Bailey and Jazz’s Litter – Week Five

Mom playing with her babies.

“Sticks and Stones”

Puppies don’t learn about sticks and twigs - they don’t need to. Puppies apparently come out of the womb already acquainted with their connection to nature’s debris. Since we had the good fortune of experiencing some reasonable weather, Bailey’s litter was introduced to the great outdoors. Unlike puppies from some of our other litters who may cower for a moment as they take in the vastness of the universe, these fearless little minions wasted no time in darting straight across the grass, albeit somewhat aimlessly.  Miss Champagne was intrigued by a pile of freshly cut logs - fatalities of the ice storm. Mr. Merlot made a beeline to a twig and began to munch away at it contentedly. Miss Chardonnay, the heretofore unfulfilled escape artist was overcome with joy at her newfound freedom and proceeded to run around in circles. Once their mom was introduced into the mix, a game of cat and mouse ensued with Bailey occasionally flopping down and rolling over, allowing the little ones to catch up.

The gang’s sleeping arrangements have been changed during the week so they are now rooming with Mango’s litter. This arrangement has been stellar as the moms share the dwindling nursing responsibilities irrespective of a puppy’s birthright. The group enjoys their meals together in the mess hall; their food now resembling more of a chunky porridge than a smoothie. With the transition to a drier form of food, the little ones are also drinking water to keep hydrated. Of course, what goes in must come out so the whelping box extension has been filled with shredded paper to allow the pups to eliminate away from their sleeping area.

Now that there are a lot more littermates to play with, the action has ramped up and the gang has made some new friends. Miss Champagne likes to play with Miss Iris whose tireless quest is to chomp on Miss Champagne’s tail. Miss Chardonnay did a friendly Ultimate Puppy Wrestling takedown of Mr. Orchid and the two subsequently rolled around quite gleefully. Mr. Merlot is a social butterfly who plays and snuggles with anyone and everyone. This is the beginning of the most influential socialization period for the puppies. They’re learning to communicate with each other and with us by wagging their tails. With the increased control over their facial muscles, the puppies are making expressions and are beginning to reveal their personalities and communicate their opinions! They are craving a lot of attention and affection and fortunately that’s something that’s not hard to provide.

That’s it for now, but be sure to join us next week for another entrancing installment of “Puppy Tales”.