Molly’s O Litter, Three Weeks

The “O” puppies are changing dramatically; I notice a big difference between two and three weeks, when they fill out and begin to look round and adorable.

All five of them climb over the edge of their soft bedding to use “the facilities”, a paper pad, then return to their bed to play briefly before they fall asleep again.  I keep an eye on things to make sure they don’t randomly reverse this habit, but most of my efforts are still directed toward supporting Molly.

Molly eats well and drinks often.  I wash and dry her nipples, inspecting them for signs of infection, and keep the hair on her underside clipped short.  I keep the puppies’ nails trimmed so they’re less likely to scratch her as they jostle for position and then brace themselves while they nurse.  The more comfortable Molly is, the happier she’ll be while she finishes the last week that she’ll solely support her puppies.

Molly also leaves the whelping box for increasingly longer periods of time.  She enjoys   lying in the grass with her mother, Emma, or napping in our laps, and I’m happy to see her contented.

Olive, black and white female

Opal, tricolor female

Ophelia, black and white female

Owen, black and white male

Otto, tricolor male

Molly’s O Litter

Here are the latest Blue Mountain Coton puppies, two weeks old: Olive, Opal, Ophelia, Owen and Otto.   The parents are Molly Clair of Blue Mountain Cotons and Ren O’Riley of Blue Mountain Cotons.  We’ve added personal pages for each of the parents on our website under “Our Cotons”.

The three girls and two boys are all solid little things at this age – I can never escape noting their similarity to warm baked potatoes when I hold them.  Their eyes are just open and they’re scooting around the whelping box capably, generally in search of Molly and milk. Three are black and white, two are tricolor.  The tricolor puppies will likely show a range of ginger and gray to black shades that alternately deepen and soften over their lifetimes.

Olive, black and white female

Opal, tricolor female

Ophelia, black and white female

Owen, black and white male

Otto, tricolor male

 

Emma’s I Litter, Nine Weeks

Here we are, on the verge of the “I” puppies’ departures.  Part of my busy preparations are for the puppies and the owners, part are just distraction for me.  Raising puppies is satisfying but it’s inevitably sad.  I’m pleased that all four will be living in parts of the country we frequent in travels – I’ll see them again.

They were all rambunctious in our photo session, strutting, bowing and dancing every which way as we laughingly attempted to have them pose.  My favorite thing?  The blurry, wagging tails.

Indra,

Ivy,

Izzy,

Isaac,

Emma’s I Litter, Eight Weeks

Emma’s “I” puppies had very short outings in the backyard snow this past week – it was cold, but we kept the adventures to just a minute or two at a time.  Emma accompanied them.  The puppies bounded every which way and she dashed about trying to tend to them all.  Back inside we rubbed their paws with a towel and they continued their play without the drama of flying powder.

Indra,

  Ivy,
Izzy,

and Isaac.

Emma’s I Litter, Seven Weeks

Boise skies are blue and bright an average of 234 days a year.  My California roots betray me when I struggle with cold winter temperatures, but the beautiful clear skies compensate.  Winter puppies enjoy the sunshine with an exercise pen near large windows in our kitchen/family room.  They have a shaded area as well, but they do love to bask in the light.

All four puppies continue to grow and change in ways we expect.  They’re wildly happy to meet people.  They sit for me when it’s mealtime (excited vocals accompany breakfast, but that’s ok – there’s always something to work on.)  From time to time Indra and Izzy have a raucous barking show-down while Isaac and Ivy doze, oblivious.  Isaac wiggles and wags furiously when it’s picture time, making it nearly impossible to get a shot that isn’t blurry.

They’re becoming individuals, and we laugh quite a bit when some new display catches our attention.

Indra,

and Ivy,

Izzy,

and Isaac, our boy.

Emma’s I Litter, Six Weeks

Emma’s “I” puppies at six weeks old are the dearest puppies.  We took lots of pictures this afternoon; it’s a good week to say less and show more, so here they are:

Indra, black and white female

Ivy, tricolor female

Izzy, tricolor female

Isaac, tricolor male

Emma’s I Litter, Five Weeks

Here are Indra, Ivy, Izzy and Isaac at five weeks.  They wag and wiggle with excitement for simple petting or meals but their responsiveness takes a different appearance when they’re startled now.  Instead of a mild glance toward the whirring coffee grinder, they  look shocked.  Alternating fearfulness and confidence are normal while they mature. When something worries them now that didn’t last week, we carry on making coffee or vacuuming the floor, but we take note – we don’t want them to be terrified.

Last night all four were cuddling with us on the sofa during a movie.  During a dramatic scene with pounding music Izzy and Ivy huddled together, Isaac buried his face in my neck, and Indra crept cautiously toward the TV, found a pillow and buried her entire head under it.  Then they all fell asleep and missed the ending, silly pups.

Here is Indra,

her sister Ivy,

little Izzy,

and Isaac, our boy.

Emma’s I Litter, Three Weeks

Emma’s I puppies, in their first photo shoot downstairs in the heart of family life.  This will be something they get used to, but they’re a little surprised by everything this time.  A little hunched down and banded together.  In truth, they’re boldly walking all around the whelping box, although with some trips and slides as they learn the ropes of walking confidently.  But they’re on the move!

Indra is our black and white female, along with female tricolors Ivy and Izzy, and Isaac is our tricolor male.

Emma’s I Litter, Two Weeks

Beautiful Emma had a litter of four puppies the day after Thanksgiving, November 23rd.  Her three females and a male are Indra, Ivy, Izzy and Isaac.  They were very close in weight at birth and they’ve continued to grow steadily.

Emma is notable in our dog family for her easy-going nature.  She’s happy to please, and a smiling, humble presence in the group of five dogs.  When she has a litter, she enjoys her many privileges and general status.  She’s jaunty, with an air of superiority, and she defers to no one.

That said, she has never minded having friends, family members or strangers visit her puppies.   Her mother, Ellie, and sister Kate will sometimes sneak upstairs to peak in at the new arrivals and she wags and welcomes them.  She seems surprised and disappointed when we usher them back out again.

From left to right, Izzy, Indra, Ivy and Isaac, two weeks and two days old.

Indra,

Ivy,

Izzy,

and Isaac.

Kate’s S Litter, Homeward Bound

Kate’s funny, fluffy, beautiful boys enjoyed their last day together and parted with a quick lick this evening.

We enjoyed Sam and Sailor most for their happy outlook and love of cuddling.  They share Kate’s cheerfulness, but they entertained us most with their predictable individual responses to life around here.  Sam  rushed into new situations fully ready to engage, with “What’s this box, I’d better chew it, and this guy delivering it?  I’ll sniff him and check him out.”  Sailor typically sat a short distance away, cool and collected, thinking “Goodness, look at that large truck, oh my – the man’s patting Sam’s head.  If it looks safe I may wander over.”

They are Serena Kate’s final puppies so of course we feel especially attached to them.  We’re confident their families will enjoy them.

 

 

 

Kate’s S Litter, Nine Weeks

Sam and Sailor come when called, sit when signaled to, follow along after us, are comfortable on a leash, sleep in individual crates at night, settle on their sides for grooming, run to us at “come” and enjoy the attention of strangers.  They eliminate where they’re supposed to and understand “go potty”.  They both love cuddling and snuggling, obviously fun for us.  They’ve been easy puppies for the most part.  Their new owners will still have lots of work to do, but they’re off to a good start.

Here is Sam,

and Sailor.

Maddie’s F Litter, Homeward Bound

This is really only a departure post for the final F puppy, darling Farley, on his way tomorrow morning with my husband to meet his new owners on the east coast.   He will be loved and cherished, we’re certain of that.

All week we’ve been saying our goodbyes.  My neighbor drove Fitz, in his plush puppy booster seat, to a city in a neighboring state where she has family members to visit.  She enjoyed his charming company on the way.

A family friend escorted Faith and Finnegan to their new homes by plane.  The waiting families met at the airport and described the general sense of excitement.  People in the vicinity caught the enthusiasm and watched eagerly with them as our friend arrived, placed her bag carefully, unzipped it and brought forth – two puppies!  I’m not sure if cheers erupted, but the joy was palpable.

I delivered Flynn personally to his owners in southern California.  Fleury will remain in Boise.

When people ask me if it’s hard to let the puppies go, I usually answer that my weeks-long mission to raise the puppies to adoption readiness overshadows my sense of loss.  It’s not completely true; at least, my feelings about it shift.  I  love the puppies and do miss them.   I fold the last exercise pen and feel the utter quiet.

Tonight I watched Farley, Fleury, Sam and Sailor tumble and fly around the yard in the half-light, and I thought of the puppies before them that have grown to maturity in this same space.   Veronica, Rollie, Luke, Nell, Nutmeg, Ethan, Biff, Pip, Kylie, Posy, Natty…

It’s been a privilege to know each one.

Safe travels, Farley!

Kate’s S Litter, Seven Weeks

Sam and Sailor are the best of friends.  They play with Maddie’s F puppies on occasion, usually with just a single puppy at a time, and they especially enjoy Flynn and Fleury.  Mostly they love to explore the yard or chew their toys in companionable silence.  They are both so much like Kate.  She lets them rove a few feet away in the grass, but she stays  close, one eye on them at all times.  No mischief with these boys;  they’re completely sweet and adorable.

Maddie’s F Litter, Eight Weeks

These are the harnesses that all our puppies wear; previous puppy owners will recognize them.  A child at the park this week asked if the names on them helped me know which puppy was which, but no – we know them well – the tags just identify each puppy’s personal harness.

I take three puppies at a time in the stroller and go anywhere I please.  It’s easy and fun.  That’s how many I can anchor to straps with clasps, so in these pictures we aren’t really going anywhere – I sometimes scout around for something to contain them for a photo and the stroller looked interesting.

And the herb garden is generally off limits but we had a wet Saturday in Boise yesterday, so we turned them loose to explore a dry section of our garden, practicing “leave it” as needed.

Here are Farley and Flynn.

This pair is Fitz and Finnegan,

and Faith and Little Fleury, a.k.a. “Leggings” as  Jacob calls her, adding the “a.k.a” when he does.

Kate’s S Litter, Six Weeks

Such adorable boys.  Kate has the distinction of producing puppies that look like plush toys.

Sam,

and Sailor.