Day 29

These guys are getting very quick on their feet. Weekly pictures and weigh-ins require four hands. To get pictures of weigh-ins would have required 6 hands. Four to balance squirming puppies in a large tub on a tiny scale and 2 hold the camera and assist with the balance.

Ms Willow - 5lbs

Ms Takotna - 4lb8oz
Mr Kaltag - 5lb 3oz

Ms Koyuk - 4lb 8oz

Ms Elim - 4lb 10oz

Mr Nome - 5lb 8oz

Outtakes:

Wrong animal getting a bath.

Willow with a take down.

Week 4

Today was a busy day at BrownStone Chinooks. We had 7 visitors and made two trips outside.

Tender moment with Takotna

Cedar trying to engage the pups in some play.
My wonderful friend Jackie, owner of Cedar's sister and McKenzie's 1/2 sister, finally got here to visit the puppies.

"Please mom? Just a sip." Willow checking out the new textures for the day.

Lunch Al fresco.

Jen and Cora with Koyuk

Inquisitive Oscar's first words upon meeting Cedar were "where did the puppies come out?" Guess the birth of baby sister Cora got him to thinking.

"Good night".

Day 27

Nome and Elim in a quiet moment of play.

Exhaustion. Keeping up with round-the-clock feeding, cleaning and bedding changes is taking a toll.

Cedar is only accepting one or two pups at at time for nursing...

but the chosen ones are lavished with love.

The pups are fed and clean. Rather than just staying up until the midnight feeding, I am off to bed early. Cedar and the pups will make sure I am up in a couple of hours.

Day 26

This time last night I was bottle feeding the pups. Cedar did not want to go into the whelping box and I did not feel the pups had gotten enough nourishment from an evening meal of rice cereal with goat's milk followed a couple hours later by puppy kibble crushed and soaked in goat's milk. While they had a great time slipping around the gruel filled trough, they did not eat that much. By midnight they verbally made it clear they were still hungry. I decided the bottle with warm goat's milk might be the solution to their hunger. It worked for a few hours until they were hungry again. Still Cedar would not go into the box. She stood outside, looking in and crying with her pups. Yes it was a long night.

Today I tried another brand of puppy kibble soaked in goat's milk. The pups really lapped it up but Cedar remained distraught outside the whelping box. She wanted to groom her puppies but did not want to be mobbed within the confines of the box. For dinner we tried a different tactic. If Cedar would not go to the puppies, we would bring the puppies to her. One at a time we introduced pups to her lying on her bed outside the box. For the first time in days she relaxed while nursing. Success! A couple hours later I gave the pups more puppy gruel to tide them over, what I hope is, the night.

Full tummies mean extra energy for play.

Full tummies mean restful sleep for all.

Day 25

The puppies did not make it over the whelping box threshold today but as you can see, they can now look out while just standing up. I had the door out during the bedding change. Rest assured, both doors were back in before I put my camera away.
The sun came out for a couple of hours providing an opportunity for a new, texture adventure - rough, warm, damp cement. The pups are exposed to new sounds and surfaces to walk on daily. The sunlight better shows how much their color is lightening up. It also brings out their black tail triangle. Just Like McKenzie's litters, all the pups got their "tail kiss" the same day.

Ms WillowMs Takotna
Mr Kaltag
Ms Koyuk

Ms Elim

Mr Nome

Day 24

I give the puppies 24 hours until they are able to breach the whelping box door. Make that - until they do. Willow is very adept at getting up onto the pig rail to take short cuts over obstacles. She can also stand and look over the door. One foot up on the toe rail while looking over the door and she is out - plop onto the floor. Takotna is not far behind mastering escape maneuvers. Because of the eminent threat, I put the second door tier in when I am not next to the whelping box. I also have a rolled blanket for tumbling wayward pups to land upon. Cedar is the definition of "cornered". She did not get a chance to lie down during a feeding this afternoon.

Day 23

Whelping box life is getting more active and noisy. Intermittent play... is followed by eating at Cedar's milk bar and (in) the trough..

and clean-up afterward.

The whelping box itself also a needs post meal clean-up. The pups are removed to a basket while all linens are replaced and walls washed of sticky footprints.

Aunt McKenzie had her nose full keeping the active pups in the basket while I cleaned.

The two hour cycle is completed with a nap...
and an exhausted Cedar.