Days and nights are a total blur when sleep is caught whenever possible and never long enough. I was up pretty much all night with whelping box chores. After my husband got up to relieve me and before I went to bed, I snapped this morning cuteness.
My husband woke me 5 hours later with Bruce Springsteen blaring "Born to Run" on the TV and "do you know where Koyuk is? She has been gone a long time". The kennel door was open so Trask and Cedar could be outside as they wanted. Until now, Koyuk had never left the little ones and had to be practically dragged outside to potty. Just about then she came in coated with sticky, clay, pond muck.
I don't know if she had gone outside looking for me and gotten distracted my the critters in the almost, dried-up pond in front of the house or decided to dig a new den for her family.
Her expression says it all: "I think I am in for a bath huh?"
Her pups were resting quietly so to the mudroom for a bath for her (and the kennel door closed).
The bath did give me a good look at her incision (clean and healing nicely) and poor overworked nipples. When she was clean and finally settled in the whelping box, I went upstairs to check the day's e-mail and catch up on FB. We have an Osprey nest in a tree somewhere behind the house. Osprey chicks sound just like 4 day old Chinooks. New puppies don't produce their own heat so the house must be kept hot. It was 90 degrees today and the upstairs office was cooking. I had the window cracked open for a bit of relief while I cruised the cyber world. With each Osprey chicks cry, I rushed to the landing to check on the whelping box - usually to to find everything quiet.
Kerstin, my able canine midwife and hard bench, waiting companion brought her family and a tin of Bag Balm for Koyuk's sore nipples over to meet the little ones this evening. Lupin from my first litter was part of Kerstin's family for almost 14 years and a frequent house guest here. The dogs are very comfortable around Kerstin, Jon and the kids.
Koyuk getting some loving from Kerstin.
"They are so cute".
Puppy time. The joy.
The wonder.
The amazement.
The puppy breath.
Koyuk is such an easy mom sharing her little ones. I have let the girls know that as with Koyuk's last litter, it will be their job to socialize the pups to high pitch screaming, running kids. Mission gleefully accepted.
One last goodnight cuteness.
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