Weeks Eight (& Nine) Flame Puppies
Last Update 08/06/2015
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November 9 & 10 -- Days 52 & 53
From left to right above: Puppies at home in
bigger area (my how they've grown!); at the training center in their play area;
with Cathy Horrocks at the training center. It was always a group area to
keep things under control while we were all teaching. Puppies were a great
distraction for our HUMAN students during the three weeks they all came to work
with me.
Photos above: Their play area at the training
center after Denise graciously organized all the toys for the kids after a
cleaning session!
November 11 -- Day 54
Three of the puppies went home today: Orange, Yellow & Purple. Green is staying with me for a few more days, until his new mom has several days off in a row to help get him settled.
Click on the photos below to visit each puppy's individual page:
November 25 -- Day 68
Some final thoughts regarding the past four months:
The time goes by so fast, yet it seems to last an eternity. It seems like only yesterday, when Mary Berry and I hopped in the van and did the marathon drive to Medford, OR. We met Don & Shane at the Medford Animal Clinic, thinking we might need to do an AI, but in an instant we had a natural breeding. And the next morning another. Knowing we were at the tail end of Flame's fertility, the next month was one of wondering -- was she or wasn't she. There was a month of Flame's picky eating, the ultrasound saying "yes there are puppies" and then their birth. The sadness associated with losing the first puppy. The relief when the other five were out, alive and healthy. The stress when Flame became aggressive toward the pups. The relief when the calcium supplement (or was it sleep, or time) turned Flame back into a happy, sweet, attentive and patient mom.
From the puppies' birth to about 4 weeks, there was the predictable routine of little sleep, tending to Flame's needs and the puppies' needs, weighing and cuddling and watching them develop -- right before my very eyes. In many ways the first 4 weeks were the easy weeks. Once the puppies became mobile, with vision and hearing, and eating solid food, the work really began. Tons of laundry. Planned socialization visits from friends, first at home and then road trips. Soaking food, pureeing food and then making sure I always had a meal or two with me when we traveled.
Approaching 6 weeks, the puppies' personalities were becoming evident and I could evaluate them for structure & movement, which led to the process of matching the right puppy to the right home. Getting back to work was great, both for me and the puppies, but again -- so much work to haul them around, do laundry from work as well as home, etc. These past 2 weeks have certainly been rewarding, to see how these little guys have grown into little "dogs" -- both physically and mentally. Yes, they're definitely still puppies -- and will be for a long time -- but they are now individual little Belgian Sheepdogs, capable of playing, learning, communicating, getting into trouble and making everyone laugh.
I have been so very proud of Flame and her mothering skills. She has been so good with the puppies and it just amazes me to watch mother dogs not only care for the physical needs of their puppies, but also to take care of their emotional development and their education.
In addition to the puppy process there was my husband's two back surgeries just prior to the puppies' birth. That added its own dimension of stress, but fortunately, when the puppies turn 11 weeks old my husband will be returning to work -- 3 months after his first surgery.
Because I kept Mr. Blue puppy, my work is not over. It's just entering another stage, with all the fun and effort that goes into transforming a rambunctious Belgian puppy into a responsible adult black dog. I'm enjoying getting to know "Tory" and see how he responds to early training -- how he thinks, how he learns, what he finds fun and funny. Tory and I are lucky to have Flame and Keeper in the house providing further ongoing dog education, although with three of the other puppies close by, mom and grandma can work their wonders with those puppies, as well. Anya has the benefit of all the Allure Belgians to help her grow up to have good canine social skills.
Thanks to everyone who's played a role in this process! This is my last official entry in the puppy diary, but I will continue to update the individual puppy pages as pictures & updates are given to me!
Kathy