Click here to see the Puppies' Growth Chart.  This chart will be updated as often as possible to reflect the puppies' weights.

Click on any thumbnail photo to see a larger version.

May 19 (14 days old -- end of week #2):

I managed to sneak a couple photos while the pups all had their heads buried in mom's fur nursing away.   If you look carefully at the larger version of the image on the right you'll be able to find 9 little tails.   (Be sure to count the one between Keeper's rear legs and the one between Keeper's front legs!) 

You can see how much they've grown by comparing how much space they take up in the photo!   Lt. Blue, Gold & Pastel are all over 2 pounds, with the rest following close behind.   All eyes are open today and a few more can make out shapes.   Everyone is getting involved in very short play sessions (2 minutes), usually after eating and before napping for an hour or so.   Then the eat, play, sleep cycle starts all over again!

May 18 (13 days old):  

The past 24 hours have been very interesting for the Lt. Blue puppy.   Last night he got reprimanded by Keeper for getting next to her food dish.   He didn't know what he was doing...poor guy.   In fact, I'll take responsibility for what happened.   I was trying to do Keeper a favor by feeding her in the whelping box while she was nursing.  I did that many times during the first week, but hadn't done so for several days.   Lt. Blue was in the wrong place at the wrong time and got yelled at by his mom.   He screamed as though he was dying (of course, he wasn't).   After a little cuddling from me, he was fine.

Then today Lt. Blue actually started to play with me.   He and several other puppies have been noticing the toys in the whelping box -- nosing them, climbing on them, trying to suck on them, etc.   Today he was truly playing with them by himself, and when I teased him with one, he would interact.   At one point I even got him to "talk" to me by howling -- he howled back!   It seems that Lt. Blue and Pastel both have working ears at this point, and everyone's eyes are open, but some are more useful than others.   Lt. Blue, Pastel, White & Pink can definitely see shapes moving around them.

The puppies had another new experience today.   When I changed their blanket this morning, I left them loose on the carpeting in the whelping room.   Interestingly, Purple was the least interested in exploring (in the whelping box, Purple has been the go-getter).   Dk. Blue and Red were the explorers, venturing a couple of feet away from me.   Everyone is getting a little more coordinated on their feet, and several are actually eliminating on their own.

Can you imagine what a "non-dog" person must think reading this?   It's amazing what makes a breeder's day!

May 17 (12 days old):  

No new photos for the next few days as the puppies' eyes are all opening and at this time they are very fragile.   Exposure to very bright lights (such as camera flashes) can be damaging.   I tried taking some non-flash digital photos a couple of days ago without much luck...will try again perhaps with the old-fashioned film camera!    It will be a few more days before their eyes can distinguish very much, and it takes even longer for depth perception abilities to kick in. 

All the puppies are walking now, taking 2 to 6 steps before losing their balance and toppling over.  Their tenacity is amazing...if I fell over as much as they do I'd just give up and go back to crawling!   They are also getting faster and stronger.   When Keeper enters the whelping box, there's a race to get to her...and several always make it before Keeper is able to lie down.   So, she squats for a moment, trying not to squish anyone, lets them think that's going to be her spot, and then she quickly moves to another corner of the box where the coast is clear.   She definitely has a system worked out!

I am constantly amazed at Keeper's nursing routine.   She starts out lying on her side, but after a while she always rolls on to her back, which causes a very humorous scene as the puppies do their best to hang on...reminds me of a puppy version of the show "Survivors!"   Those who fall off, just get back up and try again.   Now they're getting tall enough that they can stand on their hind legs and reach the nipples without having to climb on top of Keeper.   The final portion of the nursing routine is when Keeper flips totally over to the other side and pushes off from the side of the whelping box.   Maybe this is her way of making sure her tanks get emptied equally on each side!

We've continued our schedule of having a new visitor each day.   Keeper is so happy to see people that she nearly knocks them over when she greets them.  A couple of times she's been so eager to leave her whelping room that she's knocked the baby gate over, and she spends a fair amount of time with her front legs on top of the gate peering down the hallway to see what everyone else is up to!    Many of the puppies are trying to nurse on the visitors who hold them, and everyone is surprised at the amount of suction those little mouths can generate!

I continue to be impressed with Keeper's mothering skills and her stamina...she tends to her brood and still has energy to spare, asking to play frisbee several times a day now!

May 14 (9 days old):

It is just amazing to see the changes in these little guys over the past couple of days.  The changes are subtle, but important.   Every puppy is gaining weight and their little legs are getting stronger.  They are able to "stand" momentarily and then they lose their balance and topple over.   It'll just be a day or two before they're doing the puppy version of walking.   Their eyes are not closed as tightly any more...in a couple of days they will begin cracking open, as well.  When their eyes are opening, and for several days after, it's important that they not be exposed to bright lights, such as camera flashes.

The puppies are slowly gaining the ability to regulate their own body temperature, so the whelping box thermometer now reads 80 to 85 degrees, instead of last week's 85 to 90 degrees.   The lower temperature definitely makes Keeper happier.   Keeper has a little bit more freedom from the puppies these days, too, since they are growing so fast they are sleeping a little longer (and deeper) between feedings.  As I write this she's lying at my feet, chewing on a bone.

It's also interesting to notice the subtle changes in the puppies' ability to react to touch.  If I rub their backs or necks they will often "lean" into the rubbing, as if to say it feels good!   A couple of times my rubbing has resulted in a puppy-sized scratch reflex of the hind leg.  

Weighing them is becoming more of a challenge, since they are not as willing to lie still on the scale.   They want to GO somewhere and NOW!   However, cuddling and stroking the pups gets all of them to relax and settle, and often fall asleep.   All the puppies try to nurse on hands and fingers and noses that come close to their faces...ahhh the smell of puppy breath!

Visitors in the past couple of days have included our wonderful midwives, Monica Miller & Cathy Horrocks, as well as good friend Claudia Shaw.   Keeper greets each visitor with kisses and tail wags, as though she's happy to show off her kids.

I'm now able to get about 5 hours of sleep at a time...it's wonderful!