Bailey and Frank’s Litter – Week Seven

It won't be long now till we meet our forever families!

“The Return of the Big White Monster”

 

Perhaps that’s something of an overstatement, but imagine that you’re a seven week old puppy with limited life experiences under your furry belt. One afternoon as we were tending to the litters in the living room, we heard growling coming from the library where Bailey’s litter is located. Bailey, we thought, was telling her brood that they’d reached their quota on the milk-truck and that she wasn’t interested in any further top ups for a while. We called out to her, but to no avail. We decided we needed to go investigate. To our surprise, we found our big boy Haydain, sprawled out in the middle of the whelping box enjoying some of the puppies’ toys. Haydain occupied so much space that the pups barely had any room left for themselves. Whenever a puppy approached, he would emit a bassy, resonating growl to communicate that he preferred to keep the toys all to himself. Of course, it was all in good fun as he rolled over on his back to allow them to climb all over him.

The level of activity in the yard has risen several notches since that first day the puppies staggered outdoors and they are so intent on going outside whether rain or shine. Best of all, we had a giant outdoor play fest on the weekend with Bailey’s, Sierra’s and Whitney’s litters combined. It was a joy to behold from a remote corner overlooking the busy playing field as all the puppies interacted with one another. One group could be found stripping bark from twigs and trees; another was honing their digging skills, while others are either playing tag or wrestling. One of the popular sports events was taking a running jump off a rock onto the lawn; a daunting five inch drop. Even Whitney and Sierra got in on the action. They led the group around the yard like the Pied Piper or revelers in a conga line, while Bailey played 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.

The pups 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, not to mention: demanding of attention. We have been treasuring our remaining days together with each and every one of them. So remember as you go off on your journey: “I wish you shelter from the storm, a cozy fire to keep you warm, but most of all, when snowflakes fall, I wish you love”. So long, little ones.

That concludes this edition of “Puppy Tales”.  See you next litter!