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| Mom loves to play with her puppies! |
“The Conga Line”
The
level of activity in the yard has risen several notches since that first day
the puppies staggered outdoors. It’s a joy to behold from a remote corner
overlooking the busy playing field as all ten puppies from the combined litters
interact with one another. One group can be found stripping bark from twigs and
trees; another is honing their digging skills (sorry) while others are either
playing tag or wrestling. One of the popular sports events this week was taking
a running jump off a rock onto the lawn; a daunting five inch drop. Even the
“dream team” of Bailey and Mango got in on the action. Mango leads the group
around the yard like the Pied Piper or revelers in a conga line, while Bailey
plays tug of war with the puppies using branches.
When
you play that hard, sooner or later, it catches up with you. One by one, the
puppies collapsed in a heap, totally spent. There was one group of five nestled
atop one another in a hollow they had crafted at the base of a tree and another
group slumbering on some river rocks under another tree nearby. They were so
spent that each one had to be carried off to their whelping box dangling like a
little rag doll in our arms.
This
lot was so intent on going outside whether rain or shine and had no
reservations about letting their desires be known if we weren’t fast enough on
the draw. On one outing when the heavens opened unexpectedly, various bare
spots in the lawn turned into mini mud baths. Many of the puppies returned to
the whelping box as mini Chocolate Labs with their little brown tails wagging;
a little dirty, but content.
This
week, the pups had their temperament tests which confirmed that they are an
alert, well-balanced and affectionate bunch who are willing to make friends
with everyone. It’s hard to believe how quickly the time has
passed so we’re now firming up travel plans for some and getting them used to
crates to help ease the stress of travelling. As the puppies mature, they are becoming even
sweeter and more affectionate. We have been treasuring our remaining days
together with each and every one of them. So remember as you go off on your
journey: “when skies are gray, when skies are blue, in the morning and
nighttime too, all we’ll do the whole day through is dream of you”. So long,
little ones.
That concludes this edition of “Puppy Tales”. See you next litter!
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