties

Fabuke still hasn't returned, so I went to the humane society and the kill shelter looking for him today. He wasn't at either. The cats at the humane society were in rooms with cat trees and toys and windows and they all looked healthy and happy. I went to the kill shelter second and those cats were in little steel cages and were not all nice and happy and cozy. I told the guy that I wouldn't mind taking the oldest one he has. He took me over to these two cats that were beside each other in separate cages. These two guys are 7 years old, littermates, have lived together all their lives, and their owner died. Now they are in the kill shelter, in separate cages, and will likely be put to sleep because nobody will adopt them over all the cute little kittens. Of course I took them.They are both neutered boys. They have their claws. They are huge, used to children, and not fazed by Velvet.
Cloud
Axle

Peek-a-boo I see you
Somebody catch me
Phil

Bessie's puppies are out having fun too
You can't get meTeeheeeheeeThat Souprize tells the funniest jokes.
Get that stuffed bunny
No, I'd rather get this bad 'ole weed

Another family came today to see the puppies. Ah, now this is more like it. They stayed for 2 1/2 hours and seemed to love the puppies. It was fun. Their daughter is allergic to dogs, so they needed to stay a long time to make sure she would be o.k. She was fine. They will be back in a couple of weeks to get their puppy.

Buki is not back yet. I'm getting worried.

I'm late I'm late for a very important date

A family was scheduled to come over this evening at 7pm. I was planning on getting off work at 4:30 pm. That was going to give me plenty of time to get Jill, get home, get supper, and get ready. One thing after another kept happening at work and I just couldn't get out of there. Finally at 7pm I put my hands up to shield my eyes, told the others "I'm not here. I have to go. Don't even talk to me." Then I left.

The family arrived right after I got home. The mom and kids seemed to like the puppies. The dad appeared so totally bored and unimpressed. I'm sure I'll never hear from those people again.

Mera didn't do it this time

Lacey is always acting like she is just going to starve to death. I find myself caving in and giving her my leftovers (in her bowl, never out of my hands or on my plate). Well, yesterday I put a roast in the crockpot before I went to work. I totally forgot about it and on my way home from work I stopped at Wendy's and picked up supper. I ended up giving Lacey the roast. Boy did I ever pay for it. The only carpet she was able to get to was my bedroom. She went out of her way to go in my room and had diarrhea on my carpet. Peeeyouuuuuueeee. That was nasty. I opened the window and put a fan in front of it to try to blow the stink out. Oops, Fabuki the cat jumped out the window. Oh well, he has escaped a couple of times before and was always back within a day or two.

So what does Mera have to do with this? I used to write about every little thing she did. It seemed like she got blamed for everything. She is spending the week with us but she didn't do this.

Weaning

Lacey is getting serious about weaning her puppies. She doesn't lay down for them. If they are able to grab a snack, it is on the run.
That is how mama dogs do it.
Her puppies are enjoying some fresh air.

No laughs today

Souprize and Squirt are not laughing today. They are getting neutered

Guess who is the litter clown (like a class clown)

Hey youCome hereI wanna tell ya somefinSOUPRIZE!!
HAHAHAHA I'm so funny.

A doodle in disguise

Bessie and Bear have such cute puppies. They don't exactly look like doodles though.This is Buttons. He is so fluffy and cute.
BB does look doodley.
Hey! Who stuck this German Shephard puppy in the litter? Souprize really is a doodle. Honest, I saw his parents do it and I revived him at birth.
Aww, Squirt is such a...a...a squirt.

Chamois/Tucker pups have all flown the coop

Geoffrey was the last of Chamois' pups to go home. It is really interesting to see in what order the pups are chosen. In this litter, the pup that ...uh...wouldn't win a beauty contest was the first chosen and the one that I thought had the best coat and was the prettiest was the last to go. It is just a matter what the family wants...wool vs fleece vs easy to maintain hair coat; boy vs girl; big vs small; black vs chocolat (or whatever is available); outgoing vs laid back, etc. Sometimes the last to go in one litter would be the pick of another litter.

Anyway, I'm really excited and pleased at the placements of Chamois' puppies. One went to a retired school teacher(s) couple, another to a family with the mom/wife who works at a nursing home and will be taking the pup with her to work; another will be a companion to a stay at home disable husband. The others went to equally wonderful homes.

Geoffrey, a Chamois (Shabbi) x Tucker boy, got neutered. He is such a good looking boy

Look at what a good boy Bear is. He just lets Jill sit on him and poke rubber chickens in his mouth. He is a funny boy. In the morning he will bring a toy to me and "talk" to me and tell me to throw it for him. It isn't a bark, but more of a talk. When people don't know what he is doing, they think he is trying to growl or something. Nope, it is definately a happy noise.

Here are a couple of Lacey's pups.

That's a Croc 'a puppy

Peyton went back home today. Before he left I took a picture of him with the same shoe he had his picture taken in as a newborn.
Payton is one of those guys. He was about 7 ounces then.
Here is he is now. He is 12 months old and 15 pounds now.

Lacey is on drugs. Can you tell?

Lacey the mom

Bessie came to the rescue yesterday and took care of the newborns. Bryony stayed up all night with them. She said at some point during the night Lacey started taking care of her own pups. See how big they are? They look like one week old puppies.

Lacey's Cesarean Section

Poor poor Lacey. She continues being in labor. The odd thing about her labor is she isn't pushing. She doesn't seem in distress, just uncomfortable. She is acting famished, and she follows me around. At this point I'm letting her go (hang out, not "go") wherever she wants. She was on the chair for awhile and acted like she was trying to have her puppies there.

This morning I took a couple of Shabbi's puppies to the vet to be neutered. I asked if the vet would give me some doses of pitocin so I could give it to Lacey. They said that since Dr Baker wasn't in today they (two other vets in the practice) didn't feel comfortable with it. They said Dr Baker would be in tomorrow and he could help me. Uh, no way I'm going to let Lacey go that long. She is in labor today and needs help today.

I went back home and alternated between sitting with Lacey and getting some things done. I kept an eye on the clock. Shortly after noon o'clock I called my vet's office and said I had a dog in labor that likely needs a C-Section. I said if the vet is too busy I'd be glad to take her to Northwood. That is the vet hospital and surgery center where I've taken several others. (Ellie the cleft palate puppy, the original JR, Rosie with her second delivery, and a couple others). That is also where Lacey and Da Vinci's guardian family takes them, so they are her regular vet and know her. Anyway, she (vet tech) said the vet is out to lunch right now. Whew! I was off the hook. I could go to Northwood guilt-free. I just kept thinking about Velvet's C-Section and how she lost 5 puppies. I've been wanting to go to this other hospital if I ever needed another emergency C-Section. So, I loaded up Lacey and took her to the hospital. The vet there checked her cervix (I checked her cervix at home and thought she was completely dilated but wasn't sure) and said she is completely dilated. He said he could give her a dose of pitocin and see what she does. He gave her dose and after 1/2 hour she hadn't started pushing at all. He gave her another dose, gave us some blankets, and turned out the lights. I sat under the table with her in the hopes of her being calm enough to have the puppies. She didn't push at all but I could feel she was having contractions. After 1/2 hour the vet said she needed a C-Section. I saw that coming. I didn't get to go back with her. Lacey's guardian mom works just a couple blocks away. I went to see her, then I went to the grocery store. When I got back to the hospital I had to wait only a few minutes before the surgeon came out to talk to me. He said Lacey was full of big puppies and that was a big load for her. She had 9 puppies and they are all healthy and beautiful. She has:
one chocolate girl
one black girl
two chocolate boys
five black boys
They are all wool except for two of the black boys.
As soon as Lacey was able to walk I loaded them all up in the van and took them to her guardian mom's work so she could see them. After a few minutes I took them on home. Lacey didn't know why in the world I kept trying to show those puppies to her. She didn't want a thing to do with them. She looked dazed and confused and danced around to keep me from holding them up to her. Bessie, on the other hand, was dying to see and lick the puppies. Finally I had Bessie lay down and give the puppies their first meal. She did great. Thank goodness for Bessie.

I had to get up and go to work in the morning so Bryony stayed up all night keeping an eye on the puppies and on Lacey and Bessie.

Lacey is in labor

Lacey is in labor and is definately going to have those puppies today.
Everything is ready for her. I even wrapped her tail to keep it clean.


Uh, no, she didn't have them.

Due date

Today is Lacey's due date. They had already scheduled this day off for me because of that. She is looking mighty close to having those puppies. But alas, she did not have them today.

The Good Fairy

I have a good fairy. This is as neat as peanut butter. This morning I left a note on the kitchen table of what I wanted done, went to work, and when I came home that stuff was done. The puppy areas were clean, the pups were weighed and dewormed, and other stuff was done.

Poor Lacey is looking miserable.

My first full day at work

Yucky, I had to set the alarm again and get up early again. This makes two whole days in a row. whine whine

We have a lotta doggies here now...Velvet, Bear, Bessie, Lacey, Peyton, Shabbi's puppies, Bessie's puppies.

My first day and our Doodle Romp

Today was my first day on my new job. I need to learn the names of about a bajillion people, residents and employees.

We (Bryony and I) hosted a doodle romp this afternoon. I took Lacey because I was afraid she would go in to labor and have the puppies at home alone. This is her first litter. Oh, did I forget to mention that her guardian family brought her over yesterday morning? They are thinking she is going to have the puppies soon.
This is LaceyShe is a Velvet/Koby daughter. She is pregnant by Da Vinci. They live in the same guardian home.

The romp was o.k. There weren't as many people as usual. In a way that was nice. I was able to talk with nearly everybody and spend time with people who were just doodle shopping. Peyton, a Duchess/Rusty boy was there. I brought him home with me and will be puppy sitting him for the week.

I'm oriented

Today I had the general paperwork-and-learn-the-rules orientation. I'm a Supervisor for a local nursing home. I'm not exactly sure what I'll be doing. They said the main part of my job is to put out the "fires". They are animal lovers and are going to work around my puppy business for right now. She (the director) understands that I have a litter of puppies due anytime now and will let me go/stay home when Lacey goes in to labor. My schedule is going to be somewhat flexible. I have to work 8 hours a day but the times are not set in stone. I can show up sometime around 8 or 9 or even 7 or maybe 9:30 in the morning. I'll be working every other weekend. On the weekends it totally doesn't matter when I show up as long as I get in 8 consecutive hours in the same day. That means I can't do 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. It has to be sometime between 12:01 a.m. and 11:59 p.m. Now how cool is that? I'll be working 4 days a week. Luida is going to come here four days during the week now and Bryony will work for me on my weekends to work.

Today I had the pre-employment physical for my new job.

Carlton (Chamois/Tucker boy) got neutered today.

Bessie's puppies are so dern cute. Buttons. Squirt is doing great. He is smaller than the rest but doesn't seem sick or sluggish.

Today is my birthday

I received several job offers (when it rains it pours) and accepted one of them.

Happy Birthday Sweetie

A family came today to meet Carlton and to see if they want him. Just look at thisof course they want him. They will be back for him after he gets neutered and when he is old enough to leave the nest.

Chamois retires

Today Chamois aka Shabbi got spayed and went to live with her guardian family. The timing is just right for them. They are moving to California this summer and looking forward to taking Chamois with them. Thank you Chamois/Shabbi for the five beautiful puppies.

Poor Chamois, she was puking sick after her surgery today. The pups, on the other hand, are doing great and up and playing like nothing ever happened. The adults always do so much crappier than the puppies.