All these puppies have been keeping me from sitting long. So this entry is a bit late but here's the latest. C.J.'s puppies are doing well, I will try to get a current picture of the group up, 'til then you can glimpse them on our website under adoptable dogs. They are healthy and running around. It is amazing the amount of waste they produce too! Add that to the fact that C.J. had become a wet nurse to six more puppies. These pups lost their mother suddenly when only a few days old. We got them on the 10th of March when they were a week old. C.J. did her part providing them with warmth and nourishment but didn't really want anything to do with the cleaning. This is where Freddie came through again. They had an amazing partnership. She would feed and then he would get in the crate and snuggle and clean. Very cute. Anyway, we gave those puppies two weeks of C.J. and then passed them on to another foster. They will be ready for adoption in about 3 weeks. I don't think they would have made it as well without C.J....

 It has been one week since our last update and SO much has changed! Everyone has their eyes open and their ears. They are all eating wet food three times a day and growing like weeds! They are all 2 1/2 to 4 pounds and have teeth! Today they have started to play too. They were trying to attack my daughter's backpack zippers earlier! LOL. They are so much fun. They get fed in the morning and then they all get a bath and then in the afternoon and then again before bed. This last feeding keeps them quiet through the night. Alas, to sleep through the night. Such bliss!

This is Tipsy

 



This is Nora

 



This is Mare

 



This is X

 

...

The puppies are 7 days old now and eating like there is no tomorrow!  Maggie is doing her best to keep up.  My 8 year old is waiting very patiently for their eyes to open!

 

Maggie came to us after being dropped off at a pound on a dark, snowy evening.  Three days later she gave birth to five little pups.  Thanks to Paws & Prayers, Maggie has a warm foster home for her and her pups.  Thanks for reading her story.

 Yesterday four of the puppies' eyes began to open. It is like watching seeds grow! LOL. I suspect that today two of them will be wide open and by the end of the week the other two will be open AND, hopefully, the other three will have their eyes open as well!  C.J. is learning to give herself some mommy time and space from the little ones. I think we have made it past the critical period. Things are still looking lovely. We have also, finally, given the puppies names and they seem to be fitting. If you go to facebook you can see each one tagged with a name. :)

 The puppies seem to have doubled in size since their birth a week ago. I will be trying to get each one photo documented and posted this week. They are eating and sleeping and pooping plenty! Some of them growl and bark in their sleep; it is really adorable. A couple of them have wiggled away and "explored" a little. C.J. did not seem to know how to pick them up so I had to put them back. They get very noisy if they can't find the correct source of food and they can be very loud. Overall, they are doing well. 

 We lost Nubbins on Wednesday. I took him into the vet and he said that he was clearly in pain and that even if he did heal, the lasting pain would be unknown.  I said good bye to Nubbins around 2:00 p.m.  

 It is Tuesday night and Nubbins is still hanging on. He has a vet check tomorrow to see how his feet are going to do. I think C.J. is starting to get worn down feeding eight voracious pups. They are growing like weeds, four of them in particular! Tonight I started to supplement Nubbins because I think the others are just too strong for him to keep his place. He seemed to like it. Freddie has slowly been allowed to get closer and participate as well. Tonight he helped in the ceremonious butt licking. He also managed to give a few of them an all over licking. I think C.J.'s tongue is getting tired. She does come out of her den in the evenings to come and hang with the fam. Sometimes I check on her and find she has found a racquet ball and stashed it among the pups. She continues to eat well (she could probably stand to eat more) and go outside with the other dogs. She would like it if I would go out with them and play a little, otherwise she wants to come right back in. 

 Yesterday we found out that there was an older dog who had, surprisingly, delivered a single pup. This pup was breech and the mother was confused. In trying to help the delivery along, she inadvertently injured the pups hind feet. After the delivery she wanted nothing to do with the puppy, as I sad previously, she was confused. Paws and Prayers was contacted to help. The timing could not have been better and boy, were we in the right place at the right time!  We introduced C.J. to the new puppy and she sniffed and licked, and then she let the puppy nurse! She accepted him right from the beginning, without hesitation. It is now the day after and NUBBINS made it through the night. He has a lot of catching up to do, but hopefully he will make a great recovery and those toeless feet of his won't be too much bother. I think C.J. has her paws full but she has been the best trooper! She now has an even eight pups, 4 girls and 4 boys!