Barbara's pups

31 May '07 2:35 am

Wow!! What adorable babies!! Lucky guy, Jack, you can hold them tenderly in your hands!

3 Jun '07 9:11 pm

It is payday weekend on the farm, with the result that ALL the staff have gone home. (Mostly they have homes in the tribal areas within 30km from here, and there is usually at least one person who hangs around for the weekend.) Also the weekend is cloudy and COLD in a snuggly and quiet kind of way.

Barbara and the pups have moved into my bathroom for the weekend. Yesterday the first pup plopped over the edge of the box onto the cold floor. Indignant squeels. Soon they will start exploring their world. Raptors become a real problem then. Yesterday I talked my mother into suggesting on the phone from Johannesburg that their verandah would be the ideal raptor-proof kindergarden. Laughing

So tomorrow we shall start setting it up with protective netting to keep them in, shade areas, toilet-training areas and their first toys...

My first choice, referred to as Daddy's Girl before, takes centre stage. She now has a name, as does my second choice. She is called Abbey. Why? Well that amazing cross on her back - vertical dark, horizontal light - set me thinking. But independently I decided, as our girl dogs are always given human girl names and the boys named after generals (except for Doubly who came to us as a corporal and stayed that way), that her name must commemmorate the most important event in my life at the moment: going to Europe to hear my dear friend Sally, mother of my goddaughter, sing Lucia (di Lammermoor) for Scottish Opera. I will hear her on the last night of the run in Aberdeen. So Abi? (Abigail IS to me one of the strongest and most beautiful names in the English language.) Then I realised: 'Abbey' would include the cross...

So 'Lucia' then for my second choice pup: her smokey coat will commemorate Sally's voice, which was described as 'sepia-toned' by one of the reviewers.

I'm afraid it looks as though we might end up keeping two pups after all...

PS: That's Lucia far left in the left pic, with her head on the right of the other pic. And Abbey asleep on Mom's belly on the left - and of course centre stage on the right!

5 Jun '07 1:51 am

Jack, how can you choose? They are all so cute! I am glad they have you as a protector.

10 Jun '07 12:18 am

Mom had taken a break...

It was a perfect opportunity to take the pups outdoors into the midday sun to see what would happen if they were given a bit of space. Mom might have been away, but Doubly, who is besotted by the pups, had to be part of the adventure. (Mom at first snapped at him, now she tolerates the fawning uncle.) However it is clearly early days still, and we didn't stay out for long.

10 Jun '07 3:48 am

I found myself pulling for the uncle-babysitter. In that last picture, you can see Barbara giving him a withering stair, and him looking away politely and reassuringly. Puppies are so much fun, but this is as close as I'm likely to get to another litter so thanks for posting so many photos. (I know that takes a little time.)

Yours is a whole other world. Here in Berkeley a new local law will require that every dog be neutered or spayed. We have such a problem with over-population of pets with thousands unwanted put down every day. I remember how much fun it was to have a new litter to look in on when I was growing up. It is a real treat to get to see these little guys here. Thanks again for sharing.

10 Jun '07 7:30 pm

That's what we call them here... most people are quite responsible about such things too. I've not been involved with pups since the age of about ten, so I'm loving the adventure.

I'm pleased to continue Monty's line, I WISH I had bred Taubie before having her spayed. Doubly is intact but, I seriously suspect, 'otherwise inclined'. I know he sometimes manages to seduce Monty into some serious ear-licking, which makes Monty look highly embarrassed when I see it Razz

Anyway - it's off to the vet with Barbara once the pups are weaned!

12 Jun '07 12:22 pm

Fletcher too is a sports model then. He's been neutered and I do think he has organ envy in regard to intact males, but he might also be otherwise inclined. Very often a polite sniff will turn into an extended investigation and a lot of licking. I never quite know what to say to the other dog's owner. He prefers to play with assertive male dogs. The game they play I would call "you're my b----". It starts with one of them resting his chin on the others back. The next move is to mount the dog unless he can score a reversal, what is known in the game as an "oh no, yo' my b----". There is much dancing on hind legs and pushing out with the fore paws to try to topple the other. It looks nothing like fighting, never becomes aggressive and looks like great exercise.

12 Jun '07 1:57 pm

I just LOVE (you get capital letters to make the point) your puppies!
I'm such a sucker for them. I love kittens too, but puppies just get to me. Very Happy

I saw a lovely young foxy last weekend at one of the pet stores but hubby wouldn't let me get her. Meanie!

Anyhoo, Scruffy, though de-knackered, still has the need to dominate and hump everything in sight. He got together at the weekend with his papillion friend 'Kimi' and embarrassed us hugely. (I'll leave it to your imagination...) Very Happy

16 Jun '07 7:29 am

Weekend means foster duties. The pups and their mother have moved in again, and I'll get to spend time with them while poring over my marking... Tomorrow I'll hopefully have the first 'puppies at play' shots. Meanwhile I had to share this moment with you...

16 Jun '07 11:48 am

I love the milk-breath of puppies. I suspect it is better than mom's breath after all the tidying up she must be doing. I can't see any puppies little eyes open in that shot but I seem to remember your saying they are open now. Please pass on a snuggle from me.

Barbara's pups

I am So jealous!!

Day 17

Cute puppies

Day 24

So nice to see the pups and hear about their interactions.

Sports models

That's a new one on me.

Friday evening; four weeks and a day

Mom's looking a little tuckered.